Round 1 of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs had some surprises. Teams relatively new to the playoff scene are upstaging the veteran squads.
Some results did surprise a number of the GDH Mystics. Excuses provided by the Mystics for inaccuracies in their predictions ranged from “a Cloudy Crystal Ball”, to “Confirmation Bias”, to being “Jinxed” by their fellow Mystics.
For Round 1 Mystic Picks, please review the previous article, https://gingerdonkeyhockey.com/nhl-2026-stanley-cup-playoff-bracket-predictions-by-the-gdh-mystics/.
For Round 2 Mathups, Mystic Picks and Updated Mystic Standings, please see below following the Round 1 Series Results / Summary.
Round I Series Results / Summary
Western Conference: Colorado defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4 games to 0; Minnesota Wild defeated the Dallas Stars 4-2; Vegas Golden Knights over the Utah Mammoth 4-2 and Anaheim Ducks beat the Edmonton Oilers 4-2.
Eastern Conference: Buffalo Sabres over the Boston Bruins 4 games to 2; Montreal defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 4 games to 3; Carolina Hurricanes over the Ottawa Senators 4-0; and the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2.
TAKEAWAYS
Impressive: Both the Colorado Avalanche and the Carolina Hurricanes went undefeated and may be the teams to beat in their respective divisions. Montreal and Buffalo proved that they are not flukes and will now meet each other in Round 2.
Disappointments: Based on expectations, the disappointments must be the Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators.
With Edmonton, Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, expectations were high due to the veteran talent, leadership and playoff experience. What will next year bring for these franchises?
Regarding the Ottawa Senators, the disappointment was not that they lost, but more of how they lost. This was their second consecutive playoff appearance in a row after a number of years out of the playoffs. Last year was a learning experience. This year should have show cased measurable growth, which is often reflected in playoff performance. However, after a solid regular season, they seemed to lack that fight and pushback characteristic that is essential in playoff hockey.
On to Round 2.
Mystic Playoff Pool Standings After Round 1
As discussed above, there were some surprise results from the first round. With respect to the predictions of the 9 Mystics, the first round proved to be competitive. 4 Mystics tied for first place with 4 correct series winners. So, after invoking the Tie Breaking criteria of predicting the Total Games Played, Anna D comes out in front after Round 1, having predicted a total of 46 games played. 45 games were played in total combining all 8 series.
Congratulations Anna D. Now off to Round 2. Good Luck Mystics.
| Mystic Rank After Rnd 1 | Mystic RD 2 Selections | COL vs MIN | VGK vs ANA | BUF vs MTL | CAR vs PHL | Mystic Correct Picks Rd 1 | Total Games Played Rd 1 Prediction (Tie Breaker Games Played 45 Rd 1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Anna D | MIN 6 | VGK 5 | BUF 6 | PHL 6 | 4 | 46 |
| 2nd | Phil D (2x Champ) | COL 6 | VGK 6 | BUF 6 | CAR 6 | 4 | 48 |
| 3rd | CMAC 3130 | COL 6 | ANA 7 | MTL 7 | CAR 4 | 4 | 49 |
| 4th | Ginger Donkey (Don Mac) | COL 6 | ANA 7 | BUF 6 | CAR 6 | 4 | 50 |
| 5th | Christina Mac | COL 4 | VGK 7 | BUF 6 | CAR 6 | 3 | 46 |
| 6th | Colin Mac | COL 7 | VGK 6 | MTL 7 | CAR 5 | 3 | 47 |
| 7th | Brad Mac | COL 5 | VGK 7 | BUF 5 | PHL 6 | 3 | 48 |
| 8th (Tie) | Nicole Mac | COL 7 | ANA 6 | BUF 7 | CAR 6 | 3 | 49 |
| 8th (Tie) | Sally Mac | MIN 7 | ANA 7 | BUF 5 | CAR 7 | 3 | 49 |
Greetings. In introducing myself, I must relate that family is most important. I am a husband, father and grandfather. Beautiful extended family. I was born in the 60’s. Graduated from Laurentian University in Sudbury in 1985 with a degree in Social Work. Recently retired.
Sports has been and continues to be my foremost outlet for stress. I have been a coach/ trainer on over 40 youth teams, including hockey, baseball and soccer. Hockey is my number one sport. Began playing as a young child and continue to play several times per week. Huge Fan. I am not an expert per say when it comes to having close contacts to the hockey world. Still have expertise as a Fan. I have probably earned some form of “Hockey PTSD” over the years with the highs and lows of the cheering for the Leafs. I want to respectfully share my opinion and respectfully view your opinions. Should be fun. Keep your stick on the ice.
Take Care and Stay Safe.
