#NHLPeachy @NHL #NHLStats Pack: 2026 Second Round Recap Our Coverage Sponsored by Cosmopolitan Dental, Official Dentist of Whom You Know @GaroNazarianDDS #cosmopolitandental #loveyoursmile
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ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERES, ELITE PERFORMANCES POWER ROUND 2
Crowds gathered outside arenas packed with fans – whether the game was at home or on the road – including many cities where Second Round Stanley Cup Playoffs action made a long-awaited return, with Buffalo (2007), Philadelphia (2012), Minnesota (2015) and Anaheim (2017) all hosting round two games in their cities for the first time in at least nine years.
Three Trends from the Second Round
* There were 6.5 goals per game, the second-highest rate in the second round over the past 32 postseasons (6.7 in 2023 R2).
* 45% of games were comeback wins, the second-highest rate in the Second Round over the past 10 postseasons (60% in 2024 R2).
* For the first time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, three teams secured a spot in the third round by scoring a series-clinching goal in overtime (CAR, COL & MTL). The three series-clinching overtime goals were one shy of the most in any round in playoff history (4 in 1993 DSF). The last came in a contest that made 2026 the third playoff year ever to have each of the first 12 series require at least one OT contest.
Three Storylines to Follow into the Conference Finals
* The top two teams from the regular season have a combined 16-1 record entering the Conference Finals (CAR: 8-0; COL: 8-1).
* Championship pedigree defines the 2026 Western Conference Final between Colorado and Vegas, which between them have the three highest-scoring forwards from the Second Round.
* The Eastern Conference Final will pit a perennial contender against the youngest team in more than 30 years to reach the third round – with both seeking to end a lengthy Stanley Cup drought.
TOP PERFORMERS THAT LED FOUR TEAMS THROUGH THE SECOND ROUND
Montreal Canadiens
* Lane Hutson (2-12—14) and Jakub Dobes (8-6) helped the Canadiens (25.8) become the youngest NHL team to advance to the Conference Finals/Semifinals in 33 years after the club won its second Game 7 of the postseason and NHL record-setting 17th all-time. They are the youngest NHL team to reach the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in more than 30 years – the last instance happened to also be a Montreal squad, the 1993 group that captured the club’s last championship. Hutson had eight assists in the Second Round to co-lead all players and tie the single-series franchise record for a defenseman (Larry Robinson: 8 in 1987 DF & 1987 CF; J.C. Tremblay: 8 in 1971 SF). Hutson’s eight points against Buffalo were the most by a Montreal defenseman in one series since Robinson in the 1987 Conference Finals. Overall, Hutson ranks second in the NHL with 12 assists this postseason, the most by a Montreal defenseman since 1989 (Chris Chelios: 15). Dobes became the seventh rookie goaltender in NHL history with multiple Game 7 wins (sixth to do so in one postseason).
* Alex Newhook, who led the Second Round with six goals, scored in overtime of Game 7 and accounts for the winning goal in both Game 7s this year – just the second player in NHL history with multiple Game 7-clinchers in one postseason. Newhook had the most goals in one series by a Canadiens player since 2010 and came within one of matching the club’s modern-era record. Newhook, the only Stanley Cup champion on the Montreal roster, scored in four games during the Second Round – including back-to-back multi-goal showings (a first for Montreal in 1997) – and helped them win two Game 7s in one year for the third time (also 2010 & 1971).
Carolina Hurricanes
* The same line that got the Hurricanes to the Second Round got them through it as Jackson Blake (3-4—7), Taylor Hall (1-4—5) and Logan Stankoven (3-0—3) combined for 15 points against the Flyers, including 3-4—7 in the clinching game plus both OT winners in the round (Hall in Game 2, Blake in Game 4). Overall, the trio has 31 total points and has scored 14 of the team’s 24 goals in these playoffs. In Game 1 against Philadelphia, Stankoven became the youngest player in NHL history to begin a postseason with a five-game goal streak, set a franchise record for longest playoff goal streak (at any point and any age) and set the club benchmark for game-opening goals in one playoff year (4).
