Golden Knights take 2-0 Western lead; Eastern final now tied 1-1

The NHL’s final four entered May 25 with one conference final even and the other tilting toward Vegas. NHL.com’s conference finals schedule listed the Eastern Conference final between the Carolina Hurricanes and Montreal Canadiens as tied 1-1 after two games, while the Vegas Golden Knights held a 2-0 lead over the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final. Vegas took the first two games in the West by scores of 4-2 on May 20 and 3-1 on May 22, according to NHL.com and Sporting News. Carolina answered after dropping Game 1 in the East, beating Montreal 3-2 in overtime on May 23 to split that series. The bracket leaves two different immediate questions. (nhl.com) In the East, Montreal’s Game 1 win and Carolina’s Game 2 response reset the series into a best-of-five. In the West, Colorado now needs a road result to avoid a 3-0 deficit against a Vegas team that Hockey-Reference lists as 10-4 overall this postseason. ### How did the Eastern Conference final get back to even? Montreal opened the series with a 6-2 win over Carolina in Game 1 on May 21, NHL.com said. Carolina then pulled even with a 3-2 overtime win in Game 2 on May 23. That split means neither team has taken a series edge beyond one game. (nhl.com) Sporting News’ schedule page showed Game 3 set for May 25 in Montreal, followed by Game 4 there on May 27 and Game 5 back in Carolina on May 29 if needed. ### What has put Vegas ahead of Colorado? (nhl.com) Vegas won the first two games of the Western Conference final at home, beating Colorado 4-2 in Game 1 and 3-1 in Game 2, NHL.com’s schedule showed. The Golden Knights therefore entered the next game with a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. (sportingnews.com) Hockey-Reference’s playoff summary listed Vegas as the postseason leader among the remaining teams in total wins, with a 10-4 record through 14 games. The same page listed Jack Eichel with 16 assists and Pavel Dorofeyev with 10 goals in the 2026 playoffs. ### What do the schedules show for the next games? Game 3 between Carolina and Montreal was scheduled for 8 p.m. (nhl.com) ET on Monday, May 25, in Montreal, according to NHL.com. The network listing included TNT, HBO Max, truTV, Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports. Game 4 between Colorado and Vegas was scheduled for 9 p.m. (hockey-reference.com) ET on Tuesday, May 26, NHL.com said. If necessary, that series would continue with Game 5 on May 28 in Colorado, Game 6 on May 30 in Vegas and Game 7 on June 1 in Colorado. ### Which teams are still left in the Stanley Cup race? (nhl.com) Carolina, Montreal, Vegas and Colorado were the four remaining teams in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs as of May 25, according to NHL.com, Sporting News and Hockey-Reference. Hockey-Reference’s postseason page also showed the paths each team took to reach the conference finals, including Carolina’s 4-0 second-round win over Philadelphia and Vegas’ 4-2 second-round win over Anaheim. (nhl.com) The next concrete milestones are already on the calendar. NHL.com’s schedule lists Hurricanes-Canadiens Game 3 for May 25 and Avalanche-Golden Knights Game 4 for May 26, with both series able to run into June if they extend to seven games. (nhl.com)