NHL playoff predictions: Second-round winners, Stanley Cup champion and more

AtlanticBruinsCanadiensLightningMaple LeafsPanthersRed WingsSabresSenatorsMetropolitanBlue JacketsCapitalsDevilsFlyersHurricanesIslandersPenguinsRangersCentralAvalancheBlackhawksBluesJetsMammothPredatorsStarsWildPacificCanucksDucksFlamesGolden KnightsKingsKrakenOilersSharksScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsFantasyNHL OddsNHL PicksPlayoff bracketStanley Cup tiersNHL Draft rankingRed Light NewsletterNHL Playoffs The Colorado Avalanche have jumped to a 1-0 series lead over the Minnesota Wild, but before that, we made our second-round Stanley Cup playoff picks. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Share articleThe second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs is already underway, with the Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche jumping to 1-0 series leads over the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota Wild, respectively. With the other Round 2 matchups set, we made our picks. What do we expect? What have we learned so far? Who will be left standing for the conference finals? The Athletic surveyed national writers Dom Luszczyszyn, James Mirtle, Harman Dayal, Sean Gentille, Mark Lazerus and Shayna Goldman to get their answers to these questions. We asked for a winner for each second-round series, plus updated picks to win the Eastern and Western Conferences, the Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe. Note: Picks for both Hurricanes-Flyers and Avalanche-Wild were made before the series started. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-D71S3']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: As impressive as the Flyers were against the Penguins, it’s hard not to side with a decisive Hurricanes victory after seeing what they did against a better Senators team. There are levels to this and Carolina is several tiers above the teams in Pennsylvania. Mirtle: I can see the Flyers gritting (Gritty-ing?) out a couple of low-scoring victories, but they're likely to be overwhelmed territorially in this series, which will put a ton of pressure on goalie Dan Vladar. Dayal: I’m not counting the Flyers out because Rick Tocchet put on a coaching masterclass in Round 1, Vladar is in sensational form, and their forward group has gotten a nice boost with Porter Martone’s early impact. That said, the Hurricanes pose a completely different stylistic challenge than the Penguins. I believe Carolina’s elite forecheck will give Philadelphia’s blue line far more challenges breaking the puck out of its zone than Pittsburgh’s forecheck did. And ultimately, I’m concerned about how the Flyers will manufacture offense against the Hurricanes’ smothering style, especially after Carolina limited Ottawa to just five goals scored in all of Round 1. Gentille: I wasn’t surprised to see Flyers-Penguins go down the way it did, but I’d have picked either team to lose here pretty quickly. Some of Philly’s younger guys looked gassed. Lazerus: We have yet to reach the stage of the playoffs in which Frederik Andersen typically turns into a pumpkin, and the Flyers aren’t quite good enough to make Rod Brind’Amour’s stubborn aversion to in-series adjustments an issue. What Philly has done is admirable and surprising, but I share Sean’s view that the young Flyers might have hit the wall later in that Pittsburgh series. Goldman: The Canes are the deeper and more well-rounded team. This is their series to lose. But maybe Philly can make it interesting, as they have for the last month-plus. Maybe last round against Pittsburgh taught the Flyers a thing or two. Maybe we’ll see them be a little more opportunistic to steal a game or two. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-42yCd']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: The Avalanche are the league’s best team, pick against them at your own peril. But I love the way the Wild are playing and they finally have the star power to hang with the best of the West. A standout performance from Jesper Wallstedt could make this a close and classic series. Mirtle: Colorado and Nathan MacKinnon have felt like they're on a mission all season. This should be a great, close series, but I don't see the Avs run ending this early, even with the way Quinn Hughes has elevated Minnesota’s play. Dayal: The Wild finally have the star power in Hughes, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy to match Colorado’s top-end talent. However, I think Colorado’s puck-moving, speed up front, and center depth make for a completely different beast at five-on-five than what a Dallas team missing Roope Hintz brought to the table against Minnesota in Round 1. Between that and some health questions surrounding Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek, I’m