The second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has commenced with intense competition, even before the Central Division series gets underway.
What can fans anticipate from the upcoming clash between the Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets (scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)? Will the outcome of Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs influence their next meeting on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET on ESPN)? Additionally, what conclusions can be drawn from the initial games played in the other two series on Tuesday?
Continue reading for in-depth game previews featuring statistical insights from ESPN Research, a summary of Tuesday`s game results, and the selection of Tuesday`s top three players by Arda Öcal.
Matchup Notes and Previews
Florida Panthers at Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 2 | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Historically in the Stanley Cup playoffs, teams that secure a win in Game 1 of a best-of-seven series have gone on to win the series 68% of the time. This trend held true in the first round this year, with Game 1 winners advancing in 6 out of 8 series. Specifically, the Maple Leafs have won a best-of-seven series 57% of the time after winning Game 1.
William Nylander`s two-goal performance in Game 1 marked him as the first Toronto player since Wendel Clark in 1994 to achieve consecutive multi-goal games in the same postseason.
A key storyline heading into Game 2 is the status of goaltender Anthony Stolarz. The New Jersey native stopped 8 of 9 shots before leaving Game 1 after contact with Sam Bennett. Joseph Woll entered in relief, allowing three goals on 20 shots.
With two assists in Game 1, Brad Marchand now has 31 career playoff points against the Maple Leafs, tying him with Maurice Richard and Ted Lindsay for fourth-most all-time.
Sergei Bobrovsky had a challenging Game 1, allowing five goals on 29 shots. This contrasts with his strong regular-season record against the Leafs, where he posted a 1.77 goals-against average over four games.
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets
Game 1 | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
The Jets held the edge in the regular-season series against the Stars, winning three out of four matchups with a combined score of 13-5. Despite this, ESPN BET favors the Stars to win the series at -175, while the Jets are listed at +150.
Interestingly, these two franchises have no history of meeting in the postseason, neither as the current Stars and Jets nor their previous iterations (North Stars/Stars vs. Jets 1.0/Coyotes).
The goaltending battle features two top candidates for Team USA`s net at the 2026 Olympics: Dallas` Jake Oettinger and Winnipeg`s Connor Hellebuyck. Both are among the league`s busiest netminders. Since the 2021-22 season, Oettinger ranks third in total games played (regular season and playoffs) with 274, trailing only Andrei Vasilevskiy (277) and Sergei Bobrovsky (275). Hellebuyck is tied for fourth with Igor Shesterkin at 270 games.
Elsewhere in the playoffs, Mikko Rantanen set notable benchmarks late in Round 1, becoming the first player in Stanley Cup playoffs history with a hat trick in the third period of a Game 7 and the first to score a Game 7 hat trick against his former team. He also made NHL history by having a four-point period in consecutive games (regular season or playoffs).
Stars captain Jamie Benn has accumulated 28 career playoff goals, tying him with Dino Ciccarelli and Neal Broten for fourth in franchise history (North Stars/Stars), behind Mike Modano (58), Steve Payne (35), and Brian Bellows (34).
Kyle Connor`s 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in the first round established a Thrashers/Jets 2.0 franchise record for points in a single postseason series, surpassing the previous high of 11 set by Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele in 2018.
Playing in his 56th career postseason game, a franchise record, Jets captain Adam Lowry scored his first career overtime goal to secure the Game 7 win against the Blues. He is one of only two captains in Stanley Cup playoff history to score an OT goal in a Game 7; Steve Yzerman accomplished this in 1996, also against St. Louis.
Tuesday`s Top Performers (Selected by Arda Öcal)
1. Jaccob Slavin
D, Carolina Hurricanes
Slavin recorded his first career playoff game-winning goal in his 77th postseason appearance, helping the Hurricanes outlast the Capitals to take Game 1.
2. Logan Thompson
G, Washington Capitals
Despite the loss, Thompson delivered a strong performance, making 31 saves and giving his team a chance to win until the final moments of Game 1.
3. Zach Hyman
LW, Edmonton Oilers
Hyman scored the decisive goal as Edmonton completed their third third-period comeback this postseason, marking their fifth consecutive comeback victory overall.
Recap of Tuesday`s Games
Carolina Hurricanes 2, Washington Capitals 1 (OT)
CAR leads series 1-0 | Game 2 Thursday
In a tightly contested opener, both teams were scoreless after the first period. Aliaksei Protas broke the deadlock in the second, giving Washington the lead. Logan Stankoven equalized for the Hurricanes midway through the third. With the game tied, the overtime period was brief; Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin netted his second career postseason goal just 3:06 into OT, sending the D.C. crowd home disappointed and giving Carolina a 1-0 series advantage.
Edmonton Oilers 4, Vegas Golden Knights 2
EDM leads series 1-0 | Game 2 Thursday
The game started favorably for the home team, the Golden Knights, as captain Mark Stone scored twice within the opening nine minutes. However, Edmonton controlled the scoring from that point on. Corey Perry reduced the deficit late in the first period. In the third, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman (the game-winner), and Connor Brown all scored to complete the comeback for the Oilers. This win was noted as the Oilers` NHL-record fifth straight playoff victory achieved via a comeback.
