Past analysis of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Our hockey writers shared observations throughout Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Tap to return to the main story.

Sunday, April 27

Tkachuk evades suspension

4 Nations Face-Off pugilists Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk crossed the line when they flattened unsuspecting opponents with late hits in back-to-back playoff games.

Tkachuk, however, avoided Hagel's fate. The Panthers forward received a major penalty but won't be suspended for interfering with Jake Guentzel toward the end of the Lightning's commanding Game 3 victory. The NHL sidelined Hagel for that game after he shook up Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Hagel memorably fought Tkachuk off the opening draw of Canada's round-robin clash with the United States. They're on warring sides of the fourth Battle of Florida series in five years, which the Panthers lead 2-1 entering Monday's massive game in Sunrise.

Tkachuk not being suspended is sure to rankle Lightning fans. The NHL won't even hold a hearing, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported. Friedman cited three decisive factors: Tkachuk's hit was seen as less forceful than Hagel's, didn't involve head contact, and came after Guentzel touched the puck.

Tkachuk has three goals (two on the power play) in the series. His ice time is gradually ramping up after a groin injury shelved him for two months. The Panthers thrive when he's dialed in. Florida went 31-19-2 (.616 points percentage) with Tkachuk in the lineup this season and 16-12-2 (.567) when he missed time. - Nick Faris

A season-saving kill

Drake Batherson took Ottawa's second high-sticking double minor of the entire season early in Saturday's overtime period. Blood dripped from Chris Tanev's face as Toronto's automatic power play, which was 5-for-10 in the series entering Game 4, hopped over the boards.

Without John Tavares, who was being treated for an injury in the dressing room, the Maple Leafs failed for four minutes to bag a goal and seal a series sweep. The maligned Senators penalty kill staved off elimination with five saves from Linus Ullmark, a sprawling block by Ridly Greig, and help from a hit post.

Ottawa's Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, and Artem Zub spent the first 1:45 in their own zone and played most of the kill. Claude Giroux lost two faceoffs and screwed up a clearance attempt, but he dug in to protect the slot and cleared the puck in the final seconds. Morgan Rielly's cross-zone pass to an empty corner reflected Toronto's aimlessness in the back half of the power play. It allowed Sanderson to net the winner at the 18-minute mark.

In theory, the kill could become the turning point of an epic comeback. It's almost certain to be a footnote as the Leafs advance to Round 2. Either way, it was a resilient, formative moment for a young Senators group that endured OT heartbreak, then fought desperately for the team's first playoff victory in eight years. - Nick Faris

Brooms away, everybody

For only the sixth time in the salary-cap era, and second time in three years, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will have no opening-round sweeps. Despite six of eight series starting out 2-0, teams up against the ropes have found a way to gain life.

Toronto was the only team to build a 3-0 series lead, but Jake Sanderson's overtime winner in Game 4 saved the Senators' season. Impressive efforts from the Oilers, Devils, Blues, Canadiens, and Lightning while down 2-0 also flipped momentum and created more intrigue as the schedule progresses.

Plenty of work remains for the teams still trailing, but there's at least hope for some long series after it appeared an anticlimactic first round was in store. - Sean O'Leary

Landeskog's breakthrough inspires Avs

The Avalanche overhauled their roster on the fly this season. They ditched two goalies to bring in better ones, traded Mikko Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt, and loaded up at the deadline to be ready to collide with the Stars. They dressed 43 skaters, one of the largest totals of the NHL salary-cap era.

Their latest addition, captain Gabriel Landeskog, electrified Ball Arena by drawing into Game 3 after three years on the shelf. Colorado dropped his debut in overtime, but a convincing 4-0 victory Saturday leveled the series. Shots favored the Avalanche 48-23. The only attempt that eluded Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger during a second-period siege was Landeskog's snapper that rang in off the post.

Landeskog has a goal, an assist, and eight hits in two games over 13:57 of average ice time, which ranks ninth among Avalanche forwards. His advanced metrics (77% shot rate, 89% expected goals percentage at five-on-five) sparkle. His surgically repaired knee can clearly handle the pace, and he's exploiting openings against a depleted, yet formidable, Stars lineup.

Colorado's hot goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood (.939 save percentage in the round), can continue to outduel Oettinger. The Avs have one incredible defense pair and outstanding center depth, a result of their trading flurry. Thanks to Landeskog - their emotional leader and a point-per-game scorer in the 2022 championship postseason - they have belief, inspiration, and momentum. - Nick Faris

Saturday, April 26

Leafs can't afford needless penalties

The goal-scoring math on the Maple Leafs-Senators series is pretty simple.

At five-on-five, the Leafs have 10 goals to the Senators' five. This imbalance lines up well with what happened in the regular season - Toronto finished tied for 11th in the NHL in even-strength goals, and Ottawa finished 27th.

Each team has scored five goals in other game situations - power play, shorthanded, or six-on-five. Again, these results aren't the least bit surprising given the Leafs' power-play percentage (24.8) was similar to the Senators' (23.8) in the regular season. The penalty kill rates were even tighter.

Veteran-heavy Toronto was the more disciplined team in Games 1 and 2. It let that advantage slip in Games 3 and 4 (though the referees definitely missed an obvious interference call on Senators defenseman Artem Zub in Saturday's overtime).

Penalties are going to be called, and the ones that disrupt an opposing scoring chance are usually worth it. But the Leafs can't afford another boneheaded penalty like Max Domi's roughing infraction in the first period of Game 4. He whacked opposing center Shane Pinto with the end of his stick after a false start on a faceoff. Tim Stutzle scored on the ensuing power play.

The Leafs are in control of this series. They've been the better team overall. But the Sens are capable of making them pay on special teams. - John Matisz

Sens have something to hold onto

The Senators avoided a sweep Saturday night thanks to a Jake Sanderson snipe 17-plus minutes into overtime. Ottawa has a long way to go to beat the Maple Leafs to four wins, and the odds are very much stacked against this team.

Still, Saturday's win is super meaningful for a Sens squad that's put its all into the first four games, two of which ended in overtime heartbreak. Ottawa's nucleus - Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, Thomas Chabot, Sanderson - is relatively young and inexperienced. This core needed to taste postseason glory, to know it can not only hang with the NHL's best but also beat them. It builds confidence.

It also helps that several core members contributed to Game 4's 4-3 score.

Sanderson, who will soon be a regular in the Norris Trophy conversation, was the hero and top workhorse (game-high 30:05). Pinto, another blossoming player, scored a massive shorthanded goal. Batherson was buzzing all night and shook off a double-minor penalty in OT. Stutzle, a wizard with the puck, opened the scoring in easily his best game of the series. - John Matisz

Watch out if Eichel gets going

There's no reason to panic after all. Following a 4-3 overtime victory Saturday, the heavily favored Golden Knights head back to Vegas tied 2-2 with the Wild in what's turned out to be a much closer matchup than expected.

The series is even despite Vegas' best player, Jack Eichel, underperforming.

Eichel hasn't been outwardly terrible, but he certainly hasn't looked himself. He's skating well, yet his timing seems off, and he's losing puck battles he usually wins. Eichel's somewhere-in-the-middle body of work over four games has produced one point - a secondary assist on the power play in Game 4. That helper marked only his second point in nine total contests in a sluggish month of April.

The Wild have outscored the Golden Knights 6-0 in Eichel's 64 five-on-five playoff minutes. Expected goals are 3.2-2.4 for Minnesota. Now, context is key: Eichel's almost exclusively facing off against an incredibly strong five-man unit in Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, and Brock Faber.

Eichel was phenomenal during Vegas' Stanley Cup-winning run in 2023. He just had a regular season worthy of down-ballot Hart Trophy votes, too. We know what the two-way American center is capable of. If (when?) he gets going, this series will tilt heavily in Vegas' direction. Watch out. - John Matisz

Guentzel addition was genius

Jake Guentzel's fingerprints were all over the Lightning's sorely needed 5-1 triumph on enemy ice. General manager Julien BriseBois' big summer addition is one of the NHL's great finishers and complementary stars. His three points against the Panthers on Saturday sparked a desperate team.

The Bolts had been outscored 9-2 in the series before Guentzel brushed a shot off Brayden Point's shinpad to tie Game 3. He presented a passing option when Nick Paul slipped behind Gustav Forsling to bury the second Lightning goal. Guentzel batted Nikita Kucherov's spinning pass into the net right before a Florida penalty expired. And he assisted the empty-netter as Matthew Tkachuk rocked him with a late hit reminiscent of the one that got Brandon Hagel suspended.

