By Avery Fantasia, Staff Writer |

The 2026 National Hockey League (NHL) Playoffs began on Saturday, April 18, and mark the 99th annual competition for the prestigious Stanley Cup. The playoffs feature a four-round, bracket-style play in which each of the 16 participating NHL teams compete in a best-of-seven game series in order to advance to the next round.

The Boston Bruins entered the playoffs as the top wildcard pick in the Eastern Conference, a ranking that earned them a seven-game series against the Buffalo Sabres, who won the Atlantic Division this season. Many Bruins fans viewed this matchup with excitement, especially since the Bruins had performed relatively well during the regular season. Unfortunately, the Bruins fell to the Sabres after six games, losing the series 2-4. 

Paige Fenton ’26, a 2025-26 Fanatics co-head, stated, “Although it was an unfortunate finish to a strong season, the Bruins’ early elimination wasn’t totally unexpected. I think team dynamics and morale were certainly off this year, especially after former captain Brad Marchand was traded to the Florida Panthers last March.” Despite a disappointing end to the season, Fenton reflected the opinion of many fans when she said, “I think they will have an even better finish next year and hope they will find more consistency during this offseason.” 

In a broader lens, the NHL Playoffs have been a popular event for sports fans, bringing in an average of 1.4 million viewers per game in the United States. Ani Andersen ’29 reflected on her experience watching this year’s playoffs, saying, “One of my favorite things about watching the Stanley Cup playoffs is the upsets and the surprises. Yeah, I’m upset about the Bruins’ losing, but it’s also fun to watch underdogs, like when the Anaheim Ducks beat the Edmonton Oilers.” 

Currently, the Playoffs are down to the semi-finals, with the Colorado Avalanche facing off against the Vegas Golden Knights for the Western Conference spot and the Montréal Canadiens playing the Carolina Hurricanes for the Eastern Conference slot. The finals will take place between June 3 and June 19 for the Stanley Cup. Montréal has some strong support from fans, including Ms. Granese, who stated, “I’m hoping for the Canadiens to go all the way!” However, Colorado is widely projected to win the Cup, but hockey is wildly unpredictable and fast-moving, so stay tuned in early June to find out the victor of the 99th annual NHL Playoffs.