The second spherical of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has handed the halfway level, with all however one collection via Recreation 4.
What have been the largest classes realized via the primary a part of the second spherical? Which groups and gamers have stunned (in both a superb or dangerous method)? How will all of it matter in terms of the remainder of the postseason?
ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski break all of it down:
Might a current playoff development be a superb omen for the Stars?
In fact, there’s nonetheless fairly a bit that may change within the Winnipeg Jets-Dallas Stars collection. However let’s simply say that the Stars go on to win the collection and advance to the Western Convention finals. It might be their third consecutive convention finals look, and their fourth go to since 2020. Whereas they’ve but to win the Stanley Cup throughout that window, does that degree of consistency make them the preeminent workforce within the West?
There is not any scarcity of challengers, with the Vegas Golden Knights profitable the Cup in 2023, and the Edmonton Oilers coming inside a sport of doing so final season. If Dallas makes it to the subsequent spherical, it would face a type of two.
However what makes the Stars’ scenario one price contextualizing is the way it compares to different groups’ because the NHL moved to the Japanese/Western format in 1994. Beating the Jets and attending to a 3rd straight convention finals would make the Stars simply the fourth workforce beneath the present format to earn that distinction. The Detroit Purple Wings did it first (from 1995 via 1998) and received two Stanley Cups. They did it once more from 2007 via 2009, profitable one other title in 2008.
The newest workforce was the Chicago Blackhawks, who did it from 2013 via 2015 and received two Cups. — Clark
Toronto wants a brand new tactic
The Maple Leafs seemed like fish out of water in Recreation 4 in opposition to the Florida Panthers, a brutal 2-0 shutout loss during which the reigning Stanley Cup champions have been in prime type. Florida smothered Toronto with sustained offensive zone strain, main the Leafs to take a number of penalties and usually kill any ounce of momentum they tried to generate.
If it weren’t for a stellar (wasted) efficiency from goaltender Joseph Woll, the ultimate rating would have been a blowout, as a result of Toronto had no solutions for Florida’s warmth.
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Sam Bennett nets aim to double Panthers’ lead
Sam Bennett’s aim offers the Panthers a 2-0 lead midway all through the third interval.
Not like earlier within the collection, when the Leafs have been capitalizing on rush probabilities and actually spinning Sergei Bobrovsky in circles, the Panthers battened down the hatches to maintain Toronto on the surface whereas boxing out higher in entrance of Bobrovsky. If they will preserve that, and the Leafs cannot make changes, the Panthers are taking a look at a 3rd straight Japanese Convention finals look.
Ought to Toronto need to make considered one of its personal, it is time to make some adjustments, and for its prime skaters to step up. Mitch Marner would not have a shot on aim since he scored the winner in Recreation 2. Auston Matthews would not have a aim but within the second spherical and hasn’t registered one in opposition to Florida in 9 profession postseason tilts.
Toronto coach Craig Berube stated after Sunday’s loss that there are gamers the Leafs want extra from — no names required. It is clear. Each groups have owned dwelling ice within the collection up to now. Toronto has that benefit nonetheless as this one turns into a best-of-three. The query is, what kind of counterpunch will the Leafs throw now that Florida’s claws are out and sharpened? — Shilton
Can Hellebuyck be trusted for the Olympics?
The primary query Group USA’s mind belief might want to reply earlier than the 2026 Winter Olympic males’s hockey event: Are the contests in Milan thought of dwelling video games or highway video games? As a result of the reply might decide its beginning goaltender.
At this level, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s struggles on the highway within the Stanley Cup playoffs have reached the purpose of absurdity. He has received the Vezina Trophy twice in his profession and can win it once more this season. He is a finalist for the Hart (MVP). There is not a lot debate, statistically or anecdotally, that he is the very best goaltender on the planet … within the common season.
In his previous 20 playoff video games, Hellebuyck is 7-13 with a .866 save proportion and a 3.90 goals-against common. The stability of these putrid numbers have come on the highway, the place Hellebuyck has misplaced eight of his previous 9 begins with an .835 SP and a 5.20 GAA.
After the primary spherical of the playoffs in opposition to the St. Louis Blues, the bar for Hellebuyck was set at “can he get via a highway sport with out being pulled?” The excellent news in Recreation 3 in opposition to Dallas is that he cleared that bar. The dangerous information is that he misplaced once more and wasn’t superb, letting in a fluttering Roope Hintz shot for Dallas’ first aim, after which scoring what the NHL dominated was an personal aim on Alex Petrovic’s kicked puck within the third.
“He needed to make some large stops. Him and [Dallas goalie Jake] Oettinger, they have been going sort of toe to toe,” Jets coach Scott Arniel stated after the sport. “However we’ll be judged — not simply Connor — by what occurs on the highway. We have to win.”
Oettinger, against this, is 12-11 with a .909 SP and a 2.63 GAA in his previous 23 highway playoff video games. That is not nice, nevertheless it actually is not getting pulled 3 times within the first spherical, both.
