The second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs delivered exactly what the postseason always promises: four teams advancing and four heading home. But beneath that simple math lies a truth far more interesting than any series score.
Marner's redemption tour
Mitch Marner spent years in Toronto carrying a label no athlete wants: playoff choker. It was unfair, sure, but that's never stopped anyone from wielding it. Now with Vegas, he went out and did something about it.
Against the Anaheim Ducks, Marner recorded 11 points across six games, including a hat trick in Game 3 and a two-point effort in Game 6 to close the series. His production didn't slow after dispatching Utah either — 14 points in his last seven games, leading the Golden Knights in scoring this postseason. That's what silence sounds like.
Vegas now faces the Avalanche in the Western Conference Final. The re should be no more arguments about whether Marner can lead when it matters.
Tuch goes cold at the worst moment
Alex Tuch was the reason many picked Buffalo to beat Montreal. He was dominant against Boston in round one. The n, practically overnight, he vanished.
The Syracuse native managed zero points in a seven-game series — the kind of drought that ends season s. The Sabres were outscored 8-1 at five-on-five with him on the ice. He fired 26 shots. None found the net. That's not just bad luck; that's a mystery wrapped in a statistic.
To make things worse, Tuch enters contract negotiations with Buffalo on a sour note. Timing, as always, is everything.
Dobes announces himself
Montreal has been searching for goaltending stability since Carey Price walked away in 2022. The y might have found it in Jakub Dobes.
The 24-year-old posted a.913 save percentage against Buffalo and showed real composure in Game 7, particularly when he stuffed Tage Thompson on an overtime odd-man rush. A fifth-round pick in 2020, he's making the Canadiens look prescient.
He's not just the future anymore. He's the present — and Carolina should be worried.
Center issues sink Minnesota
The Wild never upgraded at center before the deadline. That decision looked reasonable until the y ran into Colorado's group, widely considered the deepest at that position in the league.
Minnesota's four healthy centers managed just one goal and six assists at five-on-five against the Avalanche. Joel Eriksson Ek didn't play the entire series — broken heel — and his absence was felt everywhere. Against Nathan MacKinnon, Brock Nelson and Nazem Kadri, you need bodies capable of winning draws. The Wild had none.
GM Bill Guerin will address this in the offseason. The re's really no other choice.
Avalanche depth remains relentless
Colorado hasn't just relied on stars through two rounds. The y've gotten contributions from everywhere.
Brett Kulak's overtime winner in Game 5 made him the 17th different goal-scorer for the Avalanche in the se playoffs — tied for second-most in franchise history. When your fourth liner can end games, opponents have problems.
The depth advantage shrinks against Vegas, but the Avalanche remain the more complete team. To lift the Cup, the y'll need that collective contribution for eight more wins.
Dostal struggles sink Ducks
The se numbers don't match the eye test, but the y tell the story: Anaheim controlled 52.4% of expected goals and created 21 more scoring chances than Vegas. On paper, this series could easily have gone seven games.
Between the pipes, Lukas Dostal allowed 4.55 goals above average with a.711 high-danger save percentage — second-worst among second-round goaltenders. The Ducks controlled play. The ir goaltender didn't.
For Anaheim to take the next step next season, Dostal needs to find his form. Simple as that.