Top moments from 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs for NHL.com staff

The 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs ended Sunday with the Carolina Hurricanes lifting the toughest trophy in sports to win after a 3-0 victory against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 of the Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

A jubilant Jordan Staal, the Carolina captain, taking the Stanley Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is an instant iconic moment that will immortalize the second championship for the franchise, 20 years after its first.

But as always, the 2026 postseason was full of unforgettable moments. Seventy-seven games across 59 nights provided nonstop action and endless drama.

With the playoffs in the books, NHL.com staff covering the Stanley Cup Final provided their favorite moment from the long and exciting trek.

Here, in chronological order, are the moments:

Welcome back, Buffalo

It would have been a special moment, no matter what, one 15 years in the making. It would have been a moment to savor for parents and children, for those who had known the Buffalo Sabres in the playoffs and those who had never seen it, for the fans wearing Dominik Hasek and Thomas Vanek jerseys and those wearing Rasmus Dahlin jerseys. For the first time since 2011, the Sabres qualified for the playoffs, with Game 1 on April 19 against the Boston Bruins. It was already wild, a raucous party from the KeyBank Center plaza to the stands, even as the Bruins held a 2-0 lead early in the third period. But two goals by Buffalo forward Tage Thompson, one at 12:02 and another at 15:44 tied it, and a short-side wrist shot from defenseman Mattias Samuelsson just 52 seconds later, pushed the building to hysterics in what was ultimately a 4-3 victory in a game so long anticipated that somehow was even better than anyone could have imagined. -- Amalie Benjamin, senior writer

Play it again, ‘Jordo’

It’s rare to see something you’ve never seen before, especially when you started covering the playoffs 32 years ago. That’s why Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round between the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators on April 20 stands out for me. Carolina won the game 3-2 in double overtime on a goal by Jordan Martinook. The goal came after Hurricanes forward Mark Jankowski had one taken away in the first overtime during a delayed penalty against the Senators. The team celebrated and the fans started streaming out of Lenovo Center, but the goal was ruled offside. And, it was ruled the delayed penalty should be a penalty shot, which Martinook took and missed. “It was going to be a long night if that penalty shot came back to bite me,” Martinook said. “But it wasn’t when he won the game for real in the second overtime.” All’s well that ends well! -- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial

First time for Mammoth

Before the Utah Mammoth played their first home playoff home game, owner Ryan Smith said, “What we love about where we’re at is just the amount of firsts. They just don’t get old.” Then defenseman MacKenzie Weegar scored Utah’s first home playoff goal at 12:59 of the first period, and the Mammoth earned their first home playoff win and first playoff series lead by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 to pull ahead 2-1 in the Western Conference First Round on April 24. The atmosphere was as expected in a market that has embraced the NHL since it established a new franchise in Utah on April 18, 2024. “Obviously, the fans have been incredible ever since Day 1 when we showed up here,” forward Lawson Crouse said, “and it seemed like they took it to a whole new level tonight.” -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Montreal magic

About 30 miles outside of Montreal in the town of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, there is an almost 200-year-old cathedral that hosted playoff viewing parties for Montreal Canadiens playoff games, a place where the candles were bleu, blanc et rouge and patrons chugged beers in the pews. “People in Quebec and Canada gather together around hockey games -- it's almost a religion, so we find it works wonderfully,” spokesperson Marjolaine Quintal said. It especially holds true for the Canadiens, whose home rink, Bell Centre, once against proved it is the cathedral of hockey arenas. That was never more evident than in Game 3 of the first-round series against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 24. From Hall of Famer Yvan Cournoyer carrying a lit torch into the building, to the two-minute chants of “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” prior to the national anthems, to the spine-tingling sound when Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson’s overtime goal at 2:09 gave the hosts a 3-2 win, it was the latest unforgettable night for a franchise loaded with them. -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

Goal-a-palooza

Game 1 of the second-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild on May 3 started innocently enough with about 11 minutes of typical hockey before all heck broke loose. Fifteen goals in all, the Avalanche winning 9-6. Colorado scored three goals in 2:01 before Minnesota started firing back, scoring five of the next six goals and took a 5-4 lead at 16:55 of the second period. But Devon Toews tied it for the Avalanche at 18:04, and they scored four more in the third period in a 9-6 win. It was a game that  fit in beautifully with a postseason that was crazy, chaotic and unbelievable. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

Ringing the Bell

I had always heard about how electric Bell Centre in Montreal was during the playoffs, but I’d never experienced it until May 25, when I covered Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final between the Canadiens and Hurricanes. Electric is an understatement. The place was absolutely bonkers with the best-of-7 series tied 1-1. The pregame show was amazing, especially when former Canadiens forward Claude Lemieux was the torch bearer, and the decibel level was through the roof when the anthems were sung. It was an incredible night, the Hurricanes eventually winning in overtime on a goal by Andrei Svechnikov. I just loved the way the fans embraced the Canadiens and how the whole city was behind them. It was a night I will always remember for many reasons, most of them good, but also with sadness as Lemieux would die by suicide just days later. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief

Emotional accomplishment

Playing with heavy heart following the death of his longtime agent and close friend the day before, Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen made 23 saves in a 6-1 victory against the Canadiens in Game 5 of the conference final on May 29 that clinched Carolina’s first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006. A clearly emotional Andersen looked up at the image of Lemieux on the video screen above center ice during a moment of silence before the game at Lenovo Center and then put forth one of his best performances of the playoffs to earn his first trip to the Cup Final in his 13-season NHL career. Afterward, his teammates lined up to hug him one at a time, but they appeared to be consoling him more than celebrating with him. -- Tom Gulitti, senior writer

A game for the ages

I’m old enough to remember the “Miracle on Manchester” when the Los Angeles Kings rallied from a five-goal deficit in the third period in Game 3 to defeat the Edmonton Oilers 6-5 in overtime in Game 3 of the 1982 Smythe Division Semifinals. Game 3 of this season’s Cup Final on June 6 brought back memories of that famous game with the Hurricanes battling back from a 4-0 deficit in the third to force overtime. Unfortunately for Carolina, it didn’t have a Daryl Evans moment and could not complete the comeback, losing 5-4 on a goal credited to Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore at 5:38 of double overtime. The Hurricanes scored three goals in 39 seconds in the third to make it 4-3, and Svechnikov tied it at 18:18 with goalie Brandon Bussi pulled for an extra attacker while on the power play. Had Carolina been able to complete the comeback, it might have been dubbed as the “Miracle on Las Vegas Boulevard.” -- Derek Van Diest, staff writer

Brind’Amour’s Cup toss, catch and raise

It’s rare in today’s sports world that the face of a franchise, its most important person, is the coach. Coaches come and go, but not Rod Brind’Amour; he has played a role as either a player or coach in all 180 playoff games the Hurricanes have played since he arrived in North Carolina via a trade from the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 23, 2000. Brind’Amour had his signature moment as a player on June 19, 2006, when he took the Stanley Cup before NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman could hand it to him and raised it over his head, the Hurricanes captain celebrating the franchise’s biggest moment to date. Brind’Amour had his signature moment as a coach on Sunday, when he got the Cup from backup goalie Pyotr Kochetkov, tossed it up in the air, caught in in a bear hug, and then raised it over his head. In 2006, he was the first player to get it; in 2026, he got it after all of the players. It was just as special and just as deserved for all the work he has put in since taking over as Hurricanes coach eight years ago. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer