First round matchups: (P% rank)
EAST: CAR (1) v. OTT (6) BUF (2) v. BOS (5) TB (3) v. MTL (4) PIT (7) v. PHI (8)
WEST: COL (1) v. LAK (8) DAL (2) v. MIN (3) VGK (4) v. UTA (6) EDM (5) v. ANA (7)
The 2025/26 NHL regular season is over and the playoffs begin today. Below are the schedules for each conference. The system should automatically break the comments up after a certain point so keep posting away! If you are using a phone, pinch to zoom is your friend.
395 responses to “Go Time Playoffs Round #1!”
5-0. Book ’em Dano!
Six Pack!
Bruins look dead. The have a Corpus Sallow in net.
6-1 and the Boston crowd erupts.
My son and I were discussing all the players the Rangers could have drafted since the 1st letter. The reality is more than likely not one would have gotten top 6 and PP1 minutes with the core in place.
Olga doing the heavy lifting today … for the blog 🤣
Thanks for nothing, LA! Panarin can now join his buddies in NY for a tee time.
Well, Canada already chased one Tkachook from Canada… FL couldn’t be more thankful.
Canes sure play well in postseason when Rangers aint there…
Alright! Time for meds! Not for me… for my lovely inmates.
The auto comment rollover seems to have worked ok? Would you guys like it at a lower number? 200? 150? 12?
Seems pretty even…
Watching Panarin in playoffs just confirms that it was a good move to get rid of him, though the return was very poor. Panarin is built for regular season and power play, but disappears at 5 on 5 and playoffs.
Another take from these playoffs, the Rangers are light years away from the speed of most of these playoff teams.
Another thought, just like he did in Boston, Gorton has built a pretty good team in Montreal. Maybe Dolan should have kept him in NY to do the same here. He apparently is better than what he is given credit for, as long as you can be patient to build a team the right way.
LET’S GO DUCKS!
2 goals 1 assist and negative 4 for Panarin in 4 games. He wasn’t the problem. Colorado is on a mission.
I can’t help but wonder how Kakko and Laffy might’ve developed if Gorton had stayed. Maybe Kakko would still be here, and Laffy would be playing like a true number one.
Drury is clueless nothing can change that.
The expectations were too high for both of them. Kakko never accepted the reality that he wasn’t going to be a star in the NHL. He a solid NHL player, but not an all star. LAF is a notch above him, but not on a par with most recent 1OAs. Young players tend to believe the hype about them and the fans, the organizations they play for and the players themselves need go beyond the hype. There are many high draft picks who have solid NHL careers that don’t align with their draft positions. Many times this has to be achieved on a team they weren’t drafted by. We need to keep our expectations in check about the player the Rangers pick this year. He’s unlikely to produce like Celebrini or Schafer. Most don’t.
Those Ducks are dangerous. 38 SOG and another 19 blocked and 13 missed. 35 hits as well.
Unless an organization drafts wisely, makes very clever trades and applies patience to the process it is doomed to mediocrity.
So to be clear St.Pete….you aren’t talking about the Rangers
In some cases the players we are seeing the past week are indeed faster than those on the NYR. But what really sets the better teams apart is that the players think much faster and are a lot crisper in what they do.
watching the speed and hitting in these games puts the NY Ranger’s March play in a different light, more like Blades of Glory compared to Slapshot.
Gorton fast tracked Lisa, Flip flop and Crapsoft so not sure much would have changed
Rich
Of course not 🤣
SN that is true but at the same time I think Gorton probably would have moved on or traded them far sooner.
Wait now we are pining for Gorton instead of Yzeerman?
Pinning, pinning, pinning, we are stuck with Drury for the forseeable future. Doan needs to be seriously embarrassed before Drury is shown the door.
Dolan needs to be seriously embarrassed before Drury is shown the door. That’s better.
Bad break there for the Filth
The Zamboni made it to MapleFest yesterday!
Howden having a good night, shorty and tied the game in the 3rd
Howden is another victim of expectations. It wasn’t his fault Gorton made a bad trade with Tampa. The fan base wanted him to make the trade work and he was played in the top six by coaches when he was a bottom six guy.
pens win ugh!
Hopefully they are giving you too much heartburn. Philly doesn’t want to got o game 7.
Perreault Zibanejad Lafrenière
? Miller ?
Cuylle. Laba Kartye
Sýkora. ? Chmelar
Fill the holes boys, I’m curious. Don’t replace anyone just fill the holes. We have Trocheck and Schneider as contributing assets to aid the process.