Guentzel's three-point effort was his fifth since the beginning of March. He put five shots on net in almost 24 minutes of ice time. His clearances on the penalty kill helped compensate for Hagel's absence and Anthony Cirelli's pair of minor infractions.

BriseBois made the bold call to walk away from franchise legend Steven Stamkos right before his game plunged in Nashville. The GM elbowed ahead of rival bidders by trading a third-round pick to the Hurricanes for Guentzel's exclusive negotiating rights. With Hagel out Saturday, Jon Cooper stacked his top line with Guentzel, Kucherov, and Point and watched them menace Forsling and Aaron Ekblad, who was minus-4 in his return from a PED suspension.

Guentzel told the TNT panel postgame that he's sure the league will "take a look at" Tkachuk's hit. If that leads to a suspension, Guentzel's impact on Game 3 and this fiery matchup will grow. - Nick Faris

Oilers were never going quietly

Did anyone really think the Oilers were going to roll over and die after falling behind 2-0 against the Kings? Did we not learn anything from last year?

During their run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers trailed 2-1 and 3-2 in their Round 2 series against the Canucks. They overcame a 2-1 series deficit against the Stars before winning three consecutive games. And of course, Edmonton stormed back from a 3-0 hole to force Game 7 against Florida in the Cup Final. The Oilers don't quit.

The 2025 edition of the team is far less stingy defensively. The injured Mattias Ekholm is badly missed. The goaltending is shaky once again, regardless of who's in net. But the Oilers outscored these problems in a gutsy 7-4 win over the Kings in Game 3. When the going gets tough, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (a combined five points in the victory) have proven time and time again they can elevate to another level. - Josh Wegman

Familiar face between Anderson, Wilson

As the Canadiens and Capitals' antics escalated at the end of the second period Friday night, Kyle Flemington found himself in the middle of the chaos. The linesman, No. 55 in stripes, tried his best to separate Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson as the bruisers went at it on the Capitals' bench.

It was a wild scene in an epic Game 3. It was also probably a bit surreal for Flemington, who played with Anderson in the OHL. A former tough guy himself, Flemington appeared in 30 games for the 2011-12 London Knights. The club won the OHL title with a deep roster filled with future NHLers.

Flemington, who's listed at 6-foot-7, 214 pounds on Elite Prospects, capped out at the minor pro level, spending a few years in the ECHL and England. In retirement, he originally planned on becoming a police officer and went as far as completing his police foundations diploma. He pivoted to a different kind of policing after attending an NHL-run on-ice officials showcase in 2018.

"For me, the only reason I got into officiating was to stay in the game," Flemington told theScore in 2019 for a feature on modern officials. "Get out there on the ice and compete. It turned into a pretty good opportunity here."

Also in this year's playoffs from that memorable 2011-12 Knights team: Toronto's Max Domi and Winnipeg's Vlad Namestnikov. Other players with NHL experience - some active, others not - include Bo Horvat, Andreas Athanasiou, Austin Watson, Seth Griffith, Chris Tierney, Greg McKegg, Olli Maatta, Jarred Tinordi, Scott Harrington, and Michael Houser. - John Matisz

Pressure mounts on Ullmark

The Senators are expected to start Linus Ullmark in net for Saturday's must-win Game 4 against the Maple Leafs despite a poor postseason thus far. Ullmark owns an abysmal .815 save percentage in the series. He hasn't posted a mark better than .857 in a single game.

This isn't helping the narrative of the lights being too bright for the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner. His career playoff save percentage is now down to .874 in 13 career appearances.

Of course, not every goal against this series has been Ullmark's fault. The Maple Leafs have done a good job of getting bodies to the net and have received some fortunate bounces. But still, the results are what they are for Ullmark, Ottawa's prized offseason acquisition. He needs to start making saves or the Senators will find themselves golfing by Monday. - Josh Wegman

Stars' unique winning blueprint

Dallas took its first lead of the Stars-Avalanche series when Thomas Harley snuck a shot under Mackenzie Blackwood's glove in the second period of Game 2. Just over a minute later, a similar goal from Colorado's Jack Drury tied the score.

The Stars ultimately won in overtime and added another OT tally in Game 3. They're up 2-1 in the Central Division heavyweight bout despite leading for a grand total of 62 seconds of game time.

They've made do for a few reasons. The score's been tied for most of the series and Dallas never trailed by more than a goal in either win. Colin Blackwell and Tyler Seguin beat Blackwood in overtime with slick finishes to the top corner. Since the third period of Game 2, Jake Oettinger's shut the door with 43 saves and one goal allowed over 103:17 of game time. Harley plays gigantic minutes and has helped curb Colorado's explosive top two lines.

This oddity could be alarming. The Stars slumped into the postseason with a seven-game losing streak - the franchise's longest since 2018 - and folded late in the third period when they fell in the playoff opener. But because of the OT heroics, they're better off than teams like the Blues, who trail the Jets despite being up on the scoreboard for most of that matchup, and the Senators, who have led for 6:53 against the Maple Leafs and face elimination.

Six teams were swept from recent opening rounds after leading for fewer than 10 minutes: the 2024 Capitals, 2022 Predators, 2021 Blues, 2020 Rangers, 2019 Penguins, and 2018 Ducks.

So far, the Stars are on a similar journey to the 2021 Jets. That Winnipeg squad led for 19:52 and relied on OT wins to sweep the Oilers, then never held a lead while being swept by the Canadiens. - Nick Faris

Points leaders through 1 week

Seven nights of playoff hockey are complete, and almost every series is entering Game 4. The exception is Lightning-Panthers, whose third contest goes Saturday afternoon.

Here's a glance at the current scoring leaderboard.

Kempe's been on the ice for a whopping 18 goals in the Kings-Oilers series - nine for, having tallied a point on all of them, and nine against. That bonkers matchup has already produced 30 goals, or 10 more than Jets-Blues and Wild-Golden Knights, the next-highest scoring series.

Other stat leaders through Friday include Nathan MacKinnon (20 shots on net for Avalanche); Marcus Foligno (27 hits for Wild); Esa Lindell and Brett Pesce (12 blocks for Stars and Devils); Nico Hischier (53 faceoff wins for Devils, 59.6% success rate); Thomas Harley (31:05 average ice time for Stars); and Logan Stanley (28 penalty minutes for Jets). - Nick Faris

3 backups enter the spotlight

The mettle of backup goalies will be tested if Sam Montembeault and Logan Thompson miss more time in the feisty Canadiens-Capitals series. Montembeault seemed to clutch his hamstring before he left the Montreal net Friday. Thompson was helped off the ice with six minutes remaining after being run over by teammate Dylan Strome.

Montembeault's replacement, rookie Jakub Dobes, wandered into the fracas that led to Josh Anderson fighting Tom Wilson in the Washington bench. Dobes is considerably less experienced than Capitals backup Charlie Lindgren, an ex-Hab, and he's never started consecutive games in the NHL. But he was dominant in spurts this season, while Lindgren scuffled down the stretch with an .887 save percentage after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Out west, Calvin Pickard wasn't exactly rock-solid in his first start against the Kings. He let in four goals on 28 shots, failed to catch snipes from Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe, and was beaten through the legs by Trevor Moore's lunging stab mere seconds after Edmonton had tied the score. But the Oilers' seven-goal eruption showed they just need tolerable netminding from the 33-year-old vet, who relieved Stuart Skinner in Game 2, to be competitive.

Pickard's only previous playoff starts came in last year's second round. He had a .911 save percentage, won once, and lost once against the Canucks. Returning to Skinner, who struggled mightily before that benching jolted him, helped those Oilers ward off elimination and complete their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. - Nick Faris

Top of 2022 draft class makes its mark

Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec made Slovakian hockey history when they went first and second overall in the 2022 draft (along with the pictured Filip Mesar, who also went in the first round). It hasn't been smooth sailing in the NHL for either, but both scored huge goals to help their respective clubs avoid 3-0 series deficits Friday night.

Naturally, it was the top pick in Slafkovsky on the board first. The power forward netted the insurance goal in the Canadiens' crucial 6-3 win over Washington. It was his first tally in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but not for a lack of trying, as it came on his 14th shot of the series.

Later in the night, Nemec had his turn in the spotlight. The right-handed rearguard sliced into the Hurricanes' zone in double overtime and fired the winning goal past Frederik Andersen. Nemec is only in the lineup due to injuries on the Devils' backend, but amid a disappointing season, he reminded New Jersey fans of his elite potential in the biggest moment of the campaign. - Kyle Cushman

Friday, April 25

Hagel suspension fallout

Brandon Hagel's one-game ban for decking Aleksander Barkov with a late hit comes at a terrible time for the Lightning. They trail 2-0 in the Battle of Florida after two home games. They have two goals in 120 minutes, one fewer than Panthers depth defenseman and budding sniper Nate Schmidt. Hagel had an excellent regular season but is already minus-4 in the playoffs and hasn't made a dent offensively.

