Eastern Conference Final

• Carolina Hurricanes lead Montreal Canadiens 2–1
• Carolina won Games 2 and 3 in overtime after Montreal took Game 1.
• Game 4 is tonight in Montreal.

Western Conference Final

• Vegas Golden Knights swept Colorado Avalanche 4–0
• Vegas advanced to the Stanley Cup Final after a 2–1 win in Game 4.

Stanley Cup Final outlook

• Vegas is already waiting in the Final.
• Carolina currently looks like the favorite to come out of the East, but Montreal is still alive and has pushed two games to OT.

Big playoff stories so far:

• The defending champion Florida Panthers missed the playoffs entirely.
• Toronto Maple Leafs missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
• Vegas has reached its third Stanley Cup Final in nine seasons.

Reuters

Golden Knights rally from 3 down to beat Avs, take 3-0 series lead

Today

NHL

MacKinnon status uncertain with Avalanche season on brink in Western Final

Today

NHL

2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs conference finals schedule

Today

2026 NHL Playoffs – Conference Finals Update

Eastern Conference Final

• Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes
• Montreal stole Game 1, but Carolina answered back in Game 2, evening the series at 1–1.

Game 3 is a key swing game with momentum back up for grabs.

Western Conference Final

• Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche
• Vegas now leads the series 3–0 after a dramatic 5–3 comeback win in Game 3.
• Colorado led 3–0 early, but Vegas stormed back with goals from several contributors including the returning Mark Stone.

A major concern for Colorado: Nathan MacKinnon suffered a leg/knee issue and his status remains uncertain.

Big story right now
Vegas is one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final, while Colorado faces elimination in Game 4.

Eastern Conference Final

• Carolina Hurricanes vs Montreal Canadiens
• Series tied 1–1
• Carolina won Game 2 in overtime, 3–2
• Nikolaj Ehlers scored the OT winner for the Hurricanes.

Western Conference Final

• Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche
• Vegas leads series 2–0
• Golden Knights rallied late in Game 2 for a 3–1 win
• Colorado has been dealing with injuries, including Cale Makar missing games.

Big storylines right now:

• Montreal’s surprising playoff run continues after upsetting higher seeds
• Carolina finally snapped its recent conference-final home struggles
• Vegas has momentum and home ice heading into Game 3
• Colorado is trying to avoid falling into a nearly impossible comeback situation after losing the first two at home.

Eastern Conference Final

• Montreal Canadiens lead/opened strongly after taking Game 1 against Carolina Hurricanes.
• Montreal jumped out with a big offensive start and held on for the win.

Western Conference Final

• Vegas Golden Knights lead the series 2–0 over Colorado Avalanche.
• Vegas won Game 2 by a 3–1 score after a third-period comeback led by Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev.

Colorado is also dealing with injuries, including continued absence for Cale Makar in Game 2.

Big storylines

• Montreal has become a surprise contender after surviving multiple tough series.

Vegas has grabbed momentum despite injury concerns of its own.

So right now the road to the Stanley Cup looks like:

🏒 Montreal vs Carolina → series underway
🏒 Vegas 2–0 Colorado