Of course you are free to file 13 my suggestion. The Minx is not easily offended.
You may legally buy Fortescue a beer starting today
https://nypost.com/2026/04/28/sports/taunting-yankees-fan-punched-by-rangers-fans-girlfriend-thrown-down-steps/
don’t mess with rangers fans. baseball version
LaCoast will once again not be a Ted Lindsay award finalist. Instead Macklin Celebrini, Nikita Kucherov and Connor McDavid will handle the duties.
The AI knows the NHL all too well 🤣
I am pleased where the clown show will draft. One through 5 will be a good player. My only issue is an off the board Gordie type move.
Buffalo! one and 0.
Ducks vs Sabres for the cup final!
Who is this Meghan chick on the Buffalo broadcast? Replace the Gnome with her
I am tired of the same old Oilers, Panthers, Avalanches and such, soaking all the attention every year! I want Chaos! I want Cinderella runs! I want fresh blood!
I’m tired of the same old first round matchups year after year. Keep how you determine the playoff teams but reseed them 1-16 so that anyone can play anyone in the playoffs. You won’t get two top teams meeting in the first round. Late season games would mean much more too.
Olga some one did a vote on that on twitter a few weeks ago… it was overwhelming to go back to the old 1-8 reseed way. Bettman sucks
Even 1-8 conference reseeding at the start of the playoffs is better than the 1-4 division/wildcard matchups every year.
Zuc is back
We’re rooting for the Wild-right? Rangers get the Dallas pick if they are eliminated before the Canes?
What pick is that?
Yes Dallas lose to the would be good draft news for our late first round pick since Carolina alresdy won its series
i think losing in first or second rd is the same re draft position. only conference finalists and cup finals teams get put at emd of 1st rd
With the Rangers picking no later than 5, I’ve been watching the 4 Dmen that they may choose from. I’ll say this, I completely understand why the draft guys have them ranked differently. They are all really good. It comes down to the type of Dman you prefer. If you want the two way Dman, it’s Smits, and Carels. If you want the O, it’s Reid. If you want a really good player, who is a safe pick, it’s Verhoeff. I go back and forth between Smits and Carels for the guy I would prefer the Rangers to pick. Right now I’m at Smits. He’s just a little better than Carels defensively, and he would be an all situations guy. Carels is better offensively, and is a very good defender. I’d be happy with either, and I would be worried that I made a mistake not picking Reid. I don’t think I would take Verhoeff top 5.
The other part of not taking Reid is this, he’s going to Michigan State. Their coach is a heck of a college coach. Reid could go there as one type of Dman, and come out of there as another. Reid could end up being the best of the 4.
Saw Verhoeff in a few games…didn’t seem that fast …or play driving
https://www.nhl.com/news/2026-nhl-mock-draft-much-debate-following-top-2-picks
right we don’t want Dallas (or canes) to reach the conference finals
I have heard that McAvoy comp before with Carels. I guess it’s because Carels likes to make the big hit like McAvoy. Carels offensive game, and skating are very different from McAvoy. McAvoy is a very straight ahead offensive player. Carels is more of a skilled offensive player. These guys watch the prospects way more than I do, so I’m not saying they are wrong in their comp, but I see it differently.
only Reid is RH shot ..not sure if that makes them lean Smits/Carells as LHD
..hoping they get 1/2 to fill top 6 hole anyway. this appears to be deep D draft
Igor not in the discussion
Ilya Sorokin, Jeremy Swayman and Andrei Vasilevskiy are the finalists for the 2025-26 Vezina Trophy
Heard plenty of reasons why Drury might want Brady. Have heard no convincing reasons why Brady might want the NY rangers.
wwpd
rangers will have a ton of cap room so bradys next deal would be mammoth and i don’t mean in utah
I think the Rangers 2nd Pick would be #24 if Dallas loses as they may have the best record among the teams eliminated.
Draft Order Breakdown for Playoff Teams (Picks 17–32):
First & Second Round Losers: Ranked by regular-season points (lowest points pick first).
Conference Finalists (Losers): The two teams that lose in the Conference Finals receive picks 29 and 30, based on their regular-season points.
Stanley Cup Finalist (Runner-Up): 31st overall.
Stanley Cup Champion: 32nd overall
ORF
i think they’d be 27th ahead of 4 semifinalists and ottawa who was punished this year
Draft order, last first:
Ottawa
SC winner
SC runner up
conf loser #2
conf loser #1
Dallas (if they are out round one or two)
So they lump the first and second round losers together before sorting them. Got it!
