play1:09Hurricanes sweep the SenatorsArda Ocal breaks down how the Hurricanes are advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
play1:15Impact of Flyers’ series-clinching win over PenguinsArda Öcal breaks down the thrilling finish that ended the series between the Flyers and Penguins.
play0:35Lightning force Game 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT goalLightning force Game 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT goal.
play0:52Mitch Marner’s second goal gives Golden Knights commanding leadMitch Marner’s second goal gives Golden Knights commanding lead.
Rick Tocchet shares what it took for Flyers to knock out the Penguins (1:14)Flyers coach Rick Tocchet joins Pat McAfee to relive Philadelphia’s incredible overtime win over the Penguins in Game 6. (1:14)
Hurricanes sweep the SenatorsArda Ocal breaks down how the Hurricanes are advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
Impact of Flyers’ series-clinching win over PenguinsArda Öcal breaks down the thrilling finish that ended the series between the Flyers and Penguins.
Lightning force Game 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT goalLightning force Game 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT goal.
Mitch Marner’s second goal gives Golden Knights commanding leadMitch Marner’s second goal gives Golden Knights commanding lead.
play0:44Zach Benson scores to extend Sabres’ leadZach Benson scores to extend Sabres’ lead
The first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs isn’t quite over yet, but we’re already on to Round 2.
Saturday night, the Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers will begin their hostilities for the Metropolitan Division crown, with the winner moving on to the Eastern Conference finals.
Here is a preview and a best bet for Saturday’s game, scores and highlights from Friday’s matchups, and updated playoff stat leaders.
The Flyers and the Hurricanes/Whalers franchise have never faced off in a playoff series, so the team that wins this matchup will automatically have bragging rights until at least next year.
However, these teams are quite familiar with one another, and that’s doubly true this season; Nicolas Deslauriers was traded from the Flyers to the Hurricanes ahead of the deadline, and he’ll make his return to Philly in Game 3.
Looking back to the first round, Dan Vladar’s series-clinching shutout made him the fifth goalie in Flyers history to do so, joining Bernie Parent (1974 and 1975), Pelle Lindbergh (twice in 1985), Ron Hextall (1987) and Brian Boucher (2010).
Three of the Flyers’ four leading scorers in the 2026 playoffs — Rasmus Ristolainen, Trevor Zegras and Noah Cates — are playing in their first NHL postseason. The fourth, Travis Konecny, entered the 2026 playoffs with seven points in 22 career postseason games.
The Hurricanes never trailed in their first-round defeat of the Ottawa Senators, becoming the second team in the past 10 years to pull off that feat — the other was the 2021 Montreal Canadiens in the second round against the Winnipeg Jets.
Logan Stankoven enters this round with an active four-game playoff goal-scoring streak. That’s tied for the longest such streak in Canes/Whalers history with Bates Battaglia (2002) and Ray Sheppard (1999).
Frederik Andersen leads all playoff goaltenders in goals-against average (1.10) and save percentage (.955) heading into the second round. Both are significantly better marks than his regular-season rates: 3.05 in GAA and .874 in SV%.
Arda Ocal breaks down how the Hurricanes are advancing to the next round of the playoffs.
With double the points of any other player from either team in the four-game season series between the Hurricanes and Flyers, Zegras has three goals on 10 shots and six total points against Carolina already this season. For the Flyers to hang with a smothering Hurricanes defense that just swept Ottawa, they will need to capitalize on a man advantage led by Zegras, who paced Philadelphia with 10 power-play goals this season.
If you see a parlay option added for a Porter Martone assist, consider it. Martone picked up two helpers on Zegras power-play goals in only 13:49 during the regular season and also picked up an assist on Zegras’ power-play goal in Game 3 against the Penguins. — Sean Allen
Impact of Flyers’ series-clinching win over Penguins
Arda Öcal breaks down the thrilling finish that ended the series between the Flyers and Penguins.
The fans who packed Bell Centre (and the streets areas outside the arena) came for a celebration of their team moving on to the next round. What they got instead was one of the best games of the postseason — although they would’ve preferred their side winning. Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy and Montreal’s Jakub Dobes were under heavy assault throughout the game — and both were helped out by shots hitting the post in the first period — but neither gave an inch.
It wasn’t until Gage Goncalves scored his first goal of the postseason via a hard-fought rebound at 9:03 of OT that the contest was decided. The two teams will meet again Sunday for Game 7 in Tampa Bay with everything on the line. Full recap.
Lightning force Game 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT goal
Lightning force Game 7 on Gage Goncalves’ OT goal.
The Bruins now turn the page to the offseason, while the Sabres will play the winner of Lightning-Canadiens in Round 2. Full recap.
Zach Benson scores to extend Sabres’ leadZach Benson scores to extend Sabres’ lead
With two very different types of games in the early window Friday, one wondered if the nightcap would be a tightly contested thriller or a coronation. It wound up being the latter, as the Knights scored a goal apiece in the first (Brett Howden) and second (Mitch Marner), and parried the Mammoth’s attacks from then onward.
Mitch Marner’s second goal gives Golden Knights commanding lead
Mitch Marner’s second goal gives Golden Knights commanding lead.
Rick Tocchet shares what it took for Flyers to knock out the Penguins (1:14)Flyers coach Rick Tocchet joins Pat McAfee to relive Philadelphia’s incredible overtime win over the Penguins in Game 6. (1:14)
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet joins Pat McAfee to relive Philadelphia’s incredible overtime win over the Penguins in Game 6. (1:14)
Read more: Full schedule Playoff Central Stanley Cup odds Offseason guide for eliminated teams
Philadelphia Flyers at Carolina Hurricanes Game 1, 8 p.m. ET (ABC)
Tampa Bay Lightning 1, Montreal Canadiens 0 (OT) Series tied 3-3
Vegas Golden Knights 5, Utah Mammoth 1 Golden Knights win 4-2