The second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is complete, with four teams advancing to the conference finals and four heading home. Here's a deeper dive into the biggest winners and losers from the semifinals.
Winner: Mitch Marner's Playoff Reputation
Marner took his reputation as a playoff choker and turned it upside down, leading the Vegas Golden Knights past the Anaheim Ducks to reach the Western Conference Final. This victory puts to rest the ghosts of his Toronto days.
Against the 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. He now has 14 points in his last seven games and leads the Golden Knights in scoring this postseason.
With Vegas set to face the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final, there's no longer any doubt about whether Marner is capable of leading this team when it matters most.
Loser: Alex Tuch Goes Ice Cold
Alex Tuch was a force for the Buffalo Sabres in the regular season and first-round series against the Boston Bruins. Then, at the worst possible moment, Tuch went cold.
The Syracuse native failed to tally a single point in the seven-game series against the Montreal Canadiens. The Sabres were outscored 8-1 with him on the ice at five-on-five.
Tuch put 26 shots on net in the series—the most of anyone on the team—but none found the back of the net. He'll enter contract negotiations with the Sabres on a sour note after falling one win shy of the conference finals.
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.
The 24-year-old Dobes was spectacular in Game 7, making one big save after another as the Sabres pushed hard in front of their home crowd. One of his biggest stops came in overtime when he stopped Tage Thompson on an odd-man rush.
A fifth-round pick in 2020, Dobes is proving he's the future of the crease in Montreal. In the second-round series against the Sabres, Dobes posted a .913 save percentage with a high-danger save percentage of .870.
He'll give the Canadiens a shot at upsetting the Carolina Hurricanes if he keeps playing like this.
Loser: Minnesota's Subpar Center
The Wild's center position struggled throughout the second round, failing to provide the offensive production and defensive support the team needed to advance.