Hagel's interference major with 10:09 remaining in Game 2 wiped out a Lightning power play while they trailed 1-0. They recorded just two shots on net over the rest of the game. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has made 39 stops in the series for a .951 save percentage.

Tampa Bay's in desperate straits against a strong opponent. The Panthers are deeper at forward, especially with Hagel suspended and linemate Anthony Cirelli fighting through an ailment he sustained in the playoff opener. - Nick Faris

Who can't buy a goal?

Here's a list of 10 forwards with many shot attempts and dangerous scoring chances but zero playoff goals entering Friday's action.

(Numbers are via Natural Stat Trick.)

These guys yearn to score. Defenders are blocking some of their shots. Others have sailed wide or been devoured by hot netminders.

Rantanen, the Stars' marquee trade addition, is tied with Auston Matthews for the NHL lead in dangerous attempts and has one more than Brady Tkachuk, but both Ontario captains have lit the lamp already. Somehow, Eriksson Ek remains pointless even though his metrics are strong and his linemates, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, have combined for eight goals and 13 points against the Golden Knights.

Seven of these forwards are part of trailing teams. Ottawa's top centers, Stutzle and Cozens, struggled to solve Toronto's defensive shell and goalie Anthony Stolarz over three consecutive losses. A couple of first-line wingers - Montreal's Slafkovsky and New Jersey's Meier - will keep firing Friday as their clubs try to stave off 3-0 series deficits. - Nick Faris

Kuzmenko, Kings thriving together

Andrei Kuzmenko is on a heater. The sharpshooting winger entered the playoffs having produced five goals and 12 assists in Los Angeles' final 15 regular-season games, and he's added five points in the first two Kings-Oilers matchups.

Kuzmenko bagged a power-play goal, plus two assists, in his playoff debut. He scored on the man advantage and added another helper in Game 2. Kings fans are anxious to find out what he and the unbeaten club have in store Friday as the series shifts to Edmonton.

An undrafted winger out of Russia, Kuzmenko scored 39 goals as a 26-year-old Canucks rookie. Unable to keep up that torrid pace, he was traded to the Flames in 2024 as part of a package for Elias Lindholm. He was swapped in January to the Flyers and moved again in March to L.A.

His Kings transition wasn't smooth (zero points in first seven games), but Kuzmenko eventually found a comfortable spot on the No. 1 line alongside two-way pivot Anze Kopitar and speedy winger Adrian Kempe. He hasn't looked back, contributing also to L.A.'s blazing-hot five-forward power play unit, which is 5-for-10 in the playoffs. The Kings chased Stuart Skinner and prompted Edmonton to turn to backup goalie Calvin Pickard for Game 3.

L.A.'s offense lacked creativity during last year's first-round loss to the Oilers. Kuzmenko, a pending unrestricted free agent, has helped diversify the attack. - John Matisz

Habs need all hands on deck

Hotshot youngsters dragged the Canadiens out of the basement this season. No moment overwhelmed Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, or Lane Hutson as they racked up clutch goals and led the charge from 16th place in the Eastern Conference to the playoffs.

They need help to threaten the Capitals in Game 3 and claw back in their series. Washington's stocked with opportunistic scorers and fully trusts goalie Logan Thompson, who found his groove with several highlight saves down the stretch of his second game back from injury.

Cagey veterans must chip in offense and defend heartily for Montreal. The Canadiens gained a Game 2 lead when the gritty line of Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, and Brendan Gallagher battled to push the puck to the blue paint and through Thompson's legs. They trailed within the next four minutes and surrendered 18 second-period shots because the Capitals' puckhandlers had endless space to stroll through the neutral zone.

Dvorak and Gallagher significantly upped their production after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The ability of Anderson and Jake Evans to draw penalties puts Montreal's talented power play to work. The electricity of the Bell Centre helped the Habs win 10 of their last 12 home games and surge to the NHL lead in third-period comeback victories. Will one of these factors tilt the scales Friday? - Nick Faris

Benoit the unlikeliest hero

On paper, Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit is perhaps their most replaceable player. This postseason, he's been indispensable. The 26-year-old has been at the center of overtime heroics in back-to-back games and provided his team a 3-0 stranglehold over the Senators on Thursday with a seeing-eye point shot in the extra frame.

It's a remarkable twist of fate for the depth defender following a regular season in which he rarely looked like the player who earned a three-year extension last March. His metrics in the playoffs aren't great, but he's come up big when it's mattered most. Benoit has two points, seven blocks, and 10 hits in the opening round while averaging nearly 19 minutes per night.

"What do the numbers say?" Benoit told The Athletic after Game 3. "I don't care about the season, how the season went - I just feel ready for tonight and the rest doesn't f-----g matter. It's playoffs. Best time of the year."

There are unexpected heroes every year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's easy to root for Benoit, an undrafted journeyman breaking stereotypes and becoming a folk hero within a fan base that's loyal to anyone who steps up when the lights shine brightest. - Sean O’Leary

Leafs own the faceoff dot

At the end of playoff games, one team wins and the other learns something. That outcome isn't nearly as fun, but the Senators can pinpoint needed improvements as they try to avenge their second straight overtime loss to the Maple Leafs and mount any semblance of a comeback.

One area the Sens need to shore up is faceoffs. Success rates in the dot average out over a long season, but the Leafs have controlled 57% of draws through three playoff games and snapped back 63% in Game 3. Auston Matthews' clean win against Shane Pinto a few shifts into overtime set up Simon Benoit's floater through traffic.

The Leafs scored 3, 8, and 9 seconds into various Game 1 power plays. Each time, John Tavares soundly beat Claude Giroux on the opening draw and Toronto picked apart Ottawa's diamond formation. The same thing happened within 18 seconds in Game 2 following a Matthews win over Pinto, the young shutdown center who's struggled with his extremely challenging assignment.

Matthews and Tavares are 27-16 (63%) on faceoffs in the Ottawa zone. Giroux and Pinto are 12-25 (32%) on D-zone draws.

Giroux was the league's best faceoff taker in the regular season, and his win against Max Domi in Game 3 promptly led to a breakout and Brady Tkachuk's equalizer. But overall, his team's getting schooled on a detail that becomes important in the playoffs, when close games can turn on any bounce. - Nick Faris

Golden Knights gifting series to Wild

The Golden Knights are typically very good at managing the puck. It's been a hallmark of their game over head coach Bruce Cassidy's three-year tenure.

On the surface, Cassidy's squad is doing quite well on that front to start the postseason: Vegas' 10 giveaways per game are tied with Toronto and Los Angeles for fewest among the 16 playoff teams.

Unfortunately, not every giveaway is created equal. Vegas is down 2-1 to Minnesota heading into Game 4 in large part due to egregious turnovers.

The Game 2 tape wasn't pretty, and Thursday's Game 3 was equally bad. Goalie Adin Hill's attempted rim led directly to the first goal in a 5-2 Wild win. Defenseman Noah Hanifin's failed reverse deep in Vegas' zone resulted in the second.

Minnesota star Matt Boldy pursued Hanifin like a dog on a bone to force that particular turnover. He and puck wizard Kirill Kaprizov have been spectacular against Vegas, both recording multiple points in all three games. The playoff point leaderboard currently reads: Kaprizov, 7; Adrian Kempe, 7; Cam Fowler, 7; Boldy, 6; Pavel Buchnevich, 6; Mitch Marner, 6.

Not bad for two members of the West's biggest underdog. - John Matisz

Leafs' top line showing up

The sequence that led to Toronto's second goal Thursday night summarized the performance of the club's top line through three games against Ottawa.

It started with Matthew Knies jockeying for real estate around the Senators' net. Then there was Auston Matthews refusing to give up on a puck and eventually winning a 50-50 battle along the wall to gain full possession. A moment later, the puck traveled behind the net, where Mitch Marner skillfully redirected it between his legs to Matthews for a clean one-time snipe.

Each member of the line is playing with such precision, and it goes beyond pure skill. Matthews and Knies have been physically dominant. Marner has been outsmarting opponents with and without the puck. And all three have been clogging shooting lanes, registering a combined 13 blocked shots.

Matthews has won 26 of 43 draws for a 60.3% success rate. Guess who swiped the puck back to the point ahead of Simon Benoit's Game 3 winner?

The Leafs are up 3-0 in the series and 3-0 in the Matthews line's 36 five-on-five minutes, most of which have come against the Sens' shutdown pairing of Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub, and the Shane Pinto-led forward line. Marner leads the club with six all-situations points. Matthews has five. Knies two.

