Happy Wednesday, Razzball faithful!
It’s one final Wednesday write-up from your guy, MarmosDad, and things are starting to get interesting in the first round. Sens and Kings fans are ready to watch a lot more baseball, and a few other teams are headed in the same direction.
Today, there will be more updates on the leading scorers from each series, along with notes on some of the names I outlined in the 2026 Fantasy Hockey Playoff Pool Review.
That means updates for all the Must Have skaters and any of the Worth the Gamble or Under the Radar guys who need them.
Will we get a clearer picture of who we’ll be seeing in Round Two? Did the Bruins copy the Penguins by staving off elimination and forcing a Game 6?
Let’s have a look!
BUFFALO (A1) vs BOSTON (WC1)
Buffalo leads 3-2.
When I saw this “power outage” before Game 5 even started, I was a bit worried.
The mic cut out during O Canada, and the Buffalo crowd didn’t miss a beat 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/uoo18MD7gb
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) April 28, 2026
Please, for the love of Patrice Bergeron (aka god), let the Bruins remember they are supposed to start playing in the first period instead of sleepwalking through 20 minutes like they did last Sunday.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Pastrnak | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Morgan Geekie | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Alex Tuch | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Bowen Byram | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Peyton Krebs | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Tage Thompson | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Owen Power | 0 | 4 | 0 |
My original pick of “BOSTON in 6” looked pretty obscene after Game 3 in Boston, then, when the Sabres pumped four past Swayman in the first period of Game 4…well…
Funny enough, a friend I work with was born and raised in Buffalo, and she texted me after the first period asking if I was watching baseball yet. And this was my response:
That was one crystal ball prediction I wasn’t looking forward to manifesting.
As for last night’s game, and more importantly, the overtime period, I’ve got two things to share:
- If Buffalo doesn’t open up the vault and pay Alex Tuch before he hits free agency, they’ve made a big mistake. That guy has hit another level in the playoffs, and could have ended the Bruins’ season at least a handful of times in OT last night.
- Bruce Cassidy said it on TNT before OT, but it bears repeating. As frustrating as it can be when David Pastrnak hits a lull in the scoring department, he’s a superstar who can step up in clutch moments. And this one was just that.
DAVID PASTRNAK SCORES A FILTHY GOAL AND THIS SERIES IS HEADING BACK TO BOSTON WOW 😱🚨 pic.twitter.com/T73vNeHv0I
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 29, 2026
TAMPA (A2) vs MONTREAL (A3)
Series tied 2-2.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Hagel | 6 | 1 | 2 |
| Jake Guentzel | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| Nikita Kucherov | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Nick Suzuki | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Lane Hutson | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Juraj Slafkovsky | 3 | 0 | 3 |
My original prediction was Montreal in 6, and while it could still happen, it’s tough not to see this one going to a winner-take-all Game 7. I mentioned it last week, and I’ll repeat it here. Watching Buffalo/Boston play on the same nights means I missed these games, but you get the sense that even through watching highlight reels, these two teams are so evenly matched up that it would make for a pretty epic finish if they pushed each other to the max.
If anyone predicted that Kucherov would have 5 points in his first 4 games, I don’t think there would’ve been much of an argument. But just one goal? Kuch could take one of these games over in a hurry and put up a hat trick as early as the next matchup.
Game 5: Tonight (Wednesday) at 7:00 PM EST in Tampa.
CAROLINA (M1) vs OTTAWA (WC2)
CAROLINA swept 4-0.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taylor Hall | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Logan Stankoven | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Jackson Blake | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Sebastian Aho | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| K’Andre Miller | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Drake Batherson | 3 | 1 | 1 |
I was off by one game in my prediction, and I thought Ottawa would win one. It could be worse. This guy thought they’d win four.
At least he got the broom part right.
It looks like my reasoning in the playoff preview was sound when I said to draft Taylor Hall. I don’t know if anyone would have predicted Hall would lead the scoring from both teams in Round One, but here we are. Hopefully, you managed to pick him up in those later rounds of your playoff pool and are riding that scoring boost to the top of your standings.
PITTSBURGH (M2) vs PHILADELPHIA (M3)
Philly leads 3-2.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Rickard Rakell | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Evgeni Malkin | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Erik Karlsson | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Rasmus Ristolainen | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Travis Konecny | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Trevor Zegras | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Travis Sanheim | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Porter Martone | 2 | 1 | 1 |
It looked like a pretty unceremonious end to the Malkin/Crosby era after last week’s Round One write-up saw the Pens fall behind 0-3 in the series.
But, as they say, “You’ve gotta win 4”. Sid scored his first of the series in a Game 5 Pittsburgh win, then added two more assists on Monday night, including one on the game-winner from Kris Letang.
I don’t know if the Pens have the stamina to push this series to the limit, but I’m just glad they made it into a series.
