NHL Hockey 3 Days

Last updated: April 21, 2026, 11:30 PM ET

Stanley Cup Playoff Upsets & Early Series Action

The opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs delivered immediate drama, highlighted by the Montreal Canadiens securing a major upset victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, fueled by a 1:22 overtime goal from 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovsky, who completed his first career playoff hat trick in the 4-3 Game 1 win Slafkovsky 1st playoff hat trick fuels Habs' upset. Lightning coach Jon Cooper later attributed the Game 1 overtime defeat to "stupidity" regarding penalty calls his team committed Cooper: Penalty 'stupidity' cost Lightning in G1, while the Canadiens now aim to capitalize on the momentum by pushing for a 2-0 series lead on Tuesday Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Sabres, Avs, Knights, Canadiens look to go up 2-0. Elsewhere in the East, Philadelphia rookie Porter Martone, just 19, made franchise history by scoring in his second consecutive playoff game, netting the eventual 3-2 winner against the Penguins with 2:37 remaining in the opener Martone, 19, scores again as Flyers take 2-0 lead, leading to the Flyers taking a 2-0 advantage early in the series Martone, 19, nets winner as Flyers swipe opener.

In the Western Conference matchups, the Dallas Stars struggled mightily in their home opener, losing Game 1 to the Minnesota Wild 6-1, continuing an undesirable trend where Dallas has dropped nine of its last 11 playoff series openers Stars falter, face familiar 1-0 deficit; however, the Stars managed to rebound on Monday night, tying the series at 1-1 with a 4-2 victory where they corrected the miscues that plagued them early in the postseason Stars learn from Game 1 miscues, tie Wild series. Despite that crucial Game 2 win, Dallas remains without top-line center Roope Hintz, who was held back in Texas on Tuesday while dealing with an injury as the team traveled to Minnesota for the next contest Injured Hintz stays home, Stars off to Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche, the top seed, saw Logan O'Connor cap a lengthy personal scoring drought—his first goal in nearly a year—to help secure a Game 1 victory over the Kings on Sunday Avs' O'Connor caps long comeback with key goal.

The Edmonton Oilers kicked off their series with a tight 4-3 victory over the Anaheim Ducks in Game 1, thanks to Kasperi Kapanen's goal late in the third period Draisaitl returns with 2 points as Oilers win G1; a major factor in their success was the return of star center Leon Draisaitl, who had been sidelined since March 15 due to a lower-body injury, recording two points in his playoff comeback appearance Oilers C Draisaitl returns for Game 1 vs. Ducks. In other Sunday action, the Vegas Golden Knights continued their strong form under new coach John Tortorella, rallying with three third-period goals to defeat the Mammoth 4-2 in their opener Vegas remains hot under Tortorella with G1 rally, while the Carolina Hurricanes needed two overtimes to secure a victory after Jordan Martinook was stopped on a first-period penalty shot following a goal that had previously been overturned Martinook lifts Canes in 2OT after goal overturn.

Offseason Strategy & League Outlook

As the focus shifts to potential offseason moves and team building, new New Jersey Devils General Manager Sunny Mehta addressed the media on Tuesday, emphasizing the necessity of adhering to the long-term "process" rather than revealing immediate personnel plans for constructing a title contender Mehta vows to focus on process as new Devils GM. Separately, Washington Capitals management confirmed they are prepared to support the organization regardless of Captain Alex Ovechkin's forthcoming decision regarding his retirement after 21 seasons Ovi or not Ovi? Caps set if star stays or retires. to the future, analysis continues regarding the league's elite performers, with rankings established for the top 50 players expected to influence the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs Ranking the top 50 players in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs, while some observers are drawing parallels between the competitive nature of the postseason and professional wrestling traditions, particularly as Wrestlemania coincided with the start of the playoffs this past weekend How WWE explains the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs' first round. The Buffalo Sabres, after celebrating a "special" playoff win, quickly pivoted their attention toward Game 2 preparations Sabres took in special win, now turn the page.