Clutch all around - that's a phrase rarely uttered in the past about anything relating to Matthews, Marner, and the playoff pressure cooker. - John Matisz

Thursday, April 24

Biggest defensemen workloads

Thomas Harley skated for 27, 36, and 30 minutes in the Stars' opening playoff games against the Avalanche. Two went to overtime, but Miro Heiskanen's absence meant that Harley was never going to get much of a break.

Esa Lindell, Cale Makar, and Devon Toews each logged more than 30 minutes on the back end in the longer Dallas-Colorado overtime affair. Evan Bouchard and Brock Faber both played around 28 minutes in their respective playoff openers - neither of which reached OT - as their teams tried to tie the score in the third period.

So far, 17 playoff defensemen are averaging more than 24 minutes of ice time. The same number assumed that load in the regular season, when twice as many clubs and players were in action. Since there are no back-to-backs in the playoffs, defensive thoroughbreds have a day to relax between games. Coaches send them over the boards with reckless abandon and lean on them to be sharper than ever.

Either Lane Hutson or Mike Matheson is almost always on the ice for the Canadiens. The Senators constantly deploy Jake Sanderson or Thomas Chabot. Same goes for the Wild's Faber and Jonas Brodin, plus Mikey Anderson and Drew Doughty for the Kings. All go toe to toe with top forwards and either aim to shackle those stars without making a mistake or try to drive enough offense to counter slipups.

Besides the Stars and Avalanche defensemen, these minute munchers have barely played in overtime yet. The Washington-Montreal and Toronto-Ottawa OT games ended within a handful of shifts. Workloads around the league will rise.

These dynamos are covering for fringe players like Jordan Spence, who's averaging 7:45 as L.A.'s sixth defenseman, and Jacob Moverare, who rode pine as the seventh D against Edmonton in Game 2 before taking a whopping 156-second shift in garbage time. The Oilers scratched Josh Brown after he logged 4:54 in Game 1, primarily as a penalty-killing specialist.

Which defensemen entered the playoffs with significant mileage? Six averaged at least 24 minutes in the regular season while barely missing any games: Makar, Toews, Faber, Matheson, Sanderson, and Winnipeg's Josh Morrissey, whose playoff average is down to a breezy 22:52.

It's worth noting that Zach Werenski shouldered enormous minutes (2,166 over 81 games, the most in the NHL since 2019) throughout the Blue Jackets' storybook season. He averaged 26:45 per night. If there's a silver lining to Columbus barely missing the playoffs, it's that Werenski, who also played at the 4 Nations Face-Off and was the tournament scoring leader, gets a merciful break. - Nick Faris

West players to watch tonight

The Golden Knights visit the Wild at 9 p.m. ET and the Blues host the Jets at 9:30 p.m. ET in Thursday's Western Conference action. Here's a pivotal player to track from each team.

Jack Eichel: Quiet outings are a rarity for Eichel, but Vegas' Game 2 defeat was the first time he recorded no points and no shots on net in his playoff career. The Golden Knights are in a fine spot: The series is tied and they earned more points on the road (49) than Minnesota did at home (46) in the regular season. That said, Eichel can't continue to be upstaged by the magnificent Kirill Kaprizov.

Ryan Hartman: His long suspension in February for slamming Tim Stutzle's head to the ice was the latest reminder that Hartman can become a liability. But he's kept his cool against the Golden Knights while notching an assist in each game, drawing a boarding penalty, and shaking loose for a breakaway. Captain Jared Spurgeon rallied the troops after Game 2 by telling the Wild that their third-line center is in Vegas' heads.

Josh Morrissey: When Morrissey skated at even strength in Games 1-2, the Jets spent 49% of that time in the offensive zone compared to 34% in their own zone. That's an improvement on his elite ratio from the regular season (46% vs. 37%), per NHL EDGE. He's fulfilled any No. 1 defenseman's top task: Stop the opponent's main offensive driver - Blues center Robert Thomas, in this case - from making headway.

Jimmy Snuggerud: Blues coach Jim Montgomery trusts Snuggerud, the 20-year-old winger with nine NHL games under his belt. He was promoted to play with Thomas on the top line and snapped a wicked shot under the crossbar on the power play. The Blues are 3-for-7 with the man advantage but desperately seeking five-on-five offense, having beaten Connor Hellebuyck for one goal on seven dangerous shot attempts. - Nick Faris

Early goalie look-in

You can't win sustainably in the playoffs without strong goaltending, and six netminders are off to highly impressive starts in the early stages of Round 1.

It's no surprise the top three goalies in our chart have comfortable 2-0 series leads. Andersen and Thompson are outdueling their first-round counterparts by tiny margins, but it makes all the difference.

Much has been made of how Ottawa has outshot Toronto throughout their series, and Stolarz has comfortably passed the eye test with two strong games. However, his goals saved above expected is the lowest of the netminders we've highlighted, indicating his calls to action haven't been as dangerous as some of his peers. Stolarz has played well, but the Maple Leafs have also been excellent in front of him.

On the flip side of things, Andrei Vasilevskiy (.617 save percentage), Linus Ullmark (.800), and Stuart Skinner (.810) badly need to turn things around to give their teams a chance. - Sean O'Leary

Battle of Ontario line tinkering

Grizzled depth scorer Max Pacioretty will make his Maple Leafs playoff debut in Game 3 in Ottawa. He hasn't played since Feb. 8 but slots in for Nick Robertson, Toronto's least trusted forward (10:18 of average ice time, two high-sticking infractions in the series). Pacioretty took as many penalties as Robertson this season (eight) in half the games. With a 2-0 series lead, he can get his legs pumping and try to exploit lapses from a desperate opponent.

The Senators appear ready to elevate Fabian Zetterlund to the second line alongside Drake Batherson and Dylan Cozens. He replaces the cerebral, plodding David Perron on their left wing. Zetterlund's a speedy, physical energizer who's experienced brutal finishing luck since being traded from San Jose. He's due to bag a big goal, and his new linemates are equipped to get him the puck, but time's ticking. - Nick Faris

East players to watch tonight

Thursday's busy, exciting four-game slate begins with Game 2 of Lightning-Panthers at 6:30 p.m. ET and Game 3 of Maple Leafs-Senators at 7 p.m. ET.

Keep eyes on these four influential players during the Atlantic Division matchups.

Brandon Hagel: The rare Lightning cornerstone without a Cup ring, Hagel's continually raised his game since being dealt from Chicago in 2022. He's one of the NHL's top scorers at even strength (72 points this season) and on the penalty kill (seven). We know he irritates Matthew Tkachuk, whose brilliant return from injury helped Florida prevail in the opener. Hagel needs to light the lamp himself, set up linemate Jake Guentzel, or draw a costly penalty.

Seth Jones: Aaron Ekblad's PED suspension is about to expire, meaning Jones gets one more game to skate with Gustav Forsling on the top pair. His play was passable down the stretch as the Panthers' compromised lineup went 10-10-1 after acquiring Jones from Chicago. Before they get back to full strength, his job Thursday is to stop Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point from shelling Sergei Bobrovsky.

Jake McCabe: Toronto trails Ottawa 37-13 in shot attempts and 16-4 in shots on target when top defenders McCabe and Chris Tanev are on the ice. So what? They've minimized dangerous chances and haven't given up a goal to the Senators' top forwards, which helps explain Anthony Stolarz's .934 save rate. The Leafs are up 4-1 in power-play goals thanks to their own quick strikes and dogged work from key penalty killers like McCabe.

Dylan Cozens: Ottawa, which spent much of its losing efforts cycling the puck in Toronto's end, needs goals. Cozens, a savvy deadline addition, has run hot and cold since coming over from Buffalo. When he’s feeling himself, he’s a spirited playmaker and finisher who can collaborate with Drake Batherson to get the puck to prime scoring areas and atone for the shoddy defense on Max Domi’s Game 2 overtime winner. - Nick Faris

Oilers defense is MIA

The Oilers' defensive wall is crumbling. They let the Kings rack up six goals in back-to-back games. Every L.A. tally in Wednesday night's 6-2 rout was scored from below the faceoff dots or at the crease. Beleaguered goalie Stuart Skinner twisted in the wind for most of the night, and backup Calvin Pickard couldn't stop the first shot he faced, which was a bullet from Adrian Kempe on an odd-man rush.

Skinner's .810 save percentage in the series is ghastly, but he's not missing beach balls. Defensive miscues piled up Wednesday.

