BUFFALO, N.Y. — Zach Benson is the epitome of the athlete who you love when he’s on your team and hate when he’s on the other side.
Even his own Buffalo Sabres teammates lovingly call him their “rat.” Pick whatever noun you’d like: Pest. Annoyance. Pain in the you know what.
Benson may be small, 5-foot-10, but on this night, with the Sabres in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in 19 years, he was a giant.
The third-line winger was Montreal Canadiens enemy number one on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, a 4-2 win for the Buffalo Sabres to gain an immediate edge.
“He’s one of the guys that you definitely don’t want to play against,” Benson’s lineman Josh Doan told The Sporting News after the game. “That’s the biggest honor you can have as a player is hated to play against. Those are the guys that you want on your team. We’re pretty fortunate to have Benny with us.”
Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff chose to start Benson’s line on Wednesday, the nominal third-line group with Josh Norris and Josh Doan, for a quick burst of energy. Ruff was quick to question afterward, though – “Who said they were our third line?”
The number didn’t matter.
Benson and his feisty linemates did.
It took Benson just 30 seconds to draw a tripping penalty on Lane Hutson, and while Buffalo didn’t score on that powerplay, the tone was set.
Benson created Buffalo’s first goal soon enough. He had a nifty takeaway near the benches -- again making Hutson look bad -- drove into the offensive zone, then set up the easiest tap-in of Doan’s life for 1-0 Sabres.
“We’re building together,” Doan said of his partnership with Benson. “You get paired with a guy over and over again, you’re gonna start finding each other. We play the game very similarly.”
The “rat” had the primary assist on the second goal, too, dishing to Ryan McLeod for a 2-0 lead.
“If he was on the other side, I wouldn’t want to be coaching against him,” Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff said after the game. “I thought his effort was tremendous.”
The only thing Benson couldn’t manage on this night was a goal of his own.
He came closest to getting an empty-netter for Buffalo, but the timing in the offensive zone didn’t work out quite right against a scrambling Montreal defense.
That didn’t matter, though. Benson scores goals, but he isn’t a goal scorer.
He’s the guy who will do whatever it takes to win. He’ll get into scraps with defensemen who are eight inches taller than him. He’ll crash into the boards, fall down, and get right back up to take the puck away anyway.
Every time Benson touched the puck, or even approached it on Wednesday night, the Buffalo crowd buzzed in anticipation.
He’s still just 20 years old, but he’s everyone in Buffalo’s favorite show right now. If Benson is on the ice, something is bound to happen, and right now, it’s almost always something good for the Sabres.
“That line gave us a great night,” Ruff said. “(Benson’s) effort on a lot of different plays made a difference in the game.”
The Los Angeles Kings (35-37-20) said goodbye to a major franchise face this season. Center Anze Kopitar, who leads all Kings in points with 1,316, announced he would retire at the end of the season, so the Kings wanted to give him a proper farewell tour.
Unfortunately, those dreams were nearly crushed with star winger Kevin Fiala suffering a gruesome injury in the Olympics. Fiala missed the rest of the season, and his future effectiveness might never be the same.
However, the Kings acquired Rangers winger Artemi Panarin, and thanks to the top-heavy nature of the Western Conference, the Kings made the playoffs with just 90 points. The farewell tour ended when the Colorado Avalanche swept the Kings, and with Kopitar’s retirement, the silver and black have a big hole entering the 2026 offseason.
Who do the Kings tab as head coach?
Mar 16, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Kings head coach D.J. Smith coaches against the New York Rangers during the first period at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
During the middle of the season, the Kings were stagnant, below the playoff line. As a result, they decided to fire head coach Jim Hiller for D.J. Smith. Smith did admirably enough, but general manager Ken Holland didn’t taken the interim tag off of Smith, showing they could be looking for a new head coach.
The NHL coaching market, like always, is saturated with great options. The Kings could get former Vegas Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy. He won a Stanley Cup with the Golden Knights, but a sour end of the 2025-26 season saw him replaced with John Tortorella.
They could also go with an assistant looking for a second shot as a head coach, like Jay Woodcroft of the Anaheim Ducks. He led the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup playoffs in back-to-back seasons, but just a few games into the 2023-24 season, he was replaced by Kris Knoblauch.
How do the Kings replace Anze Kopitar?
Apr 19, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar (11) during the game against the Colorado Avalanche in the first period in game one of the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The Kings have a vacancy at center with Kopitar retiring. There’s no replacing his locker-room presence, and his defensive abilities will be sorely missed down the middle.
It’s expected that Quenton Byfield should take that role as 1C, but he had a disappointing season, with 49 points through 79 games. Do they bring in another defensive center in the trade market to support him or give him more development on the second line? They definitely could.
Panarin’s former teammate, Vincent Trocheck, could be a good option to replace Kopitar. He doesn’t have the defensive chops, but he’s a great offensive playmaker, with 53 points in 67 games last season. He also already has chemistry with Panarin, so he could be a plug-and-play option in the lineup.
If not, they could go for a low-key addition for some depth. Blue Jackets center Boone Jenner and Predators center Erik Haula could do the job. It all depends on how much the Kings trust Byfield to take that 1C spot.
What does Brandt Clarke’s extension look like?
Apr 16, 2026; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Brandt Clarke (92) against the Calgary Flames during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-Imagn Images
Speaking of players of the future, the Kings have been training defenseman Brandt Clarke to be the defensive staple once Drew Doughty hangs it up. He’s been progressing steadily into that role.
He took another step this season, although not a sizeable one. He had 40 points in 82 games while maintaining a nice plus-11 plus/minus. Unfortunately, he becomes a restricted free agent this season, so the Kings will need to give him a raise.
Do they give him a bridge deal or bank on his long-term potential? AFP Analytics suggests the numbers could be quite different depending on which direction the Kings go. If they just bridge him until UFA status, he could get around $5 million, but if it’s a longer-term contract, he could earn as much as $8 million.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The drive into downtown Buffalo reveals a city that has been hardened – by long winters, by departed businesses, by the pain of sports teams that have a history of coming up short.
At the mecca of this Wednesday night journey, though, was this city’s beloved Sabres. And this team plays like a group that has felt the pressure — not the playoff pressure, but the kind that comes with being told they aren’t good enough.
For so long, the Sabres were coal. These Sabres, through strife and setback and pressure, have become diamonds.
And their sparkling journey isn’t close to done yet. They jumped out to an early lead and raced past the Montreal Canadiens, 4-2, to win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. It was the most complete home game they’ve played in this postseason. And they did it by playing like Buffalo is in their blood.
“They’ve done a good job of coming out and supporting us,” Sabres winger Josh Doan said of the fans. “You can kind of see the chaos outside the stadium, in the stadium. That can be our game at times… We’ve got a lot of guys that blend in well with this city and take pride in playing for this city.”
These guys aren’t from Buffalo, of course, but they’ve become Buffalonians.
The guy who even his own teammates call a “rat,” Zach Benson, hails from Chilliwack, British Columbia. He created both of Buffalo’s first two goals with effort and energy as if he’d grown up learning the game on a frozen pond in Lackawanna.
“It’s truly unbelievable,” Benson said. “This is one of the best hockey cities in the world obviously, and it’s so electric right now. It’s so fun to play in front of our fans every night and play the way we are. Truly the one word I would use is unbelievable.”
Jordan Greenway, from the northern reaches of New York state not far from Montreal – Canton – knows what the upstate NY life is like. He showed it with huge fourth-line hits and a rare goal of his own on Wednesday night.
“Bottom line, I try and go out there and bring some energy, create some momentum, create some space, be hard to play against,” Greenway said. “I think I did it a little bit better tonight than most nights.”
Bowen Byram, another British Columbia native, kept up his ridiculous scoring rate from the defensive unit this postseason. He notched a goal to go up 4-1 and make the entirety of Western New York roar.
“(Byram) really relishes the opportunity to be playing for something,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said. “... He’s trying to make every play count.”
The Canadiens got one back late to create momentary hope, but that would be all as Alex Lyon stopped shot after shot and the Sabres’ defensive unit laid out to block and deflect shots.
Grit, just like this city.
On one penalty kill, Alex Tuch and his line were stuck on the ice for a minute and 53 seconds. Tuch could hardly skate by the end of it. Yet the winger from Syracuse deflected two pucks late, one with his foot, to help stave off the Montreal power play anyway.
The Sabres weren’t perfect. But they cashed in two power plays, won despite being outshot and left the KeyBank Center rocking at full volume as the clock ticked toward zero.
“They’ve got good players,” Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis summed up simply.
And really, if this talented team can continue to learn a lesson from this city, it’s this: They’ll get up again tomorrow.
After the good days and the bad, this hard-working place doesn’t stop. It might party late into the night Wednesday, but there’ll be more to accomplish the next day, and the next, and the next.
That’s this Sabres hockey team in a nutshell. They didn’t stop working when they were last place in the Eastern Conference. They won’t stop working now.
A story like this one isn’t just told by the temporary triumphs. It’s told by the moments that fly under the radar – the Tyler Kozak screen in front on Greenway’s goal; the Beck Malenstyn full-out dive to block a wide open shot; the child, shone on the video board just for a moment, with the sign that read, “We are scary good.”
This is Buffalo, New York — a scary good hockey town, now with a scary good hockey team.
These Sabres are far from done working. There’s still so much to accomplish.
“Tonight’s one of those nights you can build off it a little bit,” Doan said, “and feed off the energy from the crowd.”
The St. Louis Blues (37-33-12) looked dead in the water at the beginning of the season. After a surprising playoff berth in the 2024-25 season, along with a brutal defeat in the first round, they slumped out of the gate. By the end of February, they had a 21-29-9 record.
As a result, they sold off many pieces, saying goodbye to longtime faces Justin Faulk (Detroit Red Wings) and Brayden Schenn (New York Islanders). They had a deal in place to send Colton Parayko to Buffalo, but he declined to waive his no-trade clause.
Still, they kept some faces of the core around (Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou), and as a result, the team surged. They went 16-4-3 from March onwards, but it was too little, too late. They missed the playoffs by just four points. Now, the Blues have a complicated offseason coming up.
Do they trade away franchise wingers?
Apr 5, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; St. Louis Blues head coach Jim Montgomery talks with defenseman Colton Parayko (55) and left wing Pavel Buchnevich (89) and center Robert Thomas (18) and left wing Jake Neighbours (63) and right wing Jordan Kyrou (25) in the third period against the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Unfortunately, even with their surprise run to form, the question of trade availability remains. There are still plenty of players who will be available in trade rumors.
Let’s start with the first line of the team. Pavel Buchnevich, Robert Thomas, and Jordan Kyrou could all be available over the offseason. All of them have at least five more seasons of team control with their new contracts, and all of them have no-trade clauses. However, if the team wants to go through a rebuild, they could easily waive those clauses.
I guess that if one of them is moved, it’s Kyrou. He had a disappointing season, with just 46 points in 72 games after averaging over 70 in the last two seasons. Still, he and Thomas were involved in trade rumors over the trade deadline.
It was wise to hold onto Kyrou, considering the disappointing free agency class at winger, and St. Louis should get a first-round pick and more from a team looking for a bounce-back year from him. He needs a change of scenery anyway.
What’s the status on Jordan Binnington?
Jan 23, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington (50) loses his stick as he allows a power play goal to Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene (95) during the second period at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Now we get to Jordan Binnington. It was an incredibly trying season for the netminder, as he was arguably the worst goaltender in the league with a .873 save percentage.
No matter what direction the Blues decide to go this offseason, they are justified in trading Binnington. Joel Hofer already looks like the future starter in net, and Binnington has just one season left on his contract aftr this season, although has a modified no-trade clause.
