In Game 2 between the Edmonton Oilers and Anaheim Ducks, a fan in Edmonton threw a hen on the ice.
Yes, a completely cooked rotisserie hen — presumably to troll the Ducks. Not an opulent duck (or the rest duck-related), however a rotisserie hen from the grocery retailer.
I’ve so much of questions: How did they smuggle it in? In their backpack? Taped to their leg like the Nashville catfish? Why a cooked rotisserie hen?
It was definitely one of the more strange issues tossed onto the ice at a hockey recreation, however undoubtedly not the most stunning factor that has occurred in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Here are 5 of the biggest surprises of the postseason so far:
Superstars have not been shining — however younger stars are leveling up
Every week into the playoffs, Sidney Crosby and Nathan MacKinnon every had one help by way of three video games. Crosby lastly scored a purpose in Game 4 towards the Philadelphia Flyers — together with his workforce in a 3-0 gap at the time. MacKinnon lastly acquired on the board with a pair of objectives in the Avs’ Game 4 win to brush the Kings.
Brady Tkachuk went scoreless as the Ottawa Senators have been swept by the Carolina Hurricanes. Tim Stutzle had one help.
Nikita Kucherov simply scored his first playoff purpose in 18 postseason video games.
Connor McDavid lastly acquired on the board, with two factors in Game 3 of the Oilers-Ducks sequence, and a pair of assists in Game 4.
But whereas the NHL’s biggest stars have not been scoring the method they did in the common season, rising names akin to Logan Stankoven and Jackson LaCombe definitely have. Stankoven is on a goal-per-game tempo this postseason, and LaCombe leads playoff scorers with eight factors by way of 4 video games.
American followers know the names Matt Boldy and Brock Faber from the Olympics, and so they have three objectives and two assists apiece by way of 4 video games towards the Stars.
Juraj Slafkovsky had a hat trick in main the Canadiens to a Game 1 win. Philly’s Porter Martone has a pair of profitable objectives already, and doesn’t look out of place regardless of simply becoming a member of the workforce this month.
It’s not essentially an indictment on the famous person gamers who aren’t factoring in on the rating sheet early on — typically depth gamers emerge as standouts in the postseason. But it’s jarring to see the perennial Art Ross contenders not dominate the postseason.
Meanwhile, some star goalies are additionally struggling
Frederik Andersen, Scott Wedgewood and are Alex Lyon are all north of a .940 save share. Linus Ullmark is way from the motive the Senators have been swept — he completed with a .932 save share and a pair of.03 goals-against common in 4 video games.
Arturs Silovs was key in Game 4 for Pittsburgh, saving 27 of 29 pictures in an impressed efficiency. It was his first begin of the playoffs in place of Stuart Skinner, and prolonged the postseason by at the least yet one more recreation for the Penguins.
Meanwhile, Andrei Vasilevskiy has given up 11 objectives on 93 pictures and Jake Oettinger is at a .902 save share.
In different phrases, the goalie stats checklist does not seem like one a hockey fan may need predicted in phrases of top-performing netminders. But identical to the depth forwards, unlikely names emerge as playoff standouts who lead their groups to vital victories; it was solely three years in the past that Adin Hill backstopped the Golden Knights to a Cup with zero earlier begins in the postseason.
Home ice hasn’t actually been a bonus
Through 21 video games on this yr’s playoffs, 11 have been received by the guests (52%).
Since 2014, solely three different first rounds have seen the visiting workforce win extra video games than the residence workforce: 2016, 2017 and 2023.
The Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche every received their first two video games at residence, whereas each different sequence noticed the residence workforce win one or none. (And these two groups received their second two video games on the highway to finish sweeps.)
Friday — the sixth day of the playoffs — has been the solely day of the postseason when each residence workforce received, and it was proper again to the “road warriors” on Saturday as each the Canes and Pittsburgh Penguins received of their opponents’ buildings.
Sunday produced one of the most lopsided examples of a visiting workforce victory: the Sabres’ 6-1 demolition over the Bruins in Boston, taking a 3-1 sequence lead in the course of.
The Sabres went up 4-0 in the first interval after not scoring a single first-period purpose in the sequence — the third time in NHL historical past that has occurred. Every Sabres skater, all 12 forwards and 6 defensemen, have been at the least plus-1 in the recreation; since 1959, when plus/minus was first tracked, that had occurred in solely three different postseason video games (the Oilers had two of them in the Nineteen Eighties). Utter dominance.
The solely factor that will have made this higher for the Sabres is that if the Bruins did not rating on a power-play purpose with a minute left to spoil Lyon’s shutout; he made 23 saves in the victory.
The Battle of Pennsylvania had been something however aggressive … till a pivot in Game 4
In September, not many individuals believed the Flyers and Penguins would attain the playoffs, not to mention be going through one another. And earlier than Game 1, the brighter highlight was shined on the success of the Penguins, and the way this is perhaps yet one more kick at the can for the timeless trio of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Then the puck dropped, and the Flyers took over.
They have successfully brotherly shoved Pittsburgh practically out of the equation solely, shortly profitable the first three video games earlier than Pittsburgh received in Game 4 in Philly.
The Penguins have been third in objectives per recreation in the common season (3.54) and the Flyers have been twenty first (2.93). The Flyers are fourth in objectives per recreation in the playoffs (3.25) and the Penguins are third from the backside (2.00).
It’s not for a scarcity of making an attempt. In the sequence, the Penguins have had extra scoring possibilities (together with high-danger scoring possibilities), extra puck possession and extra shot makes an attempt — however Dan Vladar has been unbelievable, giving up solely seven objectives on 94 pictures.
The Penguins lastly received of their fourth try. Silovs took command of the crease, whereas Crosby got here alive with a purpose and help.
Is Game 4 the lone win of a gentleman’s sweep, or will the Battle of Pennsylvania keep aggressive?
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Sidney Crosby retains Penguins alive in Game 4 win vs. Flyers
Arda Ocal recaps the Penguins’ victory over the Flyers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Power performs have been comparatively powerless
Through 21 video games this postseason, power-play effectivity was at 18.5%, the lowest fee in the first round since 2015. Teams are successfully killing the 7.7 power-play alternatives seen per recreation this yr, which is in the high 5 of energy performs per recreation in the first round in the previous 15 years.
The Senators scored just one power-play purpose in 21 alternatives. The Sabres have not scored as soon as with the man benefit relationship to April 1. And the Avalanche have been amongst the shockingly scoreless energy performs till they lastly scored one in Game 4. Nine of 16 groups are under 20% at this level. For comparability’s sake, solely 5 completed under 20% final season.
Not all groups have been bothered, of course; the Ducks lead the method with a 50% power-play effectivity, adopted by the Stars at 42.1% then the Oilers at 30.0%.
Honorable point out: The jersey change line in Utah
The Utah Mammoth are full of advertising residence runs this season — led by Ryan Smith, who’s hitting all the proper notes as a workforce proprietor. Inviting followers into suites, introducing the Zammoth and pulling off terrific stunts akin to followers with the ability to line up and commerce of their Golden Knights jersey for a Mammoth jersey at no cost.
What’s stunning is how long the line was — though given how standard this workforce has turn out to be, perhaps it should not have been shocking. It’s one other win on a protracted checklist of them for the Mammoth this season.
