For the seventh and final time in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs first-round, fans of the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning are waking up with one thought on their minds: can their team prevail in what has been an incredible series? There can only be one winner, and there’s never been a better example that the NHL’s playoff system is flawed. These two teams should never have met in the first round.
Tonight’s tilt will be the 202nd Game 7 in NHL history, and 118 times the home team has claimed the win, while the visitors have been victorious only 83 times, which doesn’t necessarily bode well for the Canadiens. However, Martin St-Louis’ men have been the third-best road team in the league this season, claiming 24 of their 48 wins away from the Bell Centre and two of their three wins in this series away from home.
75% of the time, the team that scored first in a Game 7 has won the game: 151 wins and only 50 losses for the team that took the lead. In this current series between the Habs and the Bolts, five times out of six, the team that scored first won the game. It has never been more important to be ready right from puck drop.
The Lightning has played 10 Game 7s in its history and has won seven times, for a .700 winning percentage. When the ultimate game has been played at home, their record is 4-1. Meanwhile, the Canadiens have featured in 24 Game 7s and have a 15-9 record, for a .625 winning percentage. On the road, their record stands at 7-6 for a .538 winning percentage. With a win, the Canadiens would tie the Boston Bruins for most Game 7 wins in league history with 16.
23 of the players involved in this series have played in at least one Game 7 before; 13 play for Tampa Bay and 10 for Montreal. Only two Canadiens’ players have featured in more than one Game 7: Brendan Gallagher and Phillip Danault.
Six Canadiens players featured in the team’s last Game 7 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2021: Josh Anderson, Cole Caufield, Danault, Gallagher, Nick Suzuki, and Jake Evans. However, the player who scored the game-winning goal then, Corey Perry, now plays for the opponent.
Jakub Dobes will become the sixth Habs rookie goaltender to play a Game 7, joining an elite group formed of Carey Price, Patrick Roy, Steve Penney, Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante.
Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy, who completely shut the door on the Canadiens in Game 6, has played four Game 7s in his career and has a 2-2 record and could become just the third active goaltender, after Sergei Bobrovsky and Jake Oettinger, to record at least three wins in this kind of winner-take-all game.
Behind the bench, Jon Cooper could become the first bench boss in league history to win five Game 7s with the same franchise. The Bolts’ coach has a 4-2 record in these circumstances and could therefore break the tie he’s in with Bob Hartley, Tommy Ivan, Claude Julien and Darryl Sutter. As for Martin St-Louis, he has never been at the helm of a team in a Game 7, but he has a 6-2 record as a player and therefore knows what they are like.
According to multiple sources, Noah Dobson will play his first game in this series tonight, which brings the question of who will come out of the lineup for the Canadiens. Although Arber Xhekaj has made a couple of mistakes in Game 6, the physicality he brings to the game might give him the edge over Jayden Struble, especially since the Lightning’s players are starting to feel the pain of the physical toll of this series.
Montreal will not hold a morning skate today, but will hold a media availability around 11:00 AM. The chances of getting any lineup updates then are slim to none. Wes McCauley and Chris Rooney are set to officiate, while Scott Cherrey and Matt MacPherson will be the linemen. The game is set for 6:00 PM, and you can catch it on The Spot, HBO MAX, truTV, TNT, SN, TVAS, and CBC. Should the Canadiens come out on top, they would take on the Buffalo Sabres in the second round, with the series kicking off on Wednesday at 7:00 PM at the KeyBank Center.
Buckle up, Habs fans, you should be in for quite a ride.
The Toronto Maple Leafs could unveil their new management as soon as Monday.
According to Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun, the Maple Leafs are expected to have a press conference on Monday to announce the hiring of Mats Sundin and John Chayka to run the organization.
Expect the Maple Leafs to have a press conference Monday to announce the executive team of Mats Sundin and John Chayka to run the hockey club.
If this does occur, it will end weeks of speculation about Sundin and Chayka being the team's top options. Sundin would reportedly come into the fold as the vice president of hockey operations, while Chayka would act as general manager.
Sundin hasn't worked in a management role with an NHL club since retiring in 2009, but has reportedly followed the Maple Leafs closely as of late.
The Hall of Famer and former Toronto captain has been around the team, though, as a guest at training camp in the fall of 2024, and he returned to the city in January when Auston Matthews broke his franchise goals record.
