Apr 18, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy (12) talks to defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) during a stoppage of play against the Dallas Stars in the first period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Thomas Shea/Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
DALLAS — The Minnesota Wild have an opportunity to do something they never have done in the NHL playoffs after putting the Dallas Stars in a very familiar postseason position.
Minnesota’s 6-1 thumping of its Central Division rival in Game 1 sets up the possibility to go up 2-0 in a playoff series for the first time in 15 postseason appearances over its 25-season history.
“We won a game, we didn’t win a series. So it’s just moving on to Game 2. ... We’re not satisfied with winning one game,” Wild coach John Hynes said.
“We’re living in the now, the past is the past. Different teams, different identities, different experience levels,” forward Matt Boldy said. “We go into this game with the same mindset we went in going into Game 1. ... Doesn’t matter if you’re up 2-0, up 3-0. It doesn’t matter until you get the fourth (win). So that’s our mindset and we’re not looking too far.”
The Wild haven’t gotten the clinching fourth win of a series since beating St. Louis in the first round of the 2015 playoffs. They have lost their last nine postseason series in the Western Conference playoffs, including losses to Dallas in 2016 and 2023.
For the Stars, it was the ninth time in 11 playoff series since 2022 that they lost Game 1 — 1-7 at home in that span, including a 5-1 loss to Colorado to open last year’s playoffs. They came back from those early deficits to win seven of those nine series, and made it to the West final each of the past three seasons.
“I’m not too worried,” Stars forward Mikko Rantanen said. “This team is really good at resetting and coming back the next night.”
Boldy scored two goals and had an assist in the series opener, including the last of three goals Minnesota had in the first 6 1/2 minutes of the second period for a 4-0 lead.
The five-goal victory matched the biggest ever for the Wild in the playoffs, and they had five players with multiple points. Joel Eriksson Ek scored two power-play goals and had an assist, while Kirill Kaprizov added a goal and two assists and Mats Zuccarello had three helpers. Rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt stopped 27 of 28 shots in his postseason debut.
“I liked the performance of everyone that was in the lineup, for sure,” Hynes said.
When asked if Wallstedt would start again over playoff-experienced Filip Gustavsson in Game 2, the coach responded, “I’m just going to go day by day with that.”
Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said he would be sticking with goalie Jake Oettinger, who gave up five goals on 28 shots, two on power plays and another on a deflection.
“I saw more of a team-play thing that we can all be a little bit better from every guy,” Gulutzan said. “Some nights you can, any team in the league can, look at their goalie and go, oh man, that was (on the) goalie. But last night wasn’t one of them.”
This is the 11th playoff series for Minnesota native Oettinger, but the second postseason game in a row when things didn’t go as planned. He was pulled from the deciding Game 6 of the West final last year by then-coach Pete DeBoer after giving up two goals on the only shots he faced in the first 7:09 of what turned into a 6-3 win for Edmonton.
The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to even their Round 1 series against the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 2 at PPG Paints Arena on Monday, April 20.
My top Flyers vs. Penguins predictions and NHL picks expect another low-scoring bout in the Battle of Pennsylvania tonight.
UPDATE: Added a prediction for who will win tonight.
Flyers vs Penguins Game 2 prediction
Who will win Flyers vs Penguins Game 2?
Flyers: The Philadelphia Flyers have won 18 of their last 25 games and have received a notable scoring boost from emerging star Porter Martone to provide a more balanced attack. While the Pittsburgh Penguins battled in Game 1, they were both limited and outplayed at 5-on-5, and Philly can replicate the defensive success to take a 2-0 series lead.
Flyers vs Penguins best bet: Under 6 (-120)
The Flyers played elite defense down the stretch with just 2.41 goals against during a 15-5-1 heater, and the attention to detail carried over in Game 1 against the Penguins. Pittsburgh generated just 1.96 expected goals on eight high-danger scoring chances.
A trade off for the strong defensive play is Philadelphia doesn’t generate many quality chances, either, and the Flyers finished with just 2.77 expected goals on nine high-danger scoring chances in Game 1.
The Pens were a surprising high-scoring team during the regular season, and especially at 5-on-5 with the second-most goals per 60 minutes and second-highest team shooting percentage, so the Philly defense is kick-starting a splash of statistical correction to the unsustainable Pittsburgh attack.
Flyers vs Penguins Game 2 same-game parlay
Flyers winger Owen Tippett collected three shots on a game-high seven attempts in the series opener, and he and linemates Trevor Zegras and Tyson Foerster dominated 5-on-5 possession with a 78.6 Corsi For percentage.
Continuing with the final leg of this same-game parlay, Zegras finished the regular season with a career-high 67 points, and he’s marked the scoresheet in 12 of his past 14 games while centering the top line and No. 1 power-play unit.
