The excitement begins in the NHL: Analysis of the second round games
After the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets played the first game on Wednesday, all eight NHL teams have already begun to show their cards in the second round. Will the home teams be able to reverse the situation after losing in the first game?
The Washington Capitals, who fell 2-1 in overtime to the Carolina Hurricanes, will face off again on Thursday. The day will continue with the match between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Edmonton Oilers, where the latter prevailed 4-2 on Tuesday.
Below, an analysis of the matches with relevant statistical data and a summary of what happened in Wednesday’s encounters.
Match Notes
Carolina Hurricanes vs. Washington Capitals
Following the Hurricanes’ victory in the first game, the odds have changed drastically. Initially, the Hurricanes were at -195, while the Capitals were at +165. Now, the Hurricanes lead with -425 and the Capitals with +300.
Jaccob Slavin scored the overtime winner in Game 1, the first of his playoff career. Three other defensemen in Hurricanes/Whalers history have achieved such a goal in the playoffs: Niclas Wallin, Tim Gleason, and Ian Cole.
The Hurricanes allowed just 14 shots on goal in Game 1, the fewest by any team in the playoffs this season and the second-fewest allowed by Carolina in a playoff game in franchise history.
Alex Ovechkin only had one shot on goal in the first game, breaking an 18-game streak (regular season and playoffs) with multiple shots on goal. The last time he had one or fewer shots on goal in consecutive games was in last year’s playoff series against the Rangers.
Pierre-Luc Dubois has gone 10 games without scoring a goal, since the end of the regular season. His last goal was on April 10 against the Hurricanes.
Edmonton Oilers vs. Vegas Golden Knights
The series began as a “pick ’em”, with both teams having odds of -110 to win. After the Oilers’ victory in the first game, they are now the favorites at -225, while the Golden Knights have +190.
Connor McDavid’s 39 playoff goals place him seventh in Oilers history, behind Jari Kurri, Glenn Anderson, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Esa Tikkanen, and Leon Draisaitl.
Evan Bouchard, Edmonton defenseman, scored six goals on the Oilers’ path to Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and already has four goals in seven games this postseason.
With two goals in the first game, Mark Stone has 36 playoff goals since joining the Knights in 2018-19. He is tied with Edmonton’s Zach Hyman for fifth in the NHL during that period, behind Nathan MacKinnon, Draisaitl, Mikko Rantanen and Brayden Point.
According to Stathletes, the line of Stone, Jack Eichel, and Ivan Barbashev has allowed more goals against (seven) than it has generated (six) during the playoffs. In the regular season, the difference was 112-77 in favor of Vegas with those three on the ice.
The three stars of Wednesday according to Arda Öcal
- Mikko Rantanen, Right Wing, Dallas Stars
Rantanen set a new NHL record by being the first player in league history to score two hat tricks in a single playoff period. Only three other players have achieved multiple hat tricks in the playoffs: Wayne Gretzky (three), Maurice Richard (three), Tim Kerr (two).
- Max Pacioretty, Left Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
The former Canadiens captain scored the first goal and assisted on William Nylander’s goal. He now has a three-game point streak for the first time since 2021.
- Mitch Marner, Right Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs
He scored the crucial goal in the third period, 17 seconds after the Panthers tied the score, securing the victory in the second game and giving the Leafs a 2-0 lead in the series.
Wednesday Summaries
Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Florida Panthers 3
TOR leads 2-0 | Game 3 on Friday
In a close game, the Panthers took the lead with a goal by Aleksander Barkov in the first period, but Max Pacioretty responded. Brad Marchand scored 15 seconds into the second period, followed by William Nylander. The score remained tied until Max Domi scored his first goal in regulation time of the playoffs. Anton Lundell tied it for the Panthers, but Mitch Marner scored the winning goal 17 seconds later.
Dallas Stars 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
DAL leads 1-0 | Game 2 on Friday
After a scoreless first period, Nino Niederreiter put Winnipeg ahead. However, Mikko Rantanen responded with a hat-trick. Mark Scheifele scored, but the Jets failed to tie the game.
