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One bold prediction for every NHL team in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs
Does Jason Robertson have something to prove against the Wild and their GM, Bill Guerin, after being left off Team USA's Olympic roster? Stacy Revere / Getty Images
The Vegas Golden Knights will make a coaching change in the middle of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The Minnesota Wild advance past the first round for the first time since 2015.
Those were among the responses The Athletic got this week when it asked its hockey staff for bold predictions for the postseason.
Here are some prognostications from writers, with puck drop on playoff hockey just hours away.
The Penguins get the best draw of anyone in the East. With all due respect to the Flyers, the Penguins are the better team on paper. And the Penguins are getting a better draw than the Hurricanes, who won the Metropolitan Division. Carolina could easily lose its first-round matchup, which actually gives the Penguins a real chance to reach the Eastern Conference final. They had a 9 percent chance to reach the postseason in Vegas sports books in October and have become quite a story. — Josh Yohe
How to Watch the 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Without Cable
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The NHL Playoffs are here, with the first games of round one set for Saturday, April 18. The playoffs are played over four rounds, with each consisting of a best-of-seven series.
The Florida Panthers, who appeared in the last three Stanley Cups, winning in 2024 and 2025, were knocked out of playoff contention entirely. This also marks the first playoffs where all three New York metro area teams, the Devils, Rangers, and Islanders, failed to qualify.
Meanwhile, the Colorado Avalanche looks like the team to beat this year. Not only do they lead the league in wins, but they’re also far ahead of second place in the goal differential, with a 97-goal difference in goals scored vs. goals allowed.
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Stanley Cup Playoffs 2026: Picks, predictions for every first-round series, including Lightning vs. Canadiens
The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs are here, but before the puck drops on Game 1, we've logged our predictions for each first-round series. Which eight teams will survive the first round and continue their fight for hockey's greatest prize?
Say what you will about the NHL's playoff format, and I will, but Gary Bettman was right when he said the league has the best first-round setup in sports. That may be missing the forest for the trees, but the fact of the matter is that we're about to witness multiple high-stakes matchups between serious Stanley Cup contenders.
The best of those might be the Dallas Stars taking on the Minnesota Wild. The Nos. 2 and 3 teams in the Western Conference are going head-to-head, and one of them won't make it out of the first round. It wouldn't be surprising to see that series go the distance.
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