Flyers vs Penguins SGP
Flyers moneyline
Owen Tippett Over 2.5 shots
Trevor Zegras Over 0.5 points
Flyers vs Penguins Game 2 goal scorer pick
Tyson Foerster (+305)
Sticking with the Philly top line, Foerster was dangerous and recorded three individual high-danger scoring chances in Game 1. As noted, the trio dominated 5-on-5 possession, and Foerster hasn't found the back of the net in five games dating back to the regular season despite recording 10 shots and 1.31 individual expected goals.
The Philadelphia Flyers have won 18 of their last 25 games (+15.20 Units / 56% ROI). Find more NHL betting trends for Flyers vs. Penguins.
How to watch Flyers vs Penguins Game 2
Location
PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, PA
Date
Monday, April 20, 2026
Puck drop
7:00 p.m. ET
TV
ESPN
Flyers vs Penguins latest injuries
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The Buffalo Sabres picked up a big 4-3 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the first round. It was certainly a hard-fought win for the Sabres, as they came back from being down 2-0 by scoring four goals during the second half of the third period.
It was a perfect way for the Sabres to start off their first playoff round since 2011, and they managed to make some NHL history in the process.
According to OptaSTATS, the Sabres became the first team in the history of the NHL playoffs to win a game during regulation after being down by at least two goals to zero with eight minutes or less left in a contest.
This is a great stat, and it shows just how electric the Sabres' comeback win was. It seemed that the Sabres were going to get goalied by Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman, but thankfully for them, they solved him.
Tage Thompson kicked off the Sabres' comeback by scoring two goals in the third to tie it. Sabres defenseman Mattias Samuelsson then scored to give the Sabres the lead before Alex Tuch scored an empty-netter to secure Buffalo's win.
Now, the Sabres will be looking to build on their momentum by winning Game 2 from here.
The Chicago Blackhawks will be a team to keep an eye on this summer. After another season near the bottom of the NHL standings, they should be looking to make some upgrades to their group.
While the Blackhawks have plenty of exciting prospects in their system, they should also be looking to upgrade their roster with talent that will help them immediately. However, the biggest roster need that the Blackhawks must address this offseason is adding at least one top-six winger.
It is no secret that Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard could use more help around him on his wings. Due to this, if the opportunity presents itself for the Blackhawks to land a star winger in their top six, they must jump on it.
The ideal top-six winger target for the Blackhawks would be a proven player who is on the right side of 30. This is because they would have the potential to be a nice long-term part of the Blackhawks' core as they continue their rebuild.
Ultimately, the Blackhawks simply need to upgrade their top six this summer. It will be interesting to see what kind of moves the Blackhawks make this summer from here.
Apr 18, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) handles the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers during the second period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG Paints Arena. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
It would be an understatement to say that things did not go well for the Pittsburgh Penguins in their Game 1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night. Despite the close 3-2 final score, as well as the fact they had a prime scoring chance to potentially tie the game in the closing seconds, this game never really felt like it was there for the Penguins to take. They were shut down, struggled to generate chances and just looked like a sloppy team playing a random mid-December game instead of its first playoff game in three years.
The popular argument I have seeen in the aftermath is that it was rust, and an argument for why the Penguins should not have rested people in the final three games of the regular season. I am not going in that direction, nor do I have any interest in it. This is a largely veteran team with multiple players that have either played in the Stanley Cup Final or won Stanley Cups. They know what the playoffs are about. They should not need a dress rehearsal for that, and they should not have been the timid ones in that game. It is also not like everybody sat out those games. Every player on the roster played in at least one of those three games, and some of them played in multiple games.
It’s also not like they sat around for 10 days doing nothing.
Aside from most of the players still playing in games, they were also still practicing and on the ice. They came back from a month-long Olympic break and played one of their best games of the season. They have had full bye weeks in the past. They also had just played a month-and-a-half of wildly intense games against a lot of the best teams in the league, with a very compressed schedule, and probably needed the rest anyway.
The rust angle works for the 5-10 minutes of the game. After that, it’s time to get into the game.
They were simply outplayed, and maybe outcoached.
If you want to take an optimistic view on all of this, the Flyers played a nearly flawless game and the Penguins played a severely flawed game, and it still came down to one shot at the end of the game. Can the Flyers repeat that for potentially six more games? Will the Penguins be that sloppy for any number of games?
There is also the fact Stuart Skinner, for the most part, played well and kept them in the game while they were bleeding chances against throughout the first two periods. If he can get on a roll and play relatively close to that, the Penguins have a really good chance, both in this series and potentially beyond.
