Updated 2026 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket, Schedule and Top Highlights from April 26

The 2026 NHL playoffs introduced a slate of 4 first-round video games on Sunday.

The Buffalo Sabres and Boston Bruins opened the day with a Game 4 conflict that the Sabres received in dominant style. The Colorado Avalanche then grew to become the second staff to punch their ticket to the second spherical.

Here’s a have a look at Sunday’s outcomes and highlights, plus the upcoming playoff schedule.

Buffalo Sabres def. Boston Bruins, 6-1 (BUF leads sequence 3-1)

Colorado Avalanche def. Los Angeles Kings, 5-1 (COL wins sequence 4-0)

Tampa Bay Lightning def. Montreal Canadiens, 3-2 (Series tied 2-2)

Anaheim Ducks def. Edmonton Oilers, 4-3 (ANA leads sequence 3-1)

Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins, 7:00 p.m. ET (PHI leads sequence 3-1)

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Utah Mammoth, 9:30 p.m. ET (UTA leads sequence 2-1)

The Sabres stole a second straight street win with a livid assault that put the sport away early. Buffalo scored 4 of its six targets within the first interval.

Peyton Krebs opened the scoring simply 4 minutes into the sport off an help from Alex Tuch. Bowen Byram notched his third aim of the sequence to cap the opening body with a 4-0 lead.

However, the Sabres weren’t carried out there. Tuch and Beck Malenstyn recorded targets inside two minutes of each other within the third interval for the exclamation level.

Tensions finally boiled over for Boston, resulting in a quick scuffle late within the recreation.

The Bruins did not get on the board till Sean Kuraly transformed a shorthanded aim with lower than a minute left to destroy the shutout.

While Buffalo relentlessly attacked the aim with 35 photographs, goalie Alex Lyon needed to make simply 21 saves within the victory, as Boston could not get a lot occurring Sunday. The Bruins pulled goalie Jeremy Swayman within the third interval and changed him with Joonas Korpisalo within the ultimate minutes.

Just prefer it has been for a lot of the sequence, it was clean crusing for a lot of the recreation for Colorado.

The Avalanche received off to a sizzling begin with a aim from Nathan MacKinnon within the first interval. It was his first aim of the playoffs.

The two groups ended the primary interval with a prolonged struggle.

Colorado made it 2-1 within the second interval after a aim from Cale Makar, however Joel Edmundson answered again for the Kings.

It was all Colorado within the third interval, as they scored three unanswered targets to shut out the sport and the sequence.

After dominating their first-round matchup, the Avalanche will look to maintain their momentum going within the second spherical.

The Canadiens had been seeking to take a commanding 3-1 lead within the sequence, however the Lightning had different plans.

Montreal was in management by means of the early going, taking a 2-0 lead after targets from Zachary Bolduc and Cole Caufield within the second interval.

The Lightning did not let the sport get away from them, although, as Jake Guentzel gave Tampa Bay its first aim of the sport within the second interval.

Brandon Hagel then tied issues up within the third and later gave Tampa Bay the lead along with his second aim of the evening, which got here on an help from Nikita Kucherov.

Montreal had a couple of alternatives down the stretch, together with an influence play within the ultimate minute, however it finally could not reply. Now, the sequence is all tied up and will head again to Tampa for Game 5.

There was no scarcity of drama within the ultimate recreation of the evening.

Edmonton was in management early, taking a 2-0 lead within the first interval after targets from Kasperi Kapanen and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

But the Ducks got here storming again within the second interval, night issues up after Cutter Gauthier and Mikael Granlund scored.