The second spherical of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs continued on Saturday evening, and we already noticed one crew advance to the convention finals because the Carolina Hurricanes
improved their postseason winning streak to eight consecutive games.
Let’s check out some extra winners and losers from Saturday’s motion.
Saturday’s winners
Jackson Blake, Carolina Hurricanes. Simply an unlimited recreation for Blake on Saturday as he figured in to all three Hurricanes targets of their 3-2, sequence clinching win in opposition to the Philadelphia Flyers.
He scored two targets, together with the extra time winner, whereas additionally helping on Logan Stankoven’s objective. The Hurricanes have one of many NHL’s deepest groups, and it has a fantastic mixture of established veterans and on-the-rise younger stars. Blake is likely one of the latter.
Carolina Hurricanes are getting relaxation. There’s a faculty of thought that having an excessive amount of break day within the playoffs could be a unhealthy factor, because it may disrupt your momentum. However there may be additionally one thing to be stated for having relaxation and break day, given how bodily and demanding a deep playoff run might be.
We’re about to search out out which faculty of thought will win out right here with the Hurricanes.
Due to their second straight four-game sweep to open the playoffs, they’re now going to have some vital break day as they await their Japanese Convention Last opponent. The sequence between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens is tied, 1-1, going into Sunday’s Sport 3, and if it goes seven video games, that might be almost two weeks off for the Hurricanes.
The earliest they’d begin the following spherical is Saturday, Could 16. That could be a full week. It may probably be as far out as Wednesday, Could 20. That might be 11 days.
Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild. The Wild’s in-season commerce for Hughes was vital. Not solely as a result of it added an elite, top-tier defenseman, but additionally as a result of it gave them one other famous person to pair up with ahead Kirill Kaprizov. That’s vital in terms of constructing a Stanley Cup-worthy roster.
Hughes and Kaprizov each shone on Saturday evening in a 5-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche, with Hughes taking part in over 28 minutes, scoring a objective, including an help and serving to to regulate the tempo of the sport when he was on the ice.
The Wild have some potential weaknesses on this roster (particularly at middle), however having a duo like it will give them an opportunity on most nights and in opposition to any crew.
Saturday’s losers
Matvei Michkov, Philadelphia Flyers. It’ll be an extended offseason for the Flyers and Michkov following his second healthy scratch of the playoffs. The whole season was a small step backwards for one of many Flyers’ prime younger gamers, however not even being within the lineup for 2 of the crew’s final six playoff video games goes to be eye-opening.
Flyers offense. If there may be an space Philadelphia has to enhance as a way to take the following step, it’ll be with its offense. They someway ended the playoffs having misplaced six of their closing seven video games, and scored solely 10 targets in these video games. That’s not ok.
Colorado’s profitable streak. Whereas Carolina remained excellent this postseason, the Avalanche noticed their profitable streak finish at six video games of their 5-1 loss to the Wild. They’re nonetheless within the driver’s seat within the sequence and needs to be the highest Stanley Cup favorites, however they now have their first defeat of the playoffs.
