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The second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is here, and I have a lot of questions. The first round was chaos at best, with a small side of predictability.
In honor of the pandemic, in hopes that this will continue (and that we’re all highly entertained), I present to you my biggest questions for each remaining team in the postseason.
One class of questions I’m going to take out of the running right now: goaltending. Because several teams’ starting goaltenders through the first round fall into the “they played great but unproven in the playoffs” category, which gives us all the uncertainty (but of course adds the element of chaos mentioned earlier).
For context, here are the total number of playoff games each team’s starting goaltender has played in his career:
Frederic Andersen (CAR): 90
Carter Hart (VGK): 20
Jacob Dobbes (MTL): 10
and Vladar (PHI): 9
Alex Lyon (BUF): 9
Scott Wedgwood (COL): 9
Jesper Walstead (MIN): 7
Lucas got it (her): 6
Andersen is the most experienced — and as hungry to play in the Cup Final as the rest of the Canes — and more than twice as many playoff games as the rest combined. Carter Hart played a season-high 14 games in the playoff bubble with Philadelphia. But really, this is a pretty inexperienced team after all Andrei VasilevskyIts electricity was knocked out and Sergei BobrovskyIts Panthers did not qualify.
Here’s what I’ll be watching instead as Round 2 rolls around:
Have the Canes solved all their previous mistakes?
This is the question we’ve been asking seemingly forever: Can Rod Brind’Amour’s squad finally raise the Stanley Cup like he did in 2006 as captain of the Canes?
A series win is automatic annually, and Carolina gets off to a flying start against Philly. The Canes’ style is predictable yet effective. They played playoff-style hockey all season.
Looking at the incredible contributions of such players Logan Stankoven And Frederic AndersenWho leads the playoffs in goals saved above expectations: This is it Finally Will they complete the task over the hump that year?
is Porter Martone For real?
The Flyers had a completely forgettable Game 1 in Carolina. The Hurricanes ate their lunch and walked away with a 3-0 win. That blank scoresheet marked Martone’s fourth game without a point in the postseason.
He still leads the team in goals, points and shots since his March 30 debut — he had two game-winning goals in the series against Pittsburgh. After a rough Game 1, some hero moments would really cement Martone as a franchise cornerstone and fan favorite at just 19 years old.
Can the power play contribute?
Sabers took out Boston Bruins Scored just one power-play goal in six games — and all series. only Utah Mammoth, Ottawa Senators — both eliminated — and surprisingly the Avalanche (despite the four-game sweep) had very few goals with the man advantage in Round 1.
Special teams are a big factor in the playoffs. Can Buffalo find a spark after finally cashing in during Game 6? Or will a blackout on the power play end the Sabres’ playoff run?
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Arda Ocal: Sabers ‘had no answer’ to Bruins
Arda Okal describes how the Sabers overcame the Bruins to win Game 6 to advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Will they burn?
The Habs ground the Lightning in seven games in the first round. It was only the third series in Stanley Cup Playoff history to go seven games in which each game was decided by one goal. Another way of saying it — it was very off
In that series, Juraj Slafkowski Games 2-7 went pointless after a Game 1 power-play hat trick (and 30 goals in the regular season). Cole Caufield had one goal in the series (after a 51-goal regular season) and Nick Suzuki Had five assists and one goal (after 29 goals in regular season). The Habs are scoring by committee so far, but is it only a matter of time before the top line shows up?
Who will contribute outside of the top players?
An efficient four game sweep Los Angeles Kings included Gabriel Landskog, Arturi Lehkonen And Nathan McKinnon Notch each of the four points. Kale Makar There were two points (both goals), and Devon Toews All three were superstars keen to produce more this round.
But we shall see Martin Neckas And Nazem Qadri? what about Ross Colton (who was a healthy scratch in the series) and Valery Nichushkin (scoreless so far)?
The Avalanche look intimidating on paper and on the ice, but teams need deep contributions to win later in the season. Who will advance?
Round 2 is the most difficult obstacle to win their cup?
Wild took care of it Dallas Stars Round 1’s heavyweight tilt in six games. Now, their super heavyweight clash against Cup favorites Colorado. If the Wild go to the Avalanche, you could argue that their front half has had the toughest road to the Stanley Cup in recent memory. If they beat the Avs, they definitely inherit the Cup favorite status.
So, can Quinn Hughes & Co. possess the puck across the blue line and set up offensive zones with the ease they’ve created scoring opportunities all season. Kirill Kaprizov And Matt Boldy? Or will the Avs’ superstars prove too much? Whichever team wins, it will carry the mantle of “team to beat” in the conference finals.
Will their high scoring ways continue? The Golden Knights found their scoring touch in their series against Utah, scoring five goals in each of the last three games of the series. Utah had leads in the third period in every game except the final, and Vegas found a way to get back into them — a hallmark of huge postseason success. Will the Golden Knights be able to score at the same rate against teams with tighter checking, stronger defense and better goaltending throughout the playoffs? is Jackson Lacombe Flattening into a top-tier defenseman right before our eyes? There were moments in the series against Edmonton when Lacombe produced Connor McDavid See Pedestrian. Well, we now know McDavid wasn’t 100%, but praise remains for Lacombe, who came out of the series as the more formidable D-man on both sides of the rink. Will that continue against Vegas? is Jack Eichel And Mitch Marner Next to the experience fits barreling towards the duck area? Or can they find the key to overcoming one of the sport’s rising stars?
