The first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup has kicked off – the moment when the regular season ends and the real hockey begins.
Sixteen teams take to the ice, and in a couple of weeks, only eight will remain. Follow the matches on AfroPari and take advantage of the live predictions feature!
Why is the first round so chaotic?
The first round is the most unpredictable stage of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Series are played to four wins (best-of-7): it can all be over in four games or stretch out to seven exhausting encounters.
The schedule is packed, with matches taking place almost every day until early May. This format increases pressure on the teams and makes every clash a must-win, leading to more upsets here.
Top series: key matchups in the first round
Three series where different factors come together – emotions, experience, and contrasting play styles.
- Pittsburgh vs Philadelphia
Neither team has reached the playoffs in a long time: Pittsburgh hasn’t since 2022, and Philadelphia hasn’t since 2020. Pittsburgh has home-ice advantage, but its two biggest stars, Crosby and Malkin, have a combined age of 77. Will they cope with the tight schedule of playing with only two days between games?
Philadelphia put together a strong run at the end of the season, which allowed them to finish third in the Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division. For Coach Tocchet, the games against Pittsburgh will be special: he won the Stanley Cup there as a player and later worked as an assistant coach.
The X-factor in this series is discipline and special teams: power-play performance could very well decide the outcome of the matches.
- Tampa Bay vs Montréal
As long as Vasilevskiy and Kucherov are on the roster, Tampa will be considered one of the favorites this season. Add to that a phenomenal season from Darren Reddish, who racked up 70 points in the regular season. This team will definitely look to play an open, attacking style of hockey.
The Canadiens have players who can remind their opponents exactly why the team lost to Tampa in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield were already standout performers back then, and they’ve since become full-fledged stars of the league. During the regular season, the team actively challenged their opponents, so their physical style of play could be Montréal’s advantage in the series.
X-factor: play in the slot. Tampa scores more goals from there than any other team in the league, while Montreal has struggled with goals allowed from that area.
- Colorado vs Los Angeles
Colorado was the top team in the regular season, Nathan MacKinnon was the league’s leading goal scorer, and Cale Makar had another outstanding regular season. At the same time, Colorado was one of the worst squads at converting power plays. What will happen if they start scoring on the power play as well?
Los Angeles has a trump card up its sleeve, Panarin, as well as a strong desire to postpone Anže Kopitar’s retirement. The club’s offensive leader, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, surely has no desire to head off fishing after just the first round.
X-factor: the average age of the Colorado players is 30, making them the oldest team in the playoffs. The last time the league’s oldest team won was in 2002, and back then, it was Detroit. If the series goes the distance, the Californians will have a better chance of success.
Other playoff series
East
- Buffalo vs Boston: the Sabres have been dreaming of qualifying for the playoffs for 15 years, while for the Bruins, it’s business as usual, having advanced to the playoffs once again.
- Carolina vs Ottawa: the East’s top team, which even rested key players down the stretch, against a side with goaltending concerns. Looks pretty one-sided.
West
- Dallas vs Minnesota: the Stars delivered another 50-win season, but Minnesota has Kaprizov and Hughes. Team vs standout characters – a classic matchup.
- Vegas vs Utah: Vegas made a surprise coaching change late in the season, while Utah makes its historic playoff debut. Expect plenty of emotion!
- Edmonton vs Anaheim: McDavid goes hunting for a long-awaited trophy against a team with nothing to lose.
How the round unfolds
- Opening stage (April 18-22)
A stretch of maximum speed and physical intensity, where teams try to intimidate each other and expose weaknesses in defense. The key here is not to burn out too early. - Turning point (April 23-28)
The series shifts to new arenas, and roster depth comes to the forefront: while top players are tightly marked, games are often decided by the lower-line players stepping up. - Decisive stage (late April – early May)
In the crucial sixth and seventh matches, every mistake can be fatal, and games often go to endless overtime until the first goal. Much depends on the goalkeepers’ composure.
More opportunities in the playoffs
The Stanley Cup is a tournament where it’s not just about predicting the outcome, but also about reading the series dynamics. Even in the early matches, it becomes clear who controls the pace and where the favorite is overrated. That’s precisely why live betting is particularly relevant in the first round: as the series unfolds, new opportunities arise that are hard to foresee in advance.
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