Chayka hasn't had an NHL gig since he was GM of the Arizona Coyotes, from 2016 to 2020.
According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the Maple Leafs also requested to speak with Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, but were not granted permission. The Lightning are still in the playoffs, with a do-or-die Game 7 against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night.
If the Maple Leafs do end up holding a press conference on Monday, it'll be one day before the NHL's Draft Lottery. Toronto has the fifth-best odds at landing the first overall pick at 8.5 percent.
However, if their pick falls outside the top five, the Boston Bruins will be awarded the selection due to the conditions on the pick when Toronto acquired Brandon Carlo at the trade deadline in March 2025.
It remains unknown what other changes could occur within the Maple Leafs organization beyond the hirings of Sundin and Chayka.
Unknowingly or not, the Philadelphia Flyers walked into an ambush in Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night.
Reaching Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs is no small feat for the little-engine-that-could Flyers, but things only get harder with each round.
The group looked spent by the end of the first round series against the Pittsburgh Penguins and were perhaps fortunate to leave Xfinity Mobile Arena as victors via Cam York's hail-mary goal from long range.
All three Hurricanes goals in Saturday night's 3-0 Game 1 loss were more than preventable, but as head coach Rick Tocchet told traveling media after the game, the Flyers looked "mentally unprepared" for the vicious Hurricanes.
On Logan Stankoven's first goal, Matvei Michkov tried to beat the Hurricanes' pressure with a backhand pass to Travis Sanheim in his own zone. That got intercepted with ease, and the ensuing shot from the point was tipped for the goal.
The second goal was equally silly, as Michkov lunged at Jackson Blake in the neutral zone, despite having a 2-on-1 numbers advantage defending with Sanheim.
Both Flyers were caught flat-footed, and Blake skated onwards to backhand past Dan Vladar, who should have made a comfortable save but failed to do so.
Lastly, for the dagger, Stankoven converted on a steal by Seth Jarvis, who hounded Noah Juulsen down in his own zone to force a turnover.
Juulsen has never been known for his prowess with the puck, but it has become a glaring issue in recent games. The Flyers may be better suited giving those minutes to Emil Andrae or David Jiricek, especially if the Hurricanes keep winning.
A late flurry from the Flyers helped make things look manageable, but the game was lost inside the first 40 minutes, when they recorded just nine shots on goal to Carolina's 21.
They were out-classed from start to finish, and all Rod Brind'Amour's crew needed to do was play on cruise control for the final frame.
Looking at the Flyers, the main concern that everyone saw coming was how they would deal with the Hurricanes' pressure game and aggressive forecheck setup.
The Flyers are a team comprised of young players and vets, many of whom are playing in the postseason for the first time in a long time, if they ever had at all.
This Hurricanes team makes the playoffs every year, and while they obviously have not won when it mattered to reach the Stanley Cup Final, they are objectively a contender. The Flyers are not.
Right now, we're seeing a winded Flyers team that has already squandered one of the four losses they can take before being bounced from the postseason.
Owen Tippett didn't play, and Michkov, Porter Martone, and Tyson Foerster are all going through growing pains in their dry spells.
It would be good for this group to steal at least one or two games from the Hurricanes, but they haven't shown signs of being capable of that just yet.
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) during a game against the Washington Capitals on Sunday, April 12, 2026 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The game drew extra attention from fans, because it could be Capitals forward Alexander Ovechkin's final NHL game in Washington. (Photo by Peter W. Stevenson/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Sidney Crosby is under contract next season in 2026-27 to play for the Penguins. What comes after that will have to be determined at a later date.
“Just wait and see,” Crosby said on Friday about his future status during exit interviews. “I haven’t thought that far ahead, but we’ll just wait and see.”
That matches his approach from recently, Crosby waited two and a half months in the summer of 2024 to sign a two-year contract extension with the Penguins that covered 2025-26 and 2026-27. He will be turning 40 years old shortly after this deal ends.
Whether or not we see a 40+ year old Crosby playing in the NHL in 2027-28 is a bridge that the forward hasn’t come close to crossing yet this soon after a season comes to an end. Crosby finished his 21st season in Pittsburgh, 22 is coming up next year. Year 23 isn’t assured, though it isn’t ruled out at this point either.
Crosby would be eligible to officially sign another extension for 2027-28 starting in just a couple of months on July 1st of this year. It doesn’t sound like the long-time Pittsburgh captain is in any hurry to make that decision one year ahead of time.
