Joel Eriksson Ek did not hesitate, he simply kept shooting the puck. Eriksson Ek had five shots on goal in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars. Two of those shots went in the net on the power play as Minnesota routed Dallas 6-1. The first goal came as Eriksson Ek cruised into the slot. He beat Jake Oettinger off a brilliant feed from Matt Boldy. His second goal came from a Kirill Kaprizov pass where Oettinger had zero chance of stopping the puck. The key part is that the forward was willing to get into a position in the slot where he might take punishment but would get chances. Eriksson Ek did not miss as the top line racked up 15 of Minnesota's 28 shots in Game 1.

Logan Stankoven had a nice scoring run before the Stanley Cup Playoffs started. Stankoven scored seven goals and 11 points over his final eight regular season contests. He began Game 1 against Ottawa with three shots in the opening 20 minutes including a few high quality opportunities. Stankoven ended with a pivotal goal and an assist along with six shots on goal. Lost in the gaudy numbers may be the six hits the forward delivered. He was the physical centerpiece on a second line, along with Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall, that caused problems for Ottawa's defense.

Porter Martone started out his first taste of the NHL with a bang. He scored four goals and 10 points in nine games. Naturally, Martone made a difference when it counted most on Saturday night. Though, he missed a couple of scoring chances early in the contest, Martone made a late third period chance count. That goal made the score 3-1 Philadelphia and the Flyers would hold on to win 3-2. Martone silenced the entire crowd in Pittsburgh with a move that stunned everyone as he fired a quick shot past Stuart Skinner. As Martone put it, he found an opportunity and took it.

Frederik Andersen went into the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with some doubt. Andersen endured the worst season of his 13-year career. However, he only gave up three goals on 52 shots in his final two starts of the regular season. When Rod Brind'Amour gave Andersen the starting nod for Game 1, some were surprised. Andersen made 22 saves against Ottawa including a shot some thought was a goal by Drake Batherson. It turned into a key moment as the Senators never got one past Andersen. The Danish goaltender picked quite a time to get his first shutout of the season to open the playoffs.