I could see a goaltender-needy team trading for him and hoping he’ll bounce back. The San Jose Sharks seem like a good target, but I could see a team like the Florida Panthers or Pittsburgh Penguins entering the sweepstakes. Binnington’s just one season removed from a respectable .900 save percentage.
Are the Blues aggressive in free agency?
Apr 16, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; The St. Louis Blues celebrate after defeating the Utah Mammoth at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images
The Blues are in a spot where I could see them trading one of their franchise faces and still try to go for a postseason berth next season. They have a ton of emerging youth on the roster (Jimmy Snuggerud, Dylan Holloway, Joel Hofer), and with a few tweaks, they could maintain their momentum from last season.
If they’re aggressive, they’ll need to get a good right-shot defenseman. Theoretically, their left side is set with Philip Broberg, Cam Fowler, and Tyler Tucker bouncing back.
However, they will need to get a right-shot defenseman, whether that’s winning the Darren Raddysh sweepstakes or making a trade, either for a veteran or a high draft pick. They have three first-round picks thanks to the Faulk and Schenn trades, so they have a lot to wheel and deal.
The NHL playoffs continue tonight with a fresh series opener in the East and a critical rematch in the West.
The Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens face off for Game 1 of their semifinal series. And, in Las Vegas, the Anaheim Ducks are fighting to even their series against the Golden Knights in Game 2.
Here's how to watch:
NHL playoff TV schedule 2026: Second round
All times p.m. ET. x-if necessary
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Buffalo Sabres vs Montreal Canadiens
Game 1: May 6, Montreal at Buffalo, 7, TNT, truTV
Game 2: May 8, Montreal at Buffalo, 7, TNT, truTV
Game 3: May 10, Buffalo at Montreal, 7, ESPN
Game 4: May 12, Buffalo at Montreal, TBA, ESPN
x-Game 5: May 14, Montreal at Buffalo, TBA, TNT, truTV
x-Game 6: May 16, Buffalo at Montreal, TBA, (ABC or ESPN)
The record for the most goals in an NHL playoff game depends on whether you are looking at one team's performance or the total combined score.
The Edmonton Oilers hold the record for the most goals scored by a single team in a playoff game, putting up 13 goals against the Los Angeles Kings on April 9, 1987.
Goals
Team
Opponent
Date
Final Score
13
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
April 9, 1987
13-3
12
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
April 10, 1990
12-4
11
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
March 30, 1944
11-0
11
Edmonton Oilers
Chicago Blackhawks
May 4, 1985
11-2
The record for the highest-scoring game in total was set during the 1982 Division Semifinals.
18 Goals: Los Angeles Kings (10) vs. Edmonton Oilers (8) on April 7, 1982.
17 Goals: Pittsburgh Penguins (10) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7) on April 25, 1989.
16 Goals: Two games are tied at 16, involving high-scoring matchups from the Oilers (1987) and the Kings (1990).
On May 3, 2026, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 9-6. Their 15 combined goals tied for the third-highest-scoring game in NHL playoff history, matching a feat last achieved by the Flames and Oilers in 2022.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The highly anticipated NHL Eastern Conference playoff series between the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens has arrived at the KeyBank Center on Wednesday night.
It's one of those series that looks right off the bat like it could last seven games, but it has to start with Game 1.
The Sabres are playing in their first second-round playoff game in 19 years.
The Canadiens, who have won more Stanley Cups than any team in NHL history, are chasing their first Cup since 1993.
- Montreal uses its timeout with 1:31 to play needing two goals.
- Lyon glove save with 2:19 left. Still 4-2.
- Massive block by Rasmus Dahlin with three minutes left to keep it 4-2. Montreal has pulled Dobes.
- Tyson Kozak missed an open net, too. Buffalo hasn't quite taken their chances to totally put this away.
- With 6:14 remaining, the score holds at 4-2.
- A strong shot by Jack Quinn is denied by Dobes with about 10 minutes to play. The goalie keeps Montreal within two.
- Lyon and Dobes each with solid saves early in the third. With 13:58 to play, Sabres still lead 4-2.
- Jack Quinn hit nothing when he had a wide open net in front of him, smashing it into the boards instead.
- Third period underway. Alex Lyon immediate save. Montreal needs to get two back.
Second period
- End of two: Sabres 4, Canadiens 2.
- Canadiens goal. Kirby Dach scores on his own rebound with 3:29 left in the second period. Sabres lead 4-2. Dach with great persistence as he was being tripped but still found a way to bat it in from the ground.
- Lyon with a glove save with 4:09 left in the second, and a lot of traffic in front gets the first real post-play extended scuffle of the game. Teams eventually separated without anything crazy happening.
- A triple save by Dobes with five minutes left in the second period denies a couple great chances for Buffalo.
- Dobes glove save on a good drive by Dahlin sends it to a timeout with 8:07 left in the second period. Buffalo has scored on 4 of its 10 shots on goal.
- Sabres' first penalty kill couldn't get off for almost the whole power play, but Alex Lyon deflects a save out of play with just six seconds left to get the change.
- Canadiens right on the power play almost immediately. It's Beck Malenstyn high stick.
- Bowen Byram. 4-1 Buffalo. 10:59 left in the second period. Power play goal, a second on the man-up for the Sabres. Josh Doan with a key screen in front.
- Buffalo on the power play with 12:47 left in the second period. Kaiden Guhle for a cross check.
- Jack Quinn had a great chance on the break with 13:20 left in the second period. He hit the metal.
- Canadiens have just one shot on target through six minutes of the second period, and Alex Lyon was up to the task.
- 3-1 Sabres. Jordan Greenway checked out his options and figured, hey, let's shoot it myself. He goes top shelf and finds the cookies, over Dobes' left shoulder. 16:28 left in the second period, as the shot looks like it tipped off the goalie's glove and in. Assist to Mattias Samuelsson.
- A couple of half chances to begin the second period, including Tage Thompson from a dangerous area, but about 2:30 into the frame and not much to note.
- Brian Gionta and Dwayne Roloson wave the towels to get the fans fired up before the second period. The Benson line again starts the period for Buffalo.
First period
- Montreal outshoots Buffalo 10-6, but the Sabres hold the lead on the scoreboard. Buffalo got great play from its third and fourth lines, led respectively by Zach Benson and Beck Malenstyn. Montreal looks most dangerous on the power play.
- End of one: Sabres 2, Canadiens 1.
- Canadiens goal -- Juraj Slafkovsky gives it to Nick Suzuki for a tap-in on the power play. With 43.4 seconds left in the first period, the Sabres now lead 2-1.
- Canadiens will go on the power play with 2:02 left in the first period. Rasmus Dahlin for interference.
- It remains 2-0 Buffalo with 3:11 in the first period. Montreal has outshot the Sabres, 7-6.
- Ryan McLeod from a tight angle. 2-0 Sabres, a powerplay goal with 6:34 left in the first period. And guess who else on the assist? It's Zach Benson. Josh Doan had the secondary assist.
- Sabres powerplay with 8:25 left in the first. Nick Suzuki for tripping. It was Bowen Byram who got into a dangerous position to draw the trip.
- Another chance on the doorstep. Ivan Demidov denied this time by Lyon. 9:12 to play in the first.
- Phillip Danault had the best chance for Montreal, point blank about nine minutes into this one, but Lyon slid well and denied it.
- Montreal is creating more chances than it did in its Game 7 win over Tampa Bay, when it had just nine shots on goal for the game. Alex Lyon will have to be sharp.
- 1-0 Sabres. Zach Benson takes it away, drives the zone, and sets up Josh Doan for a tap-in. Benson is every fan's favorite. He proves why by being a pest and getting a brilliant takeaway and assist.
- Lane Hutson wide open in the left slot but Alex Lyon stands strong with 15:45 left in the first.
- First shift for the Sabres' fourth line is a fantastic one with three big hits and a great setup for defenseman Logan Stanley, although it gets blocked.
- Canadiens kill the power play. Only one shot, and a lot of failed entries for Buffalo.
- Buffalo's first shot on the power play comes 1:50 into it, and it knocks off Jakub Dobes' mask, but he makes the save.
- Sabres power play 30 seconds into the game. Lane Hutson to the box. Tripping.
Pregame
- Bill Fichtner hits the drum and it's hockey time.
- The Sabres are going with energy on their starting line in this one -- Zach Benson, Josh Doan, Josh Norris.
- The teams are back on the ice. The Sabres' mascot has descended from the ceiling. A couple of anthems and then playoff hockey.
- The Canadiens bring Arber Xhekaj back into the lineup on the third defenseman pairing with Noah Dobson.
- Player warmups wrapping up about 6:45 p.m. Tage Thompson slots in a backhand, five-hole shot past backup Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and skates off after finishing on a make. KeyBank Center filling in nicely.
- As was mostly expected, Sam Carrick remains out with injury for the Sabres.
- There's a towel on each seat in the place for fans to wave. It reads "Buffalo versus everybody," with the words going top-to-bottom so it also looks like it says Buffalo over everybody.
- An hour before listed puck drop, the warmup clock reads 47 minutes, which suggests that with all the pregame proceedings, this game shouldn't start too long after the listed 7 p.m.
- For those wondering: Yes, there are plenty of Canadiens fans wandering around downtown Buffalo on Wednesday.
- This game should feature a matchup of two red-hot goalies, with Alex Lyon in net for the Sabres and Jakub Dobes tending the twine for the Canadiens.
The Sharks will have to fill that with multiple players, it would seem. There isn't just one guy out there worth that amount on an annual basis.
One of the top free agents is Sabres winger Alex Tuch, although he seems likely to return to Buffalo.
Maybe one of the logical targets is the free agent defenseman Darren Raddysh of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He just put together the best season of his life, by far, and is looking at a big payday.
Defensemen Rasmus Andersson and John Carlson are also quality free agents on the back end. Carlson seems like he could return to the Capitals after they traded him to the Ducks at the deadline, though.
Guys like Boone Jenner and Charlie Coyle from the Blue Jackets could get into the picture as potential center signings, but they aren't particularly exciting.
Maybe most intriguing is the idea that the Sharks could loom as a logical landing spot in a trade for a disgruntled veteran who asks out of town elsewhere -- with the guys you'd dream on in that scenario being Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews.
It's just clear the Sharks will be shelling out more money. They've just got to figure out for whom.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have their new upper-management structure in place with Monday’s hiring of new GM John Chayka and senior executive adviser of hockey operations Mats Sundin.
Chayka spoke about hitting the ground running, and he and Sundin will need to make important decisions right out of the gate. What are those decisions?
Here’s what we see as the five things Chayka and Sundin have on their to-do list:
1. Be decisive on coach Craig Berube’s future
Chayka spoke well of current Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube on Monday, but he stopped short of being definitive regarding Berube’s future in the role. But if we judge previous statements made by MLSE CEO Keith Pelley, we’d be leaning on Berube keeping his job – at least, to start the regular season.
If the Leafs wait late into the off-season to decide whether to keep Berube or cut him, they risk leaving him without a coaching job if there is uncertainty about his fit with the team. It would be better to fire him now.
The other downside of waiting too long is that a great candidate like former Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy could be hired by a different team (say, the Edmonton Oilers). This is why time is of the essence in deciding Berube’s future. The longer they wait, the more they may hurt themselves in the long run.
One of the Leafs’ strengths right now is their goaltending depth. Veterans Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll, and youngsters Dennis Hildeby and Artur Akhtyamov give Toronto four promising options between the pipes. Still, Chayka needs to convert at least one of those goalies into assets that will help the Maple Leafs’ long-term picture – meaning they need to trade a goalie for draft picks and prospects.
Woll and Stolarz have been solid when healthy, and they have the most NHL experience. Hildeby would have to clear waivers if they tried to send him to the AHL. So Chayka has to finalize which goalie to move, and they need to do it before training camp.