But the Penguins still have to play better — much better — in front of him. And that brings us to the question of whether or not the Penguins should shake some things up.
I liked Elmer Soderblom getting a spot on Saturday over Justin Brazeau. Brazeau has been great this season, but Soderblom has been playing better down the stretch. Do you go back to Brazeau in Game 2 and put him back with Ben Kindel and Anthony Mantha?
Egor Chinakhov remained on the top line with Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust.
Rickard Rakell remained on the second line with Tommy Novak and Evgeni Malkin.
Kris Letang and Sam Girard remained together on the second defense pairing after really rounding out their games over the final month of the regular season.
These combinations have worked, and they have worked extremely well.
That all went sideways in Game 1. None of the forward lines generated much. The Letang-Girard pairing reverted back to the form we saw when they first started playing together.
It was all ugly.
While it might seem like an overreaction to start screaming about changing things one game into a best-of-seven series, you have to keep in mind this is the playoffs and there is very little margin for error. Especially when you are already down in the series and have, for the time being, lost home-ice advantage.
Based on the line combinations and defense pairings in practice on Sunday, the Penguins are sticking with the exact same combinations that produced the dud in Game 1. Assuming they go into Monday night and stick with them, they would seem to be banking on the idea that Game 1 was a fluke and that they could — and perhaps should — play better. Or that a strategic shift, or simply better execution, is the key.
Given how well everybody has played for so long, I can get behind that.
But if they go through the first period and look the exact same way they did on Saturday, or simply keep struggling to generate offense, you might have to throw some combinations into the blender. Put Rakell back with Crosby and Rust. Put Chinakhov and Malkin back together given the chemistry they have had this season.
Maybe it works.
Maybe it doesn’t.
But based on the way Philadelphia played on Saturday their defensive game came as advertised, and it took away a lot of what the Penguins have been able to do offensively. You do not have much margin for error here, and when you are already down in the series you do not have time to be patient to struggle through a second game.
Four games are on the Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule tonight, and there’s no shortage of stars in action. My NHL player props include Connor McDavid, Kirill Kaprizov, and Trevor Zegras.
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Our best NHL player props for Monday, April 20
Take a look at our best bets and expert analysis below.
Prop #1: Connor McDavid Over 1.5 points
-130 at BET99
Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers begin their playoff journey tonight against the Anaheim Ducks, as they look to hopefully conquer their Stanley Cup demons in the next couple of months.
The three-time Hart Trophy winner comes into Game 1 hot, cashing the Over in points in three of his last five appearances.
McDavid led the NHL in points this season at 138. He always turns it up a notch come playoff time, and the superstar has dominated the Ducks this season. He’s grabbed seven points in this three games.
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: Sportsnet, CBC
Prop #2: Kirill Kaprizov anytime goalscorer
+135 at BET99
Kirill Kaprizov is one of the league's best goal scorers, and he showed it once again this season. The Russian netted 45 goals, ranking fourth in the NHL. Kaprizov was everywhere in the Game 1 win over the Dallas Stars, scoring and tallying a pair of assists.
He’s now scored six times across his previous five outings, and Kaprizov has definitely turned it up against Dallas. In three regular-season meetings, he’s also found the back of the net three times.
He also has 16 SOG across his last five. He’ll help exploit Dallas’s defensive struggles from Game 1 again.
Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FDSN-North, Victory+
Prop #3: Trevor Zegras Over 0.5 assists
+105 at BET99
Trevor Zegras had a wonderful first season for the Philadelphia Flyers, scoring 26 goals and notching 41 assists. His playoff debut on Saturday was an impressive one as well, setting up one of Philly’s three goals in a Game 1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The 25-year-old has now cashed the Over in helpers in four of his last six appearances, and three of those contests were on the road. The Flyers visit the Pens again tonight for Game 2. During the regular season, all three of his points against Pittsburgh were assists.
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where to watch: NBCS-Philadelphia, SportsNet-Pittsburgh
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change. Not intended for use in MA. Affiliate Disclosure: Our team of experts has thoroughly researched and handpicked each product that appears on our website. We may receive compensation if you sign up through our links.
PITTSBURGH — The Flyers on Monday night will try to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven first-round playoff series against the Penguins.
Rick Tocchet’s club has had a businesslike approach in Pittsburgh. The Flyers took Game 1 with a 3-2 decision Saturday night. They know they have plenty of more work to do against a Penguins team with all kinds of pedigree.
“Hall of Famers over there, right?” Trevor Zegras said Sunday. “We didn’t do much so far. We played a good game and won. Obviously we love winning and that’s what we’re trying to do, but far from over and far from what the main goal is here, for sure.”
Puck drop at PPG Paints Arena is scheduled for around 7 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Philadelphia. Coverage begins at 6:30 p.m. ET with Flyers Pregame Live.