One positive for this off-season is there won’t be any rumors or wishful thinking out of Canada to stir up trade rumors, being as the Penguins made the playoffs and at least held out enough promise to making coming back to Pittsburgh a foregone conclusion in 2026-27 to potentially finish out his illustrious career wearing the only NHL jersey he’s ever known.
Despite suffering two injuries to each leg since February, Crosby proclaimed himself to be in good shape and dismissed questions about the possibility of undergoing surgery this summer.
“I’m going to have discussions [Friday] and talk to doctors and things like that,” Crosby said. “I feel pretty good.”
At this point, he likely doesn’t have a firm answer about long long he will continue playing in the NHL. For anything beyond next season, we’ll likely have a long time to “wait” before we “see”.
Montreal Canadiens (48-24-10, in the Atlantic Division) vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (50-26-6, in the Atlantic Division)
Tampa, Florida; Sunday, 6 p.m. EDT
LINE: Lightning -159, Canadiens +134; over/under is 5.5
NHL PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND: Series tied 3-3
BOTTOM LINE: The Montreal Canadiens visit the Tampa Bay Lightning in game seven of the first round of the NHL Playoffs. The teams meet Friday for the 11th time this season. The Lightning won 1-0 in overtime in the previous matchup.
Tampa Bay has a 19-10-3 record in Atlantic Division games and a 50-26-6 record overall. The Lightning have a +57 scoring differential, with 286 total goals scored and 229 allowed.
Montreal is 48-24-10 overall and 19-10-3 against the Atlantic Division. The Canadiens are seventh in league play with 279 total goals (averaging 3.4 per game).
TOP PERFORMERS: Nikita Kucherov has scored 44 goals with 86 assists for the Lightning. Jake Guentzel has three goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
Cole Caufield has 51 goals and 37 assists for the Canadiens. Nicholas Suzuki has one goal and nine assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Lightning: 5-3-2, averaging 2.3 goals, 3.9 assists, 6.7 penalties and 17.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.4 goals per game.
Canadiens: 5-3-2, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.5 assists, 6.7 penalties and 16.6 penalty minutes while giving up 2.5 goals per game.
INJURIES: Lightning: Victor Hedman: out (personal), Pontus Holmberg: out (upper-body).
Canadiens: Patrik Laine: out (abdomen), Noah Dobson: out (thumb).
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Even if the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2025-26 season came to a close after a disappointing first-round Stanley Cup Playoff loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, things down on the farm are alive and well as far as the post-season is concerned.
And one of their affiliates punched their ticket to the second round on Saturday.
In a double-overtime thriller, the Wheeling Nailers - ECHL affiliate of the Penguins - beat the Reading Royals, 1-0, in Game 5, and advanced to the second round of the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Forward Nolan Renwick scored the OT winner, which came a little more than seven minutes into the second overtime period, to put away the ECHL affiliate of the Flyers.
— xy-Wheeling Nailers (@WheelingNailers) May 3, 2026
Goaltender Taylor Gauthier - who served as the Penguins' emergency backup goalie during home games in the first round of the NHL playoffs - made 41 saves and earned his third shutout of the series. He is up to a .974 save percentage in these playoffs.
With the shutout, he tied an ECHL record for the fewest number of goals given up in a five-game series, and his three playoff shutouts are the most in franchise history.
Wheeling will meet the winner of the Maine Mariner and Adirondack Thunder series in the North Division Final, which will start on May 8 in Wheeling.
May 2, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) and Philadelphia Flyers center Luke Glendening (41) battle during the first period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
James Guillory-Imagn Images
RALEIGH, N.C. — Logan Stankoven scored twice to continue his postseason tear and the Carolina Hurricanes smothered the Philadelphia Flyers in a 3-0 victory Saturday night to open the second-round series.
Jackson Blake also scored for Carolina, and Frederik Andersen stopped 19 shots for his second shutout of these playoffs and seventh in his postseason career.
Game 2 of the series is Monday night in Raleigh.
Carolina never trailed in closing a first-round sweep of Ottawa last weekend, then had an extended break while the Flyers battled to push past Pittsburgh in overtime of Game 6 on Wednesday night. That led to rest-versus-rust conversations about how the the Eastern Conference’s top seed would start Saturday night.
Instead, the Hurricanes pounced from the opening puck drop, a departure from how all four regular-season meetings went to overtime or a shootout.
