Ranking the best possible Stanley Cup playoff first-round matchups
The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner, and if things stay the way they are right now, we will have a ton of turnover from last season. Editor’s Picks 1 Related The Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis…
The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are right around the corner, and if things stay the way they are right now, we will have a ton of turnover from last season.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals, Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Winnipeg Jets, Los Angeles Kings and St. Louis Blues are all on the outside looking in at the moment. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Utah Mammoth and Nashville Predators are all ready for the postseason.
Things can and will change before the final day of the regular season April 16, but there should be a lot of fresh faces in this year’s Cup chase (hello, Buffalo). With that in mind, what would be the five most exciting first-round matchups that are reasonably possible based on the current standings?
I took every category into consideration, but my No. 1 concern is entertainment value. Which seven-game series would be the most fun between two teams that could plausibly meet in the first round?
Without further ado, here are my five top possible first-round matchups:
The 2-3 matchup in the Central
I’m going to leave the debate about switching to a No. 1-8 seeding aside for this one. There’s no denying that, purely in terms of excitement in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, seeing two of the top five teams in the league battle it out with a Western Conference finals aura is dynamite.
It felt that way last year with the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars. It also produced one of the most impressive feats in playoff history: Mikko Rantanen‘s Game 7, third-period hat trick that secured the series victory for Dallas.
The likeliest potential version of it this year is Stars vs. Minnesota Wild, but with Dallas only three points behind the Avs, it could also be Colorado vs. Minnesota. Either of those matchups would be extremely entertaining, and probably the best of the first round in 2026.
I’m not going to hide my excitement about a potential Macklin Celebrini playoff run. He was dynamite at the Olympics, and one of the bright spots of the Team Canada roster. He rose to the occasion, and he certainly could in the postseason. Celebrini vs. Nathan MacKinnon would be appointment viewing.
The Sharks are a lot of people’s second-favorite team in the NHL, and Celebrini is a big reason why. I love the way both teams skate with pace and flare, and this could be poetry on a sheet of ice.
If the Sabres fall to second in the Atlantic and the Habs remain in third, or if the Habs fall to a wild-card spot that matches Buffalo’s standing as No. 1 or No. 2 in the conference, this matchup would be possible.
Just imagine the fan bases for this one. Sabres fans are absolutely starving for postseason hockey, and they will finally get it after a 14-year wait. Montreal is on the Mount Rushmore of greatest hockey towns. This one would be thrilling for the fans and for the atmosphere alone. There would be an absurd amount of talent on the ice, including Cole Caufield, Lane Hutson, Tage Thompson and Rasmus Dahlin. What a treat.
This one also has a statistical edge against other possible matchups. According to Stathletes, a potential matchup between the Sabres and Canadiens would produce the second-highest projected goals per game of any possible first-round matchup — second only to the Habs against the Tampa Bay Lightning:
I need this one for the social media reaction. The memes would be flying if L.A. and Edmonton met in the first round for an incredible fifth consecutive season — of which the Oilers won the previous four.
For the completionists out there, the span currently goes:
2022: 4-3 Oilers win
2023: 4-2 Oilers win
2024: 4-1 Oilers win
2025: 4-2 Oilers win
Therefore, it must be a 4-3 Oilers series win to complete the circle.
I love the idea that two teams that weren’t in the playoffs last year would face off this year — especially ones that were so far down the standings in 2024-25.
Last season, these two teams had a combined minus-102 goal differential. This season … they are still currently at a combined minus-32. It’s rare for a team with a negative goal differential to get into the playoffs, let alone two of them facing off in Round 1.
But this feels like a series that would see a lot of scoring. Anaheim is 12th in the league in goals, and both are in the top six in most goals against. Saddle up!
Jump ahead:
Games of the week
What I loved this weekend
Hart Trophy candidates
Social post of the week
Stick taps
Biggest games of the week
All eyes are on the Atlantic Division this week, with many key games on the schedule.
The Sabres are absolutely flying, going 9-1-0 in their past 10 and have only eight regulation losses since December.