Here are some updates and visuals from the last few days.
Rick Tocchet said Flyers got back to their hotel, ate, got therapy and had a mindset of get ready for Game 2. Seems like he really likes the all business kind of approach. pic.twitter.com/Yp1sxgjRDv
Rick Tocchet really liked Porter Martone’s maturity. Once again the 19-year-old got better as the game went on, stuck with it. pic.twitter.com/HLJPKCBDhB
Former player P. K. Subban skates during the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena on February 3, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida.
P.K. Subban’s pants stole the spotlight during ESPN’s coverage of Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday.
The former 13-year defenseman, who played for the Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators and New Jersey Devils, donned a pair of oversized wide leg pants and the internet had a field a day.
“You could park a Chevy Suburban in each one of PK Subban’s pant legs right now,” wrote Rob Gucci, a social media personality and podcast host, in a now-viral X post. “This is insane.”
You could park a Chevy Suburban in each one of PK Subban’s pant legs right now. This is insane. pic.twitter.com/pnORgPvqQ8
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy added, “Totally normal pants on @PKSubban1. Find a new slant.”
In a reply tweet to Portnoy, Subban wrote: “F–king rights Dave! Wooo! u can borrow ’em anytime.”
Subban, known for his eccentric fashion style, paired the pants with a long sleeve black fitted shirt.
P.K. Subban’s pants stole the spotlight during ESPN’s coverage of Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday. X
While his pants were a hot topic online, Subban was posting Instagram videos of his live reaction during Sunday’s games.
The NHL analyst was a part of an ESPN doubleheader, with the Boston Bruins taking on the Buffalo Sabres and the Utah Mammoth facing the Vegas Golden Knights.
P.K. Subban arrives for the 2024 Navy Federal Credit Union Stadium Series at MetLife Stadium on February 17, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Getty ImagesFormer player P. K. Subban skates during the 2023 NHL All-Star Skills Competition at FLA Live Arena on February 3, 2023 in Sunrise, Florida. Getty Images
The Sabres defeated the Bruins in a 4-3 thriller, while the Knights beat the Mammoth 4-2 in the best-of-7 first-round series.
There are plenty of storylines across this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Buffalo is in the postseason for the first time since 2011.
Utah Mammoth center Nick Schmaltz (8) and Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (5) battle for the puck during the third period in Game 1 of a first-round NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, April 19, 2026, in Las Vegas. AP
Utah is making their first-ever postseason appearance after joining the NHL in 2024.
Boston are making their 16th postseason appearance in 20 years, while Vegas are making their eighth postseason appearance in the past nine seasons.
DENVER, COLORADO - APRIL 19: Scott Wedgewood #41 of the Colorado Avalanche skates in the spotlight ahead of for Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings at Ball Arena on April 19, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Ashley Potts/NHLI)
Colorado Avalanche News
Leaders around the NHL reflect on Gabriel Landeskog’s return to the Avalanche lineup. [NHL]
The Anaheim Ducks are about to embark on a journey into waters uncharted for the better part of a decade for their franchise: the Stanley Cup Playoffs. For their first series in eight years, they didn’t do themselves any favors, backing into third place in the Pacific Division, after holding a five-point lead with ten games to go.
They will now be in the crosshairs of a juggernaut club with Stanley Cup aspirations that represented the Western Conference in each of the last two Stanley Cup Finals. They’ll have to defeat Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and the Edmonton Oilers four times in the next seven games if they’re to continue playing hockey this spring.
For the Ducks to escape this series with four wins, head coach Joel Quenneville will have to be on the winning side of (at least) three specific matchups:
Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba vs Connor McDavid
Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
Quenneville typically doesn’t elect to hard-match a forward line against an opposing top line. When called for, he has instead deployed his top pair (LaCombe-Trouba) against an opposing top line or player.
Shutting down Connor McDavid is a fool’s errand, as one can only hope to contain the greatest offensive player to ever lace up a pair of skates. It will be a five-man effort, over the entire 200-foot sheet, to deny him pucks as much as possible and minimize his ability to gain speed.
By the time McDavid has the puck in LaCombe and/or Trouba’s vicinity, it would benefit their focus to be on, to the best of their abilities, keeping him away from the middle of the ice with clever angles and maintaining steady gaps, not committing too much or allowing too much ice between.
Smart and quick sticks to influence, take lanes away, and disrupt shot or pass attempts will be key when LaCombe or Trouba is engaged with McDavid. In plain terms, they have to be perfect.
“You don’t want to play run-and-gun hockey with this team,” Trouba said. “They got a lot of high talented offensive players. Defending is going to be a key part for us in the series.”