3. Get Auston Matthews and William Nylander on board with the new management team
Pretty straightforward stuff, right? The two Leafs stars almost assuredly won’t want to be part of a full roster rebuild, so Chayka and Sundin have to get their dynamic duo up to date on their plans to retool.
The modern-day NHLer wants to have input and be heard, and that’s what Leafs management has to cater to if they want to stay in the good books of stars Matthews and Nylander. Chayka can’t let players run his team, but he does have to show players they have a voice and encourage them to use it.
Here’s another straightforward area Chayka has to address. The Maple Leafs need to significantly increase the number of players they draft and develop, but they did get a massive favor from the hockey gods when Toronto won the 2026 draft lottery. That will add a major piece of the puzzle, and you need those types of generational talents to truly be a year-in, year-out Stanley Cup front-runner.
The Leafs haven’t had the draft-and-development results that the league’s best teams have. But with this year’s No. 1 overall pick, and some good luck and good performances from other players in the system, the Leafs could be back in action as a legitimate Cup contender in a short period of time.
5. Make key decisions on pending free agents
The Leafs don’t have a slew of free agents to worry about keeping in the long haul. On defense, only Troy Stecher will be a UFA this summer, while up front, Calle Jarnkrok is the lone UFA forward.
Chayka has to quickly decide if he wants them back – and he also must look at the Leafs’ RFAs – Jacob Quillan, Nicholas Robertson, and Mattias Maccelli. Some of those RFAs could be trade bait. So Chayka has to decide on the commitment the Maple Leafs will make to these players.
With dozens of young female hockey players in attendance, the Professional Women's Hockey League had a blowout celebration as they announced the arrival of a Detroit team, which is slated to start playing games in December at Little Caesars Arena.
Marian Ilitch, matriarch of Hockeytown, was in attendance, too, at the event on the concourse on Wednesday, May 6, to welcome the ninth team in the PWHL. There's no name yet, and for now, the logo is a circle in white, black and red that says "Detroit" above two hockey sticks, with PWHL along the bottom.
"Why Detroit? First of all, look at today, the turnout," said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations. "Detroit just checked off every possible mark on why we would [want to] expand here. And it's been about the warmest welcome we could have ever envisioned."
How the Ilitches fit in with PWHL
The PWHL is a single-entity league. Mark Walter from the Walter Group, majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers and Sparks, owns all the teams. The relationship with Ilitch Sports and Entertainment is more of a partnership, with the PWHL Detroit team taking up residence at LCA.
Plans to turn one of the multitude of locker rooms in the practice facility into a permanent one for the PWHL team are already being made.
"This is more than a business announcement," Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Companies, and owner of the Tigers and Red Wings, said. "This is something Detroit is achieving that's been building for a very, very long time. Detroit has been a part of the PWHL story since day one. When the league played its first-ever neutral site game right here at Little Caesars Arena in 2024, 13,700 fans showed up for a brand new league in its inaugural season. That says everything right there.
"And it only grew from there. Detroit hosted more PWHL games than any other neutral site city. Four games across three seasons. We set a U.S. arena attendance record for women's hockey back in March of 2025. And just a month ago, nearly 16,000 fans packed this building for the takeover tour. The PWHL didn't have to guess whether Detroit was ready."
Ilitch gave a shoutout to Marian for her grassroots support of youth hockey over the decades (along with late husband Mike Ilitch), saying, "I want to thank you, mom."
"We have a fanbase that's going to support and uplift this league and so we're very honored to bring it here," Sheffield said. "We know the economic activity also that it's going to bring to the city but also just a sense of community and pride and the opportunity to cultivate the next generation of young girls is also exciting. There were so many young girls out today there cheering along and finding out this announcement.
"They oftentimes say you can't be what you can't see. To have a league here in Detroit, it's about opportunity, access, visibility and young girls being able to see themselves in the league. I'm just proud of the forward movement that women's sports is making in general and Detroit is not celebrating it., we're actually leading. We're investing in it and so I'm just very honored again as the woman mayor of the city to bring this league here to Detroit."
Building women's hockey
The success of the PWHL's Takeover Tour stops in Detroit made placing a franchise here natural. As if that wasn't enough to build excitement, the announcement comes about two months after PWHL players at the Olympics showcased the incredible skill level: Megan Keller (Farmington Hills) scored the overtime goal that won the U.S. the gold medal, and Alina Muller scored the overtime goal that won Switzerland the bronze medal. They both play for the Boston Fleet.
"We currently have 13 PWHL players from Michigan, the second most represented U.S. state in our league," Jayna Hefford, executive vice president of hockey operations, said. "We're proud to see local programs like Little Caesars represented here today, a program that has helped develop PWHL players like Shiann Darkangelo, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, and Elle Hartje."
With dozens of young female hockey players in attendance, the Professional Women's Hockey League had a blowout celebration as they announced the arrival of a Detroit team, which is slated to start playing games in December at Little Caesars Arena.
Marian Ilitch, matriarch of Hockeytown, was in attendance, too, at the event on the concourse on Wednesday, May 6, to welcome the ninth team in the PWHL. There's no name yet, and for now, the logo is a circle in white, black and red that says "Detroit" above two hockey sticks, with PWHL along the bottom.
"Why Detroit? First of all, look at today, the turnout," said Amy Scheer, PWHL executive vice president of business operations. "Detroit just checked off every possible mark on why we would [want to] expand here. And it's been about the warmest welcome we could have ever envisioned."
How the Ilitches fit in with PWHL
The PWHL is a single-entity league. Mark Walter from the Walter Group, majority owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, Dodgers and Sparks, owns all the teams. The relationship with Ilitch Sports and Entertainment is more of a partnership, with the PWHL Detroit team taking up residence at LCA.
Plans to turn one of the multitude of locker rooms in the practice facility into a permanent one for the PWHL team are already being made.
"This is more than a business announcement," Christopher Ilitch, president and CEO of Ilitch Companies, and owner of the Tigers and Red Wings, said. "This is something Detroit is achieving that's been building for a very, very long time. Detroit has been a part of the PWHL story since day one. When the league played its first-ever neutral site game right here at Little Caesars Arena in 2024, 13,700 fans showed up for a brand new league in its inaugural season. That says everything right there.
"And it only grew from there. Detroit hosted more PWHL games than any other neutral site city. Four games across three seasons. We set a U.S. arena attendance record for women's hockey back in March of 2025. And just a month ago, nearly 16,000 fans packed this building for the takeover tour. The PWHL didn't have to guess whether Detroit was ready."
Ilitch gave a shoutout to Marian for her grassroots support of youth hockey over the decades (along with late husband Mike Ilitch), saying, "I want to thank you, mom."
"We have a fanbase that's going to support and uplift this league and so we're very honored to bring it here," Sheffield said. "We know the economic activity also that it's going to bring to the city but also just a sense of community and pride and the opportunity to cultivate the next generation of young girls is also exciting. There were so many young girls out today there cheering along and finding out this announcement.
"They oftentimes say you can't be what you can't see. To have a league here in Detroit, it's about opportunity, access, visibility and young girls being able to see themselves in the league. I'm just proud of the forward movement that women's sports is making in general and Detroit is not celebrating it., we're actually leading. We're investing in it and so I'm just very honored again as the woman mayor of the city to bring this league here to Detroit."
Building women's hockey
The success of the PWHL's Takeover Tour stops in Detroit made placing a franchise here natural. As if that wasn't enough to build excitement, the announcement comes about two months after PWHL players at the Olympics showcased the incredible skill level: Megan Keller (Farmington Hills) scored the overtime goal that won the U.S. the gold medal, and Alina Muller scored the overtime goal that won Switzerland the bronze medal. They both play for the Boston Fleet.
"We currently have 13 PWHL players from Michigan, the second most represented U.S. state in our league," Jayna Hefford, executive vice president of hockey operations, said. "We're proud to see local programs like Little Caesars represented here today, a program that has helped develop PWHL players like Shiann Darkangelo, Mellissa Channell-Watkins, and Elle Hartje."
But don't sleep on what happened to the San Jose Sharks, who slot one spot behind the Leafs with the No. 2 overall pick.
The Sharks had just 5.2% chance of moving up into that slot. They had just the ninth-worst points total in the league. They should've likely been drafting further down.
But as with the Leafs, things worked out in San Jose's favor.
It means that they got Macklin Celebrini first overall two years ago, then Michael Misa with the second pick last year, and now they can add a third player potentially of that caliber.
The second pick is a great spot to be in this draft.
Most likely, the Maple Leafs take Canadian phenom Gavin McKenna with the first pick. If they do that, the Swedish winger Ivar Sternberg remains on the board and is probably the obvious No. 2 pick.
But if Toronto gets cute and goes Sternberg over McKenna, the Sharks can then take McKenna for themselves.
There likely won't be a reason to think beyond those two for San Jose, which is part of what makes the slot so appealing. It's a draft with two tier-one level players, so having a top-two pick is a win.
The Sharks could always think about going with a defenseman instead, but there aren't any Matthew Schaefer-level players in this draft class.
The reality is that the Sharks won big on Tuesday night, too, even if it was overshadowed by the Maple Leafs.
The Toronto Maple Leafs and Auston Matthews got bad news on Tuesday morning when The Athletic's Chris Johnston reported that Matthews wasn't sure whether he'd be back with the Leafs in the fall.
By the end of Tuesday night, everything had changed. The NHL Draft lottery had happened. The Maple Leafs had won the No. 1 overall pick. They'd earned the chance to (probably) pick Gavin McKenna, the young Canadian phenom who just wrapped up his lone season at Penn State.
This has been a brutal year for the Maple Leafs, but this is the brightest possible light they could've found at the end of the tunnel.
From the moment Mitch Marner worked his way out of town last summer, it's been downhill. The Leafs couldn't replace him, and they stumbled and bumbled through a brutal campaign of ineffectiveness and injuries that led to a sell-off at the trade deadline and a full-scale tank down the stretch.
That got them the fifth-best lottery odds, and this time around, that was enough to luck into the first pick.
Surely he'd want to play with a potential young superstar winger like McKenna. Imagine them on the same line. Would Matthews ask out of that?
There'll surely be a lot more reporting in the days to come on this. Someone will get at least partway to the bottom of how Matthews feels about McKenna.
But this sure is a lot different than a Toronto team with the fifth pick, or worse, a Toronto team that had conveyed its first-round pick to Boston.
Now, these Leafs can add the potential superstar McKenna. Matthews may decide that Toronto, with McKenna, is exactly where he wants to be.
There has to be at least some feeling like that among the Vancouver Canucks' leadership on Tuesday night.
In a draft with probable top pick Gavin McKenna and right-behind-him Ivar Sternberg, the Canucks entered the lottery with the best odds at the No. 1 pick.
Instead, they didn't get the first pick, and they missed out on the second, as well.
They landed at No. 3, where it's very possible they don't get either McKenna or Sternberg.
It'd be quite the feat if that duo turned into Ovechkin and Malkin, two of the all-time great hockey players.
But it's also safe to expect them to be very good, and if they're the first two picks, Vancouver will genuinely have to figure out how to make the most of a situation that didn't work out in their favor at all.
The Canucks were likely dreaming of McKenna. Even when they woke up, they would've been happy with Sternberg.
And now there's a chance Vancouver gets neither.
They did what they could to tank, trading away lots of competent players to make sure they had the fewest points in the league this season.
But the lottery means they weren't guaranteed one of those top-two picks, and in the end, it shook out against them.
It's just another negative in a Canucks era full of them.
After navigating the first round of the 2026 NHL playoffs, the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild face off in the Western Conference second round.
Colorado, the Presidents' Trophy winners, cruised to a 4-0 sweep over the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round to become the first team to move on in this year's playoffs. Now, they will be meeting up with a Minnesota team that made its first second round in 11 years.
