Jordan Martinook scored deep into double overtime to give the Carolina Hurricanes a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators and a 2-0 lead in their NHL playoff series on Monday.
The veteran forward fired past goaltender Linus Ullmark from the slot after 13 minutes and 53 seconds of the second additional period.
His decisive strike came after a night of high drama, where he had already seen an earlier penalty shot saved in the first overtime.
The hosts also had an apparent winner by Mark Jankowski ruled out for offside following a video review during the initial sudden-death frame.
Senators stage impressive comeback
Ottawa had earlier shown immense resilience to force the game beyond regulation time.
Second-period goals from Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens erased an early 2-0 deficit for the Canadian outfit.
At the other end, Ullmark delivered an outstanding performance between the pipes for the visitors.
The Swedish netminder made a spectacular shoulder save in the dying seconds of normal time to deny Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal.
Hurricanes take control of series
Carolina had initially built their advantage through early goals from Logan Stankoven and Sebastian Aho.
Danish goaltender Frederik Andersen proved a reliable presence for the home side, stopping 23 shots during regulation.
The visitors were forced to compete without key defenceman Artem Zub, who missed the contest after sustaining an undisclosed injury in Saturday’s opening defeat.
The best-of-seven series now shifts to Canada’s capital for game three on Thursday.
Colorado Avalanche forward Nathan MacKinnon has been ranked as the most impactful player heading into the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs following a dominant regular season.
The two-time defending champion Florida Panthers missed the postseason entirely, leaving the race for hockey’s ultimate prize completely wide open.
Advanced metrics highlight the skaters and goaltenders most capable of defining the next two months of elite action.
A weighted three-year average of Goals Above Replacement (GAR) places the 30-year-old Canadian firmly at the summit.
Avalanche star eyes second championship
The prolific centre is the overwhelming favourite to secure his second Hart Trophy in three years.
He previously led his franchise to Stanley Cup glory in 2022 and enters this campaign boasting a career-high 53 adjusted goals.
When operating at peak form, his devastating combination of elite speed and precision shooting remains virtually unmatched across the league.
Western Conference heavyweights
Both statistical models and betting markets currently position the Denver-based outfit as the primary contenders for the title.
Their talismanic forward has averaged at least one point per game in every previous postseason appearance.
A potential second-round clash against either the Dallas Stars or Minnesota Wild looms, but the title favourites possess immense offensive firepower.
The Buffalo Sabres overcame a late two-goal deficit to defeat the Boston Bruins 4-3 on Sunday night, securing their first NHL playoff victory in 15 years.
Mattias Samuelsson struck with just over three minutes remaining to cap a stunning third-period comeback for the Atlantic Division champions.
The dramatic Game 1 victory marked the franchise’s first post-season win since a 1-0 triumph over the Philadelphia Flyers in April 2011.
Thompson ignites late resurgence
Trailing 2-0 after Elias Lindholm scored early in the final frame, the hosts finally found a spark through their leading regular-season scorer.
Tage Thompson netted a wraparound backhander with under eight minutes left, before firing a low shot inside the far post to level the contest 3:42 later.
With the home crowd electrified, Jack Quinn recovered a loose puck deep in the offensive zone and fed Samuelsson, who snapped a high shot into the net just 52 seconds after the equaliser.
Bruins collapse despite strong regular season
Alex Tuch sealed the historic win by converting into an empty net with 72 seconds remaining, rendering David Pastrnak’s last-gasp strike a mere consolation.
The late collapse was uncharacteristic for the seventh-seeded visitors, who boasted a formidable 33-2-4 record when leading after two periods during the regular campaign.
Despite the defeat, Pastrnak’s three-point performance moved him past Cam Neely and Wayne Cashman into ninth place on Boston’s all-time playoff scoring list.
Buffalo will look to double their series advantage when they host Game 2 on Tuesday night.
Juraj Slafkovsky scored a historic overtime hat-trick as the Montreal Canadiens stunned the heavily favoured Tampa Bay Lightning 4-3 in game one of their first-round play-off series.
The 22-year-old fired a slap shot past goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy 82 seconds into the extra period to secure the victory at Benchmark International Arena.