Against the San Jose Sharks on home ice, Quenneville deployed center Ryan Poehling against Macklin Celebrini, notching a rare pointless night for the phenomenal Sharks sophomore. That’s a card Quenneville can play should he see fit, when the series returns to Honda Center for game three.
Then, of course, even if the Ducks successfully contain McDavid, Leon Draisaitl will be waiting in the wings to pick up any slack left behind by #97. One shudders to speculate on what McDavid can accomplish given how motivated and determined he will be heading into these playoffs, following back-to-back Stanley Cup finals losses and losing in the 2026 Olympic gold medal game.
“The regular season has become a little bit monotonous for this group,” McDavid said. “I think you see that through the day-to-day. But this is what we get excited for.”
Lukas Dostal vs An Offensive Onslaught
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
If there’s an “x-factor” in this series for the Ducks, it will be goaltender Lukas Dostal. Though numbers would suggest his season was unspectacular and his play faltered toward the end of the regular season, the Ducks simply would not be where they are, in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, had it not been for Dostal’s heroics earlier in the season.
With a new coach, a new defensive system was implemented. That new system, compounded with a lack of overall defensive talent and habits on the Ducks’ roster, gave way to one of the worst environments in the NHL for a goaltender.
On a nightly basis, the Ducks were allowing a variety of high-danger chances to their opponents, whether those chances were born from poor pinches in the offensive zone, poor backchecking effort, poor backchecking technique, d-zone coverage lapses, lost net-front battles, etc.
Dostal made more saves and more difficult saves than should have been required, kept the Ducks in more games than they deserved, allowing them to “outscore their problems,” and get needed wins to achieve their goal of making the playoffs.
“It’s a different experience,” Dostal said. “I’ve had a chance to play in big games before, but this is a little different because you get to play the same team on multiple occasions. You’re going to try to expose them. They’re going to try to expose you. It’s going to be a fun experience.”
He’s traditionally performed his best when the lights are brightest, whether that be the Olympics, World Championships, or World Juniors. This will be a completely different challenge for Dostal, playing in the Stanley Cup playoffs against two of the most potent offensive centers in this generation (McDavid and Draisaitl), a Norris-caliber offensive defenseman (Evan Bouchard), and one of the deepest teams the Oilers’ front office has surrounded them with in their cup-contending era.
Ducks Power Play vs Oilers Penalty Kill
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
The instinct would be to fixate on the Oilers’ power play and how to contain, neutralize, or limit it. However, Edmonton’s power play is such a well-oiled (pun intended) machine that seems to be firing on all cylinders every spring. In their last three playoff runs, the Oilers have converted on 31.6% of the power play opportunities, and in the 2025-26 regular season, they were the NHL’s best, converting at 30.6%.
Edmonton’s power play is going to score, and probably score a lot. Their penalty kill, however, is an area the Ducks will need to exploit in order to put goals back on the board. In the 2025-26 regular season, Edmonton’s penalty kill was successful 77.8% of the time, good enough for 20th in the NHL. Their underlying numbers reflect similarly, as their 9.57 expected goals allowed per 60 minutes ranked 24th in the NHL.
Over their last three postseason appearances, the Oilers PK has killed 79.5% of penalties taken. That number is roughly league-average annually. However, how they got to that total could give pause, as in the 2022-23 playoffs, they killed 34 of 45 (75.5%), in the 2024-25 playoffs, they killed 66 of 70 (94.3%), and last year, they killed just 47 of 70 (67.1%). To call their PK “inconsistent” would be an understatement.
Despite having plentiful talent and a potent 5v5 offense, Anaheim’s power play didn’t convert at an encouraging rate this season, despite a quality process at times and generating roughly league-average underlying numbers.
The Ducks 18.6% conversion rate on the power play was good enough to rank 23rd in the NHL and was their best since the 2021-22 season (21.9%). They generated 8.68 expected goals per 60, ranking 18th of the 32 teams in the NHL.
Anaheim has the talent and has shown flashes of deploying a lethal power play, but have inexplicably been unable to put the pieces together. They’ll have to figure it out quickly, as a few extra power play goals could be the difference in a playoff series like this one.
This series will be the last to begin and will see the first puck drop at 7 PM PST in Edmonton, Alberta.
Kyle Dubas' number-one trade he regrets was while he was general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The current Pittsburgh Penguins president of hockey operations and GM joined Spittin' Chiclets last week to chat about the Penguins as they get ready for their playoff run, as well as some interesting tidbits about his time in Toronto.
He also divulged what trade he regrets most in his career as an NHL GM, and it's the move which sent Mason Marchment to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Denis Malgin on Feb. 19, 2020.