Jake Walman failed to deter a speedy entry and, along with Darnell Nurse, was beaten to a rebound on different power-play goals. Nurse wandered out of position and glided to a standstill by the boards when Quinton Byfield walked in alone. Kempe's pair of snipes followed a comedy of errors: Viktor Arvidsson's fanned pass, John Klingberg's futile pinch, and Trent Frederic's feeble imitation of a hit. Skinner didn't bail out his teammates.

The lack of care, execution, and pushback deepened the Oilers' hole. They trailed big in the opener, then became just the fifth team this century to go down 2-0 in Round 1 while allowing at least a dozen goals, according to Stathead.

For what it's worth, two of those squads were the 2006 Hurricanes and 2014 Kings, who recovered to win Stanley Cups. But without the steady, injured Mattias Ekholm, Edmonton looks outclassed right now by a division foe it used to torment.

Overwhelmed by Edmonton's power play in previous matchups, L.A.'s flipped the script by gaining a 5-0 edge in PP goals, with four assisted by Kempe. Edmonton's PK fell from grace after it operated at 94.3% overall and blanked the Stars for an entire round en route to last year's Cup Final. Suddenly, the promised land is so far away. - Nick Faris

Wednesday, April 23

Caps' subtle deadline pays dividends

The Capitals' acquisition of Anthony Beauvillier for a second-round pick got little attention at the trade deadline while other contenders made much bigger splashes (Beauvillier was twice traded for only a fifth-rounder a season ago, after all).

And yet, the 27-year-old is a key reason the Capitals own a 2-0 series lead over the Canadiens. Aliaksei Protas' injury forced the 27-year-old onto the top line with Dylan Strome and Alex Ovechkin, and the unit hasn't missed a beat.

Beauvillier tallied a goal and an assist in Game 1, then set up Strome for the eventual winner in Game 2. It's not just the production, either. The Capitals are up 20-9 in five-on-five scoring chances with Beauvillier on the ice through both contests, according to Natural Stat Trick.

It's not always the flashy deadline moves that make the biggest impact. Beauvillier is proving that early in the first round. - Kyle Cushman

There's no time like overtime

This postseason's first overtime hero, Alex Ovechkin, needed two minutes of free hockey to down Montreal in Washington's opener. Dallas forward Colin Blackwell followed suit later Monday night to tie the Stars-Avalanche series. Toronto snuffed out Ottawa in sudden death Tuesday thanks to Max Domi's heroics.

The chase for the Cup starts with the most frantic period of the hockey calendar. Games are always happening in the opening round. Tension palpates in rinks, bars, and living rooms. Grudge matches, offensive slugfests, and epic goalie duels produce close scores, followed by the sweetest of sights for the winning or neutral fan: an overtime clincher.

With three OT goals in the books, how many more can fans expect to see in Round 1?

There's no clear trend. Over the past 10 postseasons, 103 thrilling winners were netted after regulation in the first round, but the total yo-yoed yearly.

Last year's first round featured seven, none bigger than David Pastrnak's Game 7 clincher for Boston. In 2023, there were 14, including Carter Verhaeghe's Game 7 dagger against the Bruins. The totals continue to vary from there, with eight in 2022, 16 in 2021, and eight in 2020, though an additional five were scored in that bubbled postseason's makeshift qualifying round.

The high mark in the span was 18 in 2017; within one rollicking week, five Game 3s and five Game 5s required an overtime winner. Only five rippled twine in 2018. Both 2015 and 2019 were perfectly average with 10 apiece, according to Hockey Reference's handy tracker.

The skaters in these playoffs with the most career overtime goals are Florida's Verhaeghe and Edmonton's Corey Perry - both have tallied five. Next on the active list with three apiece are Matt Duchene, Anze Kopitar, Brad Marchand, Brayden Point, Jordan Staal, John Tavares, and Matthew Tkachuk. Any of them could add to their lore in the next couple of weeks and inflict both agony and ecstasy in the process. - Nick Faris

Landeskog back in wildly different NHL

Gabriel Landeskog drew into Game 3 of the Avalanche-Stars series Wednesday night. It was the Colorado captain's first NHL game in nearly three years - an astounding feat.

Landeskog, 32, underwent multiple right-knee surgeries following the club's Stanley Cup-clinching victory June 22, 2022. The winger has battled through a 1,032-day process marked by immense pain, grueling rehabilitation, frustrating setbacks, and mental and emotional hurdles.

The NHL landscape changed dramatically over those 1,032 days. Let's flash back:

• Jonathan Huberdeau and Matthew Tkachuk had yet to switch teams in a July 2022 blockbuster that would send their careers in completely different directions.

• Martin St. Louis, currently fifth among head coaches in active tenures, was just five months removed from leaving a Connecticut youth team to run the Canadiens' bench.

• The league-average save percentage, which this regular season dropped to .900 for the first time since 1995-96, was only beginning its descent, finishing at .907 in 2021-22.

• Alex Ovechkin was 36 years old and 114 goals behind Wayne Gretzky, the all-time goals record attainable but extremely unlikely to change hands before the Russian's 40th birthday.

• Mikko Rantanen was in the middle of a six-year contract in Colorado, blissfully unaware that he'd be traded twice in the first three months of 2025, sign an eight-year extension with Dallas, and be facing off against close friend Landeskog in a first-round playoff series. - John Matisz

Oilers unite nuclear top line

The Oilers desperately need to bring a split back to Edmonton, and they are sending out a much different top-six for Wednesday's Game 2 in Los Angeles. After combining for six points in Game 1, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will be together on the top line with Corey Perry completing the trio. Although McDavid and Draisaitl played fewer minutes together in 2024-25 than in past seasons, they absolutely dominated when united by outscoring opponents 31-18 at five-on-five while controlling 66.7% of expected goals.

Evander Kane will suit up for his first contest since Game 2 of last year's Stanley Cup Final. He's slated to occupy the left wing spot with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, and the Oilers are hopeful he can make the impact he used to as a physical goal-scorer after recovering from multiple surgeries.

There's no doubt the Oilers' new-look lineup will be difficult to slow down, but after surrendering six goals in the series opener, is extra offensive punch enough to fix what ails them? - Sean O'Leary

Kings show killer instinct

A year ago, the lethal Oilers power play shelled the Kings for nine goals on 20 opportunities in a brisk five-game triumph.

Zach Hyman's tap-ins, Evan Bouchard's clappers, and Leon Draisaitl's rips from sharp angles all found the net. Eight of Connor McDavid's 11 assists in the series came on the man advantage. Los Angeles couldn't contain that many threats for two minutes at a time. Even when a valiant defensive stand limited Edmonton to 13 shots, that power play made the difference in a 1-0 game.

L.A. can afford to lose the special teams battle in the teams' fourth straight meeting, but it can't be lost decisively. Mission accomplished in Game 1. A subtle subplot of the Kings' frenzied 6-5 win was the fact they earned three more power-play attempts (5-2), struck twice with the extra man, and blanked Edmonton's unit.

Those Kings goals came at good times - 2:49 into the game and 4 seconds into a late five-on-three. They were penalized for cross-checking Mattias Janmark and hooking Viktor Arvidsson but otherwise avoided the box. By keeping five guys on the ice, they didn't hand gimmes to McDavid and forced him to spur a comeback with a ridiculous degree of difficulty. When McDavid achieved that, equalizing Game 1 after Edmonton trailed by four goals, L.A. survived anyway.

The Kings' 81.4% kill rate ranked eighth in the regular season. Stoning power plays was Darcy Kuemper's specialty. Kuemper's .892 penalty-kill save percentage ranked fourth among qualified goaltenders, and he allowed two more goals than backup David Rittich in twice as many PK minutes, per Natural Stat Trick. He needs to stay square to the puck and stand tall in vulnerable situations throughout the series. - Nick Faris

Laine factor in full effect

The Capitals were a handful against the Canadiens in Monday's Game 1, generating a whopping 12 scoring chances off the rush and 26 shots from the slot. Many of Washington's forwards are both big and skilled, and they attacked Montreal in waves.

This imbalance puts extra emphasis on the Canadiens' top offensive weapons. Coach Martin St. Louis doesn't have to worry about Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, and Lane Hutson contributing. All three showed up in the opener and can be relied upon to do the same in Wednesday's Game 2.

Expectations should be relatively low for Ivan Demidov, who's 19 and has played three total NHL games. Ditto for Juraj Slafkovsky, who goes as his linemates Caufield and Suzuki go at this point in his development. The Habs' only other true game-breaker? Patrik Laine.

