Our hockey writers share their observations and insights throughout Round 2 of the NHL postseason.
Tuesday, May 5
Wild make (appropriate) goalie change ahead of Game 2
Filip Gustavsson is replacing Jesper Wallstedt in Minnesota's net to start Tuesday's Game 2 against the Avalanche. The switch isn't overly surprising, and it adds up given what we know about the goaltending tandem.
For one, Wallstedt allowed nine goals on 42 shots in Sunday's Game 1 loss. Two: Coach John Hynes didn't have any issues rotating goalies in the regular season. Also, Gustavsson's a valued member of the Wild's core. His five-year, $34-million extension doesn't kick in until next season.
Wallstedt has been in the Wild's crease for all 469 playoff minutes. The 23-year-old rookie finished the regular season with a sparkling .916 save percentage while saving 0.92 goals above expected per 60 minutes in 35 appearances.
Gustavsson, who struggled for Sweden at the Olympics, had a .904 SV% and 0.56 GSAE per 60 in 50 regular-season appearances. - John Matisz
Sabres' center depth about to be tested
Buffalo's long-term outlook is rosy - especially with regards to center talent.
Superstar Tage Thompson is in the prime of his career and under contract through 2029-30. Ryan McLeod has evolved into a well-rounded middle-six pivot who wins more shifts than he loses. The oft-injured Josh Norris is another strong option for second- or third-line center when healthy. Noah Ostlund and Jiri Kulich, both 22, are bursting with potential. Konsta Helenius, a 19-year-old AHLer, looked sharp in nine regular-season NHL games.
The outlook ahead of Wednesday's Game 1 versus Montreal? Not so rosy.
Kulich (blood clot) has been out since November and isn't expected to play again this season. Ostlund (lower-body injury) logged 34 minutes in the first round and is expected to miss Round 2. Trade deadline pickup Sam Carrick (arm) is on a similar timeline, though he could very well return first. He practiced with the team Tuesday and is listed as "day-to-day."
Buffalo had Thompson, McLeod, Norris, and Tyson Kozak down the middle in practice. That group matched up just fine against the flawed Bruins in Round 1. Can it hang with the Canadiens for a full series? - John Matisz
Don't expect firewagon hockey again
Game 1 of Colorado-Minnesota was an exhilarating 15-goal bonanza. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but don't expect Game 2 to follow the same script.
Tuesday night's tilt will likely be closer to a 4-3 final score than to Sunday's loose and erratic 9-6 victory for the Avalanche. The clubs have dissected videos and adjusted their game plans, and both will be pushing to return to a less chaotic state of play.
In the regular season, the Avs allowed the fewest goals while rocking one of the most impressive statistical profiles in the NHL. They ranked sixth in expected goals against, sixth in shots against, eighth in inner-slot shots against, and fifth in offensive zone puck possession against, according to Sportlogiq. Their goalies combined for the league's best save percentage.
Meanwhile, the Wild allowed the fourth-fewest goals but finished in the middle of the pack in many key categories. They ranked 12th in xG against, 24th in shots against, 13th in inner-slot shots, and 24th in OZP against. Their goalies often saved the day, producing the second-best team SV%. - John Matisz
Monday, May 4
LaCombe kept losing in Ducks loss
Jackson LaCombe, the terrific young defenseman, built up so much momentum ahead of the Anaheim-Vegas series. Heck, he was a trendy early Conn Smythe Trophy pick following an outstanding Round 1 performance.
But Monday just wasn't LaCombe's night.
It's not as if the 25-year-old played poorly in 28 minutes (one assist, fantastic underlying numbers). The problem is that he's going to be seeing three sequences in his nightmares after a crushing 3-1 Game 1 loss.
The first came in the second period. The Ducks were trailing 1-0 when center Leo Carlsson pulled off an unbelievable spin-o-rama in the offensive zone, then slipped LaCombe a pass across the slot. LaCombe, uncovered, had an open net ... and he tried to make another pass.
This play by Leo Carlsson was incredible perfect pass, Jackson Lacombe shoot the puck! pic.twitter.com/WWKRyC8XJj
— The cfb lliason (@realfbllliason) May 5, 2026
The second sequence: A linesman called off a third-period icing in Anaheim's end despite LaCombe having the inside track on Jack Eichel in a tight puck race. Vegas scored the eventual winning goal seconds later. Tough break.
