The second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs is full of enticing matchups even with the bracket not quite filled out.
In the Eastern Conference, Carolina and Philadelphia have moved on and will face each other beginning with Game 1 on Saturday. In the West, Colorado will play Minnesota in a must-watch showdown of division rivals.
Going into the three Game 6 games Friday night, there were three matchups needed to be settled: Anaheim’s opponent (Vegas or Utah) and the other East semifinal. with the winners of Boston-Buffalo and Montreal-Tampa Bay.
There will be a new champion and no three-peat after the Florida Panthers were derailed by injuries following three consecutive trips to the final. Both finalists will be new after Edmonton got knocked out by the Ducks.
What’s happened so far
WESTERN CONFERENCE: The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Avalanche swept Los Angeles, the Wild beat Dallas in six games and Anaheim defeated the Oilers, also in six. Vegas and Utah have gone back and forth in a surprisingly competitive and eventful series.
EASTERN CONFERENCE:Carolina swept Ottawa, and the Flyers beat archrival Pittsburgh in six. Boston-Buffalo and Montreal-Tampa Bay have had many memorable games.
The matchups
The top three teams in each of the four divisions make the playoffs. The other four spots go to the next two highest-placed teams in each conference, regardless of division.
The teams with the best record in each conference open against the wild-card team with the worst record; the other wild card plays the other division winner. Teams that finish second and third in their division play each other in the bracket headed by their respective division winner, so the first-round matchups had some rivalry-style games. The second round thus carries an even higher prospect of division opponents matching up ahead of the conference finals.
All four rounds of the playoffs are best-of-seven; the first team to 16 victories wins the Stanley Cup.
East
— Carolina vs. Philadelphia, Game 1 on Saturday.
— Boston-Buffalo winner vs. Montreal-Tampa winner.
West
— Colorado vs. Minnesota.
— Anaheim vs. Utah-Vegas winner.
The favorites
Colorado is the favorite to win the Stanley Cup at just over 2-1, followed by Carolina at just under 3-1 and Vegas at 13-2.
How to watch
Every playoff game will be nationally televised in the U.S on an ESPN or Turner network. The NHL schedule is here and a streaming guide is here. Much of TNT’s coverage, which includes the Stanley Cup Final, will be simulcast on truTV and available on Max’s B/R Sports Add-On. In Canada, games will be showcased on Sportsnet and CBC.
After three rounds of seven-game series, the final starts in early June. If the final goes the distance, Game 7 could go as late as June 21.
What to know
WEST: The West is loaded, even after Connor McDavid’s early exit. Colorado leads the way with MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon and star defenseman Cale Makar. If you don’t know Minnesota standouts Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, you will when you see them take on the Avalanche.
The Pacific Division side of the bracket is weaker and the Golden Knights may have the clearest path to the final if they survive Utah and deal with the Ducks, who have an intriguing mix of youth and experience under one of the all-time great coaches in Joel Quenneville.
EAST: The feel-good stories reside here in Buffalo and Philadelphia.
Buffalo snapped the NHL’s longest postseason drought at 14 years and did it in style, winning the Atlantic Division behind leading scorer Tage Thompson (a big part of the U.S. winning Olympic gold) and raising hopes that the city could finally, maybe, win its first Stanley Cup. The Flyers vanquished the Penguins, sending Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang home.
All these teams are underdogs to the powerhouse Carolina Hurricanes, who have another chance to show they can break through after early-playoff success and some disappointing losses.
With the losses by Ottawa and Edmonton, Canada’s hopes of ending a 33-year Cup drought rests with the Canadiens. Montreal was the last team north of the border to win it back in 1993.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