Remarkably, all three of his goals came on the power-play.
In doing so, the Slovakian forward became the youngest player in NHL history to record a hat-trick in a post-season opener, surpassing Wayne Gretzky’s 1983 benchmark.
He is also the first player to ever score three power-play goals in a play-off game where one served as the overtime winner.
Canadiens exploit Lightning’s home struggles
Tampa Bay entered the match as firm favourites to progress, having reached three consecutive Stanley Cup finals between 2020 and 2022.
However, the Florida franchise have now lost eight of their past nine home play-off fixtures.
Brandon Hagel scored twice for the hosts, while Darren Raddysh was also on target in a tightly contested affair.
At the other end of the ice, rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes made 20 saves to keep the Canadiens firmly in the contest.
Josh Anderson also found the net for the visitors, who are seeking their first play-off series victory since losing the 2021 final to the Lightning.
‘We still have to focus’
Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis, a Lightning icon during his playing days, crucially called a timeout just before the decisive overtime goal.
Captain Nick Suzuki explained the pause was merely to give the skaters a brief rest rather than to alter their tactical approach.
Despite his record-breaking performance, the 2022 number one overall draft pick remained grounded about his achievement.
“I kind of saw some open space there, I decided to shoot it, and thankfully, it went in,” Slafkovsky said.
“We’re all happy. But, yeah, we still have to focus.”
“We have a game in two days.”
The second game of the best-of-seven series takes place in Tampa on Tuesday.
The Minnesota Wild dominated the Dallas Stars with a resounding 6-1 victory at the American Airlines Center on Saturday to take a 1-0 lead in their Western Conference quarter-final series.
The heavy defeat marks a familiar and frustrating start to the post-season for the Texan franchise.
Dallas have now lost the opening game in nine of their last 11 playoff series.
The visitors stormed into a commanding 4-0 lead before the end of the second period to silence the home crowd.
Joel Eriksson Ek opened the scoring with a power-play strike following slick passing from Mats Zuccarello and Matt Boldy.
Oettinger escapes early hook
Three further unanswered goals in the middle frame left home goaltender Jake Oettinger badly exposed.
The 26-year-old American’s struggles revived memories of his early withdrawal against the Edmonton Oilers in last season’s playoffs.
However, new head coach Glen Gulutzan refused to blame his netminder for the heavy opening loss.
“Nothing for me was on our goaltending,” Gulutzan said.
“For me, it was certainly on our specialty teams needing to be better and our 5-on-5 play wasn’t good enough.”
The former Oilers assistant took charge this season following the departure of Peter DeBoer.
DeBoer was dismissed after the Stars fell in the Western Conference final for a third consecutive year.
‘We have to be better’
Jason Robertson briefly reduced the deficit for the hosts with a power-play goal late in the second period.
That solitary strike provided the only cheer of the night in Dallas.
Finnish defenceman Miro Heiskanen urged his team-mates to maintain perspective despite the lopsided scoreline.
“It’s a long series, it’s a best of seven and it’s one game,” Heiskanen said.
“We have to be better than that, but there’s a good chance to win this one still.”
Oettinger also acknowledged that there is significant room for personal improvement ahead of Game 2.
“I think the last goal was bad, but I think I did good things and I think there are things I could have been better at,” Oettinger reflected.
The Buffalo Sabres will end a 14-season postseason absence when they face the Boston Bruins in the opening round of a highly unpredictable 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The upcoming tournament features a radically altered landscape, with both the back-to-back champion Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs failing to qualify.
Meanwhile, the newly formed Utah Mammoth will make their postseason debut in a revamped bracket that has shocked traditional hockey fans.
Experience gap concerns downplayed
Entering the tournament as the top seed in the Atlantic Division, the Western New York franchise faces questions over a lack of major postseason experience.
Veteran forward Alex Tuch remains one of the few voices in the locker room with extensive playoff knowledge following his previous runs with the Vegas Golden Knights.
However, analysts suggest this home-ice advantage could overpower a Boston squad that also features untested rookies such as Fraser Minten and James Hagens.