Stankoven scored in each of the four wins against the Senators, then scored on a redirect from the slot just 1:31 in. Blake followed at 7:30, splitting two defenders as he entered the zone and charging in to slip a puck behind Dan Vladar.
That was more than enough offense on this night with the Flyers struggling to apply much pressure on Andersen.
Philadelphia started its first postseason since 2020 by battling through Pittsburgh to close out a six-game series in overtime on Cam York’s Wednesday night winner. But the Flyers sputtered from the start, managing just nine shots on goal through two periods and being outshot 3-2 on their four power plays for the night.
By the final 10 minutes, the game had turned testy with players having to be separated multiple times. That included 10-minute misconduct penalties on Philadelphia’s Trevor Zegras and Nick Seeler, along with Blake and Shayne Gostisbehere for Carolina.
Both teams were down key players. The Flyers didn’t have regular-season goals leader Owen Tippett because of an undisclosed injury, while the Hurricanes were missing defenseman Alexander Nikishin after he suffered a concussion in Game 4 against Ottawa.
The Rangers filled their director of player development role internally.
Tanner Glass, who had been the assistant director of player development since 2019, was promoted to the primary role after Jed Ortmeyer — who had held that position since 2017 — left to pursue other opportunities, The Post’s Mollie Walker confirmed Friday.
Access the Rangers beat like never before
Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting withMollie Walker about the inside buzz on the Rangers.
His promotion was reflected on the Blueshirts’ website Saturday.
Glass, like Ortmeyer, is a former Rangers player, skating in 134 games across three seasons from 2014-17, and he returned to the organization in the development role after a season with the Panthers and a campaign in France.
And now, he’ll be tasked with helping fix the Blueshirts’ struggle to turn prospects into reliable — and high-end — NHL regulars.
There have been glimmers of hope recently with Gabe Perreault and Noah Laba, but for the most part, dating back to Ortmeyer’s arrival in 2017 and certainly since Glass’ return to the Rangers two years later, draft picks and prospects have continued to underwhelm.
Tanner Glass, who played for the Rangers from 2014-17, was promoted to be the team’s director of player development on May 2, 2026. Andrew Theodorakis
With the Rangers in the middle of a public retool, too, the development of the pieces set to define their next era will be critical.
The Artemi Panarin trade already brought back prospect Liam Greentree.
Any other potential deals in the offseason involving established Rangers pieces will likely include draft picks or prospects.
The promotion of Glass marked the latest change impacting the Rangers on the personnel side — before any other moves for the roster follow once free agency and the offseason officially arrive — since the beginning of April, when Kevin Maxwell, a pro scout and general manager of the Blues’ AHL affiliate, was brought back as the Blueshirts’ director of pro scouting and director of player personnel.
It might have dropped during the National Anthem in Game 1, but the NHL has at last finally dropped the schedule for the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Carolina Hurricanes opened up the second round slate at home on Saturday against the Philadelphia Flyers and they'll play Game 2 again at Lenovo Center on Monday, May 4 at 7 p.m.
Here's the full schedule breakdown:
Game 1 - 8 p.m., Saturday, May 2 (@ Lenovo Center) Game 2 - 7 p.m., Monday, May 4 (@ Lenovo Center) Game 3 - 8 p.m., Thursday, May 7 (@ Xfinity Mobile Arena) Game 4 - 6 p.m., Saturday, May 9 (@ Xfinity Mobile Arena) Game 5 - Monday, May 11 (@ Lenovo Center) Game 6 - Wednesday, May 13 (@ Xfinity Mobile Arena) Game 7 - Saturday, May 16 (@ Lenovo Center)
Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
The Flyers ruled out their regular-season goals leader about a half-hour before the start of the game due to an undisclosed injury.
Tippett had 28 goals and 23 assists in the regular season, then had one goal and one assist in the six-game series against Pittsburgh that marked Philadelphia's first postseason appearance since 2020.
The Flyers said Tippett is considered day to day.
The Hurricanes took the ice a week after closing out a sweep of Ottawa. But defenseman Alexander Nikishin was out of the lineup Saturday as he continues to recover from a concussion suffered on a jarring hit by Tyler Kleven in Game 4. Nikishin had returned to skating in a yellow no-contact jersey by Wednesday, then shed that practice Friday.
Coach Rod Brind’Amour said Saturday morning that Nikishin needed to complete another test as he works to clear the concussion protocol.
