HabsWorld Predicts: 2026 Playoffs – Round 1, Part 2
The rest of the first round NHL postseason gets started Sunday and Monday. The HabsWorld writers provided their predictions on the rest of the playoff matches.
Eastern Conference
Montreal Canadiens vs Tampa Bay Lightning
Kevin Leveille predicts: Canadiens in 6 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Canadiens in 7 games
Brian Davis predicts: Canadiens in 6 games
Richard Roy predicts: Canadiens in 6 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Lightning in 6 games
(Kevin) This is the Eastern version of the Stars-Wild match as it highlights why this format is simply terrible. Anyways, on paper, the Lightning should be the favourite. They are a battle-hardened team with a chip on their shoulder playing a young team with little to prove after exceeding regular season expectations. The teams split the season series with the Lightning winning their games in a more convincing fashion. The Lightning have a clear advantage in net as Andrei Vasilevskiy is a clear win over either of the rookies the Habs are leaning on. The blue line should be advantage Montreal, but the loss of Noah Dobson and the uncertainty around his return is matched by the loss and uncertainty around Victor Hedman for the Lightning. The presence of Lane Hutson should the difference between these two groups, and Corey Perry’s targeting of Lane in the team’s last game is indicative that even the Lightning know this.
Up front is a promising duel between one of the league’s best lines being pitted against one of the league’s best players. What happens beneath that headline match-up might be the key to the series. The Habs have more skill after the first line, but the youth has meant that it shows up sporadically. If Ivan Demidov and Oliver Kapanen start clicking again, or if Zach Bolduc sustains his efforts, the Habs can win the “weak link” portion of the series. The other key is if the undersized Habs can sustain their efforts to play as dirty as one of the scummiest teams in the league. I think the experience from playing Tom Wilson last year plays big and the Habs upset the Lightning.
(Norm) Despite the two teams being tied in the regular season, the Lightning have several advantages over Montreal. Big stars like right winger Nikita Kucherov and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy. Their support players include forwards Jake Guentzel, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point, and Anthony Cirelli; all have ample postseason experience. Tampa is still without its top defenceman in Victor Hedman, which will be a handicap in a long series. Why I like the Habs to win this series is based on their dominance over Tampa in their last two games of the regular season. In their game on March 31st, Montreal’s skill prevailed in a 4-1 win, and in their April 9th 2-1 win, Tampa tried to play a physical game but the Canadiens matched up well against that style. Montreal’s top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Juraj Slafkovsky will step up to provide the offence they will need. Goaltender Jakub Dobes has been excellent since Montreal changed its goaltending coach. The odds makers gave Montreal around a 29% chance of winning this series, but my prediction goes against the odds, as this team will get some vengeance for their loss to Tampa in the 2021 Cup Final.
(Brian D) Another tough series but I think age will win out over experience. Expect a lot of shenanigans on Tampa’s side, but if the Habs can do a number on Kucherov again, I think they’ll win it.
(Richard) This is going to be the most exciting and the toughest first-round matchup. I expect a lot of after-whistle scrums and intimidation mind games on both sides. The experienced veteran team versus young talent. The last two games between these two teams showed that Montreal can play that kind of game this season compared to last year. The series versus Washington was a good lesson for them. If Montreal’s power play can produce, that should cool down Tampa Bay and force them to play Montreal’s game.
(Brian L) For the past six weeks, the Canadiens have lived on hot goaltending and one line carrying the offence to a record that was vastly better than their performance. That’s not a recipe for playoff success. Unless they get some semblance of secondary scoring, I think the Habs are in trouble. And with how things have gone lately, I don’t have much confidence in a second scoring line emerging. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is a healthier team now than they were in their last two matchups with Hedman due back soon as well. Montreal can very much win this series; I just don’t think they have a great chance to do so.
