The Stanley Cup Playoffs are full of new blood, and so far three teams have advanced to the second round after not even making the postseason last year.
Colorado, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Anaheim have advanced from the first round, with the Flyers (six years) and the Ducks (eight) enjoying their first playoff trips in a long while. The Avalanche and Wild, who will face each other, each lost in the first round a year ago.
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Colorado Avalanche's Devon Toews (7) celebrates his goal with Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Martin Necas (88) against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period of Game 4 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
Minnesota Wild players celebrate after wining Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)
Philadelphia Flyers' Dan Vladar reacts after the Flyers won Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, left, celebrates his empty net goal with left wing Chris Kreider during the third period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Edmonton Oilers, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
More newcomers are on the way, too: Whoever wins the Boston-Buffalo and Montreal-Tampa Bay series didn't make the second round last year either. The Sabres ended the longest drought in NHL history at 14 seasons and the Bruins are back after a one-year blip, while the Canadiens and Lightning each had first-round exits in 2025.
Incredibly, the second round could see seven out of eight new teams this season if Utah rallies to defeat Vegas. Carolina, which will host the Flyers in Game 1 on Saturday, made it that far a year ago.
"That’s the exciting part of where the league is at and where these teams are at," Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger said recently. "New teams (are) getting into the playoffs and showcasing some of these young players that are on the rise that maybe haven’t had that experience. And now they get a chance to kind of understand what it’s all about and what it means to play in the playoffs.”
A new Cup winner was guaranteed last month when back-to-back champion Florida was eliminated from contention late in a season derailed by injuries.
There will now be two new finalists after Edmonton got knocked out in the first round by the Ducks. Oilers captain Connor McDavid said they “were an average team all year” and did not live up to high expectations.
The Hurricanes, who have advanced in each of the past eight years since Rod Brind'Amour took over as coach in 2018, host one of the upstart teams in the field: Philadelphia last reached the playoffs during 2020 pandemic.
“There was never a doubt,” said Flyers goaltender Dan Vladar, who had a 42-save shutout in the Game 6 overtime victory against Pittsburgh. “Good things happen to good people, and we are good people here.”
In the West, the Presidents' Trophy-winning Avalanche have been waiting around since sweeping Los Angeles. In the playoffs for a ninth year in a row, they next face the Wild, who beat Dallas in a six-game showdown of Central Division powerhouses.
“It’s going to be a hard-fought series,” Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog said. “High-quality teams, high-quality players, good goaltending and special teams. It’s going to be a battle.”
Minnesota finally won its opening series after losing its past eight, reaching the second round for the first time since 2015. Rookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt noticed a fan crying in the stands during the clinching Game 6 win, and it made him realize how much it meant beyond the locker room.
“There’s so many more people who are with us on this road and this journey,” Wallstedt said. “The excitement and joy to get past the first round is huge.”
The Ducks in coach Joel Quenneville's debut season advanced for the first time since a run to the Western Conference Final in 2017.
“Now we’ve got a taste of playoff hockey,” Quenneville said. "I think we can feel at this moment that it’s so much fun playing games that have the meaning and the building being as loud and excited as it is. It seems to grow from this level on.”
AP Sports Writers Dan Gelston in Philadelphia, Dave Campbell in St. Paul, Minnesota, Greg Beacham in Anaheim, California, and Pat Graham in Denver contributed.
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Colorado Avalanche's Devon Toews (7) celebrates his goal with Nathan MacKinnon (29) and Martin Necas (88) against the Los Angeles Kings during the third period of Game 4 in the first round of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series Sunday, April 26, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Scott Strazzante)
Minnesota Wild players celebrate after wining Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Bailey Hillesheim)
Philadelphia Flyers' Dan Vladar reacts after the Flyers won Game 6 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series Wednesday, April 29, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson, left, celebrates his empty net goal with left wing Chris Kreider during the third period of Game 6 in the first round of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs series against the Edmonton Oilers, Thursday, April 30, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A Supreme Court decision striking down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana has amplified an already intense national redistricting battle by providing Republican officials in several states new grounds to redraw voting districts.
In Alabama, Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced Friday that she is calling a special legislative session to begin Monday in hopes that the Supreme Court allows the state to change its U.S. House map ahead of the November midterm elections.
Louisiana already has suspended its May 16 congressional primary to allow time for lawmakers to approve new U.S. House districts. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is pressuring other states such as Tennessee to also redistrict ahead of the midterm elections that will determine whether Republicans maintain control of the closely divided House.
Trump urged Texas Republicans last year to redraw U.S. House districts to give the party an advantage. Democrats in California responded by doing the same. Then other states joined the battle. Lawmakers, commissions or courts have adopted new House districts in eight states.