"To me, the one that I regret most is — I've said this before openly — Mason Marchment," Dubas told Spittin' Chiclets.
"We traded Mason to Florida. He had come up with us the whole way. We signed him to minor-league deal after his overage season in major junior. He was in Orlando in the ECHL for most of the first year. He didn't play for three months, like, just working with the development team, and that was my responsibility then.
"It was 2016-17 with the Leafs, working for Lou (Lamiorello), and he came so far, helped us win a Calder Cup in 2018, was a huge part of that," Dubas continued. "Made his NHL debut the next year, which was awesome. And then he was 25, I think at the time, or 24, and we moved him to Florida. We needed the skill at that point. We had some guys out of the lineup, and it was a younger, skill guy that came in (Malgin).
"Every time I see Mason play, like no matter where he is, I just kick myself because we really needed that style of player throughout. Just the competitiveness, the ability to score, the ability to get under people's skin, the physicality, the ability to get to the net. I always kick myself about that one."
Marchment truly established his NHL career after being traded away from the Maple Leafs.
After his first season in Florida (where he scored 10 points in 33 games), Marchment began to find his game at the NHL level, finishing the 2021-22 season with 18 goals and 47 points in 54 games.
Following two years with the Panthers, Marchment became an unrestricted free agent and signed a four-year, $18 million contract with the Dallas Stars in July 2022. He played three seasons with the Stars and then was traded to the Seattle Kraken last summer.
Marchment struggled to find his game with Seattle and was eventually moved to the Columbus Blue Jackets in mid-December. After being moved, the 30-year-old found his game again, scoring 15 goals and 32 points in 39 games.
Meanwhile, we all know what occurred once the Maple Leafs acquired Malgin.
He played only eight games with Toronto during the 2019-20 season. Once the year concluded, Malgin returned to his home country of Switzerland and played two seasons in the Swiss League, tallying over a point per game in 93 matches.
In 2022-23, Malgin returned to the Maple Leafs to try and give the NHL another go. He scored two goals and two assists in 23 games with Toronto before the club traded him to the Colorado Avalanche for Dryden Hunt in mid-December 2022.
The Colorado Avalanche picked up a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of the first round. A former Montreal Canadiens forward played a role in the Avalanche's victory, as Artturi Lehkonen put together a strong performance.
At the 15:29 mark of the second period, Lehkonen scored the game-opening goal to give the Avalanche a 1-0 lead. It was a nice goal from the former Canadiens forward, too, as he picked up Nathan MacKinnon's rebound in front before beating Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg with a wrist shot in front of the net.
With this game being a low-scoring one, there is no question that Lehkonen's goal ended up being an incredibly important one. It was just the latest strong game from the former Canadiens forward this year, as he had another good season for the Avalanche in 2025-26. In 70 games this season with the Central Division club, he had 21 goals, 287 assists, 48 points, and a plus-32 rating.
Lehkonen was selected by the Canadiens with the 55th overall pick of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. In 396 games over six seasons with the Habs from 2016-17 to 2021-22, he had 74 goals, 75 assists, and 149 points.
Cal and friends will skate for Bridgeport. | NHLI via Getty Images
The playoffs kicked off with some good ones over the weekend. The only series yet to begin is Ducks-Oilers, which is the late game among four tonight.
No playoff news for the big Islanders, of course, but Bridgeport begins their final playoff on Tuesday.
Islanders News
Here’s a roundup of several breakup day interviews and quotes, with video. [Isles]
…and a special one just dedicated to Matthew Schaefer’s reflections. [Isles]
The Bridgeport Islanders wrapped up their regular season with a win over Hershey, who is also their first-round (best-of-three) playoff opponent. (Danill Prokhorov made his debut and returned after a tough shot block.) [B-Isles | AHL recap/highlights | GameCenter]
The lottery will be held May 5. What are the odds…
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 18: Nick Seeler #24 of the Philadelphia Flyers exchanges punches with Rickard Rakell #67 of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third period of Game One of the First Round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at PPG PAINTS Arena on April 18, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Here are your Pens Points for this Monday morning…
Anthony Mantha’s strong regular season has made him a very intriguing free agent target this summer, but other teams are now watching to see whether he can produce in the playoffs. His past postseason struggles and Game 1 performance, which included some physicality but also two offensive zone penalties, mean this playoff run could impact how much interest and money he gets if he hits the market. [PensBurgh]
The Penguins will try to stay more disciplined and composed in Game 2 after letting the Flyers’ physical, scrappy style frustrate them in Game 1’s loss. [Trib Live]
Rookie forward Ben Kindel, who just turned 19, is impressing the Penguins not just with his skill, but with unusual maturity and a willingness to play physically despite his stature. [Trib Live]
News and notes from around the NHL…
The Anaheim Ducks have signed forward prospect Roger McQueen, the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NHL draft, to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2026-27 season. [TSN]
San Jose Sharks breakout star Macklin Celebrini made it clear he wants to stay with the team long term, saying he plans to commit after a breakout season. [TSN]
After firing Patrik Allvin, Vancouver Canucks president Jim Rutherford said the Canucks’ next general manager will have much more authority over the franchise, including in all hockey and coaching matters, signaling that Rutherford himself may be ready to hand over the reins. [Sportsnet]
The Buffalo Sabres have provided yet another tangible example of how magical playoff hockey can be. In front of their home fans, playing postseason hockey for the first time since Barack Obama was president, the Sabres rallied from a 2-0 third-period deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3, earning the franchise’s first playoff victory in 15 years. [ESPN]
The 2025-26 NHL regular season is in the books, and what a campaign it was. You'd be hard-pressed to find people going into the season who were willing to predict that the Buffalo Sabres would be among the league's top teams, while the Florida Panthers would be one of the worst. That alone represents a dramatic realignment of the league, but it's far from the only eyebrow raiser, so let's take a minute to step back and appreciate the 2025-26 biggest surprises and disappointments.
