Samwise NHL & Hockey Newsletter
Saturday, May 2, 2026
Sabres Earn First Playoff Series Win Since 2007, Eliminate Bruins in Game 6
The Buffalo Sabres earned their first playoff series victory since 2007 on Friday, defeating the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 6 at TD Garden to win the Eastern Conference First Round four games to two. Alex Tuch and Mattias Samuelsson scored in the opening period, with Tage Thompson recording assists on both. Zach Benson then extended the lead with a third-period goal assisted by Josh Doan, and Josh Norris added a late insurance tally. David Pastrnak replied for Boston. Goaltender Alex Lyon turned aside 25 of 26 shots as Buffalo advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time in nearly two decades.
Sources: NHL.com
Goncalves OT Goal Forces Game 7 as Lightning Stun Canadiens 1-0
Gage Goncalves scored at 9:03 of overtime Friday to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a 1-0 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Bell Centre, forcing a deciding seventh game on Sunday. Tampa Bay, which trailed the series three games to two entering the night, will host Game 7 at Benchmark International Arena. Andrei Vasilevskiy was outstanding in net, turning aside all Montreal shots through regulation and overtime. The Canadiens, who had been one win away from advancing to the second round for the first time since 2021, must now travel to Tampa for the deciding game.
Sources: NHL.com
Marner Scores Twice as Golden Knights Eliminate Mammoth in Game 6
Mitch Marner scored twice and added an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights eliminated the Utah Mammoth 5-1 in Game 6 at Delta Center on Friday, winning the Western Conference First Round four games to two. Carter Hart made 22 saves in the victory, while Brett Howden extended his goal streak to three games. Utah, which became the first Mammoth squad to reach the playoffs, pushed Vegas through six games in the franchise’s inaugural postseason appearance. The Golden Knights will face the Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Semifinals after Anaheim stunned the Edmonton Oilers earlier in the week.
Sources: NHL.com
Hurricanes Host Flyers Tonight in First-Ever Playoff Meeting
The Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers open their Eastern Conference Semifinal series at Lenovo Center in Raleigh on Saturday, marking the first playoff meeting between the two franchises. Carolina, the top seed in the Eastern Conference with a 53-22-7 regular-season record, swept the Ottawa Senators in four games in the first round. Goaltender Frederik Andersen posted a 1.10 goals-against average and .955 save percentage in that series. Philadelphia defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games, including a 1-0 overtime win in the clincher on Cam York’s goal. Game 1 is at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Sources: NHL.com
Ehlers, Nikishin Hopeful to Play as Hurricanes Prepare for Flyers
Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour expressed cautious optimism Friday that forward Nikolaj Ehlers and defenseman Alexander Nikishin would be available for Saturday’s Game 1 against the Philadelphia Flyers, saying he was hopeful both players would return. Ehlers missed Game 4 of Carolina’s first-round sweep of Ottawa with a lower-body injury, while Nikishin also did not finish the series. Both players skated with the team in regular jerseys at Friday’s practice session, a positive sign ahead of the franchise’s first-ever playoff series with Philadelphia. Brind’Amour indicated that Ehlers in particular had been improving daily.
Sources: The Hockey News
Injuries to McDavid and Draisaitl Sink Oilers in First-Round Exit
The Edmonton Oilers’ 2025-26 season ended in the first round for the first time in four years as injuries to their top two forwards proved too much to overcome against the upstart Anaheim Ducks. Connor McDavid, the NHL’s regular-season scoring leader with 138 points, sustained an ankle injury in Game 2 and was not at full strength through the remainder of the series. Leon Draisaitl, who missed the final 14 regular-season games with a lower-body injury, was also below full capacity. Anaheim converted on 50 percent of its power-play opportunities across the six-game series, exposing the Oilers’ already-diminished penalty kill.
Sources: NHL.com
Avalanche to Face Wild in Western Semifinals After Both Win First-Round Series
The Colorado Avalanche will face the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Semifinals following completion of the first round. Colorado dispatched the Los Angeles Kings in four straight games, while Minnesota defeated the Dallas Stars four games to two in their first playoff series victory since 2015. The Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov was dominant against Colorado in the regular season, posting six points across three matchups. Minnesota goaltender Jesper Wallstedt went 4-2 against Dallas with a 2.04 goals-against average and .924 save percentage. The series joins Vegas versus Anaheim as the full slate of Western Conference Semifinals action gets underway.
Sources: NHL.com
Stanley Cup Playoffs — Second Round
Eastern Conference — First Round Results
Hurricanes def. Senators — 4–0
Flyers def. Penguins — 4–2
Sabres def. Bruins — 4–2
Lightning vs. Canadiens — Tied 3–3 (Game 7 Sun.)
Eastern Conference — Semifinals
Hurricanes vs. Flyers — Series begins May 2
Sabres vs. Lightning/Canadiens — Pending Game 7
Western Conference — First Round Results
Avalanche def. Kings — 4–0
Wild def. Stars — 4–2
Golden Knights def. Mammoth — 4–2
Ducks def. Oilers — 4–2
Western Conference — Semifinals
Golden Knights vs. Ducks — Series TBD
Avalanche vs. Wild — Series TBD
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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