Carolina forward Nikolaj Ehlers was back after a lower-body injury made him a late scratch for Game 4.
Coming out of the lockout for the 2005-2006 season, the Senators seemed to have it all.
They had an excellent young team whose playoff kryptonite for four of the previous five seasons had been the Toronto Maple Leafs. But with Toronto missing the playoffs that year, as they would for 10 of the next 11 years, they were no longer a concern.
Meanwhile, the Sens had the league's best offence, the second-best defence, and entered the playoffs as the top seed in the East and the Stanley Cup favourite.
They had acquired Dany Heatley and Dominik Hasek for that season, and Zdeno Chara and Martin Havlat were both still here. For my money, it was the greatest team in Senators history.
Back in February, my colleague, Graeme Nichols, produced the best story ever written about the 2005-06 Senators. It's an incredible, long-form piece, filled with interviews and anecdotes with just about everyone from that team, and I highly encourage you to check it out here.
But as we hit The Hockey News Archive, it's time for a little time-travel, a chance to dip back into the moment to see what people were saying about the 2006 Senators. Mike Brophy wrote in our Apr 25, 2006, issue about the Senators' chances as they entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
A New Sensation
From The Hockey News Apr 25, 2006 Vol. 59, Issue 31
It’s Stanley Cup or bust for the Ottawa Senators as they try to reverse their failed playoff history and win Canada’s first NHL title since 1993.
BY MIKE BROPHY
A few years ago, Daniel Alfredsson boldly announced his Ottawa Senators would win the Stanley Cup.
Then, a few days later, he backed off his ambitious statement by saying something to the affect of, “I didn’t say this year.”
The Senators, of course, have not won a Stanley Cup; at least not since 1927. The current incarnation of the Ottawa Senators has yet to even make it to the final since joining the league in 1992-93.
So, any predictions for us this year, Daniel?
“No,” Alfredsson says with a chuckle.
You’re out of the prediction-making business?
“Not exactly,” he continues. “I think it will be a great playoffs. There will be some upsets, as always, and it’s going to be really fun playing in the playoffs and watching the other games as well.”
OK, if you won’t say your team is going to win the Stanley Cup, Daniel, we’ll say it for you. With all due respect to a number of contenders in the new NHL, the Senators have what it takes to win the Cup, particularly since their nemesis, the Toronto Maple Leafs, aren’t going to the dance. And to think, not long ago Ottawa’s Stanley Cup was simply to get past the Leafs, who sent them golfing in four of the past five seasons.
Now, before you say the Senators don’t have a chance if No. 1 goalie Dominik Hasek doesn’t return from his groin injury, it must be said that rookie Ray Emery has proven himself to be good enough to carry the load. When a team is as good as the Senators, it doesn’t necessarily need great goaltending to win it all; it just needs its goalie not to lose games. The Senators will be fine.
“You need at least good goaltending and in the past that may have been one of the shortcomings I experienced,” says Ottawa coach Bryan Murray. “The other team’s goalies played just a tad better than my goalies. We’re hoping that just good goaltending this time will be adequate.”
Alfredsson says his team is quietly confident about its chances in the post-season.
“The biggest thing entering the playoffs is, we know we have a team that can win it all,” Alfredsson says. “But you need a lot of things to go right for you. You need to be healthy and you need to have a little good luck. More than anything, you need to play well in big games.
“We feel this is a good opportunity for this group and we’re going to try to make the most it and see what happens.”
This group, as Alfredsson puts it, contains some the NHL’s most dangerous scorers.
Dany Heatley, who has revived his career in Ottawa, ranked fourth in league scoring, having set the team record for goals in a season with 48 and totalling 97 points in 78 games. Alfredsson, himself, who had established single-season highs in goals (41) and points (95) with four games remaining, was seventh in league scoring. Super playmaker Jason Spezza, despite missing 14 games with a chest injury, had 68 assists and 86 points in 64 games.
And that is just the tip of the iceberg. No team comes close to matching the Senators’ scoring depth up front with the likes of Peter Schaefer, Bryan Smolinski, newly acquired Tyler Arnason, Antoine Vermette, Patrick Eaves, Mike Fisher and even tough guy Chris Neil capable of lightning it up on any given night.
What is even more astounding is the fact the Senators also have one of the best and deepest bluelines in the NHL.
Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara are bona fide stars, solid at both ends of the rink, while Chris Phillips, Brian Pothier, Anton Volchenkov and rookie Andrej Meszaros, who is among the NHL leaders at plus-35, are all rock-solid.
Bryan Murray has coached and managed great teams in the past, most recently taking the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim to the final as GM in 2003. But this year, he says, is different.
“No. 1, I think our defensive corps is as good as I’ve ever had…the depth of it,” Murray says. “I’ve had some good individual players on the blueline like (Rod) Langway and (Scott) Stevens, but to have the depth that we have is a little more than I’ve had in the past. If we get everybody back, we have a lot of depth up front, too, with a lot of scoring ability.”
The Senators, like all teams, will face some distractions, such as if and when will Hasek be back; and, can the team afford to sign both Chara and Redden, who will be unrestricted free agents in the summer. But Murray says it should not affect the way the team plays on the ice.
“We just try to focus now on the team,” Murray says. “Obviously we’re affected somewhat by what people say, but mostly we just play. As a coach, all you can do is prepare and play.”
Before the season began, we chose the Philadelphia Flyers as our Cup favorite. And why not? They added superstar Peter Forsberg, along with monster defensemen Derian Hatcher and Mike Rathje and big, scoring winger Mike Knuble, as well as a handful of blue chip prospects. That had us convinced the season would be nothing more than a formality. Just hand them the Cup.
The Flyers, though, have been woefully inconsistent. Injuries have taken a toll and there was never really a point during the season where it looked like they would ultimately live up to expectations. The thing about the Flyers is, you can’t dismiss them completely because they have so much talent they are entirely capable of kicking it into gear and winning every game they play. In that regard, coach Ken Hitchcock may face his greatest challenge ever.
Other teams capable of upsetting the Senators include the Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes. People waiting for the Prague Rangers to fold their tents in the playoffs may be disappointed. If goalie Henrik Lundqvist and superstar Jaromir Jagr, the NHL’s most valuable player, live up to their potential, they’ll be a tough opponent for anybody. And don’t discount the work their grunt players do, either.
While the Hurricanes have only played .500 hockey down the stretch, they, too, will not be a desirable opponent for anyone in the opening round.
As for the 2004 Stanley Cup-champion Lightning, unless goalie John Grahame goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning as Bernie Parent, Tampa Bay doesn’t stand a chance of repeating. The other finalist from two years ago, the Calgary Flames, have put a lot of trust in goalie Miikka Kiprusoff and may rue the day they failed to find an offense-minded center to play with Jarome Iginla.
While we think the Stanley Cup champion will come from the Eastern Conference, the most interesting and competitive hockey is in the West, where the team that finishes eighth – the San Jose Sharks, in all likelihood – could be a threat to make it all the way to the final.
Detroit and Dallas, the cream of the Western crop, both look like potential conference champions, but it won’t be an easy trail to the final.
“What people don’t understand when a team from the East wins the Cup is, the Western Conference teams kick the crap out of each other just trying to make it to the final,” says Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger.
Looking for a dark horse? Try Pronger’s Oilers – if they made the playoffs, that is. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Oilers were sitting in eighth place in the Western Conference. The additions of defenseman Jaroslav Spacek and left winger Sergei Samsonov have added experience and skill at both ends. If Dwayne Roloson offers up solid goaltending, the Oilers certainly could pull off a first round upset.
And if that happens, they could go on a roll similar to the one the Flames went on two years ago.
Will being the Cup favorite make life tough for the Senators?
“It can’t matter that much, if we let outside factors be that big of a deal,” Murray says.
“But I think, from a confidence point of view, we talk about what we have to do and to have other people recognize a certain ability level doesn’t hurt.”
STAT SHOT
Here’s how teams that were still in the playoff picture through April 10 compare in goals scored per game, goals against per game, overall record in overtime and shootouts, and odds of winning the Cup.
By Mike Brophy The Hockey News Archive Apr 25, 2006/vol. 59, issue 31
The Philadelphia Flyers are going to enter Game 1 of Round 2 against the vaunted Carolina Hurricanes without perhaps their most important player for this kind of matchup.
On Saturday night, the Flyers announced that speedster winger Owen Tippett would sit against the Hurricanes with an injury, declaring him day-to-day.
Notably, the Flyers did not disclose the nature of the injury (upper-body, lower-body, etc.).
It was becoming clear towards the end of the Round 1 series with the Pittsburgh Penguins that Tippett, 27, was not quite himself.
