EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe first week of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs is nearly complete. That's ample time for some early narratives to be established about the NHL postseason, its teams and its players.Here are 10 overreactions to the 2026 NHL playoffs based on what's happened in the first few games and what could happen down the line. We'll judge each one on a scale between being absolutely reasonable to totally misguided. Enjoy!The Flyers could win the EastThe Philadelphia Flyers can eliminate the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday night. That in itself is a shock, as 22 of 27 ESPN pundits picked the Penguins to advance. That the Flyers might vanquish their archrivals in a first-round sweep is frankly astonishing, given what both teams accomplished in the regular season.But the more you watch coach Rick Tocchet's young team, the more you wonder how high it can climb.The Flyers do a lot of things that a championship contender should do. Their defensive system limits high-danger scoring chances at 5-on-5. They can flex some offensive depth, as a team that's not overly reliant on one scoring line -- and they got even deeper with the arrival of NCAA star Porter Martone, who fits the lineup and the Flyers' aesthetic perfectly. They can play physical and antagonize opponents. They have a goalie in Dan Vladar who can steal games.The verdict: OVERREACTION. The Flyers are a dangerous team, but their first-round success can be chalked up to them being the perfect foil for Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. They shut down parts of the ice where the Penguins like to thrive offensively. Their speed and depth have both been an advantage over Pittsburgh's top-heavy team. The Penguins' goaltending has made Vladar look like a Vezina Trophy winner by comparison.But would this success transfer over against a more seasoned and deep team such as the Hurricanes, Lightning or Bruins, with more accomplished goaltending? That's unclear. The Flyers still make mistakes that go along with their lack of playoff experience. A better team can take advantage of them.Assuming Vladar stays healthy -- and he had a hand injury scare in the third period of Game 3 -- the Flyers are going to be a tough out. But ultimately this postseason will be proof of concept for GM Danny Briere, as this young roster earns valuable experience before bowing out.The Ducks have Connor McDavid figured outThe Edmonton Oilers have eight goals in two games against the Ducks, scoring four in each of them. And yet they've tallied eight times with Ty Emberson having outscored Connor McDavid in the series.In the sense that Ty Emberson has one point, while Connor McDavid has none.McDavid won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's leading scorer in the regular season with 138 points in 82 games, including 48 goals. He had three shots on goal on six shot attempts in Edmonton's Game 1 win. He had four shots in their Game 2 loss, skating to a minus-2. The Oilers have had six power-play opportunities in the series and have yet to score, despite the presence of Connor McDavid.So what's the formula for Anaheim? Has assistant coach Jay Woodcroft, who was McDavid's head coach in Edmonton, shared manila folders titled "How to stop McDavid" with the rest of the staff? Are Jackson LaCombe and Jacob Trouba, who saw plenty of McDavid at 5-on-5 in the first two games, the right countermeasures to slow down the Oilers superstar? Is McDavid's playoff offense broken, as he's now gone three straight postseason games without a point, including Game 6 against the Florida Panthers in last season's Stanley Cup Final?The verdict: OVERREACTION. C'mon, it's Connor McDavid. But more to the point: The Anaheim Ducks remain porous defensively. They were underwater in expected goals percentage, high-danger chances and puck possession in the first two games. It's just a matter of time before one or two of these goals are crafted by McDavid, especially on the power play,FYI: McDavid has never gone more than two games without a point over the course of his 45-game NHL playoff career. Something to keep in mind for Friday night in Anaheim.Winner of Dallas Stars-Minnesota Wild takes the WestWe expected it would be a battle between the third- and seventh-best teams in the NHL when they were forced to meet in the first round, and what a battle it has been. Dallas took a 2-1 series lead with a double-overtime win, as Wyatt Johnston scored on the power play after Danila Yurov had the waking nightmare of putting the puck over the glass in a playoff OT.Whether it was Minnesota overpowering Dallas in Game 1 or the Stars outlasting the Wild in Game 3, these are two