Stanley Cup Playoffs: Saturday Previews and Friday’s Action

For all but one NHL team, the season will conclude on a disappointing note, as only a single champion can lift the Stanley Cup. However, Saturday holds significant weight as we could witness the first elimination of the 2025 playoffs.

The Ottawa Senators find themselves on the brink of elimination entering today`s game. Despite pushing the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs to overtime in their last two contests, the Atlantic Division winners have managed to secure the decisive goal in the extra period each time. Can the Senators capitalize on their home crowd advantage to extend the series to five games?

In another Atlantic matchup, the Florida Panthers have taken a commanding 2-0 lead by winning both initial games played in the Tampa Bay Lightning`s arena. Is this series headed for a quicker conclusion than many anticipated? Out West, the Minnesota Wild are looking to build upon their surprising series lead against the Vegas Golden Knights. Meanwhile, the intense showdown between Western Conference powerhouses continues in Colorado, with the Avalanche aiming to draw even with the Dallas Stars.

Below are previews for the upcoming games, complete with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a summary of Friday`s game outcomes, and Arda Öcal`s selections for the Three Stars from Friday night.

Matchup Analysis

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers

Game 3 (FLA leads 2-0) | 1 p.m. ET

Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is eligible to return for this game after completing his suspension for performance-enhancing substances. Ekblad is a significant player, averaging 23:30 of ice time during the regular season and contributing 3 goals and 30 assists in 56 games.

Another Panthers defenseman making noise is Nate Schmidt, who has scored game-winning goals in both Games 1 and 2. He is the first defenseman in franchise history to record two game-winners in a single postseason, and the playoffs are still in their early stages.

A key storyline revolves around the status of Aleksander Barkov, who was injured in Game 2 following a hit from Brandon Hagel. Hagel received a five-minute major penalty for the play and is suspended for Game 3.

Tampa Bay needs its top players and depth scorers to ignite their offense to mount a comeback in this series, having scored just two goals combined in the first two games. Goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has not performed at his typically outstanding level thus far, allowing seven goals on 39 shots for an .821 save percentage.

In the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win 86% of the time. This probability increases significantly to 98% if a team builds a 3-0 lead.

Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild

Game 4 (MIN leads 2-1) | 4 p.m. ET

This series is notable for its varying start times; remarkably, each of the first four games is scheduled to begin at a different time. Game 1 was at 10 p.m. ET, Game 2 at 11 p.m. ET, Game 3 at 9 p.m. ET, and Game 4 today is at 4 p.m. ET.

Few analysts predicted the Wild would lead this series, and even fewer anticipated Minnesota players dominating the early scoring leaderboard. Kirill Kaprizov is currently tied for the playoff scoring lead with seven points and is tied with teammate Matt Boldy for the most goals (four). Wild defenseman Jared Spurgeon leads the playoffs in assists.

Adin Hill has had an uncharacteristically difficult start to this postseason. He has allowed 10 goals on 57 shots, resulting in a .825 save percentage and a 3.78 goals-against average. These numbers are a significant drop from his performance during the Knights` 2023 Stanley Cup run, where he posted a .932 save percentage and 2.17 GAA over 16 games.

`Playoff` Tomas Hertl has performed well with two goals and an assist. However, several of the Knights` key offensive players have been quiet. Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, and Ivan Barbashev, who combined for 212 points in the regular season, have yet to register a point in the series.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators

Game 4 (TOR leads 3-0) | 7 p.m. ET

The Maple Leafs have been consistently strong, led by their “Core Four” – Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander, and John Tavares. This quartet leads Toronto in scoring through the first three games. Perhaps this performance is rewriting the narrative surrounding this group after years of playoff struggles.

Toronto`s power play has been exceptionally effective, converting at a league-best 55.6% this postseason. This high success rate helps to offset a penalty kill that is operating at only 77.8% efficiency.

Five different Senators players have scored in the series, including captain Brady Tkachuk, who is giving his all in his first taste of playoff action. Tkachuk has scored two goals and picked up four penalty minutes, actively engaging in the physical play whenever the intensity rises.

A decision looms for Ottawa regarding starting goaltender Linus Ullmark for Game 4. The veteran has an .815 save percentage through the first three games and holds an .874 career save percentage in the postseason.

Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche

Game 4 (DAL leads 2-1) | 9:30 p.m. ET

Game 3 was highlighted by the return of Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog, who played his first game after an absence of 1,032 days. Landeskog saw 13:16 of ice time but did not record a point or a shot on goal.

While some teams are generating impressive power-play numbers this postseason, the Avalanche have struggled, converting at just 15.4%, ranking fourth worst in the league. This is a stark contrast to their regular season, where their 24.8% rate was eighth best.

Tyler Seguin`s overtime goal secured the victory for Dallas in Game 3. It was only the second overtime winner of his career, with the first coming over 13 years prior (April 22, 2012).

Positive news for Dallas is that Mikko Rantanen, a former Av acquired on March 7, finally registered his first point of the series, assisting on Seguin`s overtime goal. The question is whether this point will open the scoring floodgates for him.

Arda`s Three Stars from Friday Night

1. The Oilers-Kings Series

LA leads 2-1 | 30 goals in three games

The first three games have been absolutely wild. Game 1 nearly saw an all-time comeback, Game 2 featured a dominant performance by the Kings against Edmonton, and Game 3 included multiple lead changes, quick back-to-back goals, and a failed coach`s challenge by LA leading to an Oilers power-play goal that gave them the lead. Simply incredible hockey.

2. Simon Nemec

D, New Jersey Devils

Nemec scored the overtime winner in Newark, securing the victory for the Devils against the Hurricanes and preventing them from going down 0-3 in the series. This clutch goal came 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 had a strong performance for Montreal in their decisive 6-3 victory over Washington in Game 3, contributing a goal and an assist.

Friday`s Final Scores

Montreal Canadiens 6, Washington Capitals 3

WSH leads 2-1

The Bell Centre was absolutely electric for the Canadiens` return home for their first playoff game there in some time, and the fans went home happy after a wild contest. The teams traded goals throughout the first two periods until Cole Caufield put Montreal ahead late in the second, followed by a brawl that spilled near the Washington bench. Although Alex Ovechkin tied the game early in the third, the Habs responded with three consecutive goals, elevating the `Olé!` chants to incredible decibel levels.

New Jersey Devils 3, Carolina Hurricanes 2 (2OT)

CAR leads 2-1

Facing an 0-2 series deficit, the Devils took a 2-0 lead in their first home game with goals from Nico Hischier and Dawson Mercer. However, two power-play goals in the third period 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 previously been a healthy scratch in the series, scored the game-winning goal.

Edmonton Oilers 7, Los Angeles Kings 4

LA leads 2-1

To overcome a 0-2 series hole, a complete team effort is required, and that`s exactly what the Oilers demonstrated on Friday. Ten different Oilers players recorded points, including superstars like Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard, along with depth players such as Connor Brown and Evander Kane. The Oilers also made a change in net, starting Calvin Pickard, who stopped 24 of 28 shots. For the Kings, Adrian Kempe continued his strong performance, adding his fourth goal and fifth assist of the playoffs, placing him among the league`s points and goal-scoring leaders.