dailyloe.com – The 2025-26 NHL regular season has concluded, with sixteen teams advancing to the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. ESPN’s panel of experts has made their predictions for every first-round series. They also selected the eventual Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP.
Multiple analysts provided their picks for the opening round matchups. The predictions were compiled and published by ESPN on April 18, 2026. The experts include Sean Allen, John Buccigross, and Stormy Buonantony. Other contributors are Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Sachin Chandan, and Meghan Chayka.
Ryan S. Clark, Gregg Colli, and Ray Ferraro also submitted their series forecasts. Further predictions came from Erik Johnson, Emily Kaplan, and Tim Kavanagh. Rachel Kryshak, Peter Lawrence-Riddell, and Steve Levy rounded out the expert panel. Their collective picks cover all first-round playoff series.
In a notable Eastern Conference matchup, many experts favor the Buffalo Sabres. A majority of the panel predicts the Sabres will defeat the Boston Bruins. Specific predictions for the Sabres-Bruins series vary in length. John Buccigross forecasts the Sabres winning in seven games.
Stormy Buonantony also selected the Sabres to win in seven games. Cassie Campbell-Pascall predicted the Sabres would win the series in six games. Sachin Chandan’s pick is for the Sabres to advance in seven games. Ryan S. Clark also chose the Sabres in seven games.
Gregg Colli predicted the Sabres would win the series in six games. Ray Ferraro selected the Sabres to win the first-round series in seven games. Emily Kaplan’s prediction is for the Sabres to win in seven games. Tim Kavanagh forecast a Sabres victory in just five games.
Rachel Kryshak also picked the Sabres to win the series in six games. Several analysts, however, predicted the Boston Bruins would advance. Sean Allen selected the Bruins to win the series in six games. Meghan Chayka also chose the Bruins to win in six games.
Erik Johnson predicted the Bruins would win the series in six games. Peter Lawrence-Riddell forecast the Bruins winning the series in seven games. Steve Levy’s prediction for the series was not fully detailed in the source. The experts made picks for all other first-round matchups as well.
The full predictions include selections for the Stanley Cup champion. The panel also identified their Conn Smythe Trophy winner for playoff MVP. These comprehensive picks were published before the first-round series began. The 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs are set to commence.[]
Source: ESPN