Boston Bruins vs Buffalo Sabres
Kevin Leveille predicts: Sabres in 6 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Sabres in 5 games
Brian Davis predicts: Sabres in 6 games
Richard Roy predicts: Bruins in 5 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Sabres in 6 games
(Kevin) The wait is over for Sabres fans, and the fun might just be getting started. Sure, the Bruins enter the series with far more playoff experience under their belts, but the Sabres are built for this with size and grit all over their lineup. The Bruins hold a decided edge in the crease, and I think Jeremy Swayman will have to steal more than one game if the Bruins want to come out on top. The Sabres have a decided advantage in every other facet. They are bigger, they are meaner, they have more depth for scoring, and they defend well. Basically, I think the Bruins win Game 1 as Buffalo adapts to the playoff pace. After that, it’s Swayman or bust.
(Norm) It’s been 14 seasons since the Sabres have made the postseason and their fans have been starving to see them make it back. This year will be their time to shine. The team has come on very strong after their GM was fired in mid-December, particularly with their advanced stats of expected goals scored and expected goals against. Look for Tage Thompson to thrive in his first playoffs, along with their star defenceman Rasmus Dahlin. Boston has its stars with playoff experience in David Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, but their depth cannot contend with the Sabres’ size and speed.
(Brian D) The Sabres are a strong team and are an all-around threat. I can see Swayman keeping it tight, but the Sabres just being too strong.
(Richard) This is a hot take but I don’t think Buffalo is ready for Bruins’ playoff hockey. They will be in their face the whole series and overwhelm the Sabres. Buffalo will look like Montreal last year versus Washington, which is normal and to be expected. I do think this will energize them for next season and they could be much more dominant next year. But for this year, it’s about learning the lesson.
(Brian L) I could see this being last year’s Montreal-Washington where the experienced team wins out. But I don’t think the Bruins are really all that good. They will wear Buffalo down physically and have the goaltending advantage but sometimes, the better team still wins. And the Sabres are the better team in this series.
Western Conference
Colorado Avalanche vs Los Angeles Kings
Kevin Leveille predicts: Avalanche in 5 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Avalanche in 4 games
Brian Davis predicts: Avalanche in 4 games
Richard Roy predicts: Avalanche in 4 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Avalanche in 4 games
(Kevin) The Kings are so relieved to not be playing the Edmonton Oilers… or not. Instead, they face the Colorado Avalanche, who were eight points clear of anyone else in the league, were a +99 on the season, and boast the league’s best scoring and best team defence. Now, there are matchups I don’t like for the Avalanche, but the Kings just isn’t one of them. Having said that, the Kings have arrived in the postseason as an eighth seed before if anyone wants to research how that turned out. I just have a hard time believing they’ll find that type of success this season against this opponent. The length of the series likely depends on how hot Darcy Kuemper can get and how many games he can steal. Really, this should be a short one.
(Norm) Los Angeles captain Anze Kopitar has a last playoff experience for his swan song before he retires. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the Kings, they have to face Colorado. Los Angeles had the fewest number of regulation wins among the teams entering the postseason, which indicates they are the weakest squad. The Avalanche have been very dominant this season, leading the NHL in points. I do not see any scenario where they can slow down or contain Nathan MacKinnon or the rest of his team, so this match will end in a sweep for Colorado.
(Brian D) Whilst I think they might not go all the way through to the Cup, they’ll be too strong for the Kings. At least Kopitar plays his last game at home.
(Richard) The No 1 team in the league versus the 20th. This is not even fair at this point. The discrepancies between the divisions has been exceptionally large this season and this series is a prime example of it. Under any other playoff qualifying rules, the Kings would be reserving tee times at this point. Watching this series will feel like watching a practice game for Colorado.
(Brian L) The Kings are a bad team without a clear-cut starter. To be fair, the Avalanche don’t have a clear-cut starter either but it doesn’t matter which one they start, they’ll have the advantage in goal and everywhere else as well. This one should be over in a hurry as a result.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Utah Mammoth
Kevin Leveille predicts: Mammoth in 6 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Golden Knights in 5 games
Brian Davis predicts: Golden Knights in 5 games
Richard Roy predicts: Mammoth in 7 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Golden Knights in 6 games
(Kevin) The battle-hardened Knights face the up-and-coming Mammoth. Despite that first sentence, it’s the Mammoth who have been quietly consistent all year in earning their first playoff berth as a franchise. They have some excellent young players who can score and a defence core that is solid on paper. The contrast is that Vegas lost Alex Pietrangelo, acquired a player who has a rather large postseason question mark around his name in Mitch Marner, and they felt the need to change coaches a few games before the playoffs. That leaves this series with three giant question marks coming in: Can Vegas ride the new coach bump long enough to win the series? How will the inexperienced Mammoth handle the playoff pressure? Who can get league-average goaltending? That last one might be the key as neither team boasts excellent numbers in the crease. Vegas needs a goalie to step up and Utah arrives on the back of the goalie who has played the most games in the entire league in Karel Vejmelka. Call me crazy, but I’m going with the team that won more regular season games and has fewer question marks around it to start the playoffs.
