NHL Games on TV Today – Tuesday, May 12, 2026 (ET)
Two games on Tuesday in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs second round, and both matter enormously. Buffalo faces a must-win Game 4 at a raucous Bell Centre, while Anaheim and Vegas meet in Las Vegas for the pivotal Game 5 of a series that has been tied since Sunday night.
ESPN carries both games in the United States, with Sportsnet, SN360, CBC and TVA Sports covering them in Canada.
Tuesday’s NHL Schedule at a Glance
| Time (ET) | Matchup | Series Status | US TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 PM | Buffalo Sabres at Montreal Canadiens (Game 4) | Montreal leads 2-1 | ESPN |
| 9:30 PM | Anaheim Ducks at Vegas Golden Knights (Game 5) | Series tied 2-2 | ESPN |
🏒 Game of the Day: Anaheim Ducks vs. Vegas Golden Knights (Game 5)
9:30 PM ET | ESPN (US) · Sportsnet / SN360 / TVA Sports (Canada)
Back to T-Mobile Arena, back to square one. Anaheim answered a 6-2 hammering in Game 3 with one of its most composed performances of the postseason, beating Vegas 4-3 on Sunday to level the series at two games apiece.
Alex Killorn and rookie Beckett Sennecke each contributed a power-play goal and an assist, Ian Moore scored the first playoff goal of his career, Mikael Granlund added another, and Cutter Gauthier picked up three assists. Killorn framed it plainly afterward: there was far more urgency, and no team wants to lose twice at home or fall behind 3-1.
Vegas played without captain Mark Stone, who was injured in the first period of Game 3, and the drop-off was noticeable. The Golden Knights went 8-9-5 without him during the regular season compared with 31-17-12 when he dressed. Brandon Saad stepped in for his first NHL game since April 11, and Pavel Dorofeyev shifted up to the top line.
The good news for John Tortorella’s group is that everything else is still in place. Mitch Marner sits among the NHL’s postseason scoring leaders after his Game 3 hat trick, Jack Eichel has been the best playmaker in the series, Carter Hart has been reliable, and the Vegas penalty kill remains the best in the playoffs. Game 5 in a series tied 2-2 has historically been decisive – the winner takes the series roughly 80 percent of the time.
Prediction: Vegas takes over at home and wins comfortably to move within a game of the Conference Final.
Buffalo Sabres vs. Montreal Canadiens (Game 4)
7:00 PM ET | ESPN (US) · Sportsnet / CBC / TVA Sports (Canada)
The Bell Centre delivered on Sunday. Montreal hosted its first second-round playoff game in front of a full house since 2015, Kirk Muller carried the ceremonial torch, crowds filled the surrounding streets hours before puck drop – and the Canadiens responded with a 6-2 win to take the series lead.
Alex Newhook scored twice for the second consecutive game, becoming the first Montreal player with back-to-back multi-goal playoff performances since Mark Recchi in 1997. Cole Caufield finally broke through with a goal and an assist, Zachary Bolduc, Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach also scored, and Lane Hutson and Jake Evans each set up two. Jakub Dobes made 26 saves and was serenaded with chants of his nickname from the crease.
Buffalo actually started perfectly. Tage Thompson opened the scoring 53 seconds in, ending a seven-game drought, but Montreal answered with four unanswered goals. Lindy Ruff pointed to ill-advised breakout decisions his team had not been making, and Alex Lyon – 31 saves – deserved better.
The Sabres won all three games in Boston in the first round and have been the NHL’s best road team since December, so the venue is not the excuse. But this is now a must-win: no team wants to head back to Buffalo down 3-1 with the season on the line.
Prediction: Buffalo’s desperation shows – the Sabres steal Game 4 and send the series back home tied.
Wednesday brings Game 5 between Colorado and Minnesota in Denver, with the Avalanche looking to close out the Wild. In the East, Carolina is already through to the Conference Final and waiting.