Connor Hellebuyck, G, Jets
After back-to-back Vezina Trophy-winning campaigns, Hellebuyck was mediocre in 2025-26, as he posted a 23-23-11 record, 2.86 GAA and .895 save percentage across 57 starts. His decline corresponded with Winnipeg crashing from an incredible 56-22-4 record in 2024-25 to missing the playoffs entirely this season. That begs the obvious question, however: How much of Winnipeg's struggles were due to Hellebuyck, and how much of Hellebuyck's struggles were a product of the team in front of him?
After all, a goaltender's raw numbers are heavily influenced by his team, so it can be hard to know which side deserved more of the blame. For what it's worth, Hellebuyck did have a plus-5.5 goals-saved above expected in 2025-26, per Moneypuck. That suggests he was at least better than average, but it was also far below his plus-39.6 from the 2024-25 regular season, so while Hellebuyck wasn't the core of Winnipeg's problem, he did fail to carry the team on his back as much as he had in the prior year.
Adin Hill, G, Golden Knights
It'd be a bit unfair to suggest that Hellebuyck let his team down by simply being less dominant than he usually is, but Hill's decline was certainly a big part of Vegas' weird season. After finishing the 2024-25 regular season with a 32-13-5 record, 2.47 GAA and .906 save percentage in 50 starts, Hill was limited to a 10-9-6 record, 3.04 GAA and .870 save percentage in 27 regular-season starts in 2025-26. A brief glimpse at the fancy stats shows Hill was minus-14.2 in goals saved above expected, which was the sixth-worst in the league. Akira Schmid also left plenty to be desired as the backup, but Schmid had just 48 regular-season appearances under his belt going into 2025-26, so it was never reasonable to expect him to carry Vegas.
That collapse in goaltending is the big reason Vegas underperformed for most of the campaign, leading to Bruce Cassidy being ousted for new head coach John Tortorella. Tortorella's hiring also largely coincided with Carter Hart returning from a lower-body injury and stabilizing the situation in net. The end result is Vegas went from a team in danger of missing the playoffs to claiming the Pacific Division title.
Brayden Point, C, Lightning
Can you name every player who scored at least 40 goals and 80 points in all three regular seasons between 2022-23 and 2024-25? It's not a long list: Leon Draisaitl, William Nylander, David Pastrnak and Brayden Point. None of them repeated that feat in 2025-26, but Nylander and Draisaitl still had great campaigns despite missing time due to injury, and Pastrnak's 100-point finish more than compensates for his decline to 29 goals.
Point took a major step back this campaign. Sure, he also had injury trouble, appearing in just 63 regular-season outings, but he also left something to be desired when healthy, recording 18 goals and 50 points. His decline was primarily due to a drop in his shooting percentage to 14% compared to an average of 21.4% over the previous three regular seasons, and a collapse in his power-play output to 11 points in 2025-26 from a minimum of 30 in each of those regular seasons from 2022-23 through 2024-25. The silver lining is he's still just 30 years old, making him a very tempting buy-low candidate next season.
Victor Hedman/Darren Raddysh, D, Lightning
Between injury, illness and a personal matter, Hedman logged just 33 regular-season games in 2025-26. You'd think losing the cornerstone of your blueline for most of the year would destroy a team, but instead Tampa Bay finished the regular season with 106 points, up from 102 in 2024-25. A big reason the Lightning were able to work through it was Raddysh.
