2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 2 Preview: The Western Conference

NHL

Finally, some new blood.

The second round of the 2026 Western Conference Playoffs may include two teams that have won the Stanley Cup in the past five seasons, but it also features a pair that previously had not won a playoff round since the 2010s. The Colorado Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights have been reliable contenders (for the most part), but the Anaheim Ducks have been stuck in the mud since 2017, and the Minnesota Wild have been trapped in mediocrity since 2015. If either or both teams can scrape by to the Conference Final, it could represent a real changing of the guard in the West.

I'm going to break down these series using data from HockeyStats as well as tracked stats from AllThreeZones and the Hockey PDOcast, matching up teams by evaluating the offence versus defence matchups,

Paid Article

Register to unlock in-depth articles and gain access to quality, exclusive coverage. Stay informed and ahead of the game—upgrade today!

Explore plans

This article is about

NHL Anaheim Ducks Colorado Avalanche Minnesota Wild Vegas Golden Knights Rasmus Andersson Matt Boldy Jonas Brodin Leo Carlsson