They acquired Quinn Hughes and they proceeded to topple the team they replaced in Minnesota for their first playoff series win in eleven years.

However, in the end, the Wild were too beat up in key areas against Colorado to advance beyond the second round.

Still, the Minnesota Wild remain one of the more formidable teams in the NHL. As one of the older teams in the circuit, the Wild sit right in the arc of the championship window. However, that combination heightens the urgency to win now.

Facing an off-season with eight UFA's, GM Bill Guerin has the core pieces in place to augment in a way that might see his team take at least one more step forward in 2026-27.

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Outplayed or not, the Montreal Canadiens took the last seat at the Conference Finals table with an overtime win in Buffalo and keeping the dream alive for the first Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup in 33 years.

Neil and Vic once again welcome in TSN Analyst Craig Button to go over that seventh game and and look ahead to both the Canadiens-Hurricanes series as well as the Western Final pitting Colorado and Vegas.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[01:23] - Recapping Canadiens-Sabres Game 7. Discussion expands to Alex Tuch as a pending UFA and a similar goal which knocked out the Sabres in the second round 25 years ago.

[09:57] - Carolina vs. Montreal

[17:40] - Craig weighs in about the perception of the Vegas Golden Knights. Despite their media violation following the second round clincher and other things that didn't break any rules yet drew some ire within the public, it is fair to a franchise that has been successful since their first game in 2017?

[19:55] - Colorado vs. Vegas

[29:23] - The current standings of the "Expert" picks.

[31:08] - Closing segment including Conference Final TV schedule.

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The 2025-26 season represented one where the Philadelphia Flyers took a clear step forward, A combination of experience, youth, some stability in goal and a hot streak towards the end of the regular season to make a surprising return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, stunning the cross-state rival Penguins before bowing out to Carolina.

As the preparation for 2026-27 begins, the new challenge is to continue progress in an Eastern Conference in which returning to the post-season will not be a guarantee. The power play remains a mess, there's the relationship between head coach Rick Tocchet and mercurial forward Matvei Michkov and some RFA work to be done by the leadership team of Keith Jones and Danny Briere.

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The best laid plans...

The setting could not have set itself up better for the Montreal Canadiens. A 3-2 series lead, a raucous crowd awaiting them at the Bell Centre on a Saturday night and a 3-1 lead after just over ten minutes.

And then it was gone.

The Sabres storming back to score the last seven goals of the game to bring the series back to KeyBank Center for the deciding game Monday.

Vic and Neil break it down and also look into the Golden Knights saga stemming from the media violations following the clincher against Anaheim in Game 6.

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The Tampa Bay Lightning have been synonymous with success for the past decade. However, since losing the Final in 2022 in their quest for a three-peat, the team has bowed out of the playoffs in the opening round in each of the past four springs.

Though the team will, no doubt, remain competitive in 2026-27, it's also one of the older teams in the NHL so there's work ahead for GM Julien BriseBois to re-tool his club on the fly to keep his Bolts among the NHL's elite.

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Just one seat remains at the Conference Finals table as the Vegas Golden Nights finished off the Anaheim Ducks to book a date with the Presidents' Trophy-winning Colorado Avalanche.

In Buffalo, the Montreal Canadiens got off to a wobbly start but then kicked it into gear to take a 3-2 series lead back home with a chance to clinch Saturday night.

Vic and Neil re-cap both games and also discuss the new leadership team in Vancouver with two legends being tapped to lead the Canucks from the depths of the NHL.

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The elation of the Colorado Avalanche dramatic come-from-behind win to earn a spot in the Western Conference Final can likely be equalled by the sting felt by the Minnesota Wild in failing late in their quest to force a sixth game. Vic and Neil offer their take and how the injury bug truly had an impact.

Also, news on the coaching front as, for the second consecutive day, a vacancy has been created - this time in Edmonton.

Finally, the Calder Trophy was awarded Wednesday. While the winner didn't come as a shock, the presentation sure did.

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In their second season in Salt Lake City, the Utah Mammoth managed to do something the franchise achieved only once since 2012: qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which they did as the Arizona Coyotes and that coming in the bubble of 2020.

With a strong foundation and a team mixed with experience and youth, their strong showing in this year's opening round leaves plenty of reason to believe the leadership team of GM Bill Armstrong and head coach Andre Tourigny will be able to keep the team moving on an upward trajectory.

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