The second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs is done, which means four teams are moving on and four are heading home. But digging into the details separates the real storylines from the simple results.
Marner's Reputation Makeover
Mitch Marner came to Vegas with a reputation for shrinking in the playoffs. That narrative is now incinerated. Against Anaheim, Marner logged 11 points in six games—including a hat trick in Game 3 and a two-point clincher in Game 6. Throw in his three-point effort that closed out Utah in Round 1, and he's sitting on 14 points over his last seven games, leading the Golden Knights' postseason charge.
The quiet part nobody says out loud: he carried that reputation for years in Toronto. It wasn't always fair. It doesn't matter now.
Tuch Goes Cold at the Worst Moment
Alex Tuch was one of the reasons Buffalo even got to Game 7 against Montreal. The n the switch flipped—and stayed off. Zero points in a seven-game series for a top-six forward is a problem, especially when the Sabres were outscored 8-1 with him on the ice at five-on-five.
The ironic part: he threw everything at the net. Twenty-six shots. None found the back of the net. That's not bad luck—that's the kind of stretch that makes contract negotiations uncomfortable.
Dobes Announces Himself
Since Carey Price's final game in 2022, Montreal has been searching for someone to trust in goal. Jakub Dobes, a 24-year-old fifth-round pick from 2020, answered that question this series. His.913 save percentage against Buffalo wasn't perfect, but Game 7 told the story— clutch stop after clutch stop, including a highlight-reel denial of Tage Thompson in overtime.
He's not the future anymore. He's the present.
Quick Hits
Minnesota's center problem: Joel Eriksson Ek missing the whole series with a broken heel didn't help. The ir healthy centers managed one goal and six assists total at five-on-five against Colorado. That's not nearly enough against Nathan MacKinnon and that deep Avalanche middle.
Avalanche depth: Brett Kulak's overtime winner in Game 5 made him the 17th different goal-scorer for Colorado this postseason. When your fourth line and third pairing are contributing like that, you're a real Stanley Cup threat.
Rested Hurricanes: Completed the ir sweep of Philadelphia on May 9. Rest versus rust is a tired debate—any team that'll take extra days to heal and prepare should take the m.