giving the Avs a slight edge, but this series could genuinely go either way. Gentille: I like the Wild enough to have picked them in Round 1, but the Avs are a better version of the Stars, top to bottom. Lazerus: Well, somebody’s got to pick them. Jesper Wallstedt was awfully impressive against Dallas, and the Wild did a tremendous job of keeping the dangerous Stars nowhere near their net during five-on-five play. My biggest concern with this pick is Minnesota’s penalty kill, which might be weak enough to awaken Colorado’s bafflingly long-dormant power play. Eriksson Ek being ruled out for at least the first two games definitely gives me pause, but I wrote the rest of this before that news broke, so dang it, I’m sticking with my pick, anyway. Goldman: I’m with Harman on the Wild injuries. The longer Brodin is out, the more Middleton is playing top-four minutes and Minnesota is deploying a Jeff Petry-Zach Bogosian third pair that is going to get crushed by Colorado’s speed. The Wild’s stars are going to put up a good fight and challenge the Avs a lot more than L.A. to make it a series, though. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-ZRw2h']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: My respect for the Ducks has grown exponentially after the first-round series, where they not only went toe-to-toe with Edmonton’s superstars but legitimately dominated the Oilers for long stretches. Anaheim is a team on the rise, but Vegas presents a stylistic curveball that I’m not sure the Ducks are equipped yet to handle. Under John Tortorella, the Golden Knights are peaking at the right time. Mirtle: Vegas’ biggest vulnerability is in net, and I could see Anaheim’s deep attack capitalizing on that over a long series. Plus Lukáš Dostál has the ability to steal a few games, which may be needed to advance. Dayal: Vegas is light-years ahead of Edmonton defensively, which is a very different stylistic challenge for Anaheim. There is a path for the Ducks to upset the Golden Knights with how shaky the latter’s goaltending has looked, but ultimately, we just saw Vegas stop a similarly fast, up-and-coming Utah team in Round 1 and I’m betting on a similar story in the second round. Gentille: What Harman said. Anaheim is here because they overwhelmed Edmonton at five-on-five and smoked a bad penalty kill. If the Ducks can get to Carter Hart frequently enough, they’ll have a shot, but I can’t say I see that happening. Lazerus: I have absolutely no faith in Vegas’ goaltending. And while the Ducks’ defense can be almost comically suspect, their offensive depth is impressive. Plus, Joel Quenneville might be the greatest in-series adjuster in modern hockey history. His Chicago teams were 44-44 in Games 1-4, then 32-8 in Games 5-7, winning all nine series that were tied 2-2 through four games (winning 18 games and losing one in those nine series). Are these Ducks anywhere near those Blackhawks? Certainly not. Not yet, at least. But if the Ducks can steal one early, look out. Goldman: Logic says this series is probably Vegas’ to lose. The Golden Knights’ defense is a lot tighter than Edmonton’s and there’s the experience factor to consider (which showed in Round 1 against Utah). That being said … the Ducks’ offense comes in waves and could overwhelm the Golden Knights’ subpar goaltending. We already saw Vegas get beaten by Utah’s speed, and while Anaheim’s not nearly as fast, that mobility could still be a real strength. Add in the gutsy underdog mentality and maybe there could be another upset. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-0sd1u']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: I don’t think any second-round series has nearly the same juice as this one, which has all the makings of an all-time classic between two potential teams of destiny. I’ve been riding with the Sabres all year, no sense stopping now. Mirtle: The playoff format paid off in a big way with this matchup. The new rebuild versus the old rebuild, two old Adams Division foes, two of the youngest teams in the league – there’s a lot to love. Montreal is going to have to play better than they did to close out the Lightning, but they’ve shown all season they have that in them. Dayal: Knocking off the Lightning in Round 1 is a legitimately impressive feat. Sure, Game 7 required a bit of luck, but for the first six games, the Habs looked very comfortable going toe-to-toe against one of the deepest, most talented Cup contenders in the league. Jakub Dobeš has been unbelievable, Montreal’s forward depth has been formidable, and they’ll have Noah Dobson back for all of Round 2. I also have more faith in the Habs’ power play than I do in the Sabres’ man advantage, which slumped at 4.2 percent in Round 1 — we know how valuable special teams