Despite being a three-seed, the Wild were able to win their first-round series against the Dallas Stars in six games. Left wing Matt Boldy capped off a six-goal and three-assist series, including two empty-net goals to clinch the final game for Minnesota.
Heading into this series, the Avalanche and Wild split their season series 2-2. The Wild were only one of four teams to beat Colorado twice this season, either in regulation or overtime (Winnipeg Jets, Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars). Minnesota's 3.8 goals per game this playoffs has been the second-highest average, compared to Colorado's sixth-place 3.3. However, the Avalanche do come into this series allowing a mere 1.3 goals per game.
As the No. 1 seed and Presidents' Trophy winners, Colorado will hold home-ice advantage for the remainder of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Here's what you need to know to watch Colorado vs. Minnesota, including broadcast information and start times.
Games in the Avalanche vs. Wild series will air on multiple channels.
Fans can stream every playoff game live on DIRECTV, which offers a free trial to new users. Games on ABC and ESPN networks can also be streamed on the ESPN app or fubo, which also has a free trial.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs schedule, key dates for 2026
Here are the key dates to know for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs and offseason. Some series start dates could move up depending on when previous series end.
For hockey fans, it’s the best time of the year. The Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially here, and after a regular season defined by historic turnarounds and shifting divisional powers, the 2026 bracket is one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.
In the Eastern Conference, the field is a mix of battle-tested giants and long-awaited homecomings. The headline is the Buffalo Sabres, who not only snapped an NHL-record 14-season postseason drought but did so by capturing the Atlantic Division title. They’ll open against a Boston Bruins squad that returned to form after a year away, setting up a clash between Buffalo’s high-octane offense and Boston’s elite defensive structure. Meanwhile, the Battle of Pennsylvania is back, as the Penguins and Flyers renew their fierce rivalry in a first-round series for the first time since 2018.
Over in the West, the Colorado Avalanche have secured the Presidents’ Trophy, ensuring the road to the Cup runs through Denver. However, they face a gauntlet of contenders, including a Dallas Stars team that looks dangerous after a franchise-record winning streak and a Vegas Golden Knights squad that has found a new gear since John Tortorella took over the bench.
From the emergence of young stars like Cole Caufield to the enduring brilliance of veterans like Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid, the stage is set for two months of high-stakes, sudden-death drama. With six teams qualifying for the postseason after missing out last year, the hunger for a deep run has never been higher. Let the chase for 16 wins begin.
The Sporting News has the complete bracket and schedule throughout the entire Stanley Cup Playoffs. Check it out below.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs will be broadcast across ESPN and TNT Sports platforms, with six different channels being destinations for games. The Stanley Cup Final will be exclusively on ABC.
Fans can live stream every game from the Stanley Cup Playoffs on DIRECTV. Games appearing on ESPN networks, including ABC, can also be streamed live on fubo and the ESPN app.
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How will the 2026 NHL playoffs work?
Sixteen teams qualify for the NHL playoffs, eight from each conference. This includes the top three seeds from each division, who earn automatic berths. The remaining four spots are filled by the two highest-placed finishers in each conference outside of the automatic qualifiers, regardless of their division.
The NHL uses a fixed, division-based bracket. There is no reseeding between rounds, meaning teams can map out their potential path to the Final from Day 1. The division winner with the best record in the conference plays the wild card with the fewer points. The other division winner plays the wild card with more points. Meanwhile, the teams that finished second and third in each division face off against one another. The winners of the first-round series within each divisional bracket meet to determine who moves on to the Conference Finals, then the final four teams battle for their respective conference titles.
The Eastern Conference champion and Western Conference champion then meet in the Stanley Cup Final.
McKenna is one of the top NHL Draft prospects in recent memory.
He was so good at the junior level that it was a shocking, unprecedented decision for him to go play a year in the NCAA ranks at Penn State. And then after taking a little while to get rolling there, McKenna proved he was one of the best players in the country even as a teenager playing against guys a few years older than him, at least.
McKenna has also shone at the various age-group levels internationally for Canada. There's nothing this winger can't do.
"What hasn’t already been said about Gavin McKenna?" wrote Frank Zawrazky for The Sporting News after the lottery on Tuesday. "He’s the clear-cut first overall selection. McKenna has elite hockey IQ and the silky hands to turn his ideas into tangible offense. His pass-first game could elevate the other two forwards on his unit. Yes, he needs a bit of defensive help, but that can be worked on throughout his development. I’m excited to see what he can do on a line with Auston Matthews or John Tavares. A pure playmaker like McKenna with an elite goal scorer like Matthews."
At the end of the day, the Maple Leafs probably won't second guess this too much.
McKenna has been the obvious choice here for years. Now that Toronto gets to make it, it's hard to think of better fortune falling into their lap.
No one in Toronto really expected to be having this discussion.
But then the Maple Leafs won the NHL Draft lottery on Tuesday night, and everything changed. Now it's time to talk about Gavin McKenna -- but everyone knows a lot about him as a young Canadian phenom. It's also time to talk about the guy less people know, Ivar Sternberg.
If there is one player who could upend McKenna and be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, it's Sternberg.
McKenna is still likely the favorite, especially now that Toronto won that spot.
But it's worth knowing Sternberg, too. He could factor into the picture.
Sternberg is a young Swedish winger, a left-shot who can play on either side.
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler ranked draft prospects recently and had two players in his "Tier 1": McKenna and Sternberg.
In the SHL this season, Sternberg had 33 points in 43 games, which is about as high an output as a player of his age has ever done there.
"He also helped them to a Champions Hockey League title this year and had a really strong SHL playoffs last year, becoming just the third player ever to score in the SHL postseason in their draft-minus-one season (after Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Hedman), and registering six points in 12 games (tied for the most ever by a U18 skater)," Wheeler writes. "His season's not done yet, either, as he's auditioning for Sweden's men's worlds roster and had a great first two performance (two goals and three assists)."
Sternberg does a lot of things well, and it's maybe on some of the littler things that he has a chance to be better than McKenna.
"Stenberg’s biggest standout tool for me, though, has repeatedly been his wall play and strength on his stick," Wheeler writes. "He’s not big, but he’s very, very strong in hockey terms. He stays over pucks, wins a ton of battles along the boards with strong stick lifts and just finds pucks along the wall with his blade. He has an uncanny ability to hold and protect pucks against and through contact in the offensive zone. That ability also helps him draw a lot of penalties. He’s also fearlessly poised under pressure and makes plays under tight coverage in difficult spots (including one-on-one as the last man back at the offensive zone blue line)."
Wheeler writes that "Sternberg projects as a first-line winger."
So does McKenna, of course.
The key decision for the Maple Leafs will not be whether one of these guys is good enough, but rather which one they think can develop into the biggest superstar. They've got the No. 1 pick in a good year for it. They've just got to get it right.
Most introductory press conferences for pro sports front-office officials barely make the news outside the local market.
The introductory press conference for Toronto Maple Leafs GM John Chayka, however, ended up making international headlines, thanks in large part to questions from Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons. The longtime journalist opened the presser with a pointed question for Keith Pelley, the president and CEO of MLSE, about the new hire sitting next to him.
“You talk about the due diligence that you did on John prior to hiring him, and now hiring him. In the past three to four days, I have been in contact with about 20 people who work in the National Hockey League, many of whom are prominent names that we would all know. Of the 20 people I spoke to, one was supportive of his hiring, the other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest,” said Simmons. “Words were used like ‘con artist,’ ‘liar,’ ‘salesman.’ “How did you come to a different conclusion than I was able to come to in a very short time?”
“I must’ve talked to different people,” dryly replied Pelley.
“That’s it?” asked Simmons. “Because the hockey world today is astounded by this announcement.”
“Okay,” offered a smiling Pelley.
“And your response to that?” asked Simmons.
“We’ve conducted due diligence, and it was deep due diligence,” Pelley replied. “It was a thorough process, and I am quite happy with where we’ve landed.”
“When you’ve been around as long as I have, you’re used to reactions and explosions and things like that. And yesterday was bigger than I think I could remember experiencing in a very long time,” said Simmons. “But because of the way I sort of tune out social media, I don’t really know that I’m trending, and I don’t really know who’s saying what or who’s saying anything, to be honest.
“And I do my job and I do my work and I do my writing. And that’s what I focus on. And I let everybody else have their say. And I don’t respond very much to what they have to say. Although yesterday, most of the responses that I received, I can’t speak for anything online because I didn’t see it. But personally, either emails, texts, phone calls, I would say was about 90-10 in my favor of the question.”
Simmons added further context to the harsh comments he heard from other NHL figures, saying that many of them had reached out to him directly.
“I asked the question for a reason. Why did you settle on John Chayka?” said Simmons. “If your due diligence was anything like mine, you couldn’t possibly have settled on John Chayka. So that was the reason for the question.
“I didn’t know John Chayka. I didn’t know much about him, to be perfectly honest. You ask one person who knew him, then you ask another person, then you text another person. And then what was happening, strangely enough, is I was getting texts from people that I hadn’t reached out to who were saying, you know, this is what my experience with him was, or this is what happened with me, or this, you know, different things like that.
“These weren’t marginal people, EJ. These were people who have worked in prominent positions or still work in prominent positions in the NHL. And so we’re talking about hockey people whose names anybody who knows hockey would know. And I had a long list of people, and I think I talked to about 20 of them. And there was one person who gave John a glowing recommendation, and there were 19 who didn’t, or 20 who didn’t. I don’t know what the number is exactly, but it was incredibly one-sided.
“And that’s why when he said, ‘We did our due diligence,’ I’d like to know what his due diligence was that was so different from my due diligence. And that’s why I asked the question as I asked it. And I picked the words out, and I don’t like to break confidences in any way, but I picked the words out of emails or texts that I had received from people in the NHL who described him in different words, in different ways. And that’s why I asked the question the way I asked it.”
Simmons would go on to say that “NHL GMs… and major player agents” were among those he was texting with.
Hradek asked Simmons what he thinks of Pelley, who was named MLSE President & CEO in April 2024. While he feels as though they actually have a friendly relationship, Simmons wonders if he’s cut out for the job of overseeing a sizable portfolio of pro sports teams, including the NHL’s Maple Leafs, the NBA’s Raptors, the CFL’s Argonauts, and the MLS’s Toronto FC.
“I almost consider Keith Pelley to be a friend,” said Simmons. “We’ve known each other for so long and been around so many of the same events.
“Keith Pelley has a long history in television and a successful history of television. He is a great guy. I love him sort of as a friend and as a person to hang with, and as someone to have lunch with and someone to talk to. And he’s treated me extraordinarily well over the years. And I think most of the time I’ve treated him extraordinarily well over the years.
“But there comes points where… he has a job to do and I have questions to ask. And that’s where, you know, the uncomfortable nature of Monday came out. And, I just think in this instance, this job might be too big for him. This is a big job.”
There’s a lot riding on the Chayka hire, not just for Pelley but for the Maple Leafs as an organization. It’s going to be fascinating to watch how that goes, not to mention what happens at the next press conference that Simmons attends.
So much for luck, one way or the other: The first-round pick the Detroit Red Wings traded away came in at No. 15, where it was slotted in the first place.
The NHL held its 2026 Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 5, with the Toronto Maple Leafs winning the right to make the first choice at the draft, which will take place June 26-27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The San Jose Sharks won the second drawing, to pick second overall. The Leafs had the fifth-best odds to win the first pick coming into the lottery, at 8.5%. and needed to stay within the top five to avoid sending their pick to the Boston Bruins in a 2025 deal for defenseman Brandon Carlo.
The Vancouver Canucks, who finished with the NHL's worst record, had the best odds to win the lottery at 18.5%, followed by the Chicago Blackhawks at 13.5% and the New York Rangers at 11.5%.
The Canucks will pick third.
Penn State forward Gavin McKenna is projected to be the first overall pick, with Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg projected to go second.
The Blues will have two picks in the first round, their own at No. 10 and the Wings', at No. 15.
The fate of several franchises was sealed in the NHL Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, and the biggest winner is North of the Border.
The Toronto Maple Leafs emerged from the lottery in Secaucus, N.J., with the ultimate prize: the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. Despite the Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks entering the night with the best mathematical odds, the lottery balls fell in favor of Toronto, while the San Jose Sharks secured the No. 2 spot.
The stakes were monumental, and now the Maple Leafs hold the right to draft Gavin McKenna. The Penn State superstar — fresh off a historic freshman campaign that landed him in the Hobey Baker Top 10 — is the crown jewel of the 2026 class. Toronto now has the talent capable of shifting a franchise's trajectory the moment he hits the ice to pair with their last No. 1 overall selection, Auston Matthews.
Here are the full results from the lottery, where the Leafs are officially on the clock.
NHL Draft picks 2026: Full list of results from NHL Draft Lottery
The Toronto Maple Leafs have won the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery and the No. 1 selection in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. Here are the full results from the lottery.
Pick
Team
1
Toronto Maple Leafs
2
San Jose Sharks
3
Vancouver Canucks
4
Chicago Blackhawks
5
New York Rangers
6
Calgary Flames
7
Seattle Kraken
8
Winnipeg Jets
9
Florida Panthers
10
Nashville Predators
11
St. Louis Blues
12
New Jersey Devils
13
New York Islanders
14
Columbus Blue Jackets
15
St. Louis Blues (from Detroit Red Wings)
16
Washington Capitals
How to watch NHL Draft Lottery 2026: TV channel, live stream
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be aired nationally on ESPN. Fans can live stream the event with the ESPN app or fubo.
Now you can watch ESPN without cable. Stream live NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, college sports, plus SportsCenter, First Take, and all your favorite ESPN shows—anytime, anywhere—only in the ESPN app.
NHL Draft Lottery 2026 start time
Date: Tuesday, May 5
Time: 7 p.m. ET
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 5. The event will take place at the NHL Network studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
With the NHL playoffs in full swing, so too come the award nominees, handed out to the league's best overall and most influential off the ice.
Finalists are being released for 10 major awards beginning Tuesday, April 28 and stretching through May 11. The winners are typically announced after the season concludes.
With several shake-ups at the top this year's standings and some notable injuries, these award races are sure to be interesting as the playoffs continue.
Here are the finalists as each category is officially announced.
The finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award were announced on Tuesday, April 28. The award goes to the league's most outstanding player of the season, voted on by the NHLPA.
The Lightning's Nikita Kucherov took home the award in 2025.
The Ted Lindsay Award finalists are here! 🏆 #NHLAwards
The Award is presented annually to the most outstanding player as voted by fellow members of the NHLPA. pic.twitter.com/Nq7SeY7SDK
The finalists for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy will be announced on Thursday, April 30. This award is given for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.
Last year, Anze Kopitar of the Kings won the honor ahead of his last NHL season.
2026 Lady Byng Trophy finalists, as voted by @ThePHWA: Cole Caufield (MTL), Anze Kopitar (LAK) and Jake Sanderson (OTT). pic.twitter.com/LPnpIiAJke
The finalists for the Jack Adams Award were announced on Friday, May 1. The award honors the coach who has "contributed the most to his team’s success."
Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery took home the award last season.
Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, and Lindy Ruff are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award! 🙌 #NHLAwards
The Jack Adams Award is presented annually to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success.
The finalists for the Bill Masterson Memorial Trophy were announced on Monday, May 4. The award goes to the player who most embodied perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication.
Here are the finalists for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. 🏆 #NHLAwards
The Trophy is awarded annually by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to ice hockey. pic.twitter.com/i01Cc6Sh4H
The finalists for the Selke Trophy will be announced on Wednesday, May 6. The award is given to the "forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game."
Panthers' captain Aleksander Barkov won his second Selke in a row in 2025.
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Finalists
TBD
TBD
TBD
The finalists for the James Norris Memorial Trophy will be announced on Thursday, May 7. The award goes to the top defenseman of the season.
Last year, Avalanche star Cale Makar won his second Norris Trophy.
Hart Memorial Trophy
Finalists
TBD
TBD
TBD
The finalists for the Hart Memorial Trophy will be announced on Friday, May 8. This award is the NHL's MVP award, given to the league's most valuable player.
Connor Hellebuyck won this award in 2025, the first of his career.
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery has revealed that the Toronto Maple Leafs will have the No. 1 selection in the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft.
The draft lottery took place on the evening of May 5, with it being broadcast live on ESPN from the NHL Network’s Secaucus, N.J., studio. The Maple Leafs earned the coveted first selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, as all teams that did not qualify for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs (or the teams that have acquired the first-round drafting positions of those non-playoff teams) were able to participate.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and Commissioner Gary Bettman were on site throughout the drawing and were also on site during the loading of the lottery balls.
Maple Leafs Senior Executive Advisor Mats Sundin was introduced in a press conference on May 4, following the announcement of his hiring on May 3.
"It's great to get the first pick, great night [and a] great lottery," Sundin said while smiling wide live following winning the first overall selection in the lottery. "We're just starting ... first day yesterday and certainly this is really going to help me look into the future."
Entering into the lottery, the Toronto organization had 8.5% odds to win the first pick.
Maple Leafs win first overall selection for 2026 NHL Draft via lottery
Transitioning to who the Toronto franchise will likely select with the No.1 overall selection — Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna tops the list. Fellow-LW Ivar Stenberg leads the list of all international-based skaters per NHL Central Scouting.
McKenna finished tied for fifth in the NCAA with 51 points (15 goals, 36 assists) and was second with 1.46 points per game in 35 games this season.
"I definitely learned a lot, I think, in terms of my character. I think I grew. Obviously, learned that there's a big spotlight on me and [that I] don't have to be perfect, but I got to be on top of things, and make sure I'm dialed in, habits on and off the ice. And I think this year is big for me. And I'm very grateful for my time there," McKenna said on the broadcast in relation to his most recent year playing at Penn State.
McKenna is a Canada native, and is from Whitehorse, Yukon.
Matthew Schaefer was the 2025 No. 1 overall selection, going to the New York Islanders. Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks had the No. 1 overall pick in 2024, with Connor Bedard being taken at No. 1 by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023.
The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on June 26-27.
This now marks the third time in Toronto history that the Maple Leafs will have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. The Sharks were later revealed to win the No. 2 overall selection for the 2026 NHL Draft.
The NHL Draft Lottery, one of the biggest offseason events for the NHL, takes place on May 5 and determines the top selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, including which team will earn the No. 1 overall pick.
The lottery is during the middle of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, giving non-playoff teams a chance to land a franchise-changing pick while the postseason continues.
The draft lottery has helped reshape several NHL franchises in recent years. In 2025, the New York Islanders won the lottery and used the No. 1 overall pick to select defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
This year, the Canucks enter the lottery in the best position to land the No. 1 overall pick. Vancouver has an 18.5 percent chance to win the first lottery draw, but its actual odds of receiving the top pick are even better at 25.5 percent because of the NHL’s 10-spot move-up limit.
The Blackhawks have the next-best odds at 13.5 percent, followed by the Rangers at 11.5 percent. The Flames, Leafs’ conditional pick, Kraken, Jets and Panthers are also among the teams near the top of the lottery order.
Here is everything you need to know about the 2026 NHL Draft Lottery.
How to watch NHL Draft Lottery 2026: TV channel, live stream
This year's NHL Draft Lottery will air nationally on ESPN. Hockey fans can stream the event on fubo and the ESPN app.
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NHL Draft Lottery 2026 start time
Date: Tuesday, May 5
Time: 7 p.m. ET
The 2026 NHL Draft Lottery will be held Tuesday, May 5, at NHL Network’s studio in Secaucus, New Jersey.
The lottery is one of the most important offseason events for teams that missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It determines the order for the first 16 picks in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft, giving non-playoff teams — or teams that acquired those draft slots through trades — a chance to move up the board.
This year’s lottery will again feature a live drawing of the lottery balls, allowing fans to follow the process in real time as teams are eliminated and the odds shift. The event will be conducted in two phases: one drawing to determine the No. 1 overall pick and another to determine the No. 2 overall pick.
Under the NHL’s current lottery rules, teams can move up a maximum of 10 spots if they win a lottery drawing. That means only the top 11 teams in the lottery odds are eligible to land the No. 1 pick.
Michael Peca and Mike Velucci came along to run the special teams. Anders Sörensen, the previous interim head coach, was retained to coach the defensemen and to keep a familiar face in the room. Jimmy Waite remained as the goaltending coach.
More specifically, Peca worked with the penalty kill while Velucci ran the power play. Both of these coaches also worked closely with the forward group. Sörensen gained plenty of favor for his longtime employment with the Blackhawks and IceHogs coaching staffs. Waite, a former Blackhawks player, has held his position for over a decade and is widely considered one of the best goaltending coaches in the NHL.
Blackhawks assistant coach duties this season: Vellucci and Peca: forwards Vellucci: PP Peca: PK Sorensen: defensemen Waite: goalies
Holding it all together at the top was Blashill, a former longtime Red Wings head coach. After spending some time under Jon Cooper in Tampa Bay, the Blackhawks’ front office saw a cohesive vision between Blashill and the rebuild.
Many questions arose from the quality of the roster, which the fanbase focused on instead of the coaching. Ultimately, great coaches get the best out of their players, and they fell short in their first season as a staff.
Power Play Struggles
Although the Blackhawks had tons of offensive firepower, the unit severely struggled to capitalize. By the end of the season, they ranked fourth to last in power play percentage. This number is simply inexcusable with the young, fast, talented offensive players the Blackhawks have.
Something the Blackhawks don’t lack in terms of personnel are goal scorers. Many are still young and figuring out the NHL’s pace of play, but they still should be able to score on the man advantage. Connor Bedard, Frank Nazar, Nick Lardis, and Oliver Moore all saw power-play time. Unfortunately, they struggled to put together consistent zone entries and opportunities.
Blackhawks drawing plenty of boos for their power play tonight.
Even when Anton Frondell entered the first power play unit to end the season, the team simply could not find the back of the net very often. Although, it’s worth mentioning that their structure was solid, and they found plenty more chances.
Velucci would occasionally change who ran the point. Artyom Levshunov, Sam Rinzel, and Bedard all took that spot at different points in the season. Ultimately, there was a fundamental issue with the way the unit performed.
To give Velucci some credit, the power play passed the eye test towards the end of the season. Adding Frondell and going to a five-forward power play with Bedard quarterbacking really helped the first unit. Unfortunately, though, the execution just was not there, and they still struggled to score.
A five percent uptick in production would put them in the middle of the league standings, but would do wonders for the overall success of the Blackhawks. Expect Velucci to really shake things up next season to find a system that works for new faces and the improved young talent.
Is Sörensen the Guy?
Kyle Davidson has prioritized drafting defensemen. So, the man in charge of those players is one of the most important coaches on the staff. Sörensen led a lackluster playing career as a defenseman, but has carved out a coaching career built on developing players.
He started in the Chicago area as a youth hockey coach before coaching the Chicago Mission some years later. During that time, he would help develop future Blackhawks in Ryan Hartman, Vinnie Hinostroza, and Nick Schmaltz.
After a coaching stint in Sweden, Sörensen was hired by the Blackhawks as a player development coach in 2013. Fast forward thirteen years, and he is now one of the most important voices in the room. So far, his contribution has looked shaky, but hopeful.
Blackhawks D-Core
Rinzel, Levshunov, Wyatt Kaiser, Louis Crevier, and Alex Vlasic were all players who stayed relatively consistent as blue liners. Crevier and Kaiser were both excellent, unlocking pieces of their game that took their contribution to the next level. Not giving Sörensen some credit here would be a misstep.