Goaltending battles and defensive frailties
The Massachusetts-based visitors will rely heavily on Jeremy Swayman, who prevented nearly 29 goals above expected during the regular season.
Offensive support comes from prolific winger David Pastrnak, who registered 100 points, alongside 39-goal scorer Morgan Geekie.
Despite boasting veteran defencemen such as Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm, the Bruins have struggled significantly in their own end.
The former Eastern Conference champions rank 26th in expected goals against since the Olympic break.
This structural weakness could afford the high-flying Sabres crucial power-play opportunities throughout the series.
“We are bigger, stronger,” Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm insisted this week.
The Vancouver Canucks have sacked general manager Patrik Allvin after a disastrous campaign that saw the franchise finish with the worst record in the NHL.
The decision ends his four-year tenure with the Canadian club following a dramatic and rapid decline in fortunes.
Just one year ago, the Pacific Division outfit were a single victory away from reaching the Western Conference finals.
However, this season proved disastrous as they plummeted to the absolute bottom of the league standings.
The struggling side finished more than 10 points adrift of their closest rivals at the foot of the table.
Rutherford points to necessary rebuild
Jim Rutherford, the president of hockey operations, confirmed the swift departure in a statement released on Friday.
“Under his guidance we have accumulated a lot of young talent, and he has helped us lay the foundation for our rebuild.”
Rutherford added that the season was highly disappointing and acknowledged the deep frustration felt by the fanbase.
“Moving forward our goal will be to continue to bring younger players who can go together with our current group and form our next competitive core.”
Internal friction and blockbuster departures
The Swedish executive was originally appointed in January 2022 to transform a promising young roster into perennial playoff contenders.
While that vision briefly materialised under former head coach Rick Tocchet, the current campaign was derailed by injuries and documented locker-room tension.
Public friction between star forward Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller ultimately led to the latter being traded away to the New York Rangers.
Further dismantling of the squad occurred in December when highly-rated captain Quinn Hughes was dealt to the Minnesota Wild.
That blockbuster exchange for prospects and draft picks firmly signalled a total rebuilding phase for the franchise.
Focus shifts entirely to the future
A busy trade deadline saw several more experienced players depart as the organisation aggressively stockpiled future assets.
Adam Foote, who was promoted to head coach after Tocchet departed for the Philadelphia Flyers, faced an impossible task guiding the severely depleted roster.
A new general manager will now be tasked with developing a massive incoming wave of youthful prospects.
The next appointment must successfully blend these new arrivals with remaining established veterans like Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk.
The Colorado Avalanche will face the Los Angeles Kings as the top overall seeds in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, while the Buffalo Sabres return to the postseason after a historic 14-year absence.
The Denver-based franchise clinched the Presidents’ Trophy on 10 April after dominating the regular season.
They are now preparing to host the Kings in the opening round of the Western Conference.
Elsewhere in the West, the Edmonton Oilers will clash with the Anaheim Ducks in a tightly contested Pacific Division matchup.
The Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild complete the Central Division pairings.
Buffalo end historic drought
In the Eastern Conference, the Buffalo Sabres have finally ended the longest active playoff drought in North American professional sports.
The Atlantic Division champions amassed 109 points to secure their first postseason berth in over a decade.
The upstate New York outfit will face the Boston Bruins in their opening-round series.
Offensive firepower
The Sabres rely heavily on their elite core of skaters, led by point-per-game forward Tage Thompson.
He is supported by 30-goal scorer Alex Tuch and standout offensive defenceman Rasmus Dahlin.
Between the pipes, the goaltending tandem of Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and Alex Lyon has provided crucial stability following a shaky start to the campaign.
Experience versus youth
Despite their impressive regular-season form, questions remain over Buffalo’s lack of postseason experience.
The intense, physically demanding nature of playoff hockey rarely affords the open ice their attackers have routinely exploited this season.
Meanwhile, the Carolina Hurricanes captured the Metropolitan Division crown, cementing their status as perennial Stanley Cup contenders.
The 16-team tournament also features the newly formed Utah Mammoth, who secured a wild-card spot in the Pacific bracket.