That total could grow following the Supreme Court’s decision that significantly weakened a provision in the federal Voting Rights Act.
Here’s a look at how some states are responding to the Supreme Court ruling:
Current House map: two Democrats, four Republicans
Early in-person voting was to begin Saturday for Louisiana’s primaries. But Republican Gov. Jeff Landry moved quickly Thursday to postpone the congressional primary while allowing elections for other offices to go forward.
A federal lawsuit filed later Thursday, on behalf of a Democratic congressional candidate and voter, asked a court to block Landry’s order and allow the House primary to occur as originally scheduled. A second lawsuit asserting that the congressional primary should go forward was filed Friday in state court on behalf of three Democrats who already had cast absentee ballots and several civil rights organizations.
Among other things, the lawsuit asserted that tens of thousands of absentee ballots already have been mailed to people and a substantial number have been filled out and returned.
Separately, a three-judge federal court panel that heard the case that was appealed to the Supreme Court also issued an order Thursday suspending Louisiana’s congressional primary.
Republican state House and Senate leaders said they are prepared to pass new U.S. House districts — and set a new primary election date — before their legislative session ends in a month.
Current House map: two Democrats, five Republicans
The state’s primaries are set for May 19. But Alabama officials on Thursday filed an emergency motion with the Supreme Court seeking an expedited review of a pending appeal in a redistricting case that could affect the election.
A federal court in 2023 ordered the creation of a new near-majority Black district in Alabama, resulting in the election of a second Black representative to the U.S. House. Alabama is under a court order to use the new map until after the next census in 2030.
An appeal pending before the Supreme Court argues that the map is an illegal racial gerrymander, a claim similar to that made in Louisiana.
The state is seeking to lift an injunction blocking the use of a 2023 map drawn by the Republican-controlled Legislature that did not include the new district. The state is making a similar request for two state Senate districts impacted by a separate redistricting case.
Ivey said the special legislative session will focus on a contingency plan to have special primary elections in case the Supreme Court acts quickly enough to allow Alabama’s previously drawn districts to be used this year.
Current House map: eight Democrats, 20 Republicans
Hours after the Supreme Court’s decision, Florida’s Republican-led Legislature approved new U.S. House districts that could help the GOP win up to four additional seats in November.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis called a special legislative session without knowing when the Supreme Court would issue its opinion in the Louisiana case. But DeSantis expressed confidence that the court would rule as it did. Among other things, the new map reshapes a southeastern Florida district that DeSantis said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.
A Florida constitutional amendment approved by voters in 2010 prohibits districts from being drawn to deny or diminish the ability of racial or language minorities to elect the representatives of their choice. DeSantis said he considers that amendment a violation of the U.S. Constitution. That question is expected to be decided by the courts.
Current House map: one Democrat, eight Republicans
The Tennessee General Assembly recently ended its annual session. But pressure is growing to bring lawmakers back to revise the state’s congressional districts.
Trump posted on social media Thursday that he had spoken with Republican Gov. Bill Lee, who he said would work hard for a new map that could help Republicans gain an additional seat. Democrats currently hold only one seat, a district centered in Memphis, which is majority Black.
Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said he is in conversations with the White House and others while reviewing the court’s decision.
The state’s candidate qualifying period ended in March. The primary election is scheduled for Aug. 6.
Current House map: one Democrat, three Republicans
Mississippi held its U.S. House primaries in March. But the Supreme Court’s decision could affect elections for other offices.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced previously that he would call a special legislative session to redraw voting districts for the state Supreme Court that would begin 21 days after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the Louisiana case. That would put the special session's start at around May 20.
A federal judge last year ordered Mississippi to redraw its Supreme Court voting districts after finding that they violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting the power of Black voters. Mississippi lawmakers had been waiting on a decision in the Louisiana case before moving forward, but their legislative session ended in April.
Reeves said in his proclamation that the Supreme Court’s decision would provide guidance to lawmakers on whether “race-conscious redistricting” violates the U.S. Constitution.
Current House map: five Democrats, nine Republicans
Early in-person voting began April 27 and continues for the next few weeks ahead of Georgia’s primary elections on May 19.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp said it’s too late for Georgia officials to try to change congressional districts for this year’s elections, because voting already is underway. But he said the rationale in the Supreme Court’s decision “requires Georgia to adopt new electoral maps before the 2028 election cycle.”
Associated Press writers Jeff Amy and Kim Chandler contributed to this report.
FILE - The U.S. Supreme Court is seen in Washington, Friday, April 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
A person walks past a voting sign during the first day of early voting for the primary elections at the Dunwoody Library in Atlanta, Monday, April 27, 2026. (Miguel Martinez/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
