Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Previews, stats, schedule, bracketESPN staffApr 22, 2026, 07:30 AM ETMultiple Authors
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After three days of four games apiece, the 2026 Stanley Cup playoff schedule takes its foot off the gas … slightly.
Three games are on the slate for Wednesday:
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The Philadelphia Flyers welcome the Pittsburgh Penguins to the City of Brotherly Love for Game 3 of the Battle of Pennsylvania.
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After two quite different games in the first two clashes between the Dallas Stars and Minnesota Wild, Game 3 will take place in the Twin Cities.
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Following a thrilling 4-3 win in Game 1, the Edmonton Oilers welcome the Anaheim Ducks back to the ice at Rogers Place.
Read on for in-depth previews of Wednesday’s three games, scores and highlights from Tuesday’s games, and updated playoff stat leaders.
Read more:
Full schedule
Playoff Central
Stanley Cup odds
Top 50 player rankings
Lapsed fan’s guide
Wednesday’s schedule
Pittsburgh Penguins at Philadelphia Flyers
7 p.m., TNT | PHI leads 2-0
The Flyers’ win in Game 2 certainly put mathematics on their side looking forward to the rest of the Battle of Pennsylvania.
In Stanley Cup playoff history, teams that have gone up 2-0 in a seven-game series have a 360-58 record (86% win percentage); the Flyers franchise is 18-0 when it has gone up 2-0 in a best-of-seven, which is the most series wins without a loss in NHL postseason history.
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Against the Penguins specifically, this is the third time Philly has built a 2-0 lead, winning the 2012 conference quarterfinals in six games and the 1997 conference quarterfinals in five games.
Philly’s Porter Martone has been credited with the winning goal in each game this series, becoming the first teenager in NHL history to pull off that feat in his first playoff games.
Dan Vladar pitched a shutout in Game 2, becoming the first Flyers netminder to do so since Carter Hart in 2020.
Among the shocks of the early postseason, one is the zero in the points column for Sidney Crosby. Heading into the 2026 playoffs, Crsoby had 36 points in 23 career playoff games against Philly.
Will Pittsburgh make a change in goal with the series shifting to Philadelphia? Arturs Silovs had a slightly better regular-season save percentage than Stuart Skinner (.888 to .885) and was the MVP of the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs, backstopping the Abbotsford Canucks to the AHL’s title.
Dallas Stars at Minnesota Wild
9:30 p.m., TNT | Series tied 1-1
Did the Stars have the Wild right where they wanted them after a Game 1 loss? Dallas’ 4-2 win in Game 2 was its fourth straight win when trailing 1-0 in a playoff series.
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Wyatt Johnston led the way in Game 2 with two goals, reaching the 20-goal mark in the playoffs in 58 games. He is the sixth fastest in Stars/North Stars franchise history to do so, behind Dino Ciccarelli (29 GP), Steve Payne (30 GP), Dave Gagner (44 GP), Mike Modano (49 GP) and Brian Bellows (49 GP).
After a rough start in Game 1, Jake Oettinger stopped 28 of 30 shots in Game 2. It was his 33rd career playoff win, which is second in franchise history behind Ed Belfour (44).
Brock Faber scored both of the Wild’s goals in Game 2, his first career multigoal game (regular season or playoffs). He is the second Wild defenseman to have a multigoal playoff game, adding his name beside Jared Spurgeon, who did it in 2016 and 2020.
When a best-of-seven series has been 1-1 after two games in Stanley Cup playoff history, the winner of Game 3 has gone on to win the series 66% of the time.
Anaheim Ducks at Edmonton Oilers
10 p.m., TBS | EDM leads 1-0
The Game 1 win for the Oilers was a good omen for them and a bad harbinger for the Ducks. Edmonton is 24-4 in best-of-seven series when winning Game 1; Anaheim is 3-11 in best-of-seven series when losing Game 1.
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Jason Dickinson scored two goals in Game 1 after scoring just one goal in 17 games after being acquired from the Blackhawks on March 4. He became the fourth player in franchise history to have a multigoal game in his Oilers playoff debut.
Playing in his first game since March 15 — due to a lower-body injury — Leon Draisaitl finished with two assists.
Troy Terry scored two goals and added an assist in Game 1. He is the second Ducks player to record a multigoal game in his playoff debut, joining Paul Kariya (1997 vs. the Coyotes).
Not to be outdone, 21-year-old Leo Carlsson became the youngest Ducks player to score a goal in his playoff debut.
Tuesday’s scoreboard
Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Montreal Canadiens 2 (OT)
Series tied 1-1
Some Round 1 series take a bit to get the emotions flowing. Others, like Canadiens-Lightning, include a full-on brawl in Game 2 that results in nine players being sent to the penalty box. Beyond the fisticuffs, this was another tightly played game, and the second in as many games that went to overtime.
Brandon Hagel started the scoring for Tampa Bay, but Lane Hutson answered later in the first period, and Josh Anderson gave Montreal the 2-1 edge after two. Nikita Kucherov ended a 16-game playoff goalless streak with a tally at 12:33 of the third, and J.J. Moser played hero in OT, sending the Lightning fans home happy. The series heads to Montreal for Game 3 on Friday. Full recap.
Boston Bruins 4, Buffalo Sabres 2
Series tied 1-1
A spirited crowd in Buffalo was just as boisterous as in Game 1, but the fans were shocked as the B’s scored three second-period goals off the sticks of Viktor Arvidsson, Morgan Geekie and Pavel Zacha. Arvidsson notched another 16 seconds in to the third, and then the rough stuff started ramping up.
But while Tage Thompson was among the players spending extended time in the penalty box for misconducts, the Sabres pulled within 4-2 thanks to goals from Bowen Byram and Peyton Krebs. The crowd woke back up, urging the team to get two more, but there was to be no more scoring in this one. Game 3 is Thursday in Boston. Full recap.
Utah Mammoth 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2
Series tied 1-1
After the Knights won a hard-fought 4-2 victory in Game 1, they earned the early edge in Game 2 via a first-period Mark Stone power-play goal. The Mammoth answered five minutes later, with trade deadline acquisition MacKenzie Weegar notching his first goal of the postseason — his first playoff goal since 2021 (while with the Panthers).
The two teams then traded goals in the second period — Utah’s Dylan Guenther and Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev earning the finishes — before Logan Cooley notched the game-winning goal at 14:00 of the third period. The two teams head to Salt Lake City on Friday for the first home playoff game in Mammoth franchise history. Full recap.
Colorado Avalanche 2, Los Angeles Kings 1 (OT)
Avalanche lead 2-0
Given the differential between these two teams in the standings, the tightness of the first two games of this series has been shocking. Though there was no shortage of scoring chances, both goalies carried a shutout through two periods.
Artemi Panarin’s power-play goal at 13:04 of the third got the Kings on the board first, but Gabriel Landeskog answered at 16:25. The teams headed to overtime, where Colorado’s trade addition Nicolas Roy sealed the deal — with a secondary assist going to another deadline acquisition, Nazem Kadri. The series shifts to L.A. for Games 3 and 4, with the first of those on Thursday. Full recap.
Playoff scoring leaders
PlayerGPGAP1. David Pastrnak, F, Bruins
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
Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket ESPN
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