The Stanley Cup playoffs’ biggest shocks of the first round
In Game 2 between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducksa fan in Edmonton threw a rooster on the ice.
Yes, a totally cooked rotisserie rooster — presumably to troll the Ducks. Not a luxurious duck (or anything duck-related), however a rotisserie rooster from the grocery retailer.
I’ve quite a bit of questions: How did they smuggle it in? In their backpack? Taped to their legs like the nashville catfish? Why prepare dinner rotisserie rooster?
It was definitely one of the most weird issues tossed onto the ice at a hockey sport, however positively not the most surprising factor that has occurred in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Here are 5 of the biggest surprises of the postseason so far:
Superstars have not been shining — however younger stars are leveling up
Per week into the playoffs, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon every had one help via three video games. Crosby lastly scored a objective in Game 4 in opposition to the Philadelphia Flyers — along with his group in a 3-0 gap at the time. MacKinnon lastly received on the board with a pair of targets in the Avs’ Game 4 win to brush the Kings.
Brady Tkachuk went scoreless as the Ottawa Senators had been swept by the Carolina Hurricanes. Tim Stutzle had one help.
Nikita Kucherov simply scored his first playoff objective in 18 postseason video games.
Connor McDavid lastly received on the board, with two factors in Game 3 of the Oilers-Ducks sequence, and a pair of assists in Game 4.
But whereas the NHL’s biggest stars have not been scoring the method they did in the common season, rising names resembling Logan Stankoven and Jackson LaCombe definitely have. Stankoven is on a goal-per-game tempo this postseason, and LaCombe leads playoff scorers with eight factors via 4 video games.
American followers know the names Matt Boldy and Brock Faber from the Olympics, they usually have three targets and two assists a chunk via 4 video games in opposition to the Stars.
Juraj Slafkovsky had a hat trick in main the Canadiens to a Game 1 win. Philly’s Porter Martone You have a pair of successful targets already, and do not look out of place regardless of simply becoming a member of the group this month.
It’s not essentially an indictment on the famous person gamers who aren’t factoring in on the rating sheet early on — typically depth gamers emerge as standouts in the postseason. But it’s jarring to see the perennial Art Ross contenders not dominate the postseason.
Meanwhile, some star goalies are additionally struggling
Frederik Andersen, Scott Wedgewood and are Alex Lyon are all north of a .940 save share. Linus Ullmark is much from the motive the Senators had been swept — he completed with a .932 save share and a couple of.03 goals-against common in 4 video games.
Arturs Silovs was key in Game 4 for Pittsburgh, saving 27 of 29 pictures in an impressed efficiency. It was his first begin of the playoffs in place of Stuart Skinnerand prolonged the postseason by no less than yet one more sport for the Penguins.
Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy you’ve got given up 11 targets on 93 pictures and Jake Oettinger is at a .902 save share.
In different phrases, the goalie stats checklist does not appear like one a hockey fan might need predicted in phrases of top-performing netminders. But identical to the depth forwards, unlikely names emerge as playoff standouts who lead their groups to essential victories; it was solely three years in the past that Adin Hill backstopped the Golden Knights to a Cup with zero earlier begins in the postseason.
Home ice hasn’t actually been a bonus
Through 21 video games on this 12 months’s playoffs, 11 had been received by the guests (52%).
Since 2014, solely three different first rounds have seen the visiting group win extra video games than the dwelling group: 2016, 2017 and 2023.
The Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche every received their first two video games at dwelling, whereas each different sequence noticed the dwelling group win one or none. (And these two groups received their second two video games on the street to finish sweeps.)
Friday — the sixth day of the playoffs — has been the solely day of the postseason when each dwelling group received, and it was proper again to the “road warriors” on Saturday as each the Canes and Pittsburgh Penguins received of their opponents’ buildings.
Sunday produced one of the most lopsided examples of a visiting group victory: the Sabres’ 6-1 demolition over the Bruins in Boston, taking a 3-1 sequence lead in the course of.
The Sabers went up 4-0 in the first interval after not scoring a single first-period objective in the sequence — the third time in NHL historical past that has occurred. Every Sabers skater, all 12 forwards and 6 defensemen, had been no less than plus-1 in the sport; since 1959, when plus/minus was first tracked, that had occurred in solely three different postseason video games (the Oilers had two of them in the Eighties). Utter dominance.
The solely factor that may have made this higher for the Sabers is that if the Bruins did not rating on a power-play objective with a minute left to spoil Lyon’s shutout; he made 23 saves in the victory.
The Battle of Pennsylvania had been something however aggressive… till a pivot in Game 4
In September, not many individuals believed the Flyers and Penguins would attain the playoffs, not to mention be going through one another. And earlier than Game 1, the brighter highlight was shined on the success of the Penguins, and the way this is perhaps yet one more kick at the can for the timeless trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Then the puck dropped, and the Flyers took over.
They have successfully brotherly shoved Pittsburgh almost out of the equation totally, rapidly successful the first three video games earlier than Pittsburgh received in Game 4 in Philly.
The Penguins had been third in targets per sport in the common season (3.54) and the Flyers had been twenty first (2.93). The Flyers are fourth in targets per sport in the playoffs (3.25) and the Penguins are third from the backside (2.00).
It’s not for an absence of making an attempt. In the sequence, the Penguins have had extra scoring probabilities (together with high-danger scoring probabilities), extra puck possession and extra shot makes an attempt — however Dan Vladar has been unimaginable, giving up solely seven targets on 94 pictures.
The Penguins lastly received of their fourth try. Silovs took command of the crease, whereas Crosby got here alive with a objective and help.
Is Game 4 the lone win of a gentleman’s sweep, or will the Battle of Pennsylvania keep aggressive?
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Sidney Crosby retains Penguins alive in Game 4 win vs. Flyers
Arda Ocal recaps the Penguins’ victory over the Flyers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Power performs have been comparatively powerless
Through 21 video games this postseason, power-play effectivity was at 18.5%, the lowest price in the first round since 2015. Teams are successfully killing the 7.7 power-play alternatives seen per sport this 12 months, which is in the high 5 of energy performs per sport in the first round in the previous 15 years.
The Senators scored just one power-play objective in 21 alternatives. The Sabers have not scored as soon as with the man benefit relationship to April 1. And the Avalanche had been amongst the shockingly scoreless energy performs till they lastly scored one in Game 4. Nine of 16 groups are beneath 20% at this level. For comparability’s sake, solely 5 completed beneath 20% final season.
Not all groups have been stricken, of course; the Ducks lead the method with a 50% power-play effectivity, adopted by the Stars at 42.1% then the Oilers at 30.0%.
Honorable point out: The jersey change line in Utah
The Utah Mammoth are full of advertising and marketing dwelling runs this season — led by Ryan Smith, who’s hitting all the proper notes as a group proprietor. Inviting followers into suites, introducing the Zammoth and pulling off terrific stunts resembling followers having the ability to line up and commerce of their Golden Knights jersey for a Mammoth jersey at no cost.
What’s surprising is how long the line was — though given how widespread this group has change into, perhaps it should not have been shocking. It’s one other win on an extended checklist of them for the Mammoth this season.