Rinzel and Lev both have a lot of young player woes to work out. Improved consistency, decision-making, and physical strength will make these two next-level defensemen. With time, Sörensen will really be able to flex his developmental muscle with these two.
Alex Vlasic was disappointing. After a career year, Vlasic signed a deal that felt like a steal at the time. So far, he has seemed timid and simply ineffective in high-leverage areas. Even though he has his money locked up, more is needed out of a guy who is expected to wear an ‘A’ next season.
The ‘Pronger’ Model
Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Pronger often cites a 300-game benchmark to evaluate defensemen. Across the five players mentioned above, not a single one has passed that threshold. The only player who is even close is Vlasic, who has 260 games under his belt. Ethan Del Mastro, another young hopeful, has played 45 games. Kevin Korchinski, the first draft pick of the rebuild, sits at 105.
Defenseman take a lot longer than forwards to development. Typically 300 NHL games before you know what you have. https://t.co/0h78ottYl3
Long story short, the defensemen are fine, at least for now. If the opinion of one of the greatest defensemen in league history holds any water, then it could take seasons to know what the Blackhawks have on their blueline. Now’s the time for Sörensen to show what he came to Chicago to do: develop.
Though the defense may be a question mark, the Blackhawks did have a few exclamation points on the year.
Peca’s Penalty Kill
The penalty kill was incredible, and at times, it felt like the Blackhawks almost wanted to be on it. Objectively, this was where the team played their best hockey.
After the trade deadline, speculation swirled on whether the unit would stay solid with Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson, arguably their two best penalty killers, being shipped off.
Nevertheless, the Blackhawks finished at 83.6%, second-best in the league behind only Colorado. Ilya Mikheyev and Teuvo Teravainen both showed their excellent killing abilities. Ryan Greene and Landon Slaggert joined these two veterans while Vlasic, Crevier, Kaiser, and Rinzel backstopped the effort. Peca worked wonders coaching this group, and it will be interesting to see if any adjustments will be made next season.
Goaltending
Spencer Knight, in his first full season as a starting goaltender, was simply stunning. Having over a year to work with Waite, compounded with his raw talent, made him incredibly reliable. On a contending team, Knight would be in the Vezina discussion.
Arvid Soderblöm was shaky, but for a backup goaltender on a defensively poor team, he did about the best he could. He made some marginal improvements in his rebound control and positioning, but he failed to stand on his head like Knight could. Again, on a contending team, Sodie would make for a rock-solid backup netminder.
Drew Commesso is another interesting goalie who looked awesome in his three starts. Waite could really bring out the best in him with what he has already shown. If the Blackhawks want to move on from Soderblöm, they know they have their next man up. Adam Gajan could be sneaky in the discussion, too, in a couple of seasons.
Interesting Line Combinations
Where Blashill got the most heat was in his line combinations. For much of the season, Bedard flew alongside Andre Burakovsky and Greene. It was an intriguing experiment, but not at all the answer. With the talent coming up and additions to be made this offseason, this hit to Blashill’s perception could be quickly turned around.
To close the season, Blash finally put Bedard and Nazar on a line together. Frondell also saw time on Bedard’s wing, and Lardis eventually became a mainstay. Although they never caught true fire the way many expected to, the framework is there. Ultimately, the lines are moving in the right direction.
The Bottom Line
The coaching staff did not do enough to prove they can lead a dynasty, but they didn’t prove otherwise either. There were some bright spots and blemishes, but mostly a lot of unanswered questions.
Blashill believes in the rebuild. He believes in the potential these young players possess. Goal alignment between the coaching staff and the front office was the most important part of the search, and they got just that. Now, it’s time to see that vision turn into reality.
Or, in a move that would be tough for most involved, they could decide to move on. Malkin doesn't want to retire. He's expressed that he'd sign with a new NHL team if needed.
One of those outcomes will feel a whole lot better to Pittsburgh than the other.
The reality, though, is that Malkin is heading for free agency, and the Penguins have played a little tough to get here. They haven't rushed to give the aging Malkin a new contract before he turns 40 this summer.
It's not obvious yet which way this will go in the end. What's clear is that it'll hurt if Malkin is gone.
First, on the individual level, for the captain Sidney Crosby.
"Crosby, who has one year left on his contract, has publicly said he’d like Malkin to return next season," The Athletic's Josh Yohe wrote in a new article on Tuesday.
But really, this is about so much more than Crosby. Yohe did a great job of capturing why this is a negotiation that will matter so deeply to the entire city.
"It’s worth emphasizing that this isn’t a normal case," Yohe writes. "Malkin isn’t another Hall of Famer. Very few, if any, Pittsburgh athletes have made such a strong connection with local fans. Crosby is beloved, sure, but he’s not as emotional on the ice as Malkin... Malkin is an artist in the most traditional of ways: He makes you feel. Whether you’re in awe, frustrated or right there with him when he cross-checks someone, he conjures strong emotions. So, if this is the end, it will hurt a little bit more. The guy from Russia who speaks limited English is one of us. He’s a Pittsburgher to the core."
The Tampa Bay Lightning competed for the majority of the 2025-26 NHL season without their veteran captain.
Defenseman Victor Hedman played in 33 games, the lowest total of his 17-year career. A pair of injuries, including a procedure on his elbow, kept him out early in the season.
Then, on March 25, the team announced the 35-year-old Hedman was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. He missed Tampa Bay’s final 15 games of the regular season and the seven-game postseason series against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Canadiens eliminated the Lightning with a 2-1 victory in Game 7 on Sunday, May 3, in Tampa.
On Tuesday, Hedman released a statement through the team on X addressing his absence to “focus on my mental health.”
“I’ve always believed that being a leader means doing what’s best for the team,” the statement read. “In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be.”
‘Much better place today’
Though he didn’t address the details of his mental health struggle, Hedman shared that he is doing well now.
“I’ve been fortunate to have strong support from my family, my teammates and the organization, my therapist and I’m in a much better place today,” Hedman said in the statement.
Lightning head coach Jon Cooper indicated before Game 6 that Tampa Bay may have gotten Hedman back into the lineup if the postseason had lasted longer. Hedman skated with the team during several practices during the playoffs.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) takes the puck away from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Calle Jarnkrok (19). | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The 6-foot-7, 244-pound Hedman owns a rare combination of size and skill. The Lightning selected the Swede with the No. 2 pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, and he leads the franchise in games (1,164), goals (172), assists (639) and points (811) by a defenseman.
Hedman won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2020 postseason, leading the Lightning to the first of two consecutive Stanley Cups. He earned the Norris Trophy for the NHL’s top defenseman in 2017-18.
Hedman closed his statement with the hope that his decision helps others address mental health concerns.
“This is something that exists in our game more than people see,” Hedman wrote. “If this moment helps make it easier for others to take care of themselves when they need to, that matters.”
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (L) said he received "tremendous support" amid his mental health-related hiatus from hockey. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI
May 5 (UPI) -- Tampa Bay Lightning captain Victor Hedman missed the final 15 games of the regular season and playoffs to focus on mental health, he said Tuesday.
Hedman issued a statement on the hiatus through the Lightning, who lost to the Montreal Canadiens in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. He also spoke Tuesday at a news conference in Tampa, Fla.
"I spent most of my life in this game, and nearly all of my career with this organization," Hedman said in a statement. "Wearing this jersey -- and serving as captain -- is the greatest responsibility of my professional life.
"That responsibility doesn't only apply on the ice. Over the past couple of months, I made the decision to step away and focus on my mental health. It was not an easy decision, but it was the right one.
"I've always believed that being a leader means doing what's best for the team," Hedman said. "In this case, it also meant doing what was necessary to take care of myself, so I can be the best player, teammate, husband and father I expect to be."
Hedman, 35, joined the Lightning as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. The two-time Stanley Cup winner appeared in 1,164 regular season games over the last 17 years for the franchise, including 33 in 2025-26.
"I've been fortunate to have strong support from my family, my teammates and the organization, my therapist and I'm in a much better place today," the 6-foot-7 defenseman said.
"This is something that exists in our game more than people see. If this moment helps make it easier for others to take care of themselves when they need to, that matters.
"I'm proud of this team, and I look forward to what's ahead."
Hedman totaled a goal and 16 assists this season. He underwent elbow surgery in December and missed six weeks of action. Hedman returned before the 2026 Winter Olympics and played his final game of the campaign on March 19. He practiced with the team during the first-round series with Montreal.
Hedman said it was "tough timing" and he is excited for next year.
The veteran defenseman logged 172 scores and 639 assists over his first 1,164 appearances for the Lightning. He is under contract through 2028-29.
"It's obviously a thing that's been going on for a long time and I [was] trying to work through it and find ways to get around it," Hedman said Tuesday. "I wasn't able to do that. That's where the decision came that I needed to take some time and find myself again."
Hedman advised others dealing with mental health issues to "reach out for help."
"Don't sit with your thoughts," Hedman said. "There are a lot of people out there that can help you. That's what I found out. Like I said, it's never too late, either."
Taylor Hall scored the overtime winning goal to give the host Carolina Hurricanes a 3-2 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Nikolaj Ehlers scored once and added an assist, while Seth Jarvis tallied once for the Hurricanes, who lead the Eastern Conference semifinal series 2-0.
With time ticking down in the first overtime period, Hall drove to the net during a rush led by Sean Walker, had his first attempt stopped, but during the ensuing scramble pounced on a loose puck and got it past Flyer goalkeeper Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime.
It was Hall's first career playoff overtime goal during his seven seasons of post-season play.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen make 34 saves for the Hurricanes, who erased an early two-goal deficit. Jackson Blake collected a pair of assists.
Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier tallied for the Flyers, while Vladar stopped 39 shots.
The Flyers had a golden chance to win with an early overtime power play but could not convert.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Thursday.
The Flyers competed much better than in the series-opening 3-0 loss.
Drysdale's power-play goal opened the scoring at 4:02. Amid a flurry at the net, the puck came out to the high slot and Drysdale stepped in from his point position to bury the chance.
The score marked the first time during this year's playoffs that Carolina has trailed in a game.
It was also Philadelphia's first goal during the opening period of the playoffs, and the first time the Hurricanes surrendered a goal in the first period.
Couturier doubled the lead 39 seconds later with his first tally of the playoffs. From behind the net, Carl Grundstrom slipped a pass to the top the crease and Couturier was on the spot to slip home the chance.
That sparked the Hurricanes and they were rewarded when Ehlers netted his first goal of the playoffs with a power-play tally of his own. Ehlers set up at right face-off dot and hammered a one-timer set up by Blake and K'Andre Miller at 10:21 of the first period.
Jarvis tied the clash with 8:39 remaining in regulation time, joining an odd-man rush and finding the mark after a drop pass from Ehlers as he reached the right circle.
Carolina outshot the visitors, 35-21, through 60 minutes, but the Flyers pumped 15 shots on goal to eight for the Hurricanes in overtime.
There won't be any more 3-on-3 play. It is 5-on-5 instead, just like in regulation play. There won't be any more shootouts after five minutes of scoreless overtime play. There is sudden death, and it could last a very long time.
This postseason, there have been 13 overtime games, including three double-overtime games.
Here's what to know about playoff hockey overtime, including the format, longest games and 2026 results.
How does OT work in NHL playoffs?
If the score is tied after three periods, the teams go to the dressing rooms for 15 minutes while the ice is resurfaced. Overtime periods last 20 minutes or until someone scores. It's 5-on-5 play (barring penalties). If no one scores in the first overtime, the process repeats and continues until someone scores. The teams change sides for each overtime period. The first overtime is the long change to get back to the bench.