extraordinarily good teams. One will go home. Will the other win the West?The verdict: OVERREACTION. Yeah, there's a little team called the Colorado Avalanche that would like a word about the winner of this series laying claim the West.That's not to shortchange the Stars, who have made three straight conference finals and knocked out the Avalanche last season in the first round. Nor is meant to disrespect the Wild, who are absolutely loaded with elite talent like Kirill Kaprizov, Quinn Hughes, Matt Boldy and Brock Faber.Could the winner of this series defeat the mighty Avalanche, should they advance past the Kings? Sure. Will that happen? Given what we've seen from the Avs now and it the regular season, it's not likely ... although Dallas is certainly showing they've got the stuff to do it.Juraj Slafkovsky is the NHL's most underrated playerHow many times have you heard the names Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield without hearing the name of their linemate in the same breath?Such is the lot in life for Juraj Slafkovsky. The first overall pick in 2022 took a little while to percolate in the NHL after arriving as an 18-year-old. His rookie season in 2022-23 was 39 games long and he scored just 10 points, failing to earn a single Calder Trophy vote. His point total and plus-minus rating improved year over year from 2023-25.This season was his breakout: 30 goals, 43 assists for 73 points in 82 games. His Game 1 hat trick powered the Canadiens over the Lightning, giving him five goals in seven career playoff games.The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. Do people know Juraj Slafkovsky's name? They should, given his lofty draft status and his "beast mode" performances in the Olympic men's hockey tournament. And yet it feels like people haven't quite yet caught on to how incredible he's been this season for the Habs and on that line with Suzuki and Caufield. It's just a matter of time before they do -- perhaps even in this postseason.The Buffalo Sabres are a feel-good story, nothing moreWhen it comes to Stanley Cup playoff moments, the cathartic rush of Buffalo's first playoff win since 2011 is hard to top. Tage Thompson single-handedly rallying his team. The arena shaking from the fans' delirium when the Sabres took the lead and won Game 1. The supporters in the team's watch party, going tarps off in 30-degree weather while snow gently fell during their victory celebration.And then Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen couldn't stop a beach ball in Game 2. The Boston Bruins evened the series and the vibes shifted.The Sabres were a 109-point team in the regular season and Atlantic Division champions. That's legit. But after they seemingly answered so many questions about their playoff readiness in Game 1, their Game 2 performance created more of them, and not just about their usually dependable goaltending.Their power play is ice-cold, failing to score in its past 31 opportunities. That's basically an invitation to the Bruins to take liberties with Sabres players without repercussions on the scoreboard.The verdict: OVERREACTION. Some losses are better than others, or at least more beneficial. The adrenaline rush of Buffalo's third-period rally in Game 1 wasn't going to carry it for the rest of the series. This is an inexperienced playoff team, and part of that inexperience is learning how to manage the emotional journey of a postseason series. Bad goaltending led to a 3-0 deficit in Game 2. The Sabres tried to mount a rally again in the third, but it was too steep a climb.So the lessons are learned: It's a 60-minute game. Sometimes adversity hits unexpectedly. Teams don't win the Cup on good vibes alone. And perhaps most importantly, every game is its own battle. Forget the last one.The Sabres are the better team. The Bruins are, I think, the savvier one. We'll find out in the next two games if the Sabres are something more than just a feel-good story. I suspect they are.The Vegas Golden Knights are in troubleThe Golden Knights had one of the strangest seasons in the NHL, even by their peculiar standards.They swung the deal and signed Mitch Marner, the biggest name on the offseason market. Star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo stepped away from "the intensity of hockey" to see if his injured hip could be rehabbed. They signed Carter Hart after his acquittal in the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial last summer. They played through their usual spate of injuries and absences to players like Mark Stone, William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb. They made one of the season's biggest trades in acquiring defenseman Rasmus Andersson.It all added up to a successful if uninspiring