April 20, 2026 by Katie Plue (‘27)
April 16 was the final day of regular season games for the NHL. This exciting conclusion leads us into the Stanley Cup playoffs starting Saturday, April 18.
The Eastern Conference:
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Ottawa Senators
Carolina ended the regular season with the best record in the Eastern Conference (53-22-7). Their point leader was Sebastian Aho with 80 points. Seth Jarvis was the team’s top goal scorer with 32 goals. Goaltender Brandon Bussi had an outstanding 31-6-2 record. The Senators are the 2nd wild card in the Eastern Conference, finishing with 99 points. Tim Stutzle led the team with 34 goals and 83 points. U.S. Olympian and captain Brady Tkachuk had 22 goals this season. This will be the first ever playoff meeting between the Hurricanes and the Senators.
Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Philadelphia Flyers
It’s the battle of Pennsylvania. The Penguins finished 2nd in the Metropolitan Division. Their captain and three-time Stanley Cup champion, Sidney Crosby, leads the Penguins franchise in games played, assists and points. Anthony Mantha leads the team this season with 33 goals. The Flyers finished 3rd in the Metropolitan Division with 98 points, breaking their five-year playoff drought. They found more success post Olympic break, with a record of 18-7-1. Goaltender Dan Vladar was a significant help; he was 3rd in the NHL with a 2.42 goals against average. Travis Konecny led the team in points (68) and Owen Tippett leads the team in goals this season.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins
The Buffalo Sabres won the Atlantic Division with 109 points. They last made a playoff appearance in 2010-11, breaking an NHL record 14-year playoff drought. U.S. Olympic gold medalist Tage Thompson was the team’s top scorer with 40 goals and 81 points. Rasmus Dahlin is a candidate for the NHL’s best defensemen with 74 points. The Bruins are the 1st wild card with 100 points. Their leading scorer was David Pastrnak with 100 points, finishing 7th in the league in scoring. Morgan Geekie was their top scorer with 39 goals and U.S. Olympian Charlie McAvoy had 61 points as a defenseman.
Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Lightning finished 2nd in the Atlantic Division with 106 points. They are led by MVP candidate Nikita Kucherov. He finished 2nd in the NHL with 130 points. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy was a force of the NHL with 39 wins. Tampa Bay took home the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, winning back-to-back Stanley Cups during the pandemic. The Canadiens finished 3rd in the Atlantic Division with 106 points. Captain Nick Suzuki finished 6th in the league and contributed significantly to the team with a whopping 101 points. Cole Caufield was one of two players in the league to score over 50 goals this season (behind Nathan MacKinnon). He is the first Montreal player to score 50 since 1990.
The Western Conference:
Colorado Avalanche vs. Los Angeles Kings
The Avalanche won the Central Division, also winning the Presidents Trophy for the best record in the regular season (55-16-11). They last won the Stanley Cup in 2022. Their leading scorer is MVP candidate Nathan MacKinnon, being the highest scorer in the NHL with 53 goals and 127 points. Martin Necas also pitched in with 100 points alongside defenseman Cale Makar with 79 points. The Kings were the 2nd wild card in the Western Conference , finishing the regular season with 90 points. That’s the lowest total of any team, barely skimming their way into a playoff spot. They were led by Adrian Kempe with 36 goals and 73 points. Since acquiring him from the New York Rangers on the trade deadline, Artemi Panarin contributed greatly to the Kings forwards and power play with 27 points in 26 games with the Kings.
Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild
Dallas finished 2nd in the Central Division with 112 points. The Stars top scorers were Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston with 45 goals. Goaltender Jake Oettinger was 3rd in the NHL with 35 wins. The Minnesota Wild were 3rd in the Central Division with 104 points. Kirill Kaprizov guided them to the playoffs with 45 goals and 89 points. They feature two valuable U.S. Olympians, forward Matt Boldy with 42 goals and defensemen Quinn Hughes with 53 points in the 48 games he played with Minnesota. This matchup is expected to be the most competitive series throughout the playoffs, with the odds being nearly even.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Utah Mammoth
The Knights won the Pacific Division with a record of 39-26-17. Pavel Dorofeyev led their offense with 37 goals and U.S. Olympian Jack Eichel with 90 points. Mitch Marner, traded to the Knights from the Toronto Maple Leafs last summer, chipped in with 80 points in the regular season. Utah was 1st wild card in the Western Conference with 92 points. The Mammoth scoring leaders were Clayton Keller with 88 points and Dylan Guenther at 40 goals. Karel Vejmelka was the 2nd goaltender in the league winning 38 games, one behind Andrei Vasilevskiy from Tampa Bay.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Anaheim Ducks
The Oilers were 2nd in the Pacific Division with 93 points. With their powerful leader Connor McDavid with 48 goals and 148 points, the Oilers won the Art Ross trophy for the sixth time in his career. McDavid is the fourth player in NHL history to win the trophy six times. Leon Draisaitl had 35 goals and 97 points in just 65 games after a late season injury. Defenseman Evan Bouchard had 95 points, the most points by a defenseman in the NHL this season. For the past two seasons, the Oilers have made it to the finals, now looking to return for a third consecutive year. The Ducks finished 3rd in the Pacific Division with 92 points. 22-year-old Cutter Gauthier led the team with 41 goals and 69 points. Rookie Beckett Sennecke had 23 goals and 60 points at 20 years old. He was the 3rd overall pick in 2024, returning to play junior hockey before making his NHL debut at Anaheim.
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