The buccaneering winger recorded more than one shot on goal in just two of the six games against the Penguins, which is highly unusual for a volume-shooter like him.
Tippett loves to shoot from everywhere and anywhere, and, obviously, uses his legs and power to create opportunities for himself and teammates.
Neither of those things were happening, and Tippett was increasingly invisible for the Flyers leading up to this point.
The 27-year-old out late for Saturday's practice, which was the first indication that he would be out for Game 1 against the Hurricanes.
In his stead, we can expect that rookie Alex Bump remains in the lineup, Tyson Foerster moves up, and veteran Garnet Hathaway draws back in on the fourth line.
Sean Couturier - Luke Glendening - Garnet Hathaway
Travis Sanheim - Rasmus Ristolainen
Cam York - Jamie Drysdale
Nick Seeler - Noah Juulsen
In the six games leading up to his injury, Tippett recorded one goal (empty-net) and one assist for the Flyers with a +2 rating and nine shots on goal.
Bump, 22, now playing in an expanded role, has one goal in two playoff games for the Flyers with a +1 rating and a hefty six shots on goal.
They were one shot away from sending their first-round series against the Philadelphia Flyers back to Pittsburgh for Game 7, but Cam York had other ideas, beating Penguins goaltender Arturs Silovs at the end of the first overtime period. He fired a harmless-looking shot from the point, but it found the back of the net since Silovs was screened.
Penguins rookie forward Ben Kindel was on the ice for the goal after he was guilty of an icing that brought the faceoff back to the defensive zone. He ultimately lost the draw, and the Penguins couldn't clear the puck in time before York scored.
Kindel was asked about those two plays during Friday's locker cleanout day and delivered one heck of an answer.
“Still kind of sick to my stomach when you think about that last shift and how the season ended," Kindel said. "Nothing you can do about it now. Just look to use it as motivation in the future and in future years. And to do whatever you can to not let it end like that again.”
That's a player who is going to be a future leader on this team. It's also big that Kindel got to experience these high-stakes games so he could see what the Stanley Cup Playoffs are all about. Did he go pointless in six games? Yes, but I honestly thought he was getting better as the series went on.
He played well defensively and created some scoring chances as we got deeper into the series, especially in Game 6, when he nearly won it in OT. The series may have ended on a sour note for him and the team, but he's going to be totally fine.
Pittsburgh Penguins center Ben Kindel (81) handles the puck against the Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Emil Andrae (36) 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
Kindel had a tremendous rookie season, finishing with 17 goals and 35 points in 77 games. He was the third-line center for most of the season and faced every challenge that came his way, passing each one with ease. Kindel really liked how everything went and also told reporters that he loves playing for the Penguins.
“It was great," Kindel said. "It was a great experience. A lot of fun. I love playing for this team. Great to get a first year under my belt in the NHL and see what it was like. I think I learned a lot.”
Kindel blew past everyone's expectations for him this season. It was widely expected that he would return to the WHL's Calgary Hitmen, but he kept improving throughout training camp and the preseason.
The coaching staff and front office rewarded him for his great September with a spot in the opening night lineup against the New York Rangers, and he impressed right away. Despite only playing in his first game, he looked like a seasoned veteran out there. He made all the right reads, was responsible in his own end, and was around the crease at times.
He built off that performance and scored his first NHL goal on Oct. 11 against that same Rangers team. He then kept getting even better, and the Penguins had no choice but to start his entry-level contract. He played in every situation throughout the season and will now go through his first offseason as an NHL player.
Kindel will undoubtedly be stronger for next season when it gets going in October. The fact that he's already this good and he's still only 19 is also crazy. There's a real chance that he scores 20-25 goals and puts up 60-65 points next season if he keeps developing well.
He's going to be an important player for a long time.
With that, he shared that he already has a list of candidates of various degrees of experience, admitting that his radar is about "five to eight" names long. Though Holland's preference doesn't seem to be concrete in terms of his next coach's experience, there are plenty of veteran bench bosses out there.
Here are three veteran head coaches who should be on Holland's list going into the 2026-27 regular season.
Bruce Cassidy
For teams that are looking to be competitive and a contender for the Stanley Cup playoffs, Bruce Cassidy should be at the top of that list for all those organizations.
