The second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is complete. Four teams advance to the conference finals while four others head home. Here are the true highlights and lowlights from each series.
Winner: Mitch Marner's Playoff Reputation
Sometimes fairly — but often unfairly — Mitch Marner shouldered most of the blame for the Maple Leafs' playoff shortcomings during his time in Toronto. He has done an excellent job of silencing critics and elevating his game when it matters most.
Against the Anaheim Ducks, Marner recorded 11 points in six games, including a hat trick in Game 3 and a two-point performance in Game 6 to close out the series. Including his stellar three-point effort to close out the Utah Mammoth in Game 6, Marner now has 14 points in his last seven games and leads the Golden Knights in scoring this postseason.
Marner was the main reason the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Anaheim Ducks to reach the Western Conference Final, putting the ghosts of Toronto behind them. As Vegas prepares to play the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final, there's no longer any doubt about Marner's ability to lead this team in the playoffs.
Loser: Alex Tuch Goes Ice Cold
Alex Tuch was a force for the Buffalo Sabres in the regular season and the first-round series against the Boston Bruins. He was one of the reasons many picked Buffalo to beat the Montreal Canadiens in the second round.
Then, at the worst possible moment, Tuch went cold. The Syracuse native completely lost his scoring touch, and Buffalo was crushed when he was on the ice. Tuch failed to tally a single point in the seven-game series, and the Sabres were outscored 8-1 with him in the game at five-on-five.
Part of it was poor puck luck. Tuch put 26 shots on net in the series — the most of anyone on the team — but none found the back of the net. Both teams at full strength posted a 46.9% expected goals share. The extra salt in the wound for Tuch is that he will enter contract negotiations with the Sabres on a sour note.
Winner: Jakub Dobes' Coming-Out Party
Since Carey Price stepped off the ice in April 2022, the Canadiens have been searching for stability in goal. If this postseason is any indication, they've found it in Jakub Dobes.
The 24-year-old Dobes has been spectacular, showing poise beyond his years in Game 7. He made one big save after another as the Sabres made a series of strong pushes in front of their home crowd. One of his biggest stops came in overtime when he stuck with Tage Thompson on an odd-man rush.
A fifth-round pick in 2020, Dobes is proving he is the future of the crease in Montreal. He's the present as well, giving the Canadiens a shot at upsetting the Carolina Hurricanes if he keeps playing like this. In the second-round series against the Sabres, Dobes posted a .913 save percentage with a high-danger save percentage of .870.