The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs have officially begun. The Carolina Hurricanes, Minnesota Wild, and Philadelphia Flyers have already won Game 1 of their respective series’ so far, with the Colorado Avalanche and Los Angeles Kings, Tampa Bay Lightning and Montréal Canadiens, Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins, and Utah Mammoth and Vegas Golden Knights set to begin their series’ today. The Hockey News – Vancouver Canucks Site Editors have put together their predictions for the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs: here are our picks.
First Round Results
Adam Kierszenblat, Site Editor:
Eastern Conference:
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Carolina Hurricanes over Ottawa Senators
Buffalo Sabres over Boston Bruins
Tampa Bay Lightning over Montréal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins over Philadelphia Flyers
Western Conference:
Colorado Avalanche over Los Angeles Kings
Dallas Stars over Minnesota Wild
Utah Mammoth over Vegas Golden Knights
Edmonton Oilers over Anaheim Ducks
Izzy Cheung, Deputy Site Editor:
Eastern Conference:
Hurricanes over Senators
Sabres over Bruins
Lightning over Canadiens
Penguins over Flyers
Western Conference:
Avalanche over Kings
Stars over Wild
Golden Knights over Mammoth
Oilers over Ducks
Second Round Results
AK:
Eastern Conference:
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Hurricanes over Penguins
Lightning over Sabres
Western Conference:
Avalanche over Stars
Mammoth over Oilers
IC:
Eastern Conference:
Hurricanes over Penguins
Lightning over Sabres
Western Conference:
Avalanche over Stars
Oilers over Golden Knights
Third Round Results
AK:
Hurricanes over Lightning
Avalanche over Mammoth
IC:
Hurricanes over Lightning
Avalanche over Oilers
Stanley Cup Final Result
AK: Hurricanes over Avalanche
IC: Avalanche over Hurricanes
Who Will Win The Conn Smythe?
AK: Sebastian Aho
IC: Nathan MacKinnon
Who Will Finish Playoffs With The Most Points?
AK: Nathan MacKinnon
IC: Nathan MacKinnon
Who Will Finish Playoffs With The Most Goals?
AK: Nathan MacKinnon
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IC: Andrei Svechnikov
Which Goaltender Will Have The Strongest Post-Season?
AK: Frederik Andersen
IC: Frederik Andersen
Which Former Canuck Will Have The Best Performance?
AK: Jalen Chatfield
IC: Vasily Podkolzin
Jan 3, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Hurricanes right wing Andrei Svechnikov (37) gets the shot away past Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (29) during the second period at Lenovo Center. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images
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