Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
BY: AIDAN SHINNERS; STAFF WRITER
The NHL regular season has officially wrapped up, and the playoffs begin on April 18. Many regular faces will be returning to the postseason, such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Pittsburgh Penguins. There were some intriguing teams left out of the playoffs this season, most notably the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
The highly-contested Eastern Conference saw four teams with 90+ points miss the playoffs, a mark that would have been able to compete for the Pacific Division title. The East was won by the Carolina Hurricanes, followed in close second by the Buffalo Sabres who ended their 14-year playoff drought on April 4. The Sabres’ 5-1 win over Chicago on April 13 clinched Buffalo’s first Atlantic Division championship in team history.
The long drought has Sabres fans hungry to get a taste of playoff action in person, which has driven ticket prices upwards of $600 to sit in the upper bowl of the KeyBank Center for their first home playoff game in 14 years.
The most notable matchup in the Eastern Conference first round will be the Lightning taking on the youngest team in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens. The teams went back-and-forth in the standings all regular season with both teams crossing the 100-point mark, but one team will go home after the first round. Is the young core of Montreal ready for the bright lights of the post season, or will the veteran Lightning get the job done?
My Prediction:
I think the Canadiens are ready for the postseason. Coming off a first round exit last year, Cole Caufield and his team will pull off an upset and take down Tampa.
The Western Conference was dominated by the Central Division. The Colorado Avalanche have clinched the best record in the NHL, while the Stars and Minnesota Wild both finished over 100 points. In a lackluster Pacific Division, the Vegas Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks will enter the playoffs, as well as back-to-back runners-up for the Stanley Cup, the Edmonton Oilers.
Many Western Conference playoff teams were shaped by midseason trade pickups. The Los Angeles Kings acquired New York Rangers forward Artemi Panarin ahead of the deadline, the Ducks picked up former Stanley Cup winning defenseman John Carlson from the Capitals and the Wild made the biggest move of the bunch, bringing in Olympic gold medalist Quinn Hughes from Vancouver.
The most notable matchup in the Western Conference first round is the Wild vs. Stars. Similar to Tampa and Montreal, one of these powerhouse 100-plus point clubs must go home after just one round.
My Prediction:
I think the Stars will handle business and take down the Wild. Coming off back-to-back losses in the Western Conference Finals, I think the Stars are hungry for more than one series win. I think the Stars get over the hump and win the West, ultimately hoisting the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1999.
The 2026 NHL playoffs are shaping up to be one of the most competitive we’ve seen in years. With no clear favorite in either conference and the defending champions out of the playoffs, the Cup is up for grabs.