* Frederik Andersen started the Second Round with his second shutout of these playoffs – setting a franchise record for career playoff wins in the process – and is now one of six goaltenders in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to yield two goals against or fewer in eight straight appearances to begin a postseason. Andersen leads the League with a 1.12 goals-against average and .950 save percentage overall in these playoffs, just the fifth goaltender on record to post combined numbers that high through eight starts. He is the fourth goaltender in NHL history to begin a playoff run with an eight-game winning streak, following Grant Fuhr (9-0 w/ 1985 EDM), Jacques Plante (2x; 8-0 w/ 1969 STL & 1960 MTL) and Terry Sawchuk (8-0 w/ 1952 DET).
Vegas Golden Knights
* After making a coaching change with less than 10 games left in their season, the Golden Knights reached the penultimate round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time thanks in large part to newcomer Mitch Marner who led all players with 11 points in the Second Round – one shy of the single-series franchise record held by Mark Stone (who missed Games 4-6 vs. ANA due to injury). Marner, who had a hat trick and four-point showing in Game 3, is in the playoffs for the 10th time in as many NHL seasons and will enter his first Conference Finals as the playoff scoring leader (7-11—18). He has multi-point showings in five of his past seven contests, including both of his team’s series-clinching games.
* Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice in each of the last two games against the Ducks and enters the Western Conference Final riding a three-game goal streak overall – one shy of the franchise playoff record last achieved earlier this year by Brett Howden (4 GP), who has eight goals himself to sit one back of Dorofeyev (9) for the playoff lead. Vegas has the Stanley Cup Playoffs leader in goals (Dorofeyev), assists (Jack Eichel; 14) and points (Marner) making them the fourth team to enter the round before the Final with three different players topping those scoring categories (also EDM in 2024 & 2023; NYR in 1974).
Colorado Avalanche
* Nathan MacKinnon won his first Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy in 2025-26 after scoring a career-high 53 goals and enters his second Conference Finals riding a six-game goal streak, the longest by any NHL player since teammate Valeri Nichushkin tied the franchise playoff record with a seven-gamer in 2024. MacKinnon’s run, which was extended with a laser targeted tying goal with 83 seconds left in regulation of Game 5, is the longest by the NHL regular-season goals leader since Mario Lemieux 30 years ago and his seven tallies are among the most by the “Rocket” winner since the award was introduced.
* Martin Necas co-led all players with eight assists in the Second Round and tied MacKinnon for the third-most points behind Marner and Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin (3-7—10). Necas had four multi-point games against Minnesota (tied with Marner for the most in R2) and enters the Western Conference Final riding consecutive multi-assist games after notching the primary assist on both the tying and overtime goals in Colorado’s clinching victory.
HURRICANES, AVALANCHE STORM THROUGH TWO ROUNDS
There’s an avalanche forming in the West and a hurricane in the East as the League’s top two teams share a 16-1 record through the Second Round (COL: 8-1; CAR: 8-0) – the best combined record by two teams entering the Conference Finals.
* This is the second time since 1987, when the best-of-seven format was introduced for all four rounds, that two teams have reached the Conference Finals each with one or fewer losses (COL: 8-1; CAR: 8-0). The other instance was in 1995 when Detroit and Philadelphia both entered with 8-1 records (16-2 combined); the Red Wings advanced to the Stanley Cup Final where they were swept by the Devils, who had eliminated the Flyers in six games after entering the Conference Finals with their own impressive record (NJD: 8-2).
* The Avalanche-Wild series provided thrills from start to finish, bookended by contests in which a team erased a three-goal deficit – with Colorado coming out victorious in both Game 1 (a high-octane 15-goal affair) after seeing its early 3-0 lead evaporate and Game 5 when the Avalanche turned their own 3-0 hole into their first series-clinching win in Denver in 18 years (despite trailing by multiple goals with less than 4:00 on the clock in regulation). Colorado, which matched its best-ever playoff start (6-0), scored by committee in the Second Round and tied the NHL record for most goal scorers in a single series (16). Colorado was the No. 1 seed in the overall NHL standings nearly gate-to-gate during the regular season, holding that spot for 153 game days including 143 in a row to end the campaign.
