Brett Howden, Mitch Marner and Pavel Dorofeyev picked up where they left off in the Second Round, with the former becoming just the sixth player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to post a six-game road goal streak as the Golden Knights fended off an Avalanche comeback attempt to take a 1-0 series lead.
* The NHL was named Sports League of the Year at the annual Sports Business Journal Awards last night after a standout year defined by major achievements, milestones and marquee events.
* The Eastern Conference Final between Carolina and Montreal gets underway tonight, with the Hurricanes aiming to extend their playoff-opening winning streak to nine games and the Canadiens looking to deal them their first loss of the postseason.
League leaders vault Vegas to victory in Western Conference Final opener
Pavel Dorofeyev and Mitch Marner connected on the 2-0 tally before Brett Howden extended his road goal streak to a franchise-record six games as the Golden Knights quelled a second straight three-goal comeback attempt by the Presidents’ Trophy winners to take a 1-0 lead in their Western Conference Final series.
* Dorofeyev delivered his NHL-best 10th goal this postseason. He became the fifth player in franchise history with a double-digit total in a playoff year after Jonathan Marchessault (13), William Karlsson (11), Mark Stone (11) and Chandler Stephenson (10), who all achieved the feat en route to winning the Stanley Cup in 2023.
* Marner leads the League with 19 points this postseason including a franchise-record 14 on the road. Marner’s 81 career playoff points marked the sixth most by an NHL player before his first Conference Finals/Semifinals game behind Brett Hull (127; 1999 CF), Alex Ovechkin (105; 2018 CF), Dale Hawerchuk (98; 1997 CF), Nicklas Backstrom (88; 2018 CF) and Nathan MacKinnon (82; 2022 CF).
* Howden had his seventh road goal of these playoffs to pass Marner (6) for the League lead. Howden also surpassed Marner and Karlsson (6 in 2023) for the second highest single-postseason total in franchise history behind Marchessault (9 in 2023).
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL OPENER FEATURED ANOTHER ELECTRIC ATMOSPHERE
A sold-out crowd of 18,109 was on hand at Ball Arena as the venue hosted its first Western Conference Final game since 2022. More highlights included a highlight-reel assist by Nathan MacKinnon; appearances by Denver Broncos players Mike McGlinchey, Will Lutz and Jarrett Stidham as well as Empyrean fantasy book series author Rebecca Yarros; Avalanche mascot Bernie going airborne during a first-period stoppage; plus fans continuing several traditions like welcoming the team for the third period with The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” followed by a sing-along to Blink-182’s “All the Small Things.”
NHL NAMED LEAGUE OF THE YEAR AT SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL AWARDS
The NHL was named Sports League of the Year at the annual Sports Business Journal Awards on Wednesday, a year highlighted by competitive balance, dramatic comebacks, significant milestones, record ratings and attendance numbers, a pair of thrilling outdoor games in Florida and the NHL’s return to the Winter Olympics. Click here to read more about the honor.
DRAFT DÉJÀ VU A DECADE LATER FOR THE MAPLE LEAFS
The 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft will take place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo from Friday, June 26 (Round 1: 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) to Saturday, June 27 (Rounds 2-7: 11 a.m. ET on NHLN, ESPN+, SN). When the NHL Draft was last held in Buffalo a decade ago, the Maple Leafs retained the No. 1 pick through the NHL Draft Lottery and took to the podium looking for a new face of the franchise – selecting Auston Matthews first overall in 2016.
* Toronto enters this year’s draft again holding the No. 1 pick after missing the playoffs for the first time during Matthews’ tenure, with two of the top prospects wingers who could potentially flank the captain in the coming years: Penn State left wing Gavin McKenna (No. 1-ranked North American skater) and Frolunda left wing Ivar Stenberg (No. 1-ranked international skater).
* In addition to Matthews, the only other time the Maple Leafs held the first-overall pick was in 1985 when they selected Wendel Clark, who like Matthews captained the team (1991-92 to 1993-94), had three separate stints with the franchise and ranks 10th on the franchise’s all-time regular-season goals list topped by Matthews.
* CLICK HERE for more #NHLStats and storylines ahead of the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft
* CLICK HERE for notable team picks at their current draft position (Picks 1-16)
QUICK CLICKS
* Victoire wins 2026 PWHL Walter Cup
* NHL, Honeywell partner to improve fan experience
* NHL-Honeywell partnership aims to optimize arenas’ energy efficiency
* NHL lends support to LGBTQ+ Chelsea Challenge
* U.S. Ratings Increase 55%; Highest Average Viewership for a Round 2 on Record
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINAL BEGINS TONIGHT
The Eastern Conference Final between the Hurricanes and Canadiens gets underway tonight on NHL on TNT, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Both clubs took different paths to get to this point, but their goaltending and offense have both played a crucial role in getting here.
* Carolina (8-0) has been undefeated through two rounds this postseason, while Montreal (8-6) has triumphed in Game 7 twice so far. The six games-played difference between them is the most among any Conference Finals matchup since 1987, when the best-of-seven format was introduced to all four rounds.
* Jakub Dobes has backstopped the Canadiens in every game this postseason and is one away from his 10th career playoff win (his first came in Game 3 of 2025 R1). Dobes can become the 15th rookie goaltender in NHL history to hit the double-digit mark – four others on that list have also achieved the feat with Montreal: Patrick Roy (15), Steve Penney (15), Ken Dryden (14) and Jacques Plante (14).
* Frederik Andersen has backstopped Carolina in all eight of its wins and can tie Grant Fuhr (9 GP in 1985 w/ EDM) for the longest postseason-opening winning streak in NHL history. He can also become the ninth goaltender in League history with a nine-game run at any point in a postseason. Andersen, who is sporting a .950 save percentage and 1.12 goals against average, can also match the NHL benchmark for most consecutive starts allowing two goals or fewer to begin a postseason, which was established by Clint Benedict with the Montreal Maroons in 1928 (9 GP).
* Logan Stankoven has found the back of the net in the series opener in each of the first two rounds of these playoffs and can become the second player in franchise history to score a goal in three Game 1s in a single postseason, following his coach Rod Brind’Amour (2006 CSF, CF & SCF). Stankoven (7-1—8 in 8 GP) leads the Hurricanes in goals and tops the postseason with a 0.88 goals-per-game average. Among skaters to play at least eight games in a postseason, only two since 2000 had a higher rate: Valeri Nichushkin (1.13 in 2024; 9 in 8 GP) and Leon Draisaitl (1.08 in 2023; 13 in 12 GP).
* Lane Hutson (2-12—14 in 14 GP) paces his club in points this postseason, with a large portion coming from factoring on nine of Montreal’s playoff-leading 13 power-play goals. He can become the first defenseman and fourth different player in Canadiens history with at least 10 power-play points in a single playoff year, following Jean Beliveau (12 in 1965), Mats Naslund (11 in 1987 & 10 in 1986) and Jacques Lemaire (10 in 1979). Hutson is also approaching his 20th career playoff point (2-17—19 in 19 GP) and can become the fourth Canadiens player to reach the mark in 20 or fewer games, after forwards Newsy Lalonde (9 GP), Maurice Richard (14 GP) and Elmer Lach (15 GP).