I feel disgusted saying this but LET’S GO FILTHS!
gross
One of the funniest goals
Are we rooting for the dolts or the oles
Can’t stand the Habs! For this round, for me, let’s go Bolts!
Letang with a stupid penalty, Filth have to take advantage
very Ranger like mistake by Les Habs missing the net and having it go back the other way for a goal.
Hank is pretty. But needs to speak to Clyde about that beard
Finnish wife to her husband:
“Why don’t you tell me you love me anymore?”
Husband: “I told you once. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”
Habs have enough Cups. Hope they never get another.
Go Pens. I hate saying that. Also hate the flyers, so…
Les Habs win
Still no score in Filthy?
pitt controlling play from 3rd on
A Filthy OT win will definitely make Cindy cry
CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARAP!
Minx the Exorcist was in Filthy tonight!
St. Pete can rest easy tonight. The Pens are done.
i rarely root for flyers
but this time i did
need some series over early
too much going on otherwise
but go carolina next rd
henrik called it
howden
I can’t believe I stayed up for the double overtime Vegas-Utah battle.
I fell asleep. And apolgies about the blog brownout. Extened open days again … new second round post coming soon 🤞
I think that is Howden’s second shorty of the series. Glue guy just does what he’s asked to do.
Just watched the clip… freaky that a year ago same date Howden scored the OT winner in game five over MIN
ADD more oddity from NHL.com:
Howden became the second player to score a short-handed winner in a game that required multiple overtimes (since 1933-34 when goals by type began being tracked), following teammate Tomas Hertl, who did so in Game 6 of the 2019 First Round against the Golden Knights while he was a member of the San Jose Sharks. …
Eichel became the fastest American player to reach 40 career playoff assists (45 games), eclipsing Brian Leetch (48).
Guess his back is OK
😁
Torts: You guys think the coach says this guy has this talent this guy has this talent, they’ll work together.. you throw it against the wall and see what happens sometimes and just try to get two guys to match.
So its true..the coaches keep a random line picker in their back pocket
Has Howden earned the Mr. Clutch designation yet?
JBytes – not until he scores the SCF game 7 OT3 winner (short handed, of course) at which time heads will explode, just like that penguin on the telly did 🤣
The pens are dead.
Not a Habs fan but Anderson and Jake Evans have been impressive against Bolts. Anderson is built for playoffs…hope he stays healthy
They call him “Big Game Brett” in Vegas…
SomeHOWDEN that name sounds familiar.
Lady Byng:
Cole Caufield, Anze Kopitar and Jake Sanderson are the 2025-26 Lady Byng Trophy finalists
Why didn’t we draft that Hobbit? Who did we draft instead?
ducks have another quack at it to eliminate oilers
Nothing better than a Dallas team losing
i liked both teams in this series. minn vs dall
disappointed that utah lost last 2 games. they’re a fun team to watch
A goal on his birthday for Kreider.
Kreider had been quiet up to now.
kreider wasn’t getting too many minutes and had a role in some goals without getting a point by blocking goalies view
lets go ducks
their gm better than our gm
i know captain obvious
no hockey saturday
The Ducks waddle into the second round.
somebody has to get a new tv unless his throwing arm for the remote is not that good
flyers at canes sat night at 8 on abc
Maybe install a mesh net n front of the TV like they do to protect against drones in Ukraine.
Will McDavid every win a cup? What would the Oilers give up to get Shesterkin?
Duck season!
Rabbit season!!
Where’s Latona?!?
Look at oilers payroll: Drysaddle 14M, McDavid 12.5, Bouchard 10.5 and Nurse 9.3. 48%. The lessers are RNH 5.1 and Ekholm at 6. 60% in six guys. Clearly not a winning formula
Imagine Gritty skating the cup around ….
“Duck season!”
You know, I was thinking to myself… what if every Ducks fan brought in a duck call to the arena?
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/25423619-2026-nhl-mock-draft-best-fits-new-york-rangers
some possibilities for rangers
Can’t imagine the Rangers taking Stenberg. If it’s not a D, it will be Malhotra, or Lawrence.
JBytes – I imagine it would sound something like this given the stadium is indoors
I could see them taking Belchez. He’s a big power forward, and they are going to have to deal with Martone for years to come.
I know you Kreider!
Let’s go Buffalo!!
Haha… Beezle, that’s exactly where I got the idea from. UEFA and football broadcasters are terrified of the vuvuzela. I’m sure Bettman would waste no time in banning duck calls.