The NHL Situation Room reviews all goals to make sure they are legally scored, such as the goal that ended Game 4 of the Anaheim-Edmonton series or the overturned goal in Game 4 of the Vegas-Utah series.
2026 NHL playoff overtime games
May 1: Lightning 1, Ducks (OT): Gage Goncalves scored at 9:03 of the first overtime to tie the series.
April 28:Bruins 2, Sabres 1. David Pastrnak scored at 9:14 of the first overtime to cut the Bruins' series deficit to 3-2.
April 27:Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 4. Shea Theodore scored at 19:08 of the first overtime to tie the series at two games apiece.
April 26:Ducks 4, Oilers 3. Ryan Poehling scored 2:29 into the first overtime to give Anaheim a 3-1 series lead.
April 25:Wild 3, Stars 2. Matt Boldy scored at 19:31 of the first overtime as the Wild tie the series 2-2.
April 24:Canadiens 3, Lightning 2. Lane Hutson scored at 2:09 of the first overtime, giving Montreal a 2-1 series lead.
April 22:Stars 4, Wild 3. Wyatt Johnston scored at 12:10 of the second overtime, giving Dallas a 2-1 series lead.
April 21:Avalanche 2, Kings 1: Nicolas Roy scored the winning goal at the 12:16 mark of the first overtime, giving Colorado a 2-0 series lead.
April 21:Lightning 3, Canadiens 2: J.J. Moser scored at 7:12 in the first overtime to tie up the series at a game apiece. It was Moser's first career NHL playoff goal.
April 20:Hurricanes 3, Senators 2: Jordan Martinook scored at 13:53 of the second overtime. He was stopped on a penalty shot in the first overtime.
April 19:Canadiens 4, Lightning 3: Juraj Slafkovsky scored at 1:22 of the first overtime, completing a hat trick.
What are the longest NHL playoff overtime games?
1 - Six overtimes (116 minutes, 30 seconds of overtime) in the 1936 semifinals. March 24, 1935. Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0. Mud Bruneteau scored the winner.
2 - Six overtimes (104 minutes, 46 seconds of overtime) in the 1933 semifinals. April 3, 1933. Toronto 1, Boston 0. Ken Doraty scored the winner.
3 - Five overtimes (92 minutes, 1 second of overtime) in the 2000 conference semifinals. May 4, 2000. Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1. Keith Primeau scored the winner.
4 - Five overtimes (90 minutes, 27 seconds of overtime) in the 2020 first round. Aug. 11, 2020. Tampa Bay 3, Columbus 2. Brayden Point scored the winner.
5 - Five overtimes (80 minutes, 48 seconds of overtime) in the 2003 conference semifinals. April 24, 2003. Anaheim 4, Dallas 3. Petr Sykora scored the winner.
6 - Four overtimes (79 minutes, 47 seconds of overtime) in the 2023 conference finals. May 18, 2023. Florida 3, Carolina 2. Matthew Tkachuk scored the winner.
Longest Stanley Cup Final games
Eight Stanley Cup Final games have gone to the third overtime. The Edmonton Oilers were part of the longest game when Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime for a 3-2 win against the Boston Bruins in the 1990 Final.
Which players in 2026 postseason have the most playoff overtime goals?
5 - Corey Perry, Lightning
4 - Leon Draisaitl, Oilers (all in 2025 playoffs, an NHL record for one postseason)
3 - Brayden Point, Lightning; Jordan Staal, Hurricanes; Anze Kopitar, Kings; Artemi Panarin, Kings; Matt Duchene, Stars
Tonight’s NHL playoff action features two big games that will help decide which teams move one step closer to the 2026 Stanley Cup Finals.
In the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia Flyers are feeling the pressure as they prepare for Game 2 against the Carolina Hurricanes. Out West, a new rivalry begins as the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights face off in Game 1 of their series.
The record for the most goals in an NHL playoff game depends on whether you are looking at one team's performance or the total combined score.
The Edmonton Oilers hold the record for the most goals scored by a single team in a playoff game, putting up 13 goals against the Los Angeles Kings on April 9, 1987.
Goals
Team
Opponent
Date
Final Score
13
Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
April 9, 1987
13-3
12
Los Angeles Kings
Calgary Flames
April 10, 1990
12-4
11
Montreal Canadiens
Toronto Maple Leafs
March 30, 1944
11-0
11
Edmonton Oilers
Chicago Blackhawks
May 4, 1985
11-2
The record for the highest-scoring game in total was set during the 1982 Division Semifinals.
18 Goals: Los Angeles Kings (10) vs. Edmonton Oilers (8) on April 7, 1982.
17 Goals: Pittsburgh Penguins (10) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7) on April 25, 1989.
16 Goals: Two games are tied at 16, involving high-scoring matchups from the Oilers (1987) and the Kings (1990).
On May 3, 2026, the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Minnesota Wild 9-6. Their 15 combined goals tied for the third-highest-scoring game in NHL playoff history, matching a feat last achieved by the Flames and Oilers in 2022.
The changes hitting the New York Rangers organization in the offseason have reached the American Hockey League (AHL) level, with the Hatford Wolf Pack terminating Grant Potulny, Jamie Tardif, and Paul Mara.
Potulny served as head coach with both Tardif and Mara being fired after serving as assistant coaches. The announcement came from the Wolf Pack on the evening of May 3. Hartford finished last in the Atlantic Division with 60 points this season and missed the Calder Cup Playoffs for a second consecutive year; the Rangers also ended their most recent campaign last in the Eastern Conference.
Potulny had acted as the Wolf Pack head coach for the last two seasons after Kris Knoblauch left to become the head coach of the Edmonton Oilers.
Tardif had been a Hartford assistant since the 2022-23 season, while Mara joined the staff in Dec., 2023 after initially getting hired as a player development assistant that same August.
Rangers seeing organizational retool
Other changes to the Rangers' organization have also been recently reported.
UPDATE: Grant Potulny, Jamie Tardif, and Paul Mara have been relieved of their coaching duties with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Jed Ortmeyer, the Rangers' director of player development who also spent the first part of his career as a player with the Blueshirts, left to pursue other opportunities. As a result — Tanner Glass, who had been the assistant director of player development since 2019, was promoted to Ortmeyer's former role.
Both were former Rangers players.
This retool comes amidst a known problem for the Blueshirts in developing prospects into reliable talents on the league ice, though youngster Gabe Perreault demonstrates an exception and is quickly developing into a future star for the New York organization.
Perreault made his NHL debut on Nov. 10, 2025 and has 27 career points across 12 goals and 15 assists.
New members of the Hartford Wolf Pack coaching staff have yet to be announced.
The Wolf Pack ended their 2025-26 season with a 4-3 loss at the Springfield Thunderbirds.
Taylor Hall slipped the puck past Dan Vladar at 18:54 of overtime to help the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers 3-2 on Monday night, taking a 2-0 lead in their second-round series in the NHL playoffs.
Hall took a short feed from Sean Walker and carried the puck in on the left side before being knocked to his knees near the top of the crease. But Hall hopped up as Jackson Blake battled for the loose puck, corralled it and beat Vladar to cap a night that saw the Hurricanes fall behind 2-0 quickly for their first deficit of the postseason.
The series shifts to Philadelphia for Thursday's Game 3.
5'8, 165 pounds...yet the toughest player in the playoffs.
Seth Jarvis had the third-period goal that forced overtime for Carolina, while Nikolaj Ehlers also scored. Frederik Andersen finished with 34 saves to help the Hurricanes improve to 6-0 in the postseason.
Still, this one was anything but easy compared to the smothering first-period that paved the way to a 3-0 win in Monday's Game 1. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet had talked about the need for his players to react quicker against Carolina's aggression and speed and carry the puck more into the tough areas of the ice.
The Flyers did that early, with Jamie Drysdale and Sean Couturier scoring in a 39-second span of the first period for the Flyers. And they outshot Carolina 15-8 in the overtime in a much more assertive showing, but the Flyers couldn't beat Andersen again after that flurry in the first 5 minutes.
The Hurricanes look to go up 2-0 in their second-round series against the Flyers. Game 2 is Monday night at the Lenovo Center.
Vladar had 40 saves, including twice stopping Carolina's Eric Robinson on second-period breakaways. He also got a timely bit of help in that period from Travis Sanheim, who cleared a loose puck that had slipped behind Vladar in the crease to deny Carolina a tying score.
Ehlers' one-timer on the power play got Carolina on the board in the first. Then Ehlers fed a trailing Jarvis to beat Vladar from the right side midway through the third period, ultimately forcing OT.
Philadelphia played a second straight game without regular-season goals leader Owen Tippett due to an undisclosed injury, while Carolina defenseman Alexander Nikishin took warmups but didn't play as he continues his recovery from a concussion suffered in the clinching game of the first-round sweep of Ottawa.
The Montreal Canadiens are continuing to head in the right direction and are now among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. It makes sense, as they have a fantastic core featuring Nick Suzuki, Lane Hutson, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Noah Dobson, and Ivan Demidov. With this, the future is looking bright in Montreal.
They pulled off a huge victory on the road against an experienced Tampa Bay Lightning team in Game 7 last night and are now preparing for a second-round duel against the Buffalo Sabres.
However, as the Canadiens’ roster continues to get stronger, they could move on from some players this off-season to add or promote more skilled players, with the hopes of improving their roster.
Due to this, let’s take a look at three specific Habs who might not be back next season.
Patrik Laine, RW
Patrik Laine likely will not be back with the Canadiens next season. The Canadiens looked to trade him leading up to the deadline, and his contract expires at the end of this campaign.
Thus, the Canadiens should be letting him walk straight into free agency. He simply does not fit on their roster anymore.
Laine has also not played for the Canadiens since October due to injury. In five games this season with Montreal before getting injured, he had zero goals, one assist, and a minus-3 rating. This is after he had 20 goals and 33 points in 52 games for Montreal in 2024-25.
With the Canadiens having two promising young goaltenders in Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes, it would not be surprising in the slightest if they moved on from Montembeault, who is the oldest of the three, this off-season.
This is especially true given that Montembeault has had a very disappointing 2025-26 season and has been demoted to the third string in the playoffs while Dobes starts and Fowler backs him up.
Montembeault has a $3.15 million cap hit until the end of next season. With this, the Canadiens would need to either trade him or buy him out to move on from him. While Montembeault has had a bad 2025-26 season, his past success could make him a bounce-back candidate to watch next season. This could lead other teams to call.
The Canadiens’ blueline is getting crowded, prompting questions about Arber Xhekaj’s future in Montreal. Xhekaj has been scratched multiple times this season, including the pivotal Game 7 against the Lightning last night, and could end up being a decent trade chip for the Canadiens to dangle to improve their roster elsewhere.
If the Canadiens make Xhekaj available, there is no question that he would generate interest. The 25-year-old is a big defenseman who plays a very heavy game, and teams are always on the hunt for those.
The Toronto Maple Leafs officially welcomed their new general manager on Monday.
The franchise hired John Chayka, formerly the youngest NHL general manager ever in Arizona, to lead the way after missing the playoffs in 2025-26. But Chayka also brings a bit of a controversial history — and one reporter made sure to address it at the new executive's introductory press conference.
As Chayka met with the media about his new role, Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons called out the Maple Leafs' front office, saying he spoke to NHL sources that called Chayka a "con artist" and "salesman."
Here's a look at how Toronto's front office responded to questions over Chayka's scandalous history.
Maple Leafs reporter slams Toronto owner for hiring 'con artist' John Chayka
Chayka was officially announced as the Maple Leafs' new general manager on Sunday, with Mats Sundin also being named senior executive advisor of hockey operations. As Toronto made significant changes to its front office, the two new faces met with reporters on Monday.
However, Chayka comes to Toronto with a history of front-office controversies, including a 2021 suspension from the NHL.
