The Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoff matchups are set. Who is Adam Proteau picking to advance past the first round? Find out with our exclusive predictions.
The NHL's 2025-26 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on Saturday.
Judging by the matchups in the Eastern Conference, we could be in store for an entertaining — if not an unpredictable — first round.
The Buffalo Sabres, which had gone 14 years without qualifying for the playoffs, will play a Boston Bruins team that is back in the playoffs for the ninth time in 10 years. The Tampa Bay Lightning and Montreal Canadiens will face each other in a rematch of the 2021 Stanley Cup final. Meanwhile, Ottawa and Carolina will do battle for the first time, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will revive a Battle of Pennsylvania.
Here is a look at who we predict will advance to the second round.
Carolina Hurricanes (M1) Vs. Ottawa Senators (WC2)
Season series: 2-1 Hurricanes
Why Carolina will win: When it comes to winning first–round games, no team is better at it than the Hurricanes. Since 2019, the Canes have made the playoffs every year — and they've won every first-round series if you include the qualifying round in 2020.
But the one thing they haven't done is take on the Senators in a playoff series.
Still, there's a reason Carolina finished with the East's best regular-season record.
The Hurricanes scored the second-most goals in the NHL, at 3.55 per game. While their defense wasn't quite as dominant, they tied for the sixth-fewest goals against at 2.88 per game.
So long as Carolina gets a solid performance from one or both of its goaltenders — Brandon Bussi and Frederik Andersen — the Hurricanes will be very difficult to beat.
Why Ottawa will win: The Senators had an up-and-down year, but for the past two weeks, they've been playing for their playoff lives, going 6-1-1 to earn the second wild-card spot.
But right now, the pressure is all on Carolina, not on the Senators.
And here's the real reason why we believe the Sens will upset the Hurricanes this time around: Ottawa's Linus Ullmark is a better goalie than either Bussi or Andersen.
Now, it's true Bussi and Andersen's individual numbers are better than Ullmark's .891 save percentage and 2.73 GAA, but we believe Ullmark's recent play and his experience — especially in the playoffs — is likely to be the difference-maker in this series.
Prediction: Senators in seven games
Buffalo Sabres (A1) Vs. Boston Bruins (WC1)
Season series: 3-1 Boston
Why Buffalo will win: Since Dec. 8, when the Sabres were dead-last in the Eastern Conference, they went an amazing 39-10-5 run the rest of the year to not only clinch their first playoff berth in 15 years but also their first division title since 2009-10.
The Sabres will face a much more playoff-experienced team in the Bruins, but Buffalo has more depth at every position — particularly on defense, where Rasmus Dahlin leads an underrated blueline.
Buffalo's stellar home record of 26-10-5 should be a big advantage against a Bruins team whose road record was a gnarly 16-16-9. In what promises to be a long, punishing series, the Sabres should be able to pull out a series win and send an overachieving Boston team home for the summer.
Why Boston will win: The Bruins bounced back from their dismal 2024-25 season that saw them sink to second-last place in the East.
Under first-year coach Marco Sturm, the Bruins averaged 3.27 goals-for, tied for the 10th-most in the league. They rode that surprisingly robust offense to the first wild-card spot. That was no easy feat, especially in the hyper-competitive Atlantic Division.
If Boston gets a strong showing from veteran goalie Jeremy Swayman, the Sabres could get flustered and let their lack of playoff experience show.
Prediction: Sabres in seven games
Pittsburgh Penguins (M2) Vs. Philadelphia Flyers (M3)
Season series: 2-2
Why Pittsburgh will win: Should anybody count out Penguins icons Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang?
Sure, those players aren't in their prime anymore, but Pittsburgh surprised the league by carving out a playoff berth when few believed them capable of doing so.
The Penguins are still very much a team in transition, but the emotional boost they'll get from their veteran core playing what could be their final playoff games could see them overachieve as they've done this season.
The Pens' dynamic offense – which ranked third in the NHL with 3.54 goals per game – might very well atone for a defense that is mediocre at best.
Why Philadelphia will win: After Feb. 25, when they were a subpar 25-21-11, the Flyers went 18-6-1 to soar into third place in the Metro.
Flyers coach Rick Tocchet worked his magic with his group, and despite their youth and lack of NHL experience, Philadelphia's roster has shown the future to be very bright.
The Flyers will have to work around Crosby and Malkin if they want to win this series. But Philly's underrated defense – the ninth-best in the league at 2.91 goals against per game – is significantly better than Pittsburgh's, which ranked 24th at 3.15. That defensive edge is why we're picking the Flyers to win this series.
Prediction: Flyers in six games
Tampa Bay Lightning (A2) Vs. Montreal Canadiens (A3)
Season series: Series tied 2-2
Why Tampa Bay will win: We've said it consistently – the road to the Cup final in the East goes through Tampa Bay.
Though the Lightning had a less effective final 10 weeks of the season, the truth is that this Bolts team is more experienced and has more high-end players than the Canadiens.
A key factor will be Tampa's goaltending, which is far and away superior to Montreal's. Andrei Vasilevskiy has nothing more to prove to anyone, but this year, he was fantastic, posting a .912 save percentage and a 2.31 GAA in 58 appearances.
Why Montreal will win: The Canadiens have been one of the most thrilling teams in the league this season, with the NHL's seventh-best offense at 3.40 goals per game.
With young stars Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki leading the way – as well as a terrific defense corps – the Habs might be able to put a scare into the Lightning.
Montreal isn't anywhere close to its peak, and with most people likely to pick Tampa Bay to win this series, the Canadiens can play free and easy.
Prediction: Tampa Bay in five games
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