The second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has reached the point where the knockout round will take place every night. Thursday night, it was a knockout double.
First is the capital of Washington, which lowered 3-1 and hosted the Carolina Hurricane (7pm and TNT). Before bedtime, the Winnipeg Jets fell 3-1 at home hosting the Dallas Stars (9:30 pm and TNT).
Will both teams force 6 games?
Continue reading ESPN Research’s statistical insights for a game preview, reviewing what happened during Wednesday’s match and Ardaöcal’s three-star rating on Wednesday.
Showdown notes
Carolina hurricane in the capital of Washington
Game 5 | 7 pm ET | TNT
Leading the game 3-1, Hurricanes won the series at -4000, while Caps was +1300. The crutches won the third odds for the Cup (+325), while the hats won the longest (+7500).
The crutches led 3-1 in the seventh series. In Stanley Cup playoff history, the team that led 3-1 has won 91% of the victory.
Carolina's Frederik Andersen had 21 games in Game 3, and then the goal was not allowed until the third phase of Game 4. His winning streak ended at 123:24, ranking fifth in the history of the Whaler/Hurricanes franchise.
Seth Jarvis aims to target a 2-0 Hurricane in Game 4, and is the 16th place in his playoff career, the most players history before his 24th birthday.
Alex Ovechkin was a little quiet in this round for Washington, but his strength goal in Game 4 won him two higher spots on the all-time roster. He now has 77 career playoff goals, keeping him 12th place (breaking the draw with Mario Lemieux), and his 31 career strength goals are now fifth (breaking the tie with Nicklas Lidstrom and Joe Pavelski).
Dallas star in Winnipeg Jets
Game 5 | 9:30 ET | TNT
After their 4th win, the odds of the Star winning series were transferred to -1200, while the Jets are now +600. The Cup odds in Dallas are shifted to +275, while Winnipeg is now +4000.
In the history of franchise, the stars made 13-1 in a 7th of the game. Their only series loss was due to the 1992 Minnesota Polaris vs. Detroit Red Wings.
Mikael Granlund's hat-trick in the 4th Starry Sky Championship included two powerful goals. This made him the second player in Northern Star/Star history, which was part of a hat trick - a feat that Dino Ciccarelli accomplished in 1982.
Dallas's Mikko Rantanen continues to dominate the playoffs. He is the ranking of points (19) and goals (nine) and wins Conn Smythe for the playoff MVP (+375).
With the star's fourth win, Jake Oettinger became the third consecutive playoff goalkeeper in Polaris/Star Charter history, joining Ed Belfour, joining Ed Belfour (six in 2000, five in 1999) and Cesare Maniaogo (five in 1968).
The Jets will be happy to play at home again. They walked 0-5 on this playoff road and beat 25-8.
Kyle Connor ranked second in the team goals rankings in a single season. Mark Scheifele (14, 2018) seems safe in the first place unless the Jets can assemble to make the final.
Öcal's three stars start on Wednesday
1. Panthers defender
It doesn't matter except to block the maple leaves until it's too late, the Three Cats defenseman scored goals in Game 5, and most teams will have the most team records in a single playoff game.
Kapanen scored a tandem goal in OT's game against the Golden Knights - which is +4000 according to ESPN's bet. Junior Hockey fans will remember that he also scored the Golden Ball against Russia in the 2016 IIHF World Youth Championship.
3. Florida Commission Scores
A stunning 14 Panthers have one or more points in this game, which is the most points in a single game in team history – 12 Panthers have one point in Game 3 of this series.
Wednesday's review
Florida Black Panther 6, Toronto Maple Leaf 1
FLA leads 3-2 | Game 6 Friday
While the series has ended before, Game 5 is a one-sided thing. The Panthers successfully stopped Ye Zi from launching many attacks, and also repeatedly defeated the offensive goal. Aaron Ekblad finally broke the seal at 14:38 in the first inning and then competed again after continuing to pressure in the Toronto area. Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist and Niko Mikkola added goals in the second phase, while AJ Greer and Sam Bennett joined the party in the third phase. This is the first goal for Kulikov, Boqvist, Mikkola and Greer's playoffs. Nicholas Robertson will add a thalley to the leaves with just one minute remaining, but that's too little and it's too late. The Panthers can end this series in Game 6. Complete review.
Edmonton Oilers 1, Vegas Golden Cavaliers 0 (OT
EDM wins 4-1, facing DAL or WPG next
Throughout the series, the Oiler depth emerged to help the top stars with scoring burden. The same can't be said for the depth of the Golden Knights - the stars of Vegas don't have the best series either. In the second straight game, no Vegas player could solve Stuart Skinner in an Edmonton cage, meaning the Oiler only needs a goal to take the W. It took 67:19 game time to find the goal, but Kasperi Kapanen won the chance for the game and series-winning Tally. This is Kapanen's second career-winning goal (his first was in 2017, along with Maple Leafs). The Oilers made the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year and will be the winner of the Dallas Star-winning Jets Series. Complete review.