Simmons, speaking to Maple Leafs CEO Keith Pelley, referred to the "due diligence" that Pelley said the team did before hiring Chayka, then offered his own research.
The reporter said he spoke to 20 different NHL sources, many of whom were "prominent names," about the Chayka hiring — and only one of them viewed it in a positive manner.
"The other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest. Words were used like 'con artist,' 'liar,' 'salesman,'" Simmons said. "How did you come to a different conclusion than I was able to come to in a very short time?"
Pelley responded by saying: "I must have talked to different people."
Wow.
Steve Simmons says he spoke to 20 people around the league. 1 supported the Chayka hiring, 19 said it was a "sham" and called Chayka a "con artist," "liar," "salesman"
Simmons then took it a step further, saying "that's it?" and that "the hockey world today is astounded by this announcement."
"We've conducted due diligence, and it was deep due diligence," Pelley said. "It was a thorough process, and I'm quite happy with where we've landed."
John Chayka controversies
A few years after becoming the youngest NHL general manager ever at 26 in 2016, Chayka had an ugly exit from the Coyotes.
He abruptly resigned from the franchise in 2020, just one day before the playoffs were set to begin, with Arizona saying in a statement that he "quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff, and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL." At the time, Chayka reportedly had three years remaining on his contract.
Reports indicated that Chayka's relationship with the franchise had deteriorated, as he had begun exploring opportunities with other teams — and in January 2021, that was all but confirmed when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced a suspension through the entire 2021 calendar year for Chayka for violating the league's "conduct detrimental to the league and game" rules and breaching "his obligation to the club" by pursuing opportunities with other teams while still under contract with the Coyotes.
Additionally, in a separate case, the Coyotes were stripped of their 2020 second-round pick and 2021 first-round pick for violating the league's combine testing policy. Under Chayka, they were accused of conducting illegal pre-draft testing for more than 20 prospects from the Canadian Hockey League, allegedly putting them through physical tests, which is not permitted.
When Chayka was recently hired by the Maple Leafs, Hockey 24/7 reported that "at least one team" raised tampering concerns with the NHL as he began to fill out his staff for Toronto. That team "expressed concern to the NHL that employees under contract may have been contacted without proper permission."
The NHL didn't find any reported violations in its investigation.
Steve Simmons is a Canadian sports journalist who has been with the Toronto Sun for 38 years. He is the outlet's longest-serving sports columnist, described as "provocative and outspoken" in his bio for the Sun.
Simmons, who has covered plenty of major sports events for the Sun, was named Canada’s sports writer of the year in 2013 and was elected to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2019. He's also written two hockey books, attended Western University, is from Toronto, and has also written for the London Free Press, Calgary Sun and Calgary Herald.
Hockey fans, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially here. The 2026 version might be as good as ever, with a bracket that feels as wide open as any in recent memory.
Sixteen teams have the same quest: to take home Lord Stanley's Cup. Only one will emerge victorious and etch its name into NHL history. The landscape has shifted dramatically this year, as for the first time in a decade, the defending champions will not be in the dance, as the Florida Panthers failed to qualify following their 2025 title run. That leaves the door wide open for the Colorado Avalanche, who enter the postseason as Presidents' Trophy winners, and the Vegas Golden Knights, who look to recapture their 2023 magic under the late-season guidance of John Tortorella.
The storylines are everywhere you look. Connor McDavid is coming off another staggering 130-point season, desperate to finally bring a Cup back to Edmonton. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference features a nostalgic "Battle of Pennsylvania" between the Penguins and Flyers.
Then, of course, there's the Buffalo Sabres, who finally shattered the longest playoff drought in NHL history by storming into the postseason as Atlantic Division champions. After 14 years on the outside looking in, Lindy Ruff’s squad has transformed from a December basement-dweller into a legitimate threat to go the distance.
From the breakout Sabres winning the Atlantic to the Utah Mammoth making their postseason debut, the stage is set for a wild ride. Here is the full schedule for every series of the 2026 NHL Playoffs.
NHL playoffs schedule, scores 2026
Second Round
Hurricanes vs. Flyers - Carolina leads 2-0
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
May 2
Game 1: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 0
—
—
May 4
Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Flyers 2 (OT)
—
—
May 7
Game 3 at Philadelphia
8 p.m.
SN, CBC, TVAS
May 9
Game 4 at Philadelphia
6 p.m.
SN, CBC, TVAS
May 11
Game 5 at Carolina*
TBA
TBA
May 13
Game 6 at Philadelphia*
TBA
TBA
May 16
Game 7 at Carolina*
TBA
TBA
* If necessary
Sabres vs. Canadiens - Buffalo leads 1-0
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
May 6
Game 1: Sabres 4, Canadiens 2
—
—
May 8
Game 2 at Buffalo
7 p.m.
SN, CBC, TVAS
May 10
Game 3 at Montreal
7 p.m.
SN, CBC, TVAS
May 12
Game 4 at Montreal
TBA
TBA
May 14
Game 5 at Buffalo*
TBA
TBA
May 16
Game 6 at Montreal*
TBA
TBA
May 18
Game 7 at Buffalo*
TBA
TBA
* If necessary
Avalanche vs. Wild - Colorado leads 2-0
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
May 3
Game 1: Avalanche 9, Wild 6
—
—
May 5
Game 2: Avalanche 5, Wild 2
—
—
May 9
Game 3 at Minnesota
9 p.m.
SN, SN1, CBC, OMNI, TVAS
May 11
Game 4 at Minnesota
TBA
TBA
May 13
Game 5 at Colorado*
TBA
TBA
May 15
Game 6 at Minnesota*
TBA
TBA
May 17
Game 7 at Colorado*
TBA
TBA
* If necessary
Golden Knights vs. Ducks - Vegas leads 1-0
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
May 4
Game 1: Golden Knights 3, Ducks 1
—
—
May 6
Game 2 at Vegas
9:30 p.m.
SN, CBC, TVAS
May 8
Game 3 at Anaheim
9:30 p.m.
SN, SN1, CBC, OMNI, TVAS
May 10
Game 4 at Anaheim
9:30 p.m.
TBA
May 12
Game 5 at Vegas*
TBA
TBA
May 14
Game 6 at Anaheim*
TBA
TBA
May 16
Game 7 at Vegas*
TBA
TBA
* If necessary
First Round
Sabres vs. Bruins - Buffalo wins 4-2
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 19
Game 1: Sabres 4, Bruins 3
—
—
April 21
Game 2: Bruins 4, Sabres 2
—
—
April 23
Game 3: Sabres 3, Bruins 1
—
—
April 26
Game 4: Sabres 6, Bruins 1
—
—
April 28
Game 5: Bruins 2, Sabres 1 (OT)
—
—
May 1
Game 6: Sabres 4, Bruins 1
—
—
Lightning vs. Canadiens - Montreal wins 4-3
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 19
Game 1: Canadiens 4, Lightning 3 (OT)
—
—
April 21
Game 2: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2 (OT)
—
—
April 24
Game 3: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2 (OT)
—
—
April 26
Game 4: Lightning 3, Canadiens 2
—
—
April 29
Game 5: Canadiens 3, Lightning 2
—
—
May 1
Game 6: Lightning 1, Canadiens 0
—
—
May 3
Game 7: Canadiens 2, Lightning 1
—
—
Hurricanes vs. Senators - Carolina wins 4-0
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 18
Game 1: Hurricanes 2, Senators 0
—
—
April 20
Game 2: Hurricanes 3, Senators 2 (2 OT)
—
—
April 23
Game 3: Hurricanes 2, Senators 1
—
—
April 25
Game 4: Hurricanes 4, Senators 2
—
—
Penguins vs. Flyers - Philadelphia wins 4-2
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 18
Game 1: Flyers 3, Penguins 2
—
—
April 20
Game 2: Flyers 3, Penguins 0
—
—
April 22
Game 3: Flyers 5, Penguins 2
—
—
April 25
Game 4: Penguins 4, Flyers 2
—
—
April 27
Game 5: Penguins 3, Flyers 2
—
—
April 29
Game 6: Flyers 1, Penguins 0 (OT)
—
—
Avalanche vs. Kings - Colorado wins 4-0
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 19
Game 1: Avalanche 2, Kings 1
—
—
April 21
Game 2: Avalanche 2, Kings 1 (OT)
—
—
April 23
Game 3: Avalanche 4, Kings 2
—
—
April 26
Game 4: Avalanche 5, Kings 1
—
—
Stars vs. Wild - Minnesota wins 4-2
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 18
Game 1: Wild 6, Stars 1
—
—
April 20
Game 2: Stars 4, Wild 2
—
—
April 22
Game 3: Stars 4, Wild 3 (2 OT)
—
—
April 25
Game 4: Wild 3, Stars 2 (OT)
—
—
April 28
Game 5: Wild 4, Stars 2
—
—
April 30
Game 6: Wild 5, Stars
—
—
Golden Knights vs. Mammoth - Vegas wins 4-2
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 19
Game 1: Golden Knights 4, Mammoth 2
—
—
April 21
Game 2: Mammoth 3, Golden Knights 2
—
—
April 24
Game 3: Mammoth 4, Golden Knights 2
—
—
April 27
Game 4: Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 4 (OT)
—
—
April 29
Game 5: Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 4 (2 OT)
—
—
May 1
Game 6: Golden Knights 5, Mammoth 1
—
—
Oilers vs. Ducks - Anaheim wins 4-2
Date
Game
Time (ET)
Watch
April 20
Game 1: Oilers 4, Ducks 3
—
—
April 22
Game 2: Ducks 6, Oilers 4
—
—
April 24
Game 3: Ducks 7, Oilers 4
—
—
April 26
Game 4: Ducks 4, Oilers 3 (OT)
—
—
April 28
Game 5: Oilers 4, Ducks 1
—
—
April 30
Game 6: Ducks 5, Oilers 2
—
—
Where to watch NHL playoffs 2026
TV channel: Sportsnet channels, CBC (English) | TVA Sports (French)
Live stream: Sportsnet+
NHL playoff games will be broadcast across various Sportsnet channels with select games also airing on the CBC. TVA Sports will carry French-language broadcasts.
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs follow a divisional bracket system where 16 teams — eight from each conference —compete in four rounds of best-of-seven series. The top three teams in each of the league's four divisions qualify automatically, while the final four spots are awarded to the two wild card teams in each conference with the highest remaining point totals.
In the opening round, the division winner with the best record in their conference faces the wild card with the fewest points, while the other division winner plays the wild card with the higher point total. The remaining first-round series feature the second- and third-place teams from each division facing off against one another.
Every series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format, meaning the higher-seeded team hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7. Home-ice advantage is determined by division seeding in the first two rounds and moves to the team with the better regular-season record for the Conference Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.
Postseason hockey also introduces continuous 20-minute, five-on-five overtime periods where the first goal scored ends the game, as there are no shootouts in the playoffs.
How many teams make the NHL playoffs?
Sixteen teams make the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eight from both the Eastern and Western Conference. This includes the top three teams in all four divisions — Atlantic, Metropolitan, Pacific, Central — and four wild card teams, two from each conference.
How many rounds are in the NHL playoffs?
There are four rounds in the NHL playoffs, each consisting of a best-of-seven series. To win the Stanley Cup, a team must advance through the First Round, the Second Round (Division Finals), and the Conference Finals, before finally winning the Stanley Cup Final.
Because every round requires four victories to advance, a champion must win a total of 16 games over the course of the postseason.
How many games are in a series?
All series in the Stanley Cup playoffs follow a seven-game format.
The matchups are played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format, where the team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 5, and 7, while the lower seed hosts Games 3, 4, and 6. This structure remains consistent from the opening series through the Final, ensuring that the team with the better regular-season standing always has the opportunity to host a potential Game 7 in front of their home crowd.
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