Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Previews, stats, schedule, bracketplayTakeaways from Canadiens-Lightning series (0:52)Arda Öcal provides the main takeaways from the Canadiens-Lightning matchup after the Habs’ Game 7 win. (0:52)ESPN staffMay 6, 2026, 07:00 AM ETMultiple Authors
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Four days after the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs began for the Carolina Hurricanes and the Philadelphia Flyers, their Eastern Conference brethren will finally join the party Wednesday.
The Buffalo Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens for Game 1 of their series, with the winner poised to square off against the winner of the Canes-Flyers matchup.
In Wednesday’s nightcap, the Anaheim Ducks hope for a better result at the Vegas Golden Knights after losing 3-1 in Game 1.
Here’s what to watch in Wednesday’s contests, along with scores and highlights from Tuesday’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
Wednesday’s schedule
Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres
Game 1, 7 p.m. ET (TNT)
This will be the eighth series meeting between these two franchises. Montreal has won four of the previous seven, though the Sabres won the most recent (1998 conference semifinals).
Teams that win Game 1 of a seven-game series have gone 541-253 in Stanley Cup playoff history, and the series record for home teams winning Game 1 is 372-126.
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With his 28-save win Sunday, Jakub Dobes became the fifth rookie goaltender in Canadiens history to win a Game 7, joining Carey Price (2008), Patrick Roy (1986), Ken Dryden (twice in 1971) and Jacques Plante (1953).
The Habs will want to get Juraj Slafkovsky going again. He scored three power-play goals in Game 1 against the Lightning (and had seven shots on goal); he was held without a goal or an assist in Games 2-7, registering 11 total shots on goal in that span. Slafkovsky had two total goals in Montreal’s four games against Buffalo in the regular season.
The Sabres had six goals scored by defensemen in their series win against Boston: Bowen Byram (3), Mattias Samuelsson (2) and Rasmus Dahlin (1). This matched the franchise high for goals by blueliners in a series, previously set in 1991: Grant Ledyard (3), Kevin Haller (1), Uwe Krupp (1) and Mike Ramsey (1).
Alex Tuch tied for the team scoring lead in Round 1 with Tage Thompson. His seven points in six games is the highest points-per-game rate in a single playoff campaign for Tuch, having played in four postseasons for the Golden Knights (33 points in 66 games).
0:52
Takeaways from Canadiens-Lightning series
Arda Öcal provides the main takeaways from the Canadiens-Lightning matchup after the Habs’ Game 7 win.
Anaheim Ducks at Vegas Golden Knights
Game 2, 9:30 p.m. ET (TNT) | VGK lead 1-0
The Golden Knights have 9-3 series record when going up 1-0 in a series, and that record is 9-2 when they have home-ice advantage.
The Ducks have now lost Game 1 in each of their past five playoff series since the 2017 second round; they have won two of the previous four, including Round 1 this year against the Edmonton Oilers.
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Ivan Barbashev scored the go-ahead goal for the Knights in the third period, which ties Max Pacioretty and Reilly Smith for the most such goals in the playoffs in franchise history. He now has a seven-game point streak, which is tied for second longest in franchise history behind Jonathan Marchessault’s 10-game streak in 2023.
Brett Howden scored his fifth goal of the 2026 postseason in Game 1, becoming the first player in Knights history to score a game-opening goal in back-to-back playoff games.
Jackson LaCombe had an assist in Anaheim’s defeat, but in the process tied Joe Micheletti for the fewest games by a defenseman to reach 10 playoff points for his career (seven games).
Teammate Cutter Gauthier was held goalless in Game 1 but is tied for the playoff lead in power-play goals (3) with Slafkovsky and the eliminated Wyatt Johnston.
Wednesday’s best bet
The bet: Cole Caufield anytime goal scorer (+175)
He can’t be suppressed forever. Respecting the law of averages, Caufield is going to score this playoff run. After finding the back of the net 51 times this season, it’s difficult to envision otherwise.
Caufield potted four goals, plus a pair of assists, on 13 shots through four contests against the Sabres in the regular season. Only the Bruins surrendered more goals (six) to the 25-year-old sniper. — Victoria Matiash
Tuesday’s scoreboard
Colorado Avalanche 5, Minnesota Wild 2
Avalanche lead 2-0
After 15 combined goals in Game 1, most expected a tighter game this time around … and then the teams both scored a goal in the first three minutes (Martin Necas and Kirill Kaprizov).
The scoring rate did not continue at that pace. The Avs took a 2-1 lead later in the first period on a Gabriel Landeskog power-play goal set up by some crisp passing around the zone. Nicolas Roy notched his third of the playoffs in the second period, before another power-play tally by Colorado in the third (off the stick of Nathan MacKinnon).
The Wild got got one back at 14:33 of the third via Marcus Johansson, but that’s as close as it would get. They couldn’t hit the twine while playing with their own net empty, and Valeri Nichushkin flung a puck the length of the ice into the undefended goal to seal the deal. Game 3 is Saturday in Minnesota. Full recap.
Playoff scoring leaders
PlayerGPGAPT-1. Kirill Kaprizov, F, Wild
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.
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