The third: The Ducks had an extra attacker out with 27 seconds left in regulation. LaCombe fanned on the puck at the offensive blue line and the Ducks were unable to produce any more offense. He smashed his stick against the post after watching Vegas end the game with an empty-netter.
LaCombe needs to shake off these unfortunate events prior to Wednesday's Game 2. The Ducks need him at full force. - John Matisz
Canes' Hall reminds us he's still impactful
Taylor Hall is no longer the force-of-nature Taylor Hall of 2018, when he won the Hart Trophy with New Jersey. Nor is he anything remotely like the dazzling Taylor Hall of 2010, when he was drafted first overall by Edmonton.
The 2026 version of Hall is a rejuvenated 34-year-old winger contributing on a nightly basis to the seventh team of his winding 16-year career. On Monday, Hall jammed a bouncing puck past the goal line to score his first career overtime playoff winner. The 3-2 marker deep into the OT period put Carolina up 2-0 over Philadelphia in what could be another short Hurricanes series.
Taylor Hall is the hero in Raleigh! 🙌
— Walt Ruff (@WaltRuff) May 5, 2026
The #Canes take a 2-0 series lead over the Flyers. pic.twitter.com/DBoEcP9Fe5
Hall arrived in Carolina via Chicago in the eight-piece, three-team trade that sent Mikko Rantanen from the Avalanche to the Hurricanes in January 2025. His inclusion was maybe the fifth-most interesting part of the blockbuster.
Hall's speedy and always pressuring the puck. He still has some offensive juice, too. His first full campaign in Carolina has produced 48 points in 80 regular-season games and a team-leading nine points in six playoff games.
Logan Stankoven between Jackson Blake and Hall has been the Hurricanes' most productive line in the postseason. The trio's outscored the opposition 6-0 in 68 five-on-five minutes together against Ottawa and Philly. - John Matisz
Spotlight shines on Ducks' young core
We're about to learn a lot about Anaheim's promising young core.
Beating a patently flawed Oilers team is one thing. Overwhelming the veteran Golden Knights, one of the NHL's stingiest defensive squads in all situations, is an entirely different challenge. Game 1 goes tonight (9:30 p.m. ET) in Las Vegas.
Franchise center Leo Carlsson, 40-goal-scorer Cutter Gauthier, power forward Beckett Sennecke, and do-everything blue-liner Jackson LaCombe are all 25 or younger, riding rocket-ship trajectories, and competing in the playoffs for the first time. Carlsson, Gauthier, and LaCombe were supremely impressive in six games against the Oilers, while Sennecke was OK. But there won't be nearly as much room to operate offensively in Round 2. The Ducks will be consistently asked to problem-solve in transition and while on the attack in Vegas' zone.
Two-way forwards Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Mark Stone will be staring back at them in Golden Knights threads. Defensive center William Karlsson may appear in the series, too. Meanwhile, Vegas' blue line is big and rangy.
Lukas Dostal, another member of the Ducks' long-term core, is the better goalie in this matchup. But he'll be tested. Anaheim is porous defensively and the Golden Knights are armed with plenty of offensive weapons. - John Matisz
Avs-Wild is adrenaline rush of a series
Sunday's Game 1 between Colorado and Minnesota didn't simply deliver on the significant pre-series hype. No, the Central Division showdown was an offense-loving fan's dream, providing more frantic, uptempo action than the entirety of the Avalanche's Round 1 series against the lock-it-down Kings.
The result: a 9-6 Avalanche home victory, with winning goalie Scott Wedgewood making 30 saves on 36 shots. The 10th game in playoff history to feature 15 or more goals showcased the abundance of high-end speed, skill, and star power on both sides. For context, only 12 total goals were scored in the Hurricanes' sweep of the Senators last round.
Colorado held leads of 3-0 and 4-2 during the first 25 minutes of Game 1, and finished with eight different goal-scorers (Cale Makar bagged two). The Presidents' Trophy winner recorded an absurd 26 slot shots - a single-game high this postseason - as well as 14 scoring chances off the rush alone.
Game 1 was our first taste of Makar versus Quinn Hughes in the playoffs. Makar, who left the game briefly after taking a hefty Marcus Foligno hit, scored twice and added an assist in 17 minutes. Hughes pitched in a goal and two assists while dancing around the ice in a game-high 29 minutes. - John Matisz
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