season. So with eight games left in the season, the Golden Knights hit the nuclear option: firing Bruce Cassidy and hiring John Tortorella.And it worked! Torts went 7-0-1, as the Knights found their intensity and their defensive game to win the Pacific Division and meet the Utah Mammoth (wild card No. 1) in the opening round. Their series is tied at 1-1 ... and the Golden Knights could be in trouble.The Mammoth have been the better 5-on-5 team in the series. They led Game 1 entering the third period, only to have their inexperience show by allowing two goals in 1:47 to squander the lead and fumble the game. They played the Knights evenly through two periods in Game 2 until Logan Cooley's third-period game-winner.(Cooley and Dylan Guenther have been dominant for Utah in a star-making way so far.)Utah got what it needed: a split in Vegas. How will the Golden Knights respond?The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. The Mammoth have flexed their speed advantage at even strength. They've gotten outstanding goaltending from Karel Vejmelka, as they have all season. They've managed a split in the series despite the fact their top line -- Nick Schmaltz, Clayton Keller and Lawson Crouse -- hasn't made an impact.Meanwhile, the Knights have been reliant on special teams, scoring two power-play goals and allowing none. They have a goals-for percentage of 37.5% through two games at 5-on-5.Analytically, it's a better story: They're possessing the puck more than Utah and getting more chances from high-dangers areas. But Utah is going to be a tough out, especially now that the action has shifted to Salt Lake City for its first playoff games.Brandon Hagel, Lightning (playoff) MVPThe Tampa Bay Lightning don't finish with 106 points in the regular season if not for Nikita Kucherov, who might find himself among the Hart Trophy finalists when they're announced soon. He had 130 points in 76 games, which was 42 points clear of second-leading scorer Jake Guentzel. He was magnificent.But the playoffs require a different approach. The regular season is all gorgeous passing and artistry. The postseason is blunt force. Which is why the playoffs feel more like Hagel time than Kuch time.The 27-year-old winger notched the first Gordie Howe hat trick in Lightning playoff history in Game 2 against Montreal, with the opening goal, an assist on Kucherov's third-period tying goal and a second-period fight with Juraj Slafkovsky. Since 2023, Hagel is tied for the team lead in postseason goals (seven in 16 games), with three goals already this series.He's also the kind of agitator you need for playoff success. His rivalry with Matthew Tkachuk extended from the Battle of Florida to the 4 Nations Face-Off. He was last seen in Game 2 mock-crying in the penalty box, dabbing his eyes with a towel to troll the Canadiens. To quote Defector's headline on Hagel: "This Frickin' Guy."The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. Kucherov is vital to the Lightning's success -- as evidenced by his tying goal in Game 2. So is goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy. But increasingly, it's Hagel who has provided the heartbeat for coach Jon Cooper's team.The Los Angeles Kings are never getting out of the first round againThere was probably some rejoicing around the Kings when the final standings indicated they wouldn't have to face Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers for a fifth straight opening-round series, having been eliminated annually in the previous four.But like the old fairy tale trope says: Be careful what you wish for. Instead of McDavid, it's MacKinnon. Instead of the Oilers, it's the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche, the team favored to hoist the Stanley Cup as season's end.And so the Kings and interim head coach D.J. Smith are down 2-0 heading back home, looking at a fifth straight first-round exit.But the trend unfortunately goes deeper than that. The Kings haven't gotten past Round 1 since last winning the Stanley Cup in 2014. They lost to the San Jose Sharks in 2016 and were swept by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2018 and didn't qualify for the postseason in five other seasons. That's including 2020, when 12 Western Conference teams advanced to the postseason in the COVID-impacted tournament. The Kings were 14th that season.The verdict: OVERREACTION. First off, let's not count out the Kings in this series yet after two one-goal losses (including one in overtime) and the specter of the Presidents' Trophy curse hanging over the Avalanche. But assuming this is a fifth straight first-round loss ... look, the law of averages alone tells you that the Kings will get out of the opening round at some point.Anze