In the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, the home team has shed tears 21-10 so far. Will this trend continue on Monday?
The early showdown was Game 4 of the Battle of Florida and the celebrations were already aroused. Tampa Bay Lightning striker Brandon Hagel was suspended for Game 3 after receiving a major fine for hitting Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2. In that game, Matthew Tkachuk suffered a tough blow to Jake Guentzel, but was not punished the same. What will the 4th game cross?
Before bedtime, the West Titans clash continues as the Colorado Avalanche hopes to keep moving forward after a 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
With statistical insights from ESPN Research, what happened in Sunday’s matches and the three-star rating of ArdaÖcal’s Sunday night, continue reading the game preview.
Showdown notes
Florida Black Panthers Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 4 (FLA leads 2-1) | 7 pm ET | ESPN
In Stanley Cup playoff history, the team with 2-1 series won one-seventh of 69%. The Panthers won two of the three best series with a 2-1 lead, while the Lightning kept 6-7 when they were 2-1 behind.
Jake Guentzel scored three points (goals, two assists) in Game 3, with his 40 professional playoff goals ranked third among active American-born players, behind Patrick Kane (53) and Chris Kreider (48).
With a win in Game 3, Andrei Vasilevskiy has 67 in his playoff career, second among active goalkeepers (after Marc-Andre Fleury, who has 92 in the game), and Andy Moog is 11th in history.
Matthew Tkachuk scored his third goal in Game 3 and became the third player in franchise history with 20 professional playoff goals (Carter Verhaeghe 26, Sam Reinhart 22); he is also the third Leopard to score 50 points for the club (Alexander Bakov 62, Verhaeger 54).
Aaron Ekblad's return from the suspension was not going well. According to Stathletes, Ekblad and Gustav Forsling played 10:50 in a 5-on-5 match, and Lightning scored 3 goals on the ice.
Dallas Stars' Colorado Avalanche
Game 5 (Series 2-2) | 9:30 ET | ESPN
With the series 2-2, history is on the starry side: Colorado is 11-12, while the series tied 2-2. In the same situation, Dallas left 18-14.
Nathan Mackinnon scored 52 professional playoff goals, second from Peter Forsberg in the Avalanche/Nordiques series history. Joe Sakic ranked 84th.
Gabriel Landeskog returned to hockey in Game 3 for the first time since the 2022 Stanley Cup final, and scored in his 28th playoff goal of his career.
Mikko Rantanen (formerly AVS, now Stars), had only 1 point (assisted) in four games, but that wasn't because of the lack of attempts. He scored 12 goals, which ranked second in the playoffs (Roope Hintz had 13).
Star goalkeeper Jake Oettinger was pulled into the game in Game 4, just his fourth time in his career playoffs of 40 minutes or less. Oettinger has achieved the second-biggest playoff victory (25) since 2022, behind Sergei Bobrovsky (34).
Arda's three stars
Svechnikov beat the cane 5-2 in Newark, giving them a 3-1 series. Svechnikov is the only Hurricane/Whaler player in the postseason hat trick (45 seasons, 205 playoffs) (he has two now).
His two goals in the third stage tied the game to 3, laying the foundation for the Oilers to win the OT and end the series. Bouchard is now the fourth defensive player in Stanley Cup playoff history in back-to-back multi-racing.
After two points in the first three games of the series, the neighbors scored and added two assists as Bruce equalized the series with a 5-1 victory in Game 4.
Sunday's score
St. Louis Bruce 5, Winnipeg Jet 1
Series tied 2-2 | Game 5 Wednesday
Although he was the best goalkeeper in the regular season NHL to win over Vezina Trophy's overwhelming favorite, Connor Hellebuyck wasn't happy in this playoffs. He was pulled in the third stage of the loss after giving up five goals in 18 shots. Winnipeg's Kyle Connor opened the scoring in the game, but the Blues scored five goals in the clubs of Jack Neighbors, Tyler Tucker, Brayden Schenn, Justin Faulk and Robert Thomas. The home team won every game in this series. Will it continue in Game 5 in Winnipeg? Complete review.
Carolina Hurricane 5, New Jersey Devil 2
Automobile lead 3-1 | Game 5 Tuesday
After the crutches rose 3-0, the Devils played back with two second-week goals, while Carolina starter Frederik Andersen was eliminated after a collision with Timo Meier of New Jersey. However, it's as close as the Devil, as Brent Burns added a goal at 14:14 in the third inning, while Andrei Svechnikov completed his hat-trick with an empty net goal to reach the deal. Complete review.
Washington Capital 5, Montreal Canadian 2
WSH leads 3-1 | Game 5 Wednesday
The center of the bell swayed again. Washington's Dylan Strome started the scoring at 1:25 in the second stage, but the Canadiens responded with two powerful goals (from Juraj Slafkovsky and Cole Caufield) to bring the lead to third place. However, the hats proved that they were the better team, tied it to 6:39 in the third quarter, took the lead after 10 minutes, and then pumped water in two empty nets to make it out of reach. Complete review.
Edmonton Oilers 4, Kings of Los Angeles 3 (OT)
Series tied 2-2 | Game 5 Tuesday
Another round-trip match between the two teams. The Kings led 3-1 to third place thanks to goals from Trevor Moore, Warren Foegele and Kevin Fiala. However, the match was sent to overtime thanks to two goals from Evan Bouchard (both assisted by Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid). Draisaitl then finished the winner in the power game with just 1:42 left in the extra game. Complete review.