A 30-year-old defenseman who set a career high in the 2024-25 regular season with 37 points (six goals), Raddysh went from playing in just seven of Tampa Bay's first 13 games in 2025-26 (averaging 14:49 of ice time when he was utilized) to being thrust into a role on the top pairing and top power-play unit. He not only adapted to the situation, he thrived, going on to record 22 goals and 70 points in 73 outings by the end of the regular season. You'd be hard-pressed to find many examples of a blueliner in the middle of his career who enjoyed a breakout like that.
Jordan Binnington, G, Blues
Remember how Hill had the sixth-worst goals saved above expected record in the 2025-26 regular season? The absolute bottom of the barrel belongs to Binnington at minus-22.4. He was a disaster with his 3.33 GAA and .873 save percentage in 41 outings with St. Louis in 2025-26, and unquestionably worse than his Blues counterpart, Joel Hofer, who finished the regular season with a 2.61 GAA and a .909 save percentage in 46 appearances. Binnington is a weird goaltender. He was the hero behind St. Louis' startling 2019 Stanley Cup Championship. The netminder also led Canada to victory in the Four Nations Face-Off, and while Canada did fall short in the 2026 Winter Olympics, Binnington still performed rather well in that tournament.
However, you never seem to know what you're getting with him, and while there's an argument to be made that the quality of the players in front of him matters, Binnington's horrific goals allowed above expected, coupled with how much better Hofer did under the same circumstances, makes it hard to say that his NHL struggles this season are solely the fault of St. Louis. If anything, it's entirely plausible that he's the reason the Blues aren't in the playoffs.
Ducks Young Forward Group
If you want to know why Anaheim is in the postseason, the young trio of Leo Carlsson, Cutter Gauthier and Beckett Sennecke is certainly a big part of the cause. They're all former top-five picks, so they didn't come out of nowhere, but to see them all take such a big leap forward this season was a pleasant surprise. Each of them recorded at least 20 goals and 60 points in the 2025-26 regular season, and Gauthier was especially dominant, tallying 41 goals in his sophomore campaign to more than double his rookie output of 20 markers.
Anthony Stolarz/Joseph Woll, G, Maple Leafs
What cost Toronto a playoff berth this season? You might be tempted to point to the loss of Mitch Marner, and while losing a top forward like that is going to leave its mark, Toronto's offense didn't decline too much, falling to an average of 3.07 goals per game in 2025-26, down from 3.26 in the 2024-25 regular season. By contrast, it plummeted in goals allowed per game, surrendering an average of 3.60 this year versus 2.79 in the previous regular season.
Injuries to the defensive core were a factor, but Stolarz and Woll, who were such a huge part of the 2024-25 success, also fell off. Stolarz and Woll missed time due to injury in 2025-26 and were rough when healthy, with Stolarz posting a 3.28 GAA and an .893 save percentage in 26 appearances, and Woll finishing with a 3.34 GAA and an .898 save percentage in 39 outings. Both are set to come back for 2026-27, and the Leafs can only hope for a return to their 2024-25 form.
Sergei Bobrovsky, G, Panthers
Florida's biggest issue in 2025-26 was injuries, but among those players who remained, Bobrovsky was the biggest disappointment with a 3.07 GAA and an .877 save percentage in 52 appearances, down from a 2.44 GAA and a .906 save percentage in 54 regular-season outings in 2024-25. Bobrovsky and the Panthers had gone to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the previous three seasons, so fatigue probably didn't help matters. Still, he'll be 38 years old before the start of 2026-27, so a comeback is far from guaranteed at this stage of his career.
Anthony Mantha, RW, Penguins
The Penguins making the playoffs this season was a pleasant surprise, and while Mantha wasn't the biggest contributor to it, he certainly punched above his weight. Mantha set career highs with 33 goals and 64 points in 81 appearances in 2025-26, completely revitalizing his career after recording four goals and seven points in just 13 appearances with Calgary in 2024-25. Not bad for a guy who signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with Pittsburgh in the summer of 2025.
Steven Stamkos, C, Predators
There had to have been part of Stamkos who wanted to prove Tampa Bay wrong for letting him go. However, in the first campaign of Stamkos' four-year, $32 million contract, the Lightning seemed vindicated, with him scoring 27 goals and 53 points in 82 outings with Nashville, a far cry from his 40-goal, 81-point showing in Tampa Bay in the 2023-24 regular season. It seemed Tampa Bay might have correctly predicted the beginning of Stamkos' decline, but in 2025-26, the center showed he still had something left in the tank. He ended up with 42 goals and 66 points with Nashville in 2025-26 in his age-35 campaign. It wasn't enough to get Nashville into the playoffs, but clearly the reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated.
McDavid Over 1.5 points
Kaprizov anytime goalscorer
Zegras Over 0.5 assists