Kopitar might not be there. Drew Doughty might not be there. Heck, Quinton Byfield might not be there.Look, the Florida Panthers didn't get out of the first round for 24 seasons and they just won back-to-back Cups. Patience, sweet Los Angelenos.The NHL needs to change its offside review ruleThe Carolina Hurricanes thought they won Game 2 of their series against the Ottawa Senators on an overtime goal by Mark Jankowski. But as the Senators left the ice and the Hurricanes celebrated, the officials gathered near the penalty boxes. The NHL war room had flagged the goal for a potential offside by Carolina captain Jordan Staal on the zone entry, 29 seconds (!) before Jankowski's goal.Staal was ruled offside. The goal was nullified. The only thing that kept this moment from instant playoff infamy was the Hurricanes eventually winning the game in the second overtime, because many observers felt that the offside call was the wrong one."I don't know why they called it offside. They're saying he doesn't have control. There are so many different ways to have control of the puck," ESPN analyst (and Hockey Hall of Famer) Mark Messier said. "So now, we've got to know that we need to have the puck on our stick as we're crossing the line?"Carolina GM Eric Tulsky was more diplomatic."I know the offside [call] was tough for people. They're always pretty strict on those control plays," he said. "Traditionally, you couldn't go in before the puck. They changed it so that you could if you had control. It means sometimes you have plays like that that feel like it should count. It stinks in the moment, but we got the result we wanted in the end, and so you move on."The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. The horse has clearly left the barn on offside video reviews, even when a zone entry and a goal are separated by 30 seconds where a defense can clear the puck or a goalie can end the sequence by covering it. But if the NHL isn't getting rid of offside reviews, at least it should eliminate subjectivity from them.Was the player in the zone before the puck? That's cut and dried, even if you're stuck counting pixels. Did the player entering the zone have control of the puck? As evidenced by the decision in Game 2 for Carolina, that's subjective.Video reviews work best when they're absolute: Did the puck cross completely over the line? Was the player hit with an opponent's stick? Did the puck hit the glass before going into the crowd? It's meant to be a second level of fact-checking for the on-ice officials. Judging whether a player had control of the puck entering the zone is opinion on top of opinion. Hence, that facet of the video review mechanism should be expunged.The NHL needs to change its penalty shot ruleAfter that offside review, the Hurricanes' Jordan Martinook actually had to take a penalty shot on Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark, which he acknowledged was a difficult task in light of the game's emotional swing. Martinook shot the puck into Ullmark's glove. He'd eventually find redemption and win the game on a goal in the second overtime.There have been three penalty shot attempts so far in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with the Flyers' Owen Tippett and the Kings' Quinton Byfield also failing to convert. In the regular season, there were 35 penalty shot attempts and six goals scored -- a conversion rate of just over 17%. Consider that the league average for power play success was 21% this season.Hence, some hockey fans and pundits inevitably wonder if teams should have the option to decline a penalty shot in favor of a power play, given that one converts at a higher rate than another -- and because having five talented players trying to beat a goaltender can sometimes be more effective than one shooter trying to do it himself.The verdict: OVERREACTION, WITH A CAVEAT. Penalty shots are supposed to be a deterrent for defenders who blatantly try to prevent a clear, unabated scoring chance. Though in some cases a power play could be more effective, that's not always the case. Over the past decade, players are 8-for-20 on penalty shots in the playoffs. Spoiler warning: The NHL average for postseason power-play conversion rates in that span is not 40%.I'm not opposed to giving teams the option to forgo a penalty shot. Heck, it could be they just want to eat two minutes of the clock late in the game rather than have it stop for a penalty shot. But it needs to be something beyond a 5-on-4 power play to remain a deterrent the way a penalty shot is.So maybe if the option is a 5-on-3 power play or a penalty shot, that could work to satisfy its role as a preventer of rule-breaking as well as a proper compensation for the offended team.
