The 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are coming to an end with the final round under way beginning this Tuesday. This postseason has had dominant favorites, emerging contenders, shocking upsets, and storylines that will have people shocked for years. The Carolina Hurricanes and Vegas Golden Knights start their head-to-head series this Tuesday for the Stanley Cup. The road for the Cup has had teams either exceeding expectations or falling short.
The Carolina Hurricanes enter the finals as one of the most dominant teams we have ever seen. For many seasons, the Hurricanes have had deep playoff runs but always came up short of the finals. Now, they have finally gotten through. In the first round, the Hurricanes swept the Ottawa Senators, then repeated this in the second round versus the Philadelphia Flyers, before beating the Montreal Canadiens in 5 games in the eastern conference finals. They have reached the finals with 12 wins and 1 loss. Only one other team has done the same, the 1976 Montreal Canadiens, the first team to be 12-1 entering the finals during the four-round playoff era.
In the Western Conference, the Vegas Golden Knights have proven themselves to be a playoff team. Vegas has been a team for 9 seasons, and in those seasons, they have made the playoffs 8 times, the finals 3 times, and won the Stanley Cup once. This makes them, so far, one of the most successful franchises already in the NHL. Their leading scorers are Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel, who are the top two leading point scorers in the entire playoffs. Mitch Marner was acquired in a trade from Toronto, a team he stood out in during the regular season but lacked in the playoffs. Concern and speculation followed him into the playoffs this year, and people questioned if he could produce, but now he leads the playoffs with 21 points in 16 games. The Knights as a team have had a great run, sitting at a 12-4 record, defeating the heavily favored season champions Colorado Avalanche in 4 games.
The Avalanche had an impressive start to the postseason and a disappointing end. They ended the season with the most points in the league, winning the Presidents trophy, and they won their first 2 round with an 8-1 record. Then, they got to the 3rd round against Vegas. Their top scorer and one of the best players in the league, Nathan MacKinnon, and leading scoring defensemen Cale Makar were both out with injuries leading to a disappointing series loss to Vegas.
One of the biggest upsets in these playoffs is the Edmonton Oilers versus the Anaheim Ducks. The Oilers have been one of the most dominant teams in the league for years, backed by the best player in the world, and local legend, Connor McDavid and his sidekick Leon Draisaitl. This team has been in the last 2 Stanley Cup finals but got bounced in the first round this year by a young Anaheim team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2018.
The Pittsburgh Penguins also made the playoffs after missing the last few years of contention. They went up against the Philadelphia Flyers in the battle of Pennsylvania, where the Flyers ultimately won. The Penguins started the series by going down 3 games to none, and all hope was lost. Then, they rallied behind captain Sidney Crosby and forced a game 6, where they eventually lost to a heartbreaking overtime goal.
The Buffalo Sabres appeared in the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. They shut down the Boston Bruins, led by captain David Pastranak, in a 4-2 series thriller. The Sabres showed bright promise for the coming years, as they advanced to the next round against the Montreal Canadiens. This series went back and forth, eventually going to Game 7 where they lost in overtime 3-2. Though they lost, the future looks bright for Buffalo being such a young team.
The Montreal Canadiens showed signs of being a serious contender for the Cup in the near future. This team has created a bunch of talk, being one the youngest team in the league and making it to the third round. They have plenty of first round talent in forward Ivan Demidov, defensemen Lane Huston, forward Juraj Slafkovsky, forward Cole Caufield, and goaltender Jakub Dobes. There has been a lot of talk about how their 4-1 series loss to Carolina is disappointing, but to have made it this far in the playoffs with an average roster age of 25 is scarily impressive. Don’t be surprised if they win a Stanley Cup in the next 5 years.
In all, this year’s Stanley Cup final has been so impressive, with historical win records, to underdog wins and unexpected sweeps. Now all that’s left is the finals. Will the dominant Carolina complete their almost perfect postseason with their fist Stanley cup since 2006 when their head coach Rod Brind’Amour won it as a player, or will the powerhouse Vegas Knights win their second Cup in 9 seasons?