Then again, if anyone saw Rasmus Ristolainen as the leading scorer in this series with 5 points and NONE of them on the Powerplay…well, I’d like the name of the witch who bought your soul for that kind of edge.
The only thing saving me from total failure is if Pittsburgh can manage to come back and win it in 7. (I had PIT in 4).
Game 6: Tonight at 7:30 PM EST in Philadelphia.
COLORADO (C1) vs LOS ANGELES (WC2)
COLORADO swept 4-0.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Landeskog | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Artturi Lehkonen | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Nicolas Roy | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Devon Toews | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Cale Makar | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Laferriere | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| Artemi Panarin | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Rinse and repeat from my Carolina/Ottawa prediction. I thought the Kings would be able to steal one, if not just for Anze Kopitar to go out on a bit of a high note. But nope.
I know hindsight is 20/20, but was it worth trading Liam Greentree (26th overall in 2024) and two picks for Artemi Panarin and an extra 4 games? I guess that’s all moot since Panarin signed a two-year extension.
The good news is, it looks like Anze Kopitar left with a smile on his face anyway.
"From the bottom of my heart, thank you very much! This has been my home for 20 years…" 🥹
Anze Kopitar speaks to the @LAKings' crowd after his final regular season home game. pic.twitter.com/snVRmZhocG
— NHL (@NHL) April 11, 2026
DALLAS (C2) vs MINNESOTA (C3)
Minnesota leads 3-2.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kirill Kaprizov | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Joel Eriksson Ek | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Matt Boldy | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Brock Faber | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Quinn Hughes | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Mats Zuccarello | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Matt Duchene | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Jason Robertson | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Wyatt Johnston | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Mikko Rantanen | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Miro Heiskanen | 2 | 4 | 5 |
Just like I said above with Taylor Hall, hopefully you managed to pick up a cheap, late Matt Duchene in your playoff pool draft. The “old guys” are putting things together again, and I’m here for it. Matt Duchene’s 8 points in 5 games trails just Kirill Kaprizov’s 9-point total.
I hedged here in this series, taking Dallas in 7 for the Razzball Bracket challenge that Viz put together, but my official call was Minnesota in 7 on here. Either way, it’s looking like I may get the number of games right. This series has been as tight as any in Round 1.
VEGAS (P1) vs UTAH (WC1)
Series tied 2-2.
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Eichel | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Ivan Barbashev | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Noah Hanifin | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Mark Stone | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Mitch Marner | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Lawson Crouse | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Dylan Guenther | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Mackenzie Weegar | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Clayton Keller | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Utah has 8 players with 3 or more points in this series, outlining how deep a team they are and how it’s never been about one or two superstars leading the charge all year.
I said Vegas in 5 games, so I’m already wrong there, but I think Vegas still squeaks out the series win even if it goes the distance.
Game 5: Tonight at 10:00 PM EST in Vegas.
EDMONTON (P2) vs ANAHEIM (P3)
Anaheim leads 3-1…before last night’s game
(chart up to date after 1st period last night)
| PLAYER | GOALS | ASSISTS | POWERPLAY POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leon Draisaitl | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Kasperi Kapanen | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Connor McDavid | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Evan Bouchard | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Vasili Podkolzin | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Jackson LaCombe | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Mikael Granlund | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Alex Killorn | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Troy Terry | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Leo Carlsson | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Cutter Gauthier | 1 | 4 | 4 |
I don’t know whose Bingo card had Anaheim leading the series three games to one, but it certainly wasn’t on mine.
What in the effing eff is going on in Edmonton? Draisaitl is back, they’re getting scoring from guys like Kasperi Kapanen, and they have the best hockey player in the universe in Connor McDavid.
How are these guys down 3-games-to-1 heading into (last night’s) Game 5?
Well, Game 4’s 4-3 OT win could have gone either way, despite Anaheim outshooting the Oilers 38-27.
Last night’s first period? Well, if it’s any indication of how the rest of the game would shake out, Edmonton is well on its way to forcing a Game 6.
The Oilers scored 3 goals early, chased Lukas Dostal (3 SV, 6 SA), and look like they’ve shown up with some super-charged superstars. Leon Draisaitl has one; Podkolzin and Hyman have the other two. And RNH & Bouchard have two assists each. After 20 minutes. It looks like one team doesn’t want to go home early tonight.
EDIT: Edmonton and Anaheim traded goals in the first half of the second period at the time of final edits. 4-1 Edmonton, and, barring a total collapse, it looks like we’ll get a Game 6 here.
That’s all for this week AND FOR THIS YEAR. Before I bounce, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for reading and thank Viz and Grey for the chance to write up hockey each week again this year. It was a lot of fun.
If you have any questions or comments, leave them below, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.
Happy Wednesday, and enjoy the rest of the playoffs, everyone!
Follow me @marmosdad on Twitter/X and Bluesky @marmosdad.bsky.social
