It was certainly one of the more bizarre things tossed onto the ice at a hockey game, but definitely not the most shocking thing that has happened in the first round of the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are back, which means that for the next two months, we’ll get non-stop action as we witness 16 teams get whittled down to the one that will be crowned as the 2026 Stanley Cup champions.

The Wild played 20 regular-season games after the NHL Trade Deadline on March 6; Wallstedt started nine and went 4-3-2 with a 1.98 GAA and .930 save percentage; Gustavsson started 11 and was 6-5-0 with a 3.22 GAA and .875 save percentage.

The Avalanche and Hurricanes remain Stanley Cup favorites, but the underdogs are keeping things interesting.

The Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings had some wonderful playoff battles. Anze Kopitar was among the stars involved.

In a game with 36 combined penalty minutes and 14 power plays, the Carolina Hurricanes escaped Ottawa with a Game 4 win and first-round series sweep.

The St. Louis Blues were 42-19-10 (.662 points percentage) and will enter the Stanley Cup Qualifiers as one of the top four teams in the Western Conference. They will play a round

The rookies in the Eastern Conference have been eye-catching in these Stanley Cup playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres are receiving contributions from youngsters, while the Pittsburgh Penguins and Boston Bruins would like more.