NHL Games on TV Today – Saturday, May 9, 2026 (ET)
Saturday brings two games in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs second round, and both feature a team trying to avoid disaster. Philadelphia is one loss from being swept by an unbeaten Carolina side, while Minnesota returns home down 2-0 to a Colorado team that has not lost a game all postseason.
TNT, truTV and HBO Max carry both games in the United States, with Sportsnet, SN1, CBC and TVA Sports handling coverage in Canada.
Saturday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Series Status | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 PM | Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers (Game 4) | Carolina leads 3-0 | TNT / truTV / HBO Max |
| 9:00 PM | Colorado Avalanche at Minnesota Wild (Game 3) | Colorado leads 2-0 | TNT / truTV / HBO Max |
🏒 Game of the Day: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Philadelphia Flyers (Game 4)
6:00 PM ET | TNT / truTV / HBO Max (US) · Sportsnet / CBC / TVA Sports (Canada)
Carolina is 7-0 this postseason and one win from a second consecutive series sweep. The Hurricanes took Game 3 by a 4-1 score at Xfinity Mobile Arena, outshooting Philadelphia 30-19 in a game decided almost entirely by special teams: Jordan Staal and Andrei Svechnikov scored on the power play, Jalen Chatfield added a short-handed goal, and Nikolaj Ehlers finished it in the third.
Staal’s goal was his first playoff power-play marker since June 2021 and his first multi-point playoff performance in nearly three years. Frederik Andersen needed only 18 saves. Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Martinook each had two assists against the club that drafted the former.
Philadelphia’s problem is the same one that dogged it all season. The Flyers finished last in the NHL on the power play at 15.7 percent and are now 1-for-12 in this series and 3-for-29 across nine playoff games, going 0-for-5 in Game 3. Rick Tocchet argued his team has been the better side at even strength in back-to-back games – a fair claim – but the penalty parade has been relentless, with 58 minors and 156 penalty minutes through three games.
The history is grim: teams leading a best-of-seven 3-0 own an all-time series record of 212-4, and only four clubs have ever climbed out – one of them the 2010 Flyers. Carolina, meanwhile, is the 13th team to open a postseason 7-0, and eight of the previous 12 went on to win the Stanley Cup.
Prediction: Carolina finishes the job – the Hurricanes complete the sweep and move to 8-0 in these playoffs.
Colorado Avalanche vs. Minnesota Wild (Game 3)
9:00 PM ET | TNT / truTV / HBO Max (US) · Sportsnet / SN1 / CBC / TVA Sports (Canada)
The Wild come home to Grand Casino Arena needing a result, and needing it badly. Colorado won Game 2 by a 5-2 score behind a goal and two assists from Nathan MacKinnon, who recorded his 21st career multi-point playoff period in the first – passing Joe Sakic for the franchise record.
The sequence that opened the scoring was remarkable: Martin Necas put Colorado ahead at 2:51 and Kirill Kaprizov answered six seconds later, tied for the fifth-fastest pair of goals by two teams in postseason history. From there it was all Avalanche, with Gabriel Landeskog scoring on the power play and Valeri Nichushkin adding an empty-netter.
John Hynes turned to Filip Gustavsson in place of rookie Jesper Wallstedt, and the switch backfired – two goals on the first two shots. Minnesota is also still without Joel Eriksson Ek and Jonas Brodin, which has stretched a lineup already asked to contain the league’s most dangerous attack.
Colorado has now won six straight playoff games, matching the 2021 team for the franchise’s best start, and has 14 goals through two games of this series – the most by any team in the first two games of a series since Calgary in 1988. Twelve different Avalanche players have scored.
Prediction: Home ice finally matters – Minnesota wins a tight, physical Game 3 and gets back into the series.
By Saturday night, the Eastern Conference could have its first finalist. Sunday brings Game 3 between Montreal and Buffalo, with Game 4 between Vegas and Anaheim to follow.