Laine, 27, is 500-plus games into his career as a one-shot sniper. He posted 20 goals in 52 games this season, his first in Montreal, to trail only Caufield in goals per game, despite dealing with multiple injuries and illnesses. Laine was busy in Game 1, posting 10 shot attempts (five on goal) and three hits while adding an assist. He took one penalty and drew another.

Laine is the Habs' top triggerman on the power play. At five-on-five, he receives favorable deployment alongside Demidov and center Alex Newhook, almost always starting his shifts in the offensive zone. The $8.7-million man is paid to score goals, and he needs to if Montreal is going to push Washington in a series between 111- and 91-point teams. - John Matisz

Tkachuk, Kaprizov provide jolts

The last time we saw Matthew Tkachuk, he was hurt and stapled to the bench as the United States lost narrowly to Canada in the thrilling 4 Nations Face-Off final. Tkachuk jacked up the intensity of the event with goals and punches, and he tried to play through pain, but he injured his groin and missed the next two months on LTIR.

He returned with a vengeance Tuesday night to humiliate another hated foe, the Lightning, on their home ice. Tkachuk's three power-play points - two goals and a primary assist - in a 6-2 rout helped the Panthers run away with the Battle of Florida opener. He scored on a dipsy-doodle to punish a complete defensive breakdown. He was quick to capitalize five minutes later when he realized Andrei Vasilevskiy lost sight of the puck.

Only Connor McDavid has more multi-point playoff games than Tkachuk's 16 since the Panthers acquired him from the Flames in 2022. His scoring ability and ruthless competitive streak changed the franchise. Tkachuk can push it too far - dressing for the 4 Nations final when he could barely skate hurt Team USA - but he generally thrives when animosity, emotion, and pressure ratchet up.

Tkachuk played the equivalent of fourth-line minutes at even strength in Game 1 as Florida eased him into action. He rediscovered his momentum, extending a personal seven-game goal streak that dates to Jan. 29. He has 19 points in his past nine appearances. When the Panthers limped to the finish with a .540 points percentage after the 4 Nations, believers countered they'd be scary with a healthy lineup.

Similar logic applied to the Wild. They lost Kirill Kaprizov to a lower-body injury for half the season and would have slid below the playoff cutline if he was out longer. But Kaprizov produced like an Art Ross contender when he was healthy, played four tuneup games in April, and made three special plays to knot Minnesota's series with the Golden Knights.

Kaprizov's unreal two-line saucer pass sprung linemate Matt Boldy for Tuesday's opening goal. His no-look shot on an odd-man rush deceived Adin Hill. And he hit the empty net from 200 feet away to seal a 5-2 win. The Wild lack imposing depth, but Vegas is struggling to contain the Kaprizov-Boldy-Joel Eriksson Ek line (61% expected goals percentage through two games). - Nick Faris

Vasilevskiy's playoff woes continue

Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped just 10 of 16 shots Tuesday night in the Lightning's 6-2 loss to the Panthers in Game 1. Not all six goals were his fault, but he'd certainly like to have a couple back. Perhaps more worrisome is that poor playoff outings have become a trend for Vasilevskiy - something that would've been unfathomable a few years ago.

Vasilevskiy was arguably the most important piece of Tampa Bay's three consecutive Cup Final appearances from 2020-22. He owned a .928 save percentage across those three runs and won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2021 when he amazingly recorded four series-clinching shutouts.

But it's been a completely different story in the postseason ever since for Vasilevskiy. In 2023 he posted an .875 save percentage in a six-game series loss to the Maple Leafs in Round 1. Let's chalk that up to wear and tear from the prior three runs. In 2024 he had an .897 save percentage in a five-game series loss to the Panthers in Round 1. He missed the first two months of the 2023-24 season after back surgery and never quite returned to form, so we'll cut him some slack for that one, too.

But after a long, healthy offseason, Vasilevskiy turned in a vintage regular season with a .921 save percentage in 63 games that earned him a second-place Vezina Trophy finish in theScore's hypothetical awards ballot. It clearly didn't carry over into Tuesday's Game 1, though. - Josh Wegman

Younger Domi makes his mark

Tie Domi antagonized the Senators with his fists, but the feared enforcer and Maple Leafs fan favorite only scored once in four heated Battle of Ontario playoff series. His son, Max Domi, took command of the fifth matchup for Toronto.

Domi's first goal since March 30, and only his sixth in 46 games in 2025, eluded Linus Ullmark's blocker and rang in off the post at 3:09 of overtime Tuesday. The Leafs won 3-2 and lead the series 2-0 as it shifts to Ottawa.

Domi turned a low-percentage play - four Senators surrounded him and Simon Benoit - into a game-ending snipe with a slick offensive move. He poked Benoit's back pass away from Dylan Cozens and deftly sidestepped Drake Batherson, whose turnover to Benoit at the other end proved damning.

Poor puck management and limp defending in that moment reminded the Sens of the cruelty of playoff overtime. Mistakes wind up in the net. Based on historical outcomes tracked by Hockey Reference, Ottawa's odds of eliminating Toronto as the lower seed veered from 48.3% had it leveled the series to 13.7% with the Game 2 loss. - Nick Faris

Tuesday, April 22

Leafs' Rielly redeeming himself

The "What's wrong with Morgan Rielly?" storyline kept popping up in Toronto throughout most of the regular season. The Leafs' longest-tenured player and highest-paid defenseman wasn't reliable defensively (typical) or offensively (atypical) in his 12th campaign. He even lost his spot on the top power-play unit.

The storyline fizzled after the March acquisition of former Bruin Brandon Carlo. Rielly and Carlo jelled almost immediately, controlling play and outscoring the opposition 12-8 at five-on-five over 20 games.

The 31-year-old Rielly's continued to redeem himself this postseason. He has potted a goal in both of Toronto's home victories to open the Battle of Ontario, including a third-period Game 1 point shot and a back-door tap-in less than four minutes into Tuesday's Game 2.

The Game 2 goal was vintage Playoff Rielly. He snuck past Senators forward Drake Batherson and offered teammate William Nylander a clear passing target. Rielly then perfectly timed a swipe at the puck with his stick on the ice and skates pointed at the net. The puck hit his left skate and went in.

The Leafs have famously won one playoff series in Rielly's career. That happened in 2023 when he contributed four goals and eight assists in 11 games. His defense wasn't perfect in that run - it never is. But similar to the first two games this year against Ottawa, he was assertive offensively. - John Matisz

Sens get stapled to perimeter

Shot quality tends to outweigh shot quantity in the modern NHL. Ottawa's performance Tuesday night was a prime example.

The Senators recorded 75 shot attempts against the Leafs in a heartbreaking 3-2 overtime Game 2 loss. That seems like a ton of offense. However, only 28 of those attempts counted as a shot on goal. The remaining 47 either missed the net (15) or were blocked (32).

It's good to have the puck on your stick more than the other team, which the Sens did Tuesday. It's also good to rack up offensive-zone time - again, gold star for Ottawa. But goals will still be hard to come by if you can't convert puck possession into high-quality scoring chances. And the best way to generate high-quality chances is to infiltrate the middle of the ice.

Tim Stutzle is a case in point. He earned an assist in Game 2 and has played OK overall this series. Yet the Sens' most electric player has a grand total of two high-danger attempts and has been largely ineffective off the rush, where he usually excels. That's not good enough.

The Leafs deserve credit. Ottawa's attackers are being forced to grind through layers of defenders in Toronto's zone, with Leafs skaters clogging passing and shooting lanes with their sticks and bodies. Goalie Anthony Stolarz has been phenomenal, too, stopping 57 of 61 Ottawa shots so far. - John Matisz

Bolts equipped for big test

Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy have nothing to prove. They're two-time Stanley Cup champions with growing trophy cases and ironclad legacies. But the latest installment of the Battle of Florida, which gets underway Tuesday night, offers a chance at redemption.

Neither Lightning linchpin was his best self in last year's hasty Round 1 exit. Kucherov produced seven assists in five games against the archrival Panthers but coughed up the puck in tough spots and mostly looked dejected, not dominant. Florida, the eventual Cup winner, made Vasilevskiy seem pedestrian. His save percentage was .880 from Games 3-5 and .897 over the full series.

Last year's matchup wasn't an even fight. Those Panthers were the NHL's best defensive team (allowed 2.41 goals per game) and won the Atlantic Division with 12 more points than their state foe. The Lightning's defense (3.26 goals against) was the leakiest it's been during Jon Cooper's long, distinguished coaching tenure. Vasilevskiy was creaky in his return from back surgery and received insufficient support.

Tampa Bay manhandled Florida in two previous playoff showdowns. The Lightning went on to defend their championship in 2021 and reached another Cup Final in 2022. This year's lineup - which ranked first in scoring, fourth in defense, and second to only the Jets in goal differential - comes closer to resembling those dynastic juggernauts.

These Lightning ice four of the league's top 30 point producers: the electrifying Kucherov, relentless Brandon Hagel, steady Brayden Point, and stellar addition Jake Guentzel. Like Florida, they have a few lines that can score, skate, and crash and bang. Ryan McDonagh's reacquisition strengthened the Victor Hedman-led blue line. Vasilevskiy led the league in goalie ice time and shut the door over 63 Vezina Trophy-caliber starts.

The Bolts were great on special teams and consistent over the course of games, outscoring opponents by more than 20 goals in all three periods. They had the fourth-best home points percentage (.756) and the second-most convincing wins by at least three goals (30). They tended to lose close, suggesting that better bounces could have allowed them to push the Maple Leafs for the Atlantic crown.

Tampa hasn't advanced in the postseason since 2022. That drought would feel like a blip for most franchises. In the Bolts' case, they're itching to re-establish themselves as contenders and give Panthers pest Brad Marchand a rough introduction to the rivalry. - Nick Faris

11 p.m. isn’t a misprint

Tuesday night's Wild at Golden Knights matchup is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. local time in Las Vegas. That's 11 p.m. ET, long after children and early risers will be tucked into bed along the East Coast.

The unusual timing stems from broadcast needs. ESPN's airing a tripleheader: Devils-Hurricanes at 6 p.m. ET, Panthers-Lightning at 8:30 p.m. ET, and Wild-Golden Knights at 11 p.m. ET. As a result, this is the only game of the week slated to begin after 10 p.m. ET.

Tuesday's nightcap has ample historical precedent, though almost none of it is recent. It's the 51st game in playoff history with an 11 p.m. ET listed start time, the NHL stats department confirmed to theScore over email. But it's only the third of the past 45 years, following showdowns between the Wild and Canucks in 2003 and the Flames and Ducks in 2006.

Here are some facts about 11 p.m. ET games through the decades, with the caveat that Western viewers obviously didn't have to wait that long for puck drop.

• In the distant past, back when rival leagues squared off for the Stanley Cup, 18 games from 1919-25 involved the NHL champion traveling to face the top team from out west - either the Seattle Metropolitans, Vancouver Millionaires/Maroons, or Victoria Cougars.

• Following NHL expansion, 30 games from 1968-80 were hosted by the Kings, Canucks, or defunct Oakland Seals.

• 11 p.m. ET starts in the modern era produced five overtime finishes. Each involved the Kings. L.A. had the good sense to score 19 seconds into OT to win the 1969 edition. Three others were settled within 10 minutes, and Kings star Butch Goring ended the longest affair with a goal at 18:28.

These days, the shortest overtime games take about three hours to complete. Night owls and die-hard neutral fans can plan accordingly. - Nick Faris

Leafs stick with Game 1 tweak

It's been a revolving door at left wing on Toronto's second line this season. Max Domi began Game 1 alongside John Tavares and William Nylander, but head coach Craig Berube swapped him out during the game for Pontus Holmberg, who started the contest as the third-line center. Berube confirmed Tuesday he'll stick with that change ahead of Game 2, leaving Toronto's middle six looking as follows:

Several other players were given opportunities alongside Tavares and Nylander throughout the regular season, including McMann, Max Pacioretty, and Calle Jarnkrok, but none of them seemed to click more than Holmberg. The Maple Leafs controlled 65.4% of the expected goals and 68.2% of the actual goals in 120 five-on-five minutes with that trio during the regular season, per Evolving-Hockey, and they controlled 75% of the expected goals in three minutes in Game 1.

Holmberg has severe offensive limitations - he has just seven goals and 12 assists in 68 games this season - but he brings defensive reliability, underrated puck protection, and the ability to draw penalties. While he'll get the lion's share of the minutes on the second line, Berube can still give someone with more offensive ability - McMann or Domi - the occasional spin if one of them is really skating or if the Leafs are in need of a goal.

The McMann-Domi-Robertson trio was Toronto's most-used third line throughout the regular season, and while it's not the most sound defensive option, Domi's playmaking can shine in easier matchups alongside two shoot-first wingers. The line outperformed its 44.3% expected goals share with a 58.8% share of the actual goals in 219 minutes.

The offensive-minded third line only works because Berube has a trustworthy fourth line of Steven Lorentz, Scott Laughton, and Jarnkrok that can be buried in the defensive zone. - Josh Wegman

Devils in deeper trouble

Injuries continue to ravage the Devils, who will be down two regular blue-liners for a crucial Game 2 against Carolina. Luke Hughes and Brenden Dillon were hurt in quick succession in the series opener and will be replaced by Simon Nemec and Dennis Cholowski.

The Hurricanes had their way with the Devils in Game 1, owning 59.1% of shots and 54.5% of expected goals at five-on-five. Adding two inexperienced defenders to the lineup against Carolina's firepower makes the prospect of a series split feel nearly impossible. - Sean O'Leary

Oilers undermine McDavid - again

Edmonton's record in Connor McDavid's strongest playoff outings is surprisingly mediocre.

McDavid tallied at least three points - four in this case - for the 19th time in his playoff career in Monday's feverish 6-5 defeat to the Kings. The Oilers managed to lose seven of those 19 games by hemorrhaging chances and allowing somewhere between five and nine goals.

They got down 4-0 in Game 1's second period when Evan Bouchard's blind pass to no one found Phillip Danault in open ice. McDavid spun around defenders and stickhandled through thickets to create space to dish three primary assists. But his crafty finish between Darcy Kuemper's legs with 1:28 to go - a vintage McDavid highlight - was instantly negated by another defensive lapse and a misread from Stuart Skinner.

In total, the Oilers have lost nine playoff games since 2020 when McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, or both superstars recorded at least three points. They wasted Draisaitl's four-assist effort against the 2022 Avalanche and his four-goal masterwork against the 2023 Golden Knights, then predictably dropped both series. Monday's failed comeback revived a worrisome trend. - Nick Faris

Strome delivering on early promise

For most of Alex Ovechkin's career, it was Nicklas Backstrom setting him up. At times during his prime, it was Evgeny Kuznetsov. But in Ovi's second act, Dylan Strome's been playing the role of supporting actor at an Oscar-worthy level. He assisted on all three Capitals goals in their overtime win versus the Canadiens in Monday's Game 1.

At some points, it might've been difficult to imagine Strome centering the first line for a conference's top seed. He was prematurely labeled a bust, unable to find his footing in Arizona after the Coyotes drafted him third overall in 2015. He broke out at age 21 after a trade to Chicago, but the Blackhawks, egregiously, decided to non-tender him in 2022.

Strome recorded back-to-back seasons of at least 65 points after signing in Washington as a free agent, then erupted for a career-high 82 in 2024-25. Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery told theScore in December that Strome had made "leaps and bounds" in his development.

"He's really trying to take that next step to be in the conversation with other first-line centers in the NHL. The Auston Matthews, the Brayden Points of the world," Carbery said.

Strome might not be in that tier just yet, but Monday's performance proved he can deliver when the lights are brightest - just as everyone thought on draft day a decade ago. - Josh Wegman

Clutch scorers steal the show

Monday night's frantic slate treated fans to four one-goal nail-biters. We witnessed overtime winners from the greatest sniper of all time and a veteran grinder. The cherry on the sundae: Phillip Danault's late strike in Los Angeles foiled Edmonton's monumental comeback attempt.

Alex Ovechkin scored 897 goals in the regular season, including a record 27 in overtime, without bagging a single playoff OT winner. That changed Monday when the Capitals captain crashed the crease and batted a feed past the glove of Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault.

Washington is 20-25 in playoff overtime games during Ovechkin's incredible career. He's the 17th Capital in the span to light the lamp in OT and still has a ways to go to catch longtime sidekick Nicklas Backstrom (four career OT winners).

Colin Blackwell's clutch finish for the Stars rewarded his quickness and determination. The fourth-line forward, an unlikely hero, carried the puck through the neutral zone with speed and beat two Avalanche defenders to his own rebound at 17:46 of overtime. Dallas held Colorado scoreless for the final 38 minutes, erased a deficit in the third period, and evened the series despite the continued absence of defensive cornerstone Miro Heiskanen.

The Kings have a knack for netting big winners. Their record against the Oilers during the ongoing string of first-round matchups improved to 7-12 with Monday's thrilling result. L.A. sealed four of those wins in overtime, and Danault broke deadlocks in the waning minutes of the 2022 and 2025 openers.

Delivering the latest dagger was a great moment for Danault. The workhorse center signed with L.A. in 2021 - just in time to fall to the Oilers every year. Game 1 was tied 5-5 in the final minute when he hustled into the rush, beat the backtracking Leon Draisaitl to the slot, presented himself as a shooting threat, and inadvertently fooled Stuart Skinner when he whiffed on a one-timer. - Nick Faris

Monday, April 21

Jets living in high-danger areas

The Jets own a 2-0 series lead over the Blues for a handful of reasons. Top-line forwards Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor are off to blazing starts offensively (nine points combined!), captain Adam Lowry is making his presence known each shift, and goalie Connor Hellebuyck is doing just fine.

Perhaps most importantly, the Jets are consistently getting to the dirty areas of the ice and peppering Blues goalie Jordan Binnington with pucks. They've accumulated 20 high-danger shot attempts in 95 five-on-five minutes for a per-60 rate of 12.70. (The best rate in the regular season was 12.72.)

Here's a Natural Stat Trick heat map highlighting the onslaught.

Peep all the tiny "G" icons between the Jets logo and the net. Those represent the club's four high-danger goals. The Blues have scored four goals total in the series, three of them during five-on-four play, one at five-on-five.

Last change will shift to the home-team Blues as the series moves to St. Louis for Thursday's Game 3. Head coach Jim Montgomery will no doubt try to optimize his matchups in order to flip the script in the two net-front areas. - John Matisz

Resilient Habs can't contain 'Great 8'

Alex Ovechkin is not the same explosive player he was back in 2010, the last time the Capitals and Canadiens met in the playoffs. At 39 years old and 897 regular-season goals, 2025 Ovi is slower, less physical, and more cerebral.

But Ovi's still Ovi. He's inevitable - a stone-cold killer with the puck.

Ovechkin earned a primary point on all three of Washington's goals in a 3-2 overtime victory in Monday night's Game 1. First, he sniped from the top of the left circle (of course). Then he fired a point shot that linemate Anthony Beauvillier knocked down and punched in. And, early in OT, Ovechkin jammed a pass from Beauvillier past Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault to end it.

Ovechkin's ability to get pucks through the Habs' defensive structure reflected one of the game's central themes. While Montreal admirably kept up with Washington throughout the contest, trading scoring chances at a fairly even rate, the Capitals did a far better job sustaining offensive zone time. A bigger-bodied squad with speed, they won key boards battles to keep plays alive.

Props to Montreal overall. The youngest team in the playoffs put in a valiant effort. The Canadiens were led by Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield. Lane Hutson and Ivan Demidov have taken up a lot of oxygen around the 2024-25 Habs, but this is Suzuki and Caufield's team. It was nice to see each franchise pillar deliver a goal during a dramatic, albeit short-lived, third-period comeback. - John Matisz

Florida's edge: Marchand and 2 Finns

The Panthers are dealing with uncertainty ahead of the Battle of Florida. How does the absence of Aaron Ekblad, who's suspended until Game 3, affect the blue line's performance to start the series? If Matthew Tkachuk is cleared to play after Tuesday's morning skate - a likely scenario - how does the star winger look in Game 1, his first action since the 4 Nations Face-Off final?

Counterbalancing the uncertainty is the absolute certainty of Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen, and Brad Marchand providing quality top-nine minutes. The last thing head coach Paul Maurice has to worry about right now is the Lundell-centered line. It will show up and contribute at both ends of the ice.

Marchand has found his groove in Florida following a transition period that involved recovering from a long-term injury and adjusting to a new system and city after 15-plus years in Boston. The 36-year-old winger is past his prime but still boasts good hands, high hockey IQ, and a rat-like playing style.

Luostarinen and Lundell, longtime linemates and close friends off the ice, are incredibly detailed players. The Finns never cheat for offense and have enough offensive juice to author the odd moment of brilliance with the puck.

Lundell, who's been referred to over the years as "Baby Barkov" for his Aleksander Barkov-esque defensive prowess, has 54 playoff games under his belt at 23 years old. The 6-foot-1, 196-pounder is fresh off a regular season in which he set career highs in average time on ice (16:43) and points (45).

"I don't really care who we play against," a confident Lundell told reporters Monday of his line regularly facing off against skilled opponents. - John Matisz

Vegas still has 'misfit' element

The Golden Knights have become known as big-game hunters, routinely making splashy trades or free-agent signings to bolster their roster. But their ability to pluck players off the scrap heap and turn them into meaningful contributors is a major reason for the organization's success. Brett Howden is one of the latest examples.

Acquired for a fourth-round pick in 2021, Howden exploded for a career-high 23 goals this season - not bad for a player counting for $1.9 million against the cap. Howden scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, Sunday in Vegas' 4-2 victory over the Wild in Game 1.

He's one of several castoffs who've rehabilitated their careers in Vegas following the original "Golden Misfits" of 2017-18. Think of Adin Hill (acquired for a fourth-rounder in 2022), Nicolas Roy (acquired for Erik Haula in 2019), or the now-departed Chandler Stephenson (acquired for a fifth-rounder in 2019). The Golden Knights' pro scouting and player development departments deserve a lot of credit. - Josh Wegman

Marner matches prior postseason total

Mitch Marner recorded three points (a goal and two assists) Sunday in the Maple Leafs' Game 1 drubbing of the Senators. That ties his total from the entire 2024 playoffs, when the Bruins ousted the Maple Leafs in seven games. In his last playoff series before that, Marner notched just three points in a five-game series loss to the Florida Panthers in 2023.

The strong start is definitely encouraging for Marner, who's become a whipping boy of sorts in Toronto for his inability to step up in big moments. But he still needs to finish strong. In 12 games during Marner's playoff career where the Maple Leafs have had a chance to eliminate opponents, he's managed zero goals and four assists. - Josh Wegman

Heavy hitters

Tim Stutzle raised eyebrows by throwing a game-high nine hits in the lopsided Battle of Ontario opener. The Senators are a physical team: Their collective hit count (25.7 per night in the regular season) ranked fourth league-wide. Stutzle tied Dylan Cozens in his Sens debut March 8 for the most hits in one game by an Ottawa player.

The notion that being physical distracts Stutzle from his main focus - setting up goals - overlooks that it's part of his game. His 130 hits this season were a career high. He joined Filip Forsberg and Sam Reinhart as the only 75-point forwards with more than 100 hits, per Stathead. No top center inflicted more punishment.

Stutzle was overzealous and didn't hold back enough when he boarded Chris Tanev to trigger the Maple Leafs' power-play onslaught. But at five-on-five, he combined with Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux to menace Toronto's top line and defense pair (18-3 edge in shot attempts and 65.1% expected goals percentage, per Natural Stat Trick). What Stutzle's trio needs to do differently in Game 2 is finish those chances.

Pent-up energy and the desire to leave a mark prompts hitters to explode out of the gate in the playoffs. Wild forwards Marcus Foligno (11 hits) and Yakov Trenin (eight) bashed the Golden Knights on the opening weekend. Blues captain Brayden Schenn had seven hits through one period and totaled nine in Game 1 against the Jets.

For reference, Kiefer Sherwood's 12 hits for the Canucks on Oct. 22 and March 22 were the most by one player in a single game this season.

Over the past 20 postseasons, 17 players rattled the glass with a dozen or more hits in one game. The runaway playoff record is Brenden Morrow's 19 hits for the 2008 Stars in their second-round series clincher against the Sharks. Morrow skated for 51 minutes and redirected the winning goal in the fourth overtime. - Nick Faris

Hyman eyes his resurgence

Zach Hyman played 105 games for last season's powerful Oilers team and potted a staggering 70 goals - 54 in the regular season and 16 in the playoffs, an NHL postseason high dating back to the early '90s.

Hyman's frigid start to 2024-25 - he had three goals through 20 games, then missed time with an injury - cost him a spot on Canada's golden 4 Nations Face-Off roster. Compared to last season, he put 80 fewer shots on net and barely bagged half as many goals at even strength (21, down from 39). Edmonton's dynamite offense slipped from fourth to 11th in scoring.

The postseason is a new beginning. Hyman and Connor Brown are expected to join Connor McDavid on the top line to open the fourth consecutive Kings-Oilers confrontation. That specific trio played six uneventful minutes together in the regular season, but Hyman and McDavid helped the Oilers bully teams (46-33 edge in goals, 445-280 edge in shots) in their shared shifts.

Built down the middle, Los Angeles ices three capable shutdown centers in Anze Kopitar, Quinton Byfield, and Philip Danault. Each of their lines got a shot to shadow McDavid during the season series. Mikey Anderson and Vladislav Gavrikov anchor their own defense pairs but could unite to thwart Edmonton's star talent in important moments. - Nick Faris