NHL Games on TV Today – Friday, May 8, 2026 (ET)
Friday brings a two-game doubleheader in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs second round. Montreal tries to even its series in Buffalo, and the Anaheim Ducks return to Honda Center for their first home game of the round with the series against Vegas level at 1-1.
Both games are carried nationally on TNT, truTV and HBO Max in the United States, with Sportsnet, SN360, CBC and TVA Sports covering them in Canada.
Friday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Series Status | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Montreal Canadiens at Buffalo Sabres (Game 2) | Buffalo leads 1-0 | TNT / truTV / HBO Max |
| 9:30 PM | Vegas Golden Knights at Anaheim Ducks (Game 3) | Series tied 1-1 | TNT / truTV / HBO Max |
🏒 Game of the Day: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Anaheim Ducks (Game 3)
9:30 PM ET | TNT / truTV / HBO Max (US) · Sportsnet / SN360 / TVA Sports (Canada)
Honda Center hosts a second-round playoff game for the first time since 2017, and the Ducks arrive with genuine momentum. Anaheim was the better team in both games in Las Vegas and finally got the result in Game 2, winning 3-1 behind goals from Beckett Sennecke, Leo Carlsson and Jansen Harkins.
Lukas Dostal was the difference, stopping 21 shots and coming 5.6 seconds from his first career playoff shutout before Mark Stone scored on a late power play. Sennecke, a Calder Trophy finalist, became just the fourth Anaheim player aged 20 or younger to record a multi-goal postseason. The Ducks also snapped two Vegas streaks: Brett Howden’s four-game goal run and Ivan Barbashev’s seven-game point streak.
John Tortorella was blunt even after winning Game 1, saying his team was not good and that Anaheim deserved better. Two games in, that assessment still holds: Vegas has been outshot decisively in both, and the penalty kill – five-for-five in Game 2, including a 6:19 stretch in the first period – has done much of the heavy lifting.
Vegas has been here before, though. The Golden Knights left Utah tied 1-1 in the first round and won the series in six. Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, Pavel Dorofeyev and Shea Theodore are more than capable of flipping a series in one night, and Carter Hart has been sharp throughout.
Prediction: Vegas responds with its best game of the series and takes the road opener 2-1 in the series.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Buffalo Sabres (Game 2)
7:00 PM ET | TNT / truTV / HBO Max (US) · Sportsnet / CBC / TVA Sports (Canada) · MSG locally
Buffalo made its first second-round appearance since 2007 count, winning Game 1 by a 4-2 score behind a much-improved power play. Josh Doan and Ryan McLeod each had a goal and an assist, Zach Benson added two helpers, and Jordan Greenway and Bowen Byram also scored. Byram’s goal was his fourth of the postseason, matching the Sabres’ franchise record for a defenseman in a single playoff year.
The special teams turnaround was the headline. Buffalo converted two of three chances after going 1-for-24 with the man advantage against Boston. Alex Lyon made 26 saves in his fifth consecutive start and is now 4-1 since taking over the crease in the first round.
Montreal looked heavy-legged three days after an emotional Game 7 in Tampa. Nick Suzuki and Kirby Dach scored, but Jakub Dobes faced only 12 shots and allowed four goals after conceding just two across Games 6 and 7 of the first round. Martin St. Louis noted his team had far more room to create than it did against the Lightning – the problem was converting it.
One statistic looms over the Canadiens: they have yet to win two playoff games in a row this spring. That has to change tonight or they head home in a 2-0 hole.
Prediction: Montreal’s legs come back and Dobes settles – Canadiens even the series before returning to the Bell Centre.
Saturday keeps the pace up with Carolina at Philadelphia for Game 4 at 6:00 PM ET and Colorado at Minnesota for Game 3 at 9:00 PM ET. For tonight, two series that could tilt in either direction.
