{"id":605443,"date":"2026-04-25T10:50:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/605443\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T10:50:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:50:20","slug":"first-round-offers-reminders-of-why-stanley-cup-playoffs-are-the-best-nhl-insider","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/605443\/","title":{"rendered":"First round offers reminders of why Stanley Cup playoffs are the best | NHL Insider"},"content":{"rendered":"

LOS ANGELES \u2014 Three teams, including the Colorado Avalanche, are looking to complete a first-round sweep this weekend. The other five series have been more competitive.<\/p>\n

One week into the NHL playoffs, fans have been reminded why postseason hockey is as good as it gets. It\u2019s fast, it\u2019s intense, and it\u2019s appointment viewing every night. Time to take a look at where all eight series stand at Friday afternoon in the first round.<\/p>\n

Avalanche lead Los Angeles Kings 3-0<\/p>\n

Brock Nelson, Cale Makar, Nazem Kadri, Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Valeri Nichushkin all have one point or fewer in this series. It hasn\u2019t mattered. The NHL Networks\u2019 Mike Rupp loved this matchup for the Avalanche when he talked to The Denver Gazette a week ago, and this is why.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just gives them the opportunity to take care of business and if you get a couple hiccups in trying to get up to that next level, I think you\u2019re so much more talented than the other team that you\u2019ll be OK still,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This is how the Kings played down the stretch, and it\u2019s no surprise that they\u2019ve continued to play this way throughout the series. It\u2019s all they have. They are not built to go punch-for-punch with the Avalanche, so they must slow it down. The Avalanche adjusted and beat the Kings at their own game.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not to say there aren\u2019t some concerning things happening with the Avalanche. Nathan MacKinnon had zero shots on goal in Game 3 and has gone 10 games without a goal on an opposing goaltender. Their top six forwards have been strong defensively, but outside of Artturi Lehkonen, the offense hasn\u2019t been there. And the power play is giving fans flashbacks to last season\u2019s series against the Stars.<\/p>\n

All those things are why you want the top seed, though. The Avalanche earned this matchup with their strong regular season and now they\u2019re reaping the rewards of it. They still have one more game to win, but they\u2019ll have to be much better the next round.<\/p>\n

\"\"Colorado Avalanche right wing Logan O\u2019Connor, left, follow up a goal on Los Angeles Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg, right, by Colorado Avalanche\u2019s Artturi Lehkonen during the third period of Game 3 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday in Los Angeles. (AP Photo\/Mark J. Terrill)<\/p>\n

Dallas Stars lead Minnesota Wild 2-1<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a tradition for the Stars to lose the first game of a series and for people to wonder if this is the year they finally fall off. As they do, they bounced back and in a big way. If Minnesota could get a timely goal, particularly on the power play, it could easily be up 2-1 or even 3-0 in this series. Avalanche fans reading this are thinking, \u201cThat sounds familiar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Stars are like cockroaches. They don\u2019t go away. They bend but they don\u2019t break and they\u2019re comfortable playing that way. Their excellent power play won them Game 3 and continues to be a problem for opposing teams. This series is far from over and both teams are already beating each other up. The Avalanche are hoping for a few more double-overtime games before this one is done.<\/p>\n

Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Mammoth tied 1-1<\/p>\n

Game 1 looked like a bunch of adults playing children. Vegas bullied Utah all over the ice and its massive size advantage was evident on television. Give credit where credit is due, though. The Mammoth bounced back and the best player on the ice in both games has been Logan Cooley, who hasn\u2019t looked intimidated by what the Golden Knights are trying to do.<\/p>\n

Utah fans are about to experience playoff hockey for the first time. Considering how that building is designed to have the fans sit on top of the players, it\u2019s going to be loud.<\/p>\n

\"\"Utah Mammoth defenseman Mikhail Sergachev (98) and center Logan Cooley (92) celebrate after Cooley\u2019s goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during the third period in Game 2 of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff series Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo\/Ian Maule)<\/p>\n

Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks tied 1-1<\/p>\n

Something about this series feels unserious. There is very little defense being played and both games have been a race to see who can score closest to the buzzer, because scoring too soon leaves too much time on the clock for mistakes. Entertaining hockey, but not the type of hockey that can win a Stanley Cup.<\/p>\n

Connor McDavid has no points, hasn\u2019t played well and appeared to twist his ankle in Game 2. That\u2019s not good news for Edmonton; nor is Evan Bouchard\u2019s performance. They won\u2019t go far if those two aren\u2019t doing much.<\/p>\n

Buffalo Sabres lead Boston Bruins 2-1<\/p>\n

You might not have heard it through ESPN\u2019s muffled audio, but the building in Buffalo was as loud as you\u2019ll ever hear any building when the Sabres came back in Game 1. That team is flirting with disaster, as they\u2019ve gone down in all three games, but they\u2019re clawing their way back. The Avalanche haven\u2019t had to rotate goaltenders, but Buffalo has. Alex Lyon came in to save the day in Game 3 and will be their guy until he hits a snag.<\/p>\n