Cassidy has led two different teams to the Stanley Cup finals. First, it was the Boston Bruins in 2019 when they eventually lost to the St. Louis Blues. He won the Jack Adams Trophy just one season later.
Most recently, he pushed the Vegas Golden Knights to be Cup champions for the first time in franchise history in 2023.
The Golden Knights fired him on March 29, and he is currently on the market and is probably on Holland's short list of coaching candidates.
Bruce Cassidy (Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports)
Peter Laviolette
Peter Laviolette has been a head coach in the NHL for a very long time. He's coached over 1,500 games in the league, winning a Stanley Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and also visited the Stanley Cup final on two separate occasions with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010 and the Nashville Predators in 2017.
He's spent this past 2025-26 campaign on the sidelines. His last stint was two years with the New York Rangers. In his first season with the Rangers, he took them to the Eastern Conference finals, followed by missing the playoffs in the next year, ultimately costing him his job.
Nonetheless, he's accomplished big achievements with whatever team he's guided in the past, even if he has a shorter shelf life than others.
Gerard Gallant is another bench boss who has seen the Stanley Cup final. He was the coach who led the Golden Knights to the final in their first year of existence in 2017. He also won the Jack Adams Trophy that season as the NHL's best head coach of the year.
Gallant has been out of the NHL for a little while now. His last stint was with the Rangers from 2021-22 to 2022-23.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
Following two consecutive Stanley Cup Final losses to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers faced a tumultuous 2025-26 season that ended in a 4-2 series loss to Anaheim where it never really felt like Edmonton had any kind of control or direction. Connor McDavid finished with six points in the series and was held without points in three of those games, whereas Leon Draisaitl had 10 points. It was confirmed after the postseason McDavid suffered a fracture in his lower leg during Game 2, but all the same, McDavid and Draisaitl didn't hold back in their postmortem evaluation of the Oilers' season.
"We were an average team all year," McDavid told reporters after the game. "An average team with high expectations, you're gonna be disappointed. Um, you know, we just never found it."
Looking forward, however, Draisaitl was more concerned about what this season means on a bigger scale for Edmonton.
"I am concerned about [moving in the wrong direction]," Draisaitl said in his season-ending interview. "And a little bit of that leads into ... we didn't do a good enough job of properly winning games. ... But I think you really have to in the regular season form these moments and get comfortable in these moments and we didn't do that this year ... But yes I am concerned because we're not trending in the right direction, we've taken big steps backwards."
The biggest question for Edmonton now is what its window looks like. McDavid is still the NHL's premier player, having led the league in points in 2025-26. But as McDavid talks about his desire to win, there is a clock.
Connor McDavid contract details
McDavid inked a two-year extension in October 2025 worth $12.5 million AAV to cap off an eight-year, $100 million contract he signed in 2017. The extension kicks in during 2026-27 and will put him as a free agent in 2028 at age 31.
Draisaitl made no bones about it: The Oilers' window closes if McDavid leaves.
"He's signed for two more years and God knows where that goes, but we have two years here right now," Draisaitl said of McDavid's future. "We have to get significantly better."
Oilers GM Stan Bowman also spoke to reporters on McDavid calling the team average.
"We were average for a lot of the year," Bowman said. "The way I took that comment was in previous years we've had stretches where we've been able to get our game going and dominate and win five-six-eight, 10 in a row. And also have some losing streaks."
Though Bowman focused on the "average" comment and sidestepped the McDavid aspect, he did say the time for the Oilers is now.
"I know how bad Connor wants to win," he said. "And I certainly feel the same way. That's why we all do this. So we're pushing hard. Not every year does it work in the decisions you make. But it's not like we're building for five years from now ... We're pushing every year ... Now is the time when we want our team to win, we're not looking down the road."
While McDavid did concur in his news conference that the "organization as a whole has taken a step back, and that starts with me," the subtext of what he and Draisatil are saying is clear: If the organization doesn't build a team that can win with them, they'll go win without them.
Draisaitl, of course, is under contract until 2033, so he's locked in as a franchise staple. But with McDavid putting up 138 points this year, it seems disingenuous to say he's taken a "step back."
McDavid and the Oilers now go into the offseason licking their wounds, but the wounds are different than the festering gashes of two consecutive Stanley Cup Finals losses. Perhaps two deep runs caught up to them, and this season can be a reset. Either way, the Oilers have two years to figure it out with both of their franchise staples. How they come out in 2026 will be a good litmus test for where they're at.
