2025 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Tonight’s Elimination Game Previews & Wednesday’s Recaps

The second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has reached a critical juncture, with elimination games now on the schedule every night. Thursday features a compelling doubleheader where two teams face potential elimination.

First, the Washington Capitals, trailing 3-1 in their series, host the Carolina Hurricanes. Following that, the Winnipeg Jets are in a similar difficult position, also down 3-1 and playing at home against the Dallas Stars.

Can either of the teams facing elimination manage a win to extend their series and force a Game 6?

Here are previews for tonight`s crucial matchups with statistical insights, plus a recap of Wednesday`s results and Arda Öcal`s Three Stars.

Tonight`s Elimination Games

Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals

Game 5

Entering this game with a commanding 3-1 series lead, the Hurricanes are considered overwhelming favorites to advance, while the Capitals face very long odds. Carolina also ranks among the top teams with the shortest odds to lift the Stanley Cup, whereas Washington currently has the longest odds of the remaining playoff teams.

Historically, the Hurricanes franchise holds an impressive 8-0 record in best-of-seven series where they have held a 3-1 lead. Across the entire history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams leading 3-1 have gone on to win the series approximately 91% of the time.

Carolina goaltender Frederik Andersen has been exceptional. He recorded a 21-save shutout in Game 3 and maintained a shutout streak until the third period of Game 4. His streak lasted 123:24, which ranks fifth in franchise history (including the Hartford Whalers era).

Seth Jarvis` goal in Game 4 that put the Hurricanes up 2-0 was his 16th career postseason goal. This sets a franchise record for the most playoff goals scored by a player before their 24th birthday.

For Washington, Alex Ovechkin has been relatively quiet offensively this round. However, his power-play goal in Game 4 helped him climb two all-time lists. He now has 77 career playoff goals, placing him 12th all-time and breaking a tie with Mario Lemieux. His 31 career playoff power-play goals move him into sole possession of fifth place all-time, surpassing Nicklas Lidstrom and Joe Pavelski.

Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets

Game 5

Following their victory in Game 4, the Dallas Stars are now strong favorites to win the series, while the Winnipeg Jets are facing significant odds against them. Dallas` chances of winning the Stanley Cup also improved substantially after the win, while Winnipeg`s decreased.

In franchise history, the Stars have an excellent track record when leading a best-of-seven series 3-1, going 13-1 in such situations. Their only loss from this position occurred in 1992 as the Minnesota North Stars against the Detroit Red Wings.

Mikael Granlund`s hat trick in the Stars` Game 4 win included two power-play goals. This feat makes him just the second player in franchise history (including the North Stars) to score two power-play goals as part of a hat trick, joining Dino Ciccarelli, who achieved it in 1982.

Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen continues to be a dominant force in the postseason. He currently leads all players in both points (19) and goals (nine) and is considered the leading candidate to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP.

Jake Oettinger`s win in Game 4 marked his fifth consecutive home victory to start this postseason run, making him just the third goaltender in franchise history (North Stars/Stars) to accomplish this. He joins Ed Belfour (six straight in 2000, five in 1999) and Cesare Maniago (five in 1968).

The Jets will likely be relieved to return home, as they have struggled significantly on the road during this postseason, losing all five games and being outscored 25-8 away from home.

Entering Game 5 with five goals, Kyle Connor is one goal away from tying Paul Stastny (2018) for second place on the franchise`s single-postseason goal-scoring list. Mark Scheifele`s franchise record of 14 goals (set in 2018) appears safe unless the Jets can mount a historic comeback and reach the conference finals.

Arda Öcal`s Three Stars from Wednesday

1. Panthers Defensemen

Beyond effectively limiting the Maple Leafs` offense until it was too late to impact the outcome, Florida`s defense corps provided significant offense in Game 5. Three different Panthers defensemen scored goals, tying a franchise record for the most goals by blueliners in a single playoff game.

2. Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Edmonton Oilers

Kapanen was the decisive player for the Oilers, scoring the overtime goal that secured the series victory against the Vegas Golden Knights. Fans who follow junior hockey may also remember him scoring the game-winning `golden goal` for Finland in the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship final against Russia.

3. Florida`s Scoring Depth

A remarkable display of offensive contribution saw 14 different Panthers players register at least one point in Game 5. This sets a new franchise record for the most players with a point in a single playoff game, surpassing the previous high of 12 players set earlier in this series (Game 3).

Wednesday`s Game Recaps

Florida Panthers 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 1 (Florida leads series 3-2)

Unlike the closely contested previous games in this series, Game 5 was largely a one-sided affair dominated by Florida. The Panthers successfully neutralized Toronto`s attempts to generate offense while consistently creating chances of their own. Aaron Ekblad finally broke the deadlock late in the first period after sustained pressure in the Toronto zone, initiating an offensive outburst. Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist, and Niko Mikkola added goals in the second period, with A.J. Greer and Sam Bennett joining the scoring in the third. These were the first goals of the postseason for Kulikov, Boqvist, Mikkola, and Greer. Nicholas Robertson scored a late consolation goal for the Maple Leafs with just over a minute remaining, but it was far too late to alter the outcome. The Panthers now have the opportunity to clinch the series on home ice in Game 6.

Edmonton Oilers 1, Vegas Golden Knights 0 (OT) (Edmonton wins series 4-1)

Throughout this series, the Oilers benefited from offensive contributions from their depth players, alleviating the scoring burden on their top stars. The Golden Knights, however, struggled to get secondary scoring, and even their key players were relatively quiet in the series. For the second game in a row, no Vegas player could find a way past Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, meaning Edmonton needed only a single goal to secure the win. That crucial goal came 7:19 into overtime when Kasperi Kapanen capitalized on an opportunity to score the game-winning and series-clinching tally. This marked Kapanen`s second career playoff overtime winner (his first was in 2017 with Toronto). With this victory, the Oilers advance to the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.