No need for Sully to change his golfing plans…
Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, and Lindy Ruff have been named finalists for the 2025-26 Jack Adams Award
I Know You Kreider ?
I know you, Kreider, going to miss me when I’m gone
I know you, Kreider, going to miss me when I’m gone
Going to miss your winger, from standing in the blue
[Verse 1]
Laid down last night, Lord, I could not take my rest
Laid down last night, Lord, I could not take my rest
My mind was wandering like the wild
geeseducks in the WestBelchez and Greentre are teammates
US and Canada eliminated in Quarters at U18s. Slovaks already in final. Czechs could join them.
Flyers may get swept. Pens carried play last few games of series
Why not Stenberg Carey? Lias hangover? ….. Looks like he could step right into top 6
If their plan is to draft Malhotra or Lawrence, he should try and trade down
Swedes in OT over Czechs. McKenna and Stenburg not in tournament .
Filth record against Carolina in regular season:
L 4-3 OT 10/11
L 4-3 SO 12/13
L 3-2 SO 12/14
W 3-2 SO 4/13
Flyers were a better team later in the season than the middle and they are a fast team. Defense/goal tending is where they are questionable. Carolina has the edge but I doubt there will be a sweep.
Dylan Holloway STL 5 x $7.75M extension
He’ll be 25 in September. 22 G 29 A in 59 GP this season. 26/37 in 77 the prior. Nothing really in his first two seasons with EDM. Was getting 18:15 TOI this season. Doesn’t really take face offs and hits lightly for 6’1 207.
ooooh! NYR news! GGMM hard at work confirming others work lol
Lindy should win the Jack Adams in a landslide.
“Let’s go, Buff-a-lo!”
Let’s go bolts. I’m not a lightning fan but I dislike the Habs even more. I wish we had Quinn Hughes instead of Slow Fox.
Kucherov has gone AWOL in the series; Lightening will join the other Florida team on the golf course.
[Oops] Lightning…
Not a good choice … the Ole’s or the Squirrely Cooper’s
2-0 Buffalo!
I’ll take the squirrely Coopers over the Ole’s 10 times out of 10.
Does Ginette Reno still do the anthem for Les Habs? She’s gotta be up there in years, at least 27 or 28 now 🤣
She sings like a pirate. Murder on the high C’s.
Les Habs having les troubles with break aways
Olga they love her up there, national treasure (stolen on the high seas per you)
Buffalo. How does 2-0 look so commanding and 2-1 look so close?
Idk Montreal has had a million chances
Buffalo needs to finish off the Massholes
Les Habs living dangerously. As is anyone near the glass behind the net
Insurance goal by Buffalo
EN Buffalo! 4-1
Ole, ole, ole, ole..
Tampa wins!
Aw, that’s too bad… I was so looking forward to Olé Olé.
Howden with another goal
late goal by vegas where the utah guys were gassed from very long shift in d zone. 2-0 bad guys after 2
Vegas are the good guys! lol I really don’t understand the love of the Arizona franchise that moved to the smog bowl, nobody liked them before!
Really despise the playoff format and think it is wrong that they start round 2 games before round 1 is complete.
CAR/PHI BUF/PIT TBL/OTT MTL/BOS
COL/LAK DAL/ANA MIN/UTA VGK/EDM
if they ranked 1-8
COL/ANA MIN/VGK and CAR/PHI BUF/tba if they re-seeded
Im confused. If someone can explain to me why they would want to draft a defenseman? I would think they would want a high impact forward. They have decent defenseman, i think .Gav, that kid Tedescue ( i know i butchered that), afew kids in the pipeline. I seriously don’t understand if someone wouldn’t mind explaining that to me.thank you much
Given drafting these kids is always a bit of a crapshoot (see LaCoast and Kraptsov) many are inclined to take the best available over specific positional need. Also need to consider that few of them are at all likely to play significant minutes for a year or more (perhaps many more). So unless the forward is likely to get in the lineup in short order it might be better to take a superior defensive talent.
There will be a brand new post for the second round open at high noon
Bettman loves the bracket. They will never reseed the playoffs. He dreams of May madness.
The Mammoth is extinct again, Vegas moves on.
Waiting for Round 2.
1/2 take the forward who may slot right into top 6 ..if not go with best DMan and move Schneider for top 6 help
buffalo d has 4 first rd picks including 2 first overall
and the other 2 guys were first pick in 2nd rd
The new post has arrived
That will eventually be a very expensive D group.