(Norm) Vegas gambled on a dead-coach bounce when they fired their only coach to lead them to a Stanley Cup, and replaced him with another in John Tortorella. They rolled a seven, and are undefeated in seven regulation games (7-0-1) with Torts. I like Utah’s youth, and they will put up a good fight, but in the end, Vegas is going to advance to the second round.
(Brian D) This is another one where I think experience takes over again. A nice cup of coffee for Utah, but their time will come.
(Richard) Although Vegas has been better with Tortorella behind the bench, the last stretch of their season has been against non-playoff teams mostly. They have been very inconsistent throughout the year and have slowed down considerably. They will face yet another fast young team that has found a spot in the playoffs this year. Utah has a good group of young talent surrounded with seasoned vets. It will be a tight series, but I think Vegas will fall short in the end.
(Brian L) The Mammoth may very well be this year’s Canadiens from a year ago. A young, talented team just getting its feet wet in the playoffs against an experienced but flawed veteran-laden group. Tortorella has the Golden Knights playing sharper than they were for most of the season, making them a little more than a paper tiger atop the pillow fight that was the Pacific Division. That should give them enough of an edge to get through this round.
Edmonton Oilers vs Anaheim Ducks
Kevin Leveille predicts: Ducks in 7 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Oilers in 5 games
Brian Davis predicts: Oilers in 7 games
Richard Roy predicts: Oilers in 6 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Oilers in 6 games
(Kevin) Much like the other series in the Pacific Division, this is the tale of a battle-hardened veteran group facing an up-and-coming team. Now, the Ducks do employ far more veterans than the Mammoth, but the key players are still the kids. And much like the other Pacific Division matchup, I prefer the underdog in this one as well, just for very different reasons. The Oilers should be the more dynamic offensive team. However, the Ducks can score, and while their team defence hasn’t been great, the challenge I feel they present is in a goaltender that can outright steal a series with enough scoring to support him. In their last two playoff runs, the Oilers have defeated Cam Talbot, Arturs Silovs, Adin Hill, Darcy Kuemper, and twice an imploding Jake Oettinger. Some will rightfully point to the fact that the Oilers are capable of making goaltenders look bad and they are responsible for the implosion of Oettinger. However, I think this is the first time (outside of the Panthers) that they are facing a team that will be well-coached, that can score AND feature a goaltender who can steal games, all in one opponent. I think it’s trouble and the Ducks pull it off.
(Norm) Well, at least the Oilers don’t have to play the Kings again in the first round. Much like the Vegas/Utah match, the Ducks have a very youthful squad that is well on its way in the team’s rebuild. That said, I do not envision any way that Anaheim can keep superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl off the scoresheet long enough to survive this series.
(Brian D) McDavid will put the team on his back, but ropey goaltending will help to keep the Ducks in the series. Despite this, I think they’ll manage to outscore the young Anaheim team and win through.
(Richard) This series is one between two very inconsistent teams. I expect each game to be different and one-sided. The defensive game will be optional on both sides and we can expect a lot of goals being scored. The experience and talent from Edmonton will overcome in the end but Edmonton may not be able to outscore their problems past this series though.
(Brian L) The Ducks remind me a lot of this year’s Habs squad, a team that plays an up-tempo, firewagon style that probably isn’t going to work in the playoffs. Learning that lesson the hard way is something that young teams have to go through and this may be that series. I don’t trust Edmonton’s goaltending but Connor Ingram has been serviceable lately and the Oilers are capable of scoring enough to make serviceable good enough for this round.