With all four second-round series officially underway after the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets played Game 1 on Wednesday, we now have a sense of all eight clubs. Will the two home teams from Tuesday night reverse course after losing in Game 1?
First up are the Washington Capitals, who lost 2-1 in OT to the Carolina Hurricanes; those two square off again Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The nightcap features the Vegas Golden Knights hosting the Edmonton Oilers (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) after the visitors prevailed 4-2 on Tuesday.
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Wednesday’s games and the three stars of Wednesday from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
Game 2 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
The odds have shifted sharply after the Canes took Game 1 in D.C.: the opening series odds were Hurricanes -195, Capitals +165. Now it’s Hurricanes -425, Capitals +300.
Jaccob Slavin had the OT game winner in Game 1, his first career playoff winning goal. There have been three other defensemen in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history with a playoff overtime goal: Niclas Wallin (who scored three), plus one each for Tim Gleason and Ian Cole.
The Canes allowed 14 shots on goal in Game 1, the fewest allowed by any team in the playoffs this season and the second fewest allowed by Carolina in a playoff game in franchise history (12, in the 2024 first round vs. the Islanders).
Alex Ovechkin was held to one shot on goal in Game 1, snapping a streak of 18 games (regular season and playoffs) with multiple shots on goal. The last time he was held to one or fewer shots on goal in consecutive games was last year’s playoff series against the Rangers.
Pierre-Luc Dubois has now gone 10 games without scoring a goal (dating back to the regular season). His last goal? April 10 against the Hurricanes.
Edmonton Oilers at Vegas Golden Knights
Game 2 | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
This series opened as a pick ’em, with both teams at -110 odds to win. After the Oilers’ Game 1 victory, they are now the favorites at -225, while the Golden Knights are now +190.
Connor McDavid‘s 39 playoff goals are seventh in Oilers history, behind Jari Kurri (92), Glenn Anderson (81), Wayne Gretzky (81), Mark Messier (80), Esa Tikkanen (51) and current teammate Leon Draisaitl (45).
Edmonton defenseman Evan Bouchard scored six goals in the Oilers’ run to Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and he already has four goals through seven games this postseason.
With two goals in Game 1, Mark Stone now has 36 playoff goals since joining the Knights beginning in 2018-19. That is tied with Edmonton’s Zach Hyman for fifth in the NHL during that span, behind Nathan MacKinnon (50), Draisaitl (39), Mikko Rantanen (39) and Brayden Point (37).
According to Stathletes, the line of Stone, Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev has allowed more scoring chances against (seven) than it has generated (six) during the playoffs. In the regular season, the differential was 112-77 in Vegas’ favor with those three on the ice.
Öcal’s three stars from Tuesday
Another NHL record for “Moose.” He became the first player in NHL history with two single-period hat tricks in the same postseason. There have been only three other players with multiple playoff hat tricks in their career: Wayne Gretzky (three), Maurice Richard (three), Tim Kerr (two).
The former Canadiens captain scored the first goal and added an assist on William Nylander‘s goal in the second. He now has three-game point streak for the first time since 2021.
Scored the clutch third-period goal 17 seconds after the Panthers had tied the score, taking Game 2 and giving the Leafs a 2-0 series lead.
Wednesday’s recaps
Toronto Maple Leafs 4, Florida Panthers 3
TOR leads 2-0 | Game 3 Friday
With neither team willing to give an inch, Game 2 was another close final result. The Panthers struck first in this one, via a first-period power-play goal from Aleksander Barkov, answered later in the first by Max Pacioretty. Old Maple Leafs nemesis Brad Marchand scored 15 seconds into the second, followed by William Nylander notching his sixth of the postseason at 4:18. The score would remain tied until Max Domi scored his first regulation goal of the playoffs with under three minutes left in the second. Anton Lundell drew the Panthers even at 3-3 early in the third, but new father Mitch Marner scored the game-winning goal just 17 seconds later. Full recap.
1:27
Mitch Marner answers Panthers’ tying goal to clinch Game 2
Anton Lundell and Mitch Marner notch goals 17 seconds apart as Toronto maintains the lead.
Dallas Stars 3, Winnipeg Jets 2
DAL leads 1-0 | Game 2 Friday
As has happened in many Game 1s this postseason, the two teams went scoreless in the first period, measuring one another for the fight. Winnipeg’s Nino Niederreiter got the party started 3:30 into the second, but then the Mikko Rantanen Show began. The Finnish forward scored a natural hat trick — that’s two straight games with a hat trick — putting the Stars up 3-1. Mark Scheifele scored his third of the postseason at the tail end of the second, but the Jets could not get the equalizer despite a furious effort in the third. Full recap.
1:09
Stars desperately defend net in Jets 3rd-period onslaught
Jake Oettinger and company crowd the goal to keep the Jets from tying the score.
