NHL Playoff News: All the Best Numbers in Round 1 So Far

The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are in full swing, and there’s plenty of action to keep an eye on. This article will cover the best performances from around the league from each of the Round 1 matchups.

Hurricanes-Senators Game 2 Goes To 2 OT

The Carolina Hurricanes, the No. 2 seed coming in, are up 2-0 against the Ottawa Senators. That doesn’t mean that their opening efforts have been easy, though. In Game 1 on April 18, the Hurricanes blanked the Senators 2-0, going to 7-0 in their opening playoff games historically, one of the few teams to do so. The Senators did, for the most part, hold their own, though, and Game 2 on April 20 was a vastly different story.

The game was tied 2-2 going into Overtime, and in a wild series of events, Mark Jankowski (Hurricanes)’ goal was overturned due to a controversial offside call. Then, it was determined that Jordan Martinook should get a penalty shot because he had a scoring chance taken away while a Senators player got a penalty. While he missed that shot, he would score the game-winner in the second OT period. The Hurricanes won 3-2 in the end to take the lead in the series.

Overtime Goal Puts Avalanche Up 2-0

Despite the fact that the Colorado Avalanche are the top seed coming into the postseason, the Los Angeles Kings have shown a lot of fight and have come close to beating the Avalanche twice now.

The Avalanche won Game 1 (2-1) in regulation, with the Kings keeping their high-scoring opponents to just 2 goals. The Kings’ Artemi Panarin scored on a power play. In Game 2, Los Angeles Goalie Anton Forsberg had a heroic effort with 34 saves, and Panarin scored again. Nicolas Roy of the Avalanche scored in overtime after Gabriel Landeskog scored late in the third period to tie the game.

It’s definitely not crazy to think that this series could go to 7 games with the way the Kings have been playing, even considering the Avalanche’s regular-season dominance.

Mammoth and Golden Knights Tied At 1

The Utah Mammoth and the Las Vegas Golden Knights are in a tight battle to move on in the playoffs, two games in. The Mammoth have qualified for the NHL Playoffs for the first time in their team’s history, and with Game 2, they have their first playoff win.

Game 1 was a heartbreaker for the Mammoth, as Mark Stone and Nic Dowd scored within two minutes of each other in the third period to give the Golden Knights the win after being down 2-1. Game 2 ended in heartbreak for the Golden Knights when the Mammoth’s Logan Cooley scored a goal late into the third period for the win.

Flyers Take 2-0 Lead Over Penguins

Game 1 was a tight battle between the two teams, who are strong playoff contenders and geographically train close to one another. Neither team recorded more than 21 shots on goal, and the Philadelphia Flyers’ Travis Sanheim scored twice (including the game-winner).

The Flyers blanked the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0 in Game 2, and Flyers Goalie Dan Vladar made 25 saves in the second two periods to secure the shutout win dramatically.

Ducks vs. Oilers: Already Exciting

The Anaheim Ducks and the Edmonton Oilers have only played one game so far in the playoffs, but there’s been plenty of action. Game 1 ended 4-3 to the Ducks, with Jason Dickinson (on a return from injury) scoring a late winner as one of two goals that he scored, with teammate Kasperi Kapanen also getting two goals. The Oilers were solid, a good sign going forward.

Canadiens and Lightning Tied, Go to Overtime Twice

Game 1 was a thriller that went to the Montreal Canadiens 4-3, with Juraj Slavkovsky scoring a hat trick, including the game-winning goal in overtime. Slavkovsky, at just 22, is the third-youngest player in NHL Playoff history to score a hat trick, and the third to do so in overtime.

The Tampa Bay Lightning took an overtime victory in Game 2, with Defenseman J.J. Moser scoring in overtime to give his team a 3-2 victory. That snapped a 7-game overtime losing streak in the playoffs for the Lightning. If the Canadiens and Lightning continue to play like this, they will have a very long five games ahead of them.

Bruins and Sabres Trade Wins

The Buffalo Sabres took their first playoff win in nearly 15 years (since April 22, 2011) in Game 1, and saw four straight goals (including two from Tage Thompson) to carry them to a 4-3 victory. The Sabres outshot the Boston Bruins 38-20.

Game 2 went to the Bruins, who had Viktor Arvidsson score twice and held off a two-goal late surge from the Sabres. The score was 4-2 in the end, and it was impressive to see how the Sabres rebounded in the third period while being 4 goals down.

Wild Plays Consistent, Stars Show Resilience

The Dallas Stars and the Minnesota Wild are tied at 1 in their series going into Game 3, and that’s impressive given that the Wild destroyed the Stars 6-1 to open their playoff efforts in Game 1. There isn’t much analysis there; the Stars didn’t play like a top seed, and the Wild were strong.

That changed in Game 2, as the Stars won 4-2 with Wyatt Johnston scoring twice. For the Wild, Brock Faber scored both goals, the first two playoff goals of his career. This should be a thrilling series going forward.

Going Forward

Nothing is decided yet, and the next few weeks will be highly exciting for hockey fans, regardless of which team they support.