In the second-round series of the NHL, trends begin to emerge, some of them not so favorable for the teams that many predicted would go far in this postseason.
Panthers in Trouble
The current Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers, are down 2-0. They return home to face the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 3. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
In the other game of the night, the Dallas Stars will seek another road win against the Winnipeg Jets, starting at 9:30 p.m. ET.
Below, an analysis of the matchups, with relevant statistical data.
Match Notes
Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Florida Panthers
Game 3 | 7 p.m. ET
In their history, the Maple Leafs have won 84% of their best-of-seven series when leading 2-0. The Panthers have a record of 0-5 in best-of-seven series when losing 0-2.
This series features the two highest-scoring lines in 5-on-5 play this postseason: Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand (eight goals) and Matthew Knies-Auston Matthews-Mitch Marner (seven goals, including the game-winning goal in Game 2).
William Nylander scored for the third straight game, totaling six goals and 13 points this postseason. He is the second Maple Leafs player in the last 30 years to score five goals in a three-game span, joining Alexander Mogilny from 2003. In addition, he is the first Maple Leafs player since Doug Gilmour in 1993 to have 13 or more points in the first eight games of a postseason.
With a goal in Game 2, Marchand has 32 career postseason points against the Leafs, the fourth-most all-time. Trailed by Gordie Howe (53), Alex Delvecchio (35), and Henri Richard (33).
Joseph Woll, replacing the injured Anthony Stolarz, saved 25 of 28 shots for Toronto. His counterpart, Sergei Bobrovsky, allowed four goals on 20 shots and has conceded a total of nine goals in games 1 and 2, tying for the second-most he has allowed in a two-game span in his playoff career.
Dallas Stars vs. Winnipeg Jets
Game 2 | 9:30 p.m. ET
After winning Game 1, the Stars are now favored to win the series, while the Jets are the least favored.
Mikko Rantanen scored a hat trick in Game 1, setting a record for the most consecutive contributions by a player to his team’s goals (goal or assist) in Stanley Cup playoff history, with 12; the previous mark was nine, set by Mario Lemieux in 1992.
Game 1 marked the return of Jason Robertson after an injury suffered in the last game of the regular season. He played 13:44 minutes, including 1:00 on the power play, and recorded one shot.
Mark Scheifele also returned to the ice in the first game, after his absence since April 30 and Game 5 against the Blues in the first round. Scheifele scored a goal and recorded seven shots in 22:36 minutes of ice time.
Connor Hellebuyck of Winnipeg and Jake Oettinger of Dallas are considered the leading candidates to be the goaltender for Team USA at the 2026 Olympics. Oettinger won the first matchup, saving 29 of 31 shots, while Hellebuyck saved 21 of 24 shots.
The Three Stars of Thursday According to Arda Öcal
- Tom Wilson, RW, Washington Capitals
- Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
- Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
Thursday Summaries
Washington Capitals 3, Carolina Hurricanes 1
Series tied 1-1 | Game 3 on Saturday
After a Game 1 loss to the Hurricanes, the Capitals showed a different face, with Tom Wilson “setting the tone,” according to Alex Ovechkin. Connor McMichael opened the scoring at 2:16 of the second period, and John Carlson put the Caps up 2-0 with a power-play goal early in the third, assisted by Wilson and Dylan Strome. Shayne Gostisbehere brought Carolina closer with a power-play goal, but Wilson sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with a minute remaining.
Edmonton Oilers 5, Vegas Golden Knights 4 (OT)
EDM leads 2-0 | Game 3 on Saturday
Seeking to tie the series, Vegas took the lead with a goal by Victor Olofsson at 8:42 of the first period. However, Edmonton responded with three consecutive goals in the second period (by Jake Walman, Vasily Podkolzin, and Darnell Nurse), before William Karlsson brought the Knights within one goal at 18:10. Evander Kane put the Oilers up by two again at 1:52 of the third, before Vegas reacted with goals from Olofsson and Alex Pietrangelo to take the game to overtime. Leon Draisaitl scored the winning goal, giving the Oilers a 5-4 victory and a 2-0 lead in the series.