The U.S. has a deep goalie pool, however Oettinger is seemingly the subsequent man up, having served as Hellebuyck’s backup on the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. His play on this collection and in different clutch moments — just like the Stars’ Recreation 7 win in opposition to Colorado in Spherical 1 — ought to spark a dialog concerning the American’s Olympic starter, given Hellebuyck’s struggles when the video games matter most.
Nonetheless, it must be famous that Hellebuyck was excellent at 4 Nations, with a 1.59 GAA and .932 SA in three video games. Which begs the query: Maybe you possibly can belief him extra enjoying in again of an All-Star workforce moderately than the Winnipeg Jets, irrespective of the place the video games are performed? — Wyshynski
The depth that has given the Oilers life could possibly be the demise of the Golden Knights
Seeing Adam Henrique rating the primary two objectives in Recreation 4 earlier than Evander Kane scored one other did greater than stake the Oilers to a 3-0 victory that now has them a win away from a second consecutive Western Convention finals look. It as soon as once more strengthened how the Oilers can depend on a degree of depth that, by comparability, is missing for the Golden Knights.
The statistic that has made that almost all clear is how the Oilers’ generational duo of Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid have mixed to attain simply three of their workforce’s 15 objectives. Draisaitl scored in Recreation 1, however the remainder of these contributions, together with the sport winner, got here from elsewhere within the lineup. Draisaitl did rating the sport winner in Recreation 2, however the earlier 4 objectives have been scored by his teammates. In Recreation 3, Corey Perry scored the primary two objectives.
Now examine that to the Golden Knights. The trio of Ivan Barbashev, Tomas Hertl and Brett Howden mixed to attain 78 regular-season objectives. They’ve been goalless via the primary 4 video games of their collection in opposition to the Oilers. Vegas’ six main defensemen mixed to attain 35 regular-season objectives, with 17 of them belonging to Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore. The group has just one aim within the collection.
It is a lack of scoring depth that has been additional compounded by the truth that Jack Eichel, who led the Golden Knights with 94 factors within the common season, hasn’t scored within the collection. In the meantime, main aim scorer Pavel Dorofeyev, who missed the primary two video games with an harm, has additionally been blanked since his return. — Clark
Personal objectives for everybody?
Followers love seeing objectives scored as a lot as gamers take pleasure in scoring them — besides when it is on their very own internet. And we have seen some doozies in that latter class this spherical.
There was the personal aim in Recreation 3 between Dallas and Winnipeg on Sunday, when Petrovic’s go-ahead aim was discovered (after a prolonged official overview) to have gone off Hellebuyck’s stick into the online. The night time earlier than, it was Draisaitl’s stick that put a puck previous Stuart Skinner to provide Vegas a buzzer-beating aim (with 0.4 seconds left on the clock) and its first win of the collection.
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Golden Knights stun Oilers with Reilly Smith’s buzzer-beating aim
Reilly Smith scores a miraculous aim for the Golden Knights with 0.4 remaining to provide them the win.
Morgan Rielly’s stick guided a puck in previous Woll in Recreation 3 of Toronto’s collection in opposition to Florida to chop into the Leafs’ 2-1 benefit. Toronto ultimately misplaced 5-4 in extra time.
It isn’t like there is a good second to attain by yourself internet, however might the timing on any of them have been worse? Should you’ve ever puzzled why “simply put pucks on internet” is a time-honored hockey cliché, here is your reply: As a result of something can occur. — Shilton
Teaching in his tenth postseason, Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer has witnessed some startling particular person playoff performances from his gamers. Like Ilya Kovalchuk’s 19 factors in 23 video games for the Devils in 2012. Or Joe Pavelski’s 14 objectives in 24 video games for the Sharks in 2016.
However nothing just like the postseason that Rantanen is placing collectively for the Stars.
“It is the very best efficiency I’ve gotten to witness, standing the place I am standing,” DeBoer stated after Dallas’ Recreation 3 win. “However for me, he is simply getting began. He is simply warming up right here. I believe he is on a mission.”
By way of 10 video games, Rantanen leads the playoffs in objectives (9) and factors (18). At one level, he had scored or assisted on 15 of 16 objectives for the Stars, courting again to the primary spherical. He is the primary participant in Stanley Cup playoffs historical past with 5 three-point video games via a workforce’s first 10 playoff video games.
“Enormous pickup on the deadline. He is been superior for us,” defenseman Alexander Petrovic stated. “He is an important man within the room. He is been on a tear.”
He has executed all of this after a turbulent season during which he was traded twice — from Colorado to Carolina after which to Dallas — earlier than signing a blockbuster extension with the Stars. He has answered questions on his offensive prowess with out having the advantage of Nathan MacKinnon on his workforce. He entered the playoffs as one of many NHL’s finest postseason scorers of the previous a number of seasons. He has blown away these expectations and is the present chief for the Conn Smythe Trophy (postseason MVP).
