2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview: The Western Conference
Everyone take a breath – the chaotic wild card race is over, the eight teams are set, and it's time to finally enjoy the best time of the year.
The Western Conference is not quite as shocking as the East in terms of which squads made the cut, and the contenders who have battled for the past several seasons remain firmly in the mix this time. But there are some intriguing debutantes which look potentially primed to capitalize on weaknesses that are emerging in their aging opponents. I'm going to break down these series using data from HockeyStats as well as tracked stats from AllThreeZones, matching up teams by evaluating the offence versus defence matchups, seeing where stylistic advantages might lie, and mapping out what the series might look like.