can be in a tight series. Gentille: It’s very unfair to make me choose. Lazerus: I don’t know who’s going to win this series, but I know it’s the series I’d most want to attend. Two of the greatest hockey markets on the planet, both starved for this kind of run. It’s going to be unbelievable. The Canadiens defied all logic in Game 7 against Tampa Bay, but I think Buffalo has the magic here. Goldman: Am I projecting seven games, or manifesting this one going the distance? It’s going to have such a different feel from either team’s Round 1 series, because it’s two young teams with a lot of speed and skill going head-to-head. Montreal showed they can win games in different ways in Round 1, but I just think the Sabres have a little more versatility, which will give them the edge. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-w5fmt']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: Before the season started, one of my bold thoughts with the Sabres was that if their luck turned, they could see a tidal wave of good fortune. Gotta make up for a cursed 15 years, right? Buffalo is going all the way, baby. Mirtle: I know Round 3 has been its kryptonite, but with the Lightning going down, this will be Carolina's easiest, Florida-team-free path to the final in eons. Everyone will continue to, understandably, question the Canes goaltending, but they’re deeper elsewhere than they’ve ever been and that depth will pay off in the war of attrition that is the playoffs. Plus, they could be coming off two short rounds to open things and be the most rested team in the conference finals. (And: Beer skates.) Dayal: Part of this is because the Hurricanes' path through the East is easier than years past without Florida in the equation, but I also believe this group has found a new gear offensively. For all the talk about Carolina's elite defensive structure (which is deserved), I think people forget that it was also the highest-scoring offensive team in the East during the regular season. They’re more dynamic off the rush, and that Logan Stankoven line is dominating. Gentille: At this point, I’m just going to pick them until they do it. Lazerus: Buffalo always has the highest Stanley Cup Final TV ratings in the United States, despite the unending misery Buffalonians have endured. Imagine the numbers if the Sabres win two more rounds. Goldman: Listen, I get it — it’s the Canes’ year, because of their path to this point and their total domination so far. But the Sabres are going to embrace being an underdog and keep disrupting things all the way to the Final. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-NSVnN']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: The league’s best team looked undeniable all season and that continued in the first round against the Kings. It doesn’t feel like they’ll be stopped this year. Mirtle: Sometimes it’s best not to overthink these things. Dayal: From top to bottom, they’re the most complete team in the NHL. Gentille: I appreciate the Wild for making my first-round prediction stand up, but yeah. Lazerus: I sort of painted myself into a corner here by picking a pair of upsets in the second round. But Minnesota was arguably the third-best team in the league in the regular season. It’s not that far-fetched. Goldman: It can’t be a team from the pillow fight Pacific, right? If the Wild didn’t have such key injuries, maybe they would be able to ride the momentum. Instead, sometimes the easy answer is the best one: Colorado is the best team in the league. !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-vfhyo']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Luszczyszyn: There is a limit to my Sabres love and it ends here. Famous last words, but this really does feel like it’s Colorado’s year. Mirtle: A Carolina-Colorado Cup Final would be a lot of fun from a stylistic perspective, with the old stars-versus-depth debate playing out in a big way. I suspect it would go the distance, too. But it just feels right that Nathan MacKinnon, with the season he’s had, isn’t going to be denied adding a second championship after three years of postseason frustration. Dayal: This feels like 2022 all over again. Gentille: My pre-playoff pick is cooked, so I am honor-bound to move on to the team I had them beating in the final. Lazerus: Maybe this is wishful thinking, but the Sabres have the goods, and no fanbase deserves it more. Goldman: The Central is an absolute gauntlet, and that obviously will wear on whichever team makes it to the Conference Final and beyond. But the Avalanche are built for that, with one of their deepest lineups in years. If not now, when? !function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("[id='datawrapper-chart-LyJP2']");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms