The Washington Capitals and the Vegas Golden Knights find themselves at similar crossroads, facing 2-1 deficits ahead of Monday’s NHL playoff games.
The first matchup on the schedule is between the Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes (7 p.m. ET, TNT), followed by the Golden Knights against the Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET, TNT).
Analysis of the matches
Below, we present the game analyses with statistical data.
Notes on the clashes
Washington Capitals vs. Carolina Hurricanes
Game 4 | 7 p.m. ET | TNT
With a 2-1 series lead, the Hurricanes are now the favorites at -650 to win the series, while the Capitals are at +425. Carolina has also moved up to second in the Stanley Cup futures board, at +350, while the Capitals are now at +2500.
This is the second consecutive series in which the Hurricanes lead 2-1 (they beat the Devils in five games in Round 1). Carolina/Hartford has a 9-4 record in best-of-seven series when leading 2-1.
Game 3 was the Hurricanes’ first shutout win in the playoffs since Game 2 of the second round of 2022 against the Rangers. It was the Caps’ first shutout loss since Game 5 of the first round of 2020 against the Islanders.
Frederik Andersen’s shutout was the fourth of his career in the playoffs, but his first postseason clean sheet as a Hurricane. He joins Cam Talbot as the only active goalies with a playoff shutout for three different franchises.
Andrei Svechnikov now has six goals this postseason, representing the 17th time a Hurricanes/Whalers player has scored six or more goals in a single postseason.
The four goals allowed by Logan Thompson in Game 3 were more than his combined goals against in Games 1 and 2, and the most since Game 3 of the first round against Montreal (five).
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Edmonton Oilers
Game 4 | 9:30 p.m. ET | TNT
The series odds between the Oilers and the Knights shortened after Vegas’ Game 3 win. Edmonton is now -250 to win, while Vegas is +200. The Oilers have the third-shortest Cup futures odds at +360, while the Knights are the third-longest at +1000.
Vegas’ Reilly Smith was credited with the game-winning goal in Game 3 with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock after the puck deflected off Leon Draisaitl’s stick. It goes into the record books as being scored with one second remaining in the third period, tied for the latest go-ahead goal in regulation in Stanley Cup playoff history with Colorado’s Nazem Kadri in 2020 and Carolina’s Jussi Jokinen in 2009.
Jack Eichel enters Game 4 with an active six-game assist streak, which is tied for the Golden Knights’ postseason record. Mark Stone (2023) and Smith (2018) also accomplished the feat.
Connor McDavid now has 40 career playoff goals; he is the seventh Oilers player to reach that milestone.
Edmonton’s Corey Perry scored two goals in the first period of Game 3, becoming the third-oldest player in Stanley Cup playoff history with a multi-goal period; at 39 years and 359 days, he is behind Nicklas Lidstrom (41) and Teemu Selanne (40) at the time they had a multi-goal period in a playoff game.
Sunday’s Stars According to Öcal
1. Florida Panthers
The current Stanley Cup champions played their best game of the postseason. Limiting the Maple Leafs to 22 shots on goal, they dominated the neutral zone and bombarded Toronto’s Joseph Woll with 37 shots en route to a 2-0 victory. (Small acknowledgment to Woll, who played great; this game could have easily ended 8-0).
2. Mikko Rantanen
RW, Dallas Stars
With a goal and two assists in Game 3, Rantanen became the first player in Stanley Cup playoff history with five three-point games in a team’s first 10 games. His first of those games was in Game 5 of the first round.
3. Sergei Bobrovsky
G, Florida Panthers
Bobrovsky didn’t have the most active night of his playoff career, but he stopped all 22 shots on goal, his fifth postseason shutout.
Sunday Summaries
Dallas Stars 5, Winnipeg Jets 2
DAL leads 2-1 | Game 4 on Tuesday
The Stars returned home after securing home-ice advantage in the series with a split of the first two games in Winnipeg, and from the start of this one, it seemed like they didn’t want to relinquish it. Dallas’ Roope Hintz scored at 2:27 on a power play, and although Kyle Connor answered midway through the first period, Thomas Harley responded later, giving Dallas a 2-1 lead after one. Nino Niederreiter scored his fourth goal of the playoffs to tie the game at two, but then the third period was all Stars. Alexander Petrovic and Mikko Rantanen scored 50 seconds apart, and Wyatt Johnston put the finishing touches on the contest with a goal at 14:06.
Florida Panthers 2, Toronto Maple Leafs 0
Series tied 2-2 | Game 5 on Wednesday
It comes down to a best-of-three for the Atlantic Division crown. Carter Verhaeghe opened the scoring for the Panthers at 15:45 of the first, and the 1-0 score held until 12:09 of the third, when Sam Bennett added his fifth of the postseason to make it 2-0. That was more than enough for Sergei Bobrovsky, who saved all 23 shots the Maple Leafs sent on net. Joseph Woll wasn’t a disaster in the Leafs’ cage either, saving 35 of 37. Tempers flared late in the game after Toronto’s Max Domi boarded Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov, and a small scrum ensued. Will that continue into Game 5?
