The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are close to reaching the conference finals round, with three of the four spots taken:
The Carolina Hurricanes earned the first spot Saturday (May 9), with a sweep of the Philadelphia Flyers.
The Colorado Avalanche were next, with a 4-1 series win over the Minnesota Wild, which closed Wednesday.
The Vegas Golden Knights earned a 4-2 series win against the Anaheim Ducks, finishing things off Thursday.
And now, those three await the winner of the Buffalo Sabres-Montreal Canadiens series. The Canadiens now lead 3-2, and Game 6 is Saturday.
With no games on the schedule for Friday, here are scores, recaps and highlights from Thursday along with updated playoff stat leaders.
Read more:
Full schedule
Playoff Central
Stanley Cup odds
Conn Smythe Watch
Second-round picks
Offseason guide for eliminated teams
Thursday's scoreboard
Montreal Canadiens 6, Buffalo Sabres 3
Canadiens lead 3-2
A wild first period with back-and-forth scoring led some to ponder whether this would be like Game 1 of Avs-Wild, with a final score of 9-6. The Canadiens played along -- finishing with six goals -- but the three that the Sabres scored in the first period were all that they'd put past Jakub Dobes.
Jason Zucker, Josh Doan and Konsta Helenius were the scorers for Buffalo, while Montreal had six different scorers: Cole Caufield, Alexandre Texier, Josh Anderson, Jake Evans, Nick Suzuki and Ivan Demidov. Game 6 is Saturday in Montreal, with the Habs one game away from the conference finals. Full recap.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres: Game Highlights
Vegas Golden Knights 5, Anaheim Ducks 1
Golden Knights win 4-2
While Thursday's early game started off close before a decisive finish, the Golden Knights looked dominant from the opening puck drop. Mitch Marner scored his seventh goal of the playoffs before some fans had even found their seats, and Brett Howden scored his eighth seven minutes later. Shea Theodore made it an even 3-0 before the first period ended.
Mikael Granlund got one back for Anaheim in the second, but that was all the Ducks could muster on offense. Pavel Dorofeyev added a pair of goals in the third to put the game -- and series -- away for good. Here's a look at the Ducks' offseason plans, as the Golden Knights prepare for the Western Conference finals against the Avalanche, which begin Wednesday on ESPN. Full recap.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Anaheim Ducks: Game Highlights
Playoff scoring leaders
Click here for full list of stats leaders.
Playoff goaltending leaders
Click here for the full list of goaltender stats.
