The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are upon us, and theScore’s Michael Bradburn, Kyle Cushman, John Matisz, Sean O’Leary, Levi Smith, and Josh Wegman share their picks for the first round, conference finals, Stanley Cup Final, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner.<\/p>\n
Teams with home-ice advantage are listed second in each matchup.<\/p>\n
Opening round<\/p>\n
Boston Bruins vs. Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n
The Sabres are clearly better than the Bruins on paper. But when it’s finally time, will the lights be too bright?<\/p>\n
Montreal Canadiens vs. Tampa Bay Lightning<\/p>\n
At least Cushman, O’Leary, and Wegman believe it might be a competitive series.<\/p>\n
Ottawa Senators vs. Carolina Hurricanes<\/p>\n
Two Canadian teams in the Eastern Conference make the playoffs, and only Cushman has one of them advancing.<\/p>\n
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins<\/p>\n
Not a lot of belief in the Flyers. However, there’s a strong belief that this will be a long, tough series, with none of our experts predicting fewer than six games.<\/p>\n
Los Angeles Kings vs. Colorado Avalanche<\/p>\n
Can a series end after three games? Hey, at least O’Leary expects the Kings to win one.<\/p>\n
Minnesota Wild vs. Dallas Stars<\/p>\n
Only Cushman believes this one won’t go the distance. This should be a riveting series even if our experts skew slightly in Dallas’ favor.<\/p>\n
Anaheim Ducks vs. Edmonton Oilers<\/p>\n
Bradburn just couldn’t let this be a clean sweep. The Ducks finished the season with the most wins of any team in the Pacific Division, by the way.<\/p>\n
Utah Mammoth vs. Vegas Golden Knights<\/p>\n
The Golden Knights were hot down the stretch and have a recent history of playoff prowess. However, this young, relocated Mammoth club has plenty of believers here.<\/p>\n
Conference finals<\/p>\n
Eastern Conference Final<\/p>\n
Five of us have the same matchup, with only Wegman believing the Hurricanes can prevail in the battle of the weather. Cushman has a Canadian team reaching the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2017 (omitting the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 campaign, which technically didn’t feature a conference final round).<\/p>\n
Western Conference Final<\/p>\n
While the Avalanche are the favorites to advance, four different teams are named here, and three different winners. That’s decent parity.<\/p>\n
Stanley Cup Final<\/p>\n