Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Previews, stats, schedule, bracketESPN staffMay 13, 2026, 07:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
tamil yogi
The first team to earn a spot in the 2026 conference finals round was the Carolina Hurricanes, back on Saturday. Will another team join them in the NHL’s final four on Wednesday night?
The Colorado Avalanche have the Minnesota Wild on the ropes, up 3-1 with Game 5 at home in Denver, after winning Games 1 and 2 there this round.
Can the Wild stave off elimination and force a Game 6 back in Minnesota? Or will Colorado earn some extra rest before taking on the winner of the Anaheim Ducks-Vegas Golden Knights series?
Here’s what to watch in that contest — along with a best bet — as well as scores and highlights from Tuesday’s games and updated playoff stat leaders.
Read more:
Full schedule
Playoff Central
Stanley Cup odds
Conn Smythe Watch
Second-round picks
Offseason guide for eliminated teams
Wednesday’s schedule
Minnesota Wild at Colorado Avalanche
Game 5, 8 p.m. ET (TNT) | COL leads 3-1
The Avalanche have a 14-2 series record in franchise history when going up 3-1 in a seven-game series; the Wild have a 2-6 series record when falling behind 1-3.
Game 4 was the first loss for Minnesota this season when the club scored the first goal in the game. But Colorado has been finishing strong; the Avs have 17 goals and a plus-10 goal differential in the third period this postseason, both of which are the best of any team in the 2026 playoff field.
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With a goal in Game 4, Nathan MacKinnon has six goals in his past five playoff games after scoring zero in the first three. The five-game goal streak is the longest of his career.
MacKinnon and Martin Necas each have 23 points when the game is in overtime or tied/within one goal in the last 10 minutes of the third period (regular and postseason combined). That is the most in the NHL in the 2025-26 season.
Quinn Hughes had one assist in Game 4, giving him 34 for his postseason career. That is tied with Evan Bouchard for the third most through 40 playoff games by a defenseman in NHL history, behind Brian Leetch and Bobby Orr, who both had 35.
Danila Yurov scored his first career playoff goal in his eighth career playoff game. He is the 50th player in the 2026 playoffs to score their first career playoff goal.
Wednesday’s best bet
The bet: Mackenzie Blackwood over 24.5 saves (+100)
Facing elimination, the Wild aren’t about to register only four shots on net in the first period, while going dry for a good part of the second, as they did in Game 4. Even if John Hynes’ crew ends up ultimately losing this must-win contest, Matt Boldy, Ryan Hartman, Kirill Kaprizov, Brock Faber and others are bound to go down swinging.
Assuming Blackwood earns the start once more — a relatively safe guess considering his solid performance in Monday’s 5-2 victory — we can foretell that a 25-plus save showing for the Avs’ netminder is likely in the cards. — Victoria Matiash
Tuesday’s scoreboard
Buffalo Sabres 3, Montreal Canadiens 2
Series tied 2-2
Momentum can change from game to game in a seven-game series, and Games 3 and 4 could not have been any more different. The Sabres scored the first goal of the game in both — and the Canadiens scored the next two in both. But on this night, Buffalo didn’t fall apart apart entirely thereafter; down 2-1 in the second, the Sabres got a miraculous goal that banked in off the end boards and Jakub Dobes’ pads into the net to knot the score at 2-2.
Rising star Zach Benson then scored the game-winning goal 4:41 into the third (on his 21st birthday, no less), before Buffalo withstood a furious effort from the Canadiens that ultimately fell short. There will be at least two more games of this series, the next of which is Game 5 on Thursday in Buffalo. Full recap.
Vegas Golden Knights 3, Anaheim Ducks 2 (OT)
Golden Knights lead 3-2
Game 5 was another nail-biter for those brave enough to stay up to watch. Anaheim’s Beckett Sennecke and Vegas’ Pavel Dorofeyev traded first-period power-play goals, and the score would remain knotted at one goal apiece until the third period. That’s when Tomas Hertl scored his second of the postseason to send the Vegas crowd into a frenzy.
That feeling would not be everlasting, as Anaheim’s Olen Zellweger picked a good time to score his first career playoff goal, 16:55 into the third period. Despite some chances in the final minutes, neither team could score again in regulation. The fans didn’t have to wait too long in the extra session to explode again, as Dorofeyev clinched the victory for the Golden Knights with his second of the game at 4:10 of OT. The series heads back to Anaheim for Game 6 on Thursday. Full recap.
Playoff scoring leaders
PlayerGPGAP1. Mitch Marner, F, Golden Knights
Click here for full list of stats leaders.
Playoff goaltending leaders
PlayerGPWGAASV%1. Frederik Andersen, Hurricanes
Click here for the full list of goaltender stats.
Stanley Cup playoff bracket
Updated NHL playoff bracket ESPN
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