* After spending the entire season inside the playoff bracket, 104 consecutive game days atop the division and maintaining the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for more than half the campaign (53%), the Hurricanes swept their second straight series to advance to the Conference Finals and moved within eight wins of their second-ever Stanley Cup championship. Aided by three overtime victories (1 in R1, 2 in R2), Carolina become the fifth team in NHL history to begin its postseason with eight consecutive wins – and the first to do so under the best-of-seven format (since 1987). The Hurricanes went five straight games without trailing to begin the postseason (the fifth team in NHL history to do so) and are the third club in League history to enter the round before the Stanley Cup Final on an eight-game winning streak. Their eight-game winning streak is a franchise record and one shy of matching the 1985 Oilers (9-0) for the longest in NHL history to begin a postseason. After a Game 4 overtime goal secured an early clinch, Carolina will have 11 days off before Game 1 of its second straight Eastern Conference Final as it aims to become the second team in the past 32 years with nine consecutive wins at any point in one playoff year (2008 Red Wings: 9-0).
THE TALE OF TWO CONFERENCE FINALS MATCHUPS
The two Conference Finals matchups are coming with differing levels of championship pedigree.
* In the West, both clubs have won in the past five seasons – Colorado in 2022 followed by Vegas a year later – and each has a double-digit count for Cup winners for a combined 23 players with a championship (VGK: 12; COL: 11). Despite that, this series features the only players left in these playoffs who are seeking their first Stanley Cup after more than 1,000 regular-season games (COL teammates Brent Burns and Brock Nelson).
* In the East, both clubs are seeking to end a long championship wait – Carolina won its only Cup in 2006 and Montreal won the last of its NHL record 23 in 1993 – and have only three players with a championship. Two of those three players won with the Western Conference finalists (Alex Newhook w/ COL, William Carrier w/ VGK) while the other is vying to become the first player in NHL history to go 17 years from his first Cup to his second (Jordan Staal w/ PIT in 2009).
* A snapshot of each club’s experience in the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs: Colorado is making its eighth appearance since relocating to Denver in 1995-96 but just its second in 23 seasons, with the last coming when the club won its third Stanley Cup in 2022.
Vegas is making its fifth appearance in nine NHL seasons (more than 11 active franchises have in their history) and first since winning its only Stanley Cup in 2023.
Carolina is making it second straight appearance, third in four seasons, fourth in eight campaigns and fifth since winning its only Stanley Cup in 2006.
Montreal is making its first appearance since defeating Vegas in the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals and fourth since winning its NHL-record 23rd Stanley Cup in 1993.
FOUR OTHER FACTS FROM THE SECOND ROUND
* Quinn Hughes and Kirill Kaprizov both collected 4-11—15 in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs to tie for the second-most points in a playoff year in club history. Hughes had a point in all but two games, including 1-2—3 in his first playoff head-to-head against Cale Makar – the same contest in which he set the Wild record for both assists and points in one postseason by a defenseman. Hughes and Brock Faber also set a new club benchmark for goals by a defenseman.
* Beckett Sennecke, 20, shared the team lead and matched the franchise rookie record for goals in a postseason by scoring five times – tops among all rookies in 2026. The day after being named a Calder Trophy finalist, Sennecke (3rd in voting) started a four-game goal streak which came within one of the club record and was the longest by any rookie since 2017 (Auston Matthews: 4 GP w/ TOR).
* Rasmus Dahlin (3-7—10) trailed only Mitch Marner (5-6—11) in Second Round scoring, a performance that included establishing an NHL record for points by a defenseman in an elimination game (1-4—5 in Game 6). Dahlin, named a Norris Trophy finalist during the series and also in contention for the Bill Masterton Trophy, also set a record for the most points by a Sabres defenseman in one series and came within one of the club record for any Buffalo skater (Pat LaFontaine: 11 in 1992 DSF). Overall, Dahlin had 4-10—14 during his first postseason (13 GP) to tie the franchise record for goals by a defenseman in one playoff year (as did Bowen Byram) and come within one of the blueline benchmarks for assists and points.
* Dahlin, Hughes and Lane Hutson (MTL) combined to mark the fourth time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history that at least three teams had a defenseman as their outright points leader in the same round. The others: 2019 First Round (STL, WPG, TBL, SJS, CAR, NSH), 1999 Conference Quarterfinals (STL, TOR, SJS), 1984 Division Semifinals (MNS, CGY, WSH) and 1983 Division Finals (MNS, CHI, CGY).
