Almost every team in the NHL will see their season conclude with disappointment, as ultimately only one can claim the Stanley Cup. However, Saturday could mark the very first elimination of the 2025 playoffs.
The Ottawa Senators face elimination heading into Saturday`s contest. Despite pushing the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs to overtime in consecutive games, the Atlantic Division champions have secured the victory in the extra period each time. Can the Senators earn a win at home to extend the series to a fifth game?
In another Atlantic bracket series, the Florida Panthers have won the first two games played in the Tampa Bay Lightning`s arena. Could this series wrap up sooner than many anticipated? Out West, the Minnesota Wild aim to build upon their surprising series advantage over the Vegas Golden Knights, while the clash of Western powerhouses continues in Colorado, where the Avalanche look to even their series against the Dallas Stars.
Below you will find previews for Saturday`s matchups, along with statistical insights, summaries of Friday`s games, and a look at the top performers from Friday night.
- Matchup Previews
- Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
- Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
- Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators
- Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche
- Friday Night`s Three Stars
- 1. The Oilers-Kings series
- 2. Simon Nemec
- 3. Cole Caufield
- Friday`s Scores
- Montreal Canadiens 6, Washington Capitals 3
- New Jersey Devils 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (2OT)
- Edmonton Oilers 7, Los Angeles Kings 4
Matchup Previews
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
Game 3 (FLA leads 2-0)
Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is eligible to return for this game after serving his suspension for performance-enhancing substances. The versatile blueliner averaged 23:30 of ice time during the regular season, contributing three goals and 30 assists in 56 games.
Another defenseman for the Panthers has been impactful this postseason: Nate Schmidt scored the game-winning goal in both Games 1 and 2. He is the first defenseman in franchise history with two game-winning goals in a single postseason, and they`ve only played two games!
Attention is also on Aleksander Barkov`s status after he was injured in Game 2 following a hit from Brandon Hagel. Hagel received a five-minute major penalty for the play and has been suspended for Game 3.
Tampa Bay needs its star players and secondary scorers to find their rhythm to mount a comeback in this series, having scored just two goals total across the first two games. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not performed at his usual exceptional level thus far, allowing seven goals on 39 shots for an .821 save percentage.
Historically in the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams that establish a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win 86% of the time. This percentage increases to 98% if a team takes a 3-0 lead.
Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
Game 4 (MIN leads 2-1)
This series has featured unique start times; once the puck drops Saturday, each of the first four games will have begun at a different hour.
Many observers did not expect the Wild to win this series, nor did they predict Minnesota players would be leading the scoring charts halfway through the first round. Kirill Kaprizov is tied for the playoff scoring lead with Adrian Kempe and Cam Fowler (seven points), and shares the goal-scoring lead with teammate Matt Boldy (four goals). The current playoff assists leader is Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon.
This opening round has been uncharacteristically challenging for Adin Hill. He has allowed 10 goals on 57 shots, resulting in an .825 save percentage and a 3.78 goals-against average. These numbers are significantly lower than his .932 save percentage and 2.17 GAA from his 16 games during the Knights` 2023 Stanley Cup run.
`Playoff` Tomas Hertl has made an impact this series with two goals and an assist, but some of the Knights` other key offensive players have been quiet. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Ivan Barbashev, who combined for 212 regular-season points, have yet to register a point.
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators
Game 4 (TOR leads 3-0)
The Maple Leafs have been propelled by consistently strong performances from their `Core Four`: Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. This group leads Toronto in scoring after three games. Perhaps they are rewriting the narrative after years of playoff disappointments?
One area where Toronto has excelled is the power play, converting at a league-best 55.6% this postseason, which helps offset a penalty kill that is only 77.8% effective.
The Senators have seen five different players score in this series, including captain Brady Tkachuk, who has given his all in his first playoff appearance. Tkachuk has two goals and four penalty minutes, remaining heavily involved in the physical aspects of the game.
Will Ottawa continue with Linus Ullmark in net for Game 4? The veteran goaltender has an .815 save percentage through the first three games and an .874 mark over his playoff career.
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche
Game 4 (DAL leads 2-1)
Game 3 was highlighted by the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog after an absence of 1,032 days. Landeskog played 13:16 but did not register a point or a shot on goal.
While some teams are putting up impressive power play numbers this postseason, the Avalanche have struggled with a 15.4% conversion rate, ranking fourth-worst. This is a significant contrast to the regular season, where their 24.8% rate was eighth-best in the league.
Tyler Seguin`s overtime goal clinched the win for Dallas in Game 3. It was only the second career overtime game-winner for Seguin, with the first coming 13 years prior (April 22, 2012).
Positive news for Dallas is that Mikko Rantanen, the former Avs player acquired on March 7, finally recorded his first point of the series, assisting on the overtime winner. Could this open the floodgates for him?
Friday Night`s Three Stars
1. The Oilers-Kings series
LA leads 2-1 | 30 goals in three games
The first three games have been wild. Game 1 nearly saw an epic comeback, Game 2 was dominated by the Kings, and Game 3 featured multiple lead changes, quick goals, and a failed coach`s challenge that led to an Oilers power-play goal for the lead. Simply incredible hockey.
2. Simon Nemec
D, New Jersey Devils
Nemec scored the overtime winner in Newark for the Devils against the Hurricanes, preventing his team from falling behind 0-3 in the series. This comes after spending time in the AHL this season and being a healthy scratch earlier in the series.
3. Cole Caufield
RW, Montreal Canadiens
`Goal` Caufield contributed a goal and an assist in Montreal`s convincing 6-3 victory over Washington in Game 3.
Friday`s Scores
Montreal Canadiens 6, Washington Capitals 3
WSH leads series 2-1
The Bell Centre was electric for the Canadiens` first home game in quite some time, and the fans went home happy after a chaotic game. The teams traded goals for much of the first two periods before Cole Caufield put Montreal ahead near the end of the second, sparking a brawl that spilled towards the Washington bench. Although Alex Ovechkin tied the game early in the third, the Canadiens poured it on with three straight goals, sending the `Olé!` chants to deafening levels.
New Jersey Devils 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (2OT)
CAR leads series 2-1
Trailing the series 0-2, the Devils took a 2-0 lead in their first home game with goals from Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer. However, a pair of third-period power-play goals from Seth Jarvis and Sebastian Aho tied the game, sending it to overtime. After a scoreless first extra period, Simon Nemec, the second overall pick in the 2022 draft who had been a healthy scratch earlier in the series, ended the game.
Edmonton Oilers 7, Los Angeles Kings 4
LA leads series 2-1
It requires a total team effort to rebound from an 0-2 series deficit, and that`s precisely what the Oilers delivered on Friday. Ten different Oilers appeared on the scoresheet, including superstars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard, as well as depth players such as Connor Brown and Evander Kane. The Oilers also switched goaltenders, starting Calvin Pickard, who made 24 saves on 28 shots. For the Kings, Adrian Kempe added his fourth goal and fifth assist of the playoffs, placing him tied for the points lead and tied for the goal lead.