\"\"Buffalo Sabres right wing Alex Tuch (89) celebrates his goal with teammates as Boston Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm (27) skates past during the third period in Game 3 of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff series, Thursday, April 23, 2026, in Boston. (AP Photo\/Charles Krupa)<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens tied 1-1<\/p>\n

This is a must-watch series. Montreal\u2019s young stars led them to victory in Game 1. So what did the veteran Lightning team do in Game 2? They turned into bullies, led by Brandon Hagel. Nikita Kucherov scoring his first goal in 16 playoff games helps as well. The Lightning dominated overtime of Game 2, not even allowing the Canadiens to get a shot on goal, and have some momentum. The problem? That series now heads to Montreal, where fans there might just blow the roof off the building.<\/p>\n

Carolina Hurricanes lead Ottawa Senators 3-0<\/p>\n

No offense to the rest of the teams in this bracket, but this looks like another season where the Hurricanes will sleepwalk to the Conference Finals. Ottawa\u2019s best players have underperformed, as Tim Stutzle can\u2019t buy a goal and Brady Tkachuk\u2019s hands have only been useful when fighting or slamming the bench door.<\/p>\n

It was a mild surprise for Carolina to turn to Freddie Andersen in net, but it\u2019s worked out well for them. He\u2019s played great. Logan Stankoven might be 5-foot-8 on a good day, but he\u2019s proving to be a big-time playoff performer in Carolina. They salvaged that Mikko Rantanen situation as well as they could.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Flyers lead Pittsburgh Penguins 3-0<\/p>\n

The last player to step straight out of the NCAA and make as big of an impact in the NHL playoffs as Porter Martone has is some guy named Cale Makar. The 19-year-old has been a revelation for the Flyers and a big reason why they\u2019re on the brink of sweeping the Penguins.<\/p>\n

Everyone was excited to see Sidney Crosby back in the NHL playoffs. Unfortunately, it looks like it\u2019s going to be short-lived. Crosby has battled a few injuries since the Olympics and doesn\u2019t look like himself. Credit to the Flyers, but the Penguins have just looked awful. They were a fun team in the regular season. That fun might be coming to an end very quickly.<\/p>\n

\"\"Pittsburgh Penguins\u2019 Sidney Crosby plays during Game 3 in the first round of the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs Wednesday, April 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo\/Matt Slocum)<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m hearing<\/p>\n

Game respects game, and Scott Wedgewood is earning some respect around the league. \u201cGive Wedgewood credit,\u201d Kings coach D.J. Smith said. \u201cThis guy looks like he\u2019s putting his name on the circuit as a big-time goalie.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacKinnon might not be scoring much, but he has been very good in the faceoff circle, winning 62% of his draws. \u201cI\u2019ve talked with Nate over the years,\u201d coach Jared Bednar said. \u201cNate\u2019s numbers are better in key situations, \u2018O-zone\u2019 situations. I think he digs in a lot more. Historically, he dug in a lot more in those situations, \u2018D-zone\u2019 draws when we\u2019ve put him out there when we need something as opposed to the random neutral-zone faceoff. But starting with the puck\u2019s important. We had some of those discussions a few years ago. I think he\u2019s a real good draw guy against certain guys and maybe other guys give him a little bit of trouble like any center. But it\u2019s something I think he put a bigger importance on over the last handful of years.\u201d<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m seeing<\/p>\n

Erik Johnson is a wizard on television, but you already knew that. During a penalty review in Game 2 between the Wild and Stars, Johnson\u2019s eagle eyes caught the white tape of a Dallas players stick adding a puck mark, indicating the puck was deflected and shouldn\u2019t have been a penalty. The refs overturned the penalty, proving Johnson correct, but it\u2019s the type of live analysis you\u2019re seeing from the former Avalanche defenseman that sets him apart from others in the business.<\/p>\n

\"\"Erik Johnson prepares for an ESPN broadcast between the benches. (Photo credit: ESPN)<\/p>\n

Way-too-early Conn Smythe candidates: Wedgewood, Andersen, Dan Vladar, Jackson Lacombe, Brock Faber, Wyatt Johnston, Hagel. It should also be noted Makar has displayed multiple times during this Avalanche-Kings series that he\u2019s the best defenseman in the world. That two-week break seems to have done him well.<\/p>\n

What I\u2019m thinking<\/p>\n

These 8:52 p.m. local starts the NHL is forcing on teams for television are inhumane, especially on a weekday. There\u2019s got to be a better way. How are kids supposed to fall in love with the sport if the games start that late?<\/p>\n

Anyone looking for an Avalanche-themed Mother\u2019s Day or Father\u2019s Day gift can check out GAME 7 apparel, which was founded by NHL legend Mark Messier. They just expanded their lineup to include the Avalanche, launching with men\u2019s and women\u2019s shirts.<\/p>\n


\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n
\n
\n
\n <\/a>
\n <\/p>\n