But although all of this torrid scoring lately, the Jets blanked him of their Recreation 2 shutout in Winnipeg.
“The largest factor is time and house,” Arniel stated. “I do know that you just hear that quite a bit in hockey, however on the finish of the day, the extra he holds onto it, the extra he is comfy, the tougher it’s to disclaim what he is making an attempt to do subsequent.”
However The Moose was again on the free within the Stars’ Recreation 3 win, with a aim and two assists.
“I am making an attempt to remain within the second. I am glad to assist the workforce and attempt to hold doing that as a lot as I can, each ends of the ice,” Rantanen stated.
It is actually Mikko Rantanen’s second. — Wyshynski
Ovechkin, Perry defying Father Time
Corey Perry will flip 40 on Friday, whereas Alex Ovechkin will hit that milestone in September. Perry and Ovechkin are a part of a five-member group of gamers age 39 or older who’ve performed multiple sport this postseason. However to counsel Ovechkin and Perry are every having robust postseason campaigns for gamers their age solely partially explains what they’ve executed up to now.
In reality, they’re having two of the very best postseason campaigns for 2 gamers of their age-39 season in NHL historical past.
Perry, a Stanley Cup winner who ranks thirty eighth in profession playoff objectives, has scored 5 instances this postseason. Ovechkin, a fellow Stanley Cup winner who’s tied with Mario Lemieux for twelfth in playoff objectives, has 4. They’re each inside putting distance of essentially the most playoff objectives in an age-39 season, per Quant Hockey. That mark is presently held by Jean Béliveau, with Le Gros Invoice scoring six objectives in 1971. — Clark
However have the Hurricanes solved Ovi?
Some would possibly accuse Ovechkin’s sport of being more and more “one word.” However when performed proper, it is a rattling good word. And proper now, the Washington Capitals are determined for extra of his contributions to their orchestra, no less than at even power.
Ovechkin’s line has been stifled by Carolina’s protection — particularly Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns — up to now within the collection, and so they’ve had far fewer shot makes an attempt and probabilities than the opposition at 5-on-5. Ovechkin and linemate Dylan Strome particularly thrive on creating probabilities off zone entries, and the Hurricanes aren’t giving them a lot in that respect.
Ovechkin continues to struggle for open ice and does lead the Capitals in even-strength photographs, however that hasn’t materialized into something on the scoresheet; Ovechkin’s solely aim of the collection has been on the facility play in Recreation 4.
Contemplating the Caps have been simply whacked 4-0 in Recreation 3 and 5-2 in Recreation 4, they’re looking for constant offensive contributions to hold them via. That is when Ovechkin has to start out spinning his proverbial straw into gold once more at full power.
Washington acquired fortunate in Recreation 2 after it was outshot 33-14 by the Hurricanes however nonetheless managed to return away with a 3-1 victory. If Carolina is discovering its offensive groove now and starting to resolve Logan Thompson, then Washington should discover methods to generate extra offensive alternatives. That is simpler stated than executed in opposition to the Hurricanes’ smothering collective defensive sport. — Shilton
Carolina isn’t any joke
Should you’ve been following the second spherical, you have undoubtedly come throughout a joke or two (or 10) concerning the relative high quality of the Carolina Hurricanes’ collection in opposition to the Washington Capitals in comparison with that of the opposite three playoff collection. Maybe you have made just a few your self.
Monday night time’s Recreation 4 was the outlier in what has in any other case been a grinding, tight-checking collection during which 4 or fewer whole objectives have been scored in every of the primary three video games, together with a 4-0 shutout by goalie Frederik Andersen in Recreation 3.
The Hurricanes are the Hurricanes. Coach Rod Brind’Amour could not care much less concerning the leisure worth of this collection or any collection. His workforce’s mission is to vampirically suck the life out of opponents with a mixture of puck possession, defensive zone protection, dependable goaltending and elite penalty killing. By way of 4 video games, it has been mission completed.
Brind’Amour was requested about followers and media from different markets boiling down the Hurricanes’ virtues to easily being a monotonous “shot quantity” workforce.
“It is lazy. It is lazy. Since you’re not likely watching the sport then. You are choosing out a part of it,” he stated. “However there is a methodology to all of it. It would not irk me.”
When the Canes do not have the puck, they’re stopping photographs: Carolina is permitting a median of 24.6 photographs per sport this postseason, third finest amongst lively groups.
“There have been instances via this collection once I’ve thought in my head, ‘shoot the puck.’ However then we’ve got to get that puck via,” Washington coach Spencer Carbery stated.
Once more, that is what the Hurricanes do. That is what the Hurricanes have executed. And that is what they will proceed to do within the Japanese Convention finals except the Capitals have a rally in them. Which might be thrilling. However the Hurricanes aren’t about that pleasure.
“You do not need to give them any life or give them any hope,” Canes winger Seth Jarvis stated of Thursday’s Recreation 5 again in D.C. — Wyshynski
