Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Previews, stats, schedule, bracketESPN staffMay 17, 2026, 07:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
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Three of the four spots in the conference finals round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs have been secured:
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The Carolina Hurricanes earned the first spot on Saturday, May 9, with a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers.
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The Colorado Avalanche were next, with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Wild, which closed Wednesday.
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The Vegas Golden Knights earned a 4-2 series win against the Anaheim Ducks, finishing things off Thursday.
After a dominant performance in Game 6 on Saturday, the Buffalo Sabres have forced a Game 7 matchup with the Montreal Canadiens, which is in Western New York on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Here’s a look at where everything stands, including highlights from Saturday’s game 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
Saturday’s schedule
Buffalo Sabres 8, Montreal Canadiens 3
Series tied 3-3
An early goal by Rasmus Dahlin made it seem like this would be the Sabres’ night; it would eventually, but not before some wild momentum swings. Sixty-eight seconds after Dahlin’s tally, Arber Xhekaj scored for the Canadiens, and the Habs followed that up with two more quick ones — from Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans — at which point Sabres coach Lindy Ruff chose to pull goaltender Alex Lyon and replace him with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
That switch in net appeared to settle Buffalo down, and Jason Zucker scored a power-play goal minutes later to pull the Sabres back within one. From then on, it was all Buffalo; the Sabres scored three goals in the second (Zach Benson, Jack Quinn and Konsta Helenius), and another three in the third (Quinn, Tage Thompson and Zach Metsa) in an emphatic victory to send the series back to Buffalo for a climactic Game 7. That game will be Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. 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
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