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Good morning, hockey folks. We’re six days into Round 2, with one series almost over and one just getting started. Plus, NHL Draft talk is heating up big time now that we have an order.

The 98th edition of Red Light 🚨 starts now …

Runaway TrainSweep watch is back 🧹

Hurricanes 4, Flyers 1
Carolina leads series 3-0.

Last night’s game was a bit of a penalty-filled mess, with 24 minors and a misconduct in all, but at least we’re seeing a little history.

The Hurricanes broke a 1-1 game open late in the second on a shortie from defenseman Jalen Chatfield, then frustrated the overmatched Flyers the rest of the way, outshooting them 30-19. “You can tell guys are nervous,” Philadelphia coach Rick Tocchet said afterward.

With the win, the Canes became just the 13th team in NHL history to start a postseason 7-0 — and only the third since 1994 (joining the 2008 Penguins and 2024 Rangers). If they can make it a sweep in Game 4, they’ll be the first team to start the playoffs 8-0 since the 1985 Oilers, and only the fifth ever.

Even more intriguing? The powerhouse Avalanche can join them at 7-0 with a win tomorrow in Minnesota. A double shot of undefeated teams that deep into a postseason has never happened before.

The Flyers power play is a pathetic 1-for-16 (!) in this series. It’s absolutely killing them.
On the flip side, 37-year-old Canes captain Jordan Staal is leading the way in his 20th NHL season. Now I feel old.

The Canadiens’ Alexandre Texier battles the Sabres’ Bowen Byram. (Rebecca Villagracia / Getty Images)

Let’s take a quick spin through the other three series with coverage from our eight writers on the ground in Buffalo, Anaheim and Minnesota …

Game 2: Canadiens at Sabres

7 p.m. ET tonight (TNT, HBO Max; CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS)
Buffalo leads series 1-0.

Game 3: Golden Knights at Ducks

9:30 p.m. ET tonight (TNT, truTV, HBO Max; Sportsnet, Sportsnet 360, TVAS)
Series tied 1-1.

Game 3: Avalanche at Wild

9 p.m. ET tomorrow (TNT, truTV, HBO Max; CBC, Sportsnet, TVAS)
Colorado leads series 2-0.

Gavin McKenna. (Joe Camporeale / Imagn Images)

McKenna or Stenberg?

Never a dull moment in Toronto.

On Monday, all the debates around the Maple Leafs were focused on their controversial choice of John Chayka as GM. By Tuesday night, however, Toronto had unexpectedly won the draft lottery — to the tortured cries of “rigged!” from Western Canada — and a new round of discourse emerged.

What should the lucky Leafs do with the No. 1 pick windfall? (And what should the unlucky Canucks do at No. 3?)

Though 18-year-old Penn State wunderkind Gavin McKenna feels like the safe, obvious choice at the top, it’s a nuanced conversation, especially because Toronto is trying to turn things around quickly while being one of the league’s oldest teams.

Thankfully, we have plenty of resources to help in this debate:

Scott Wheeler’s latest first-round mock draft is a fascinating projection from No. 1 all the way down to Ottawa at 32.
Jonas Siegel ran through the Leafs’ 10 biggest offseason priorities. Reading the list, I’m not sure anyone has as challenging a next two months as Chayka.
Related: How much of an impact can McKenna (or Ivar Stenberg) make in Toronto right away?
And: What pieces do the Leafs still need to get back to being a Stanley Cup contender after finishing 28th in 2025-26? Here’s the puzzle.
Plus: Sean “Tuesday Me” McIndoe breaks down the regular-season games that changed the outcome of the draft lottery. And why your team should trade its lottery pick.

There are always a lot of eyes on the Leafs, but I have a feeling Toronto will be drawing even more attention than ever for the next six months.

Frederik Andersen. (Jaylynn Nash / Getty Images)

💡 This Week’s MirTrivia

Canes netminder Frederik Andersen picked up his 53rd career playoff win last night, the third-most of any goalie since the big Dane entered the NHL in 2013-14. I have a couple of related puzzlers for you today …

1. Who are the only two goalies with more playoff wins in that span? (Hint: Both have won the Cup multiple times.)

2. Who has more career playoff wins: Andersen, or the second round’s eight other starting goaltenders combined?

Answers at the bottom.

Coast to Coast

📋 July 1 is still a couple of months away, but that’s not too early for our first NHL free agent big board. The ever-effervescent Chris Johnston has the top 20 UFA targets to watch this offseason.

🔮 This Sabres-Canadiens playoffs series looks like the future of the Atlantic Division, according to the venerable pride of Hearst, Ont., Pierre LeBrun.

💸 Connor Bedard’s next contract with the Blackhawks will be franchise-defining — and he has leverage. And it’s certainly going to impact what Macklin Celebrini gets in San Jose, too.

🦈 Speaking of which … how close are the rebuilding Sharks to being Stanley Cup contenders — and what do they still need? The No. 2 pick doesn’t hurt. I love this checklist series.

📰 Projecting the careers of the 2026 NHL Draft’s top 12 prospects: Optimist versus pessimist edition, from draft analyst (draftalyst?) Corey Pronman.

🎤 On yesterday’s “The Athletic Hockey Show,” Sean Gentille and Shayna Goldman sing the praises of the Sabres’ Josh Doan and Zach Benson. Plus: Peter Baugh joins the show as they wonder: Uh, will the Avalanche ever lose?

🐣 Plus: On today’s Prospect Series podcast, the guys make the case for and against the Leafs taking McKenna with the No. 1 pick, plus Scott Wheeler’s first post-NHL Draft Lottery mock. Watch/listen here.

Feedback? Corrections? Suggestions? Our line is open: Email us at redlight@theathletic.com.

Andrei Vasilevskiy. (Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)

MirTrivia Answer

The only two goalies with more playoff wins than Andersen since 2013-14?

It’s the Lightning’s Andrei Vasilevskiy with 70 and the Panthers’ Sergei Bobrovsky with 61. (Andersen passed Marc-Andre Fleury’s 47 last round.)

The tougher question is No. 2, but kudos to those who picked Andersen versus the field. His 53 wins are six more than the other eight Round 2 starters:

Carter Hart (14), Scott Wedgewood (6), Lukáš Dostál (5), Alex Lyon (5), Jakub Dobeš (5), Filip Gustavsson (4), Jesper Wallstedt (4), Dan Vladar (4).

I don’t know what this says about the volatility of NHL goaltending, but it certainly doesn’t boost the argument that you need an established veteran No. 1 making a big salary to win it all: The 25-year-old Dostál is the only one making more than $3.75 million.

A final shoutout to close today goes to Red Light’s biggest fan: Brian in B.C. reads and responds with a nice note after every newsletter we put out, and he’s 74 years old today. Happy birthday, Dad — hope you shoot your age. 🎂🏌️

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