The Lightning are 5-5-0 in their past 10 and have a decent hold on second place. The Habs are clinging to third but are tied in points with the Bruins, who are also in the first wild-card spot, two points ahead of the Red Wings (who have the second wild card).
And the Sabres play both the Bruins (Wednesday) and Red Wings (Friday) this week.
Detroit also faces another Atlantic team Tuesday, the Senators, who are three points back, as well as another team fighting for a wild-card spot, the Flyers, on Saturday.
Montreal takes on a pair of Metro Division playoff teams — Carolina twice and Columbus once — in addition to the current second West wild card, the Predators, on Saturday.
Hart Trophy contenders if the season ended today
Congratulations Nikita Kucherov, you have unseated Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon to lead the NHL scoring race.
Kucherov scored his 112th point Thursday, pushing MacKinnon to third (even temporarily), which was the first time since Nov. 7 that MacKinnon wasn’t in a top-two spot in points in the NHL this season. On Saturday, Kucherov’s four-point night vaulted him to the top of the list.
But McDavid remains in first for the Hart, though the race is air-tight now. McDavid is second in the points race with 116 points, with “only” six points in his past five games, with the Oilers in second place in the Pacific.
Kucherov has 119 points after another banger of a week, and a whopping 14 points in his past five games. As noted above, Kucherov’s Lightning remain in second in the Atlantic.
MacKinnon — whose Avalanche were the first team to clinch a playoff ticket — has 10 points in his past five.
What I loved this weekend
There were a few equipment managers who celebrated milestones this week, one of them being Sabres assistant equipment manager George Babcock.
It’s nice to see teams publicly acknowledge these folks, because they work very hard behind the scenes without fanfare. I especially love that Bowen Byram gave Babcock a little congratulatory shower:
Tonight is our Assistant Equipment Manager George Babcock’s 2,500 NHL game, so Bo had to congratulate him. 😂#LetsGoBuffalo | @DYouville pic.twitter.com/7OhyvNIvfb
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) March 20, 2026
Social media post of the weekend
Hockey players have odd traditions sometimes. Case in point this week, the Calgary Flames. What is going on here?
New warm-up ritual 👀 pic.twitter.com/CNsVSc2C3S
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) March 21, 2026
Calgary Sun and Herald reporter Danny Austin asked Blake Coleman about the routine.
“We’re just dumb. We’ve got a few things going on,” Coleman said. “They kind of remind me of Harry and Lloyd, and I just wanted to be a part of it.”
Stick taps
Congratulations to Hall High School varsity hockey (West Hartford, Connecticut) for winning the DIII Connecticut state championship this week.
Hall defeated E.O. Smith 2-1 in overtime in the final, as sophomore Matthew McDermott was credited with the winner after a scrum in front of the net.
Senior goalie Matthew Bonner, son of former ESPN anchor Michelle Bonner, became the program’s all-time leader in saves (1,718), wins (37) and minutes played.
Meanwhile, forward Connor McHugh set career records in points (141), goals (66), and assists (76), and established a new single-season goals mark (31).
This is the second state championship in Hall High School’s history, the other coming in 1993.
A personal tribute to Jessi Pierce
Tragedy struck the hockey world this weekend as dear friend, Minnesota Wild reporter Jessi Pierce and her three young children died in a house fire.
Pierce, a great friend, ally and supporter in the hockey space, was a ray of sunshine and a bright light. Often, when you needed it the most and least expected it, there was Jessi with words of encouragement and something to lift you up and boost you forward.
We spent plenty of time talking about hockey, our kids, family and just life. Those were the best conversations. I swear she had an extra hour in the day just to like all of our Instagram stories and posts, just so we felt a little joy from seeing her name pop up. When I hosted Wild games, I would drop a “Bardown Beauties” reference just to make her laugh. I’d often get a couple of emojis via text during the next commercial break.
Jessi, you were immensely loved. It’s obvious from the outpouring of support after this unfathomable news. You spent your last day at the rink and then buying your kids ice cream. The ideal day. We will miss you dearly.
