It feels like just yesterday that all sixteen teams began the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs with everything on the line. However, by the end of Tuesday night, two teams could face elimination from the postseason.
The Ottawa Senators managed to avoid a sweep by winning a thrilling overtime Game 4 in front of their home crowd. Despite this, they still trail the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1 as they head into Game 5.
Similarly, the New Jersey Devils secured a home victory in Game 3 but suffered a significant loss in Game 4. They now face the same 3-1 deficit against the Carolina Hurricanes, with Game 5 set to take place in Raleigh.
Can both the Senators and the Devils push back against elimination and force another game back on home ice?
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, both series featuring Pacific Division teams are currently tied 2-2. These matchups are heading back to the arenas of the higher-seeded teams for crucial Game 5 battles. The series are the Vegas Golden Knights against the Minnesota Wild, and the Los Angeles Kings facing the Edmonton Oilers. Which teams will seize the momentum in these pivotal contests?
Read on for detailed game previews, including key statistical insights, a recap of Monday night`s results, and the selection of the Three Stars from Monday.
Matchup Notes
Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs
Game 5 (Toronto leads 3-1)
Games 2 through 4 of this series represent the eleventh instance in the past two decades where playoff teams have played three consecutive overtime games.
Jake Sanderson`s game-winning goal in overtime was the first of his career. He became the ninth defenseman aged 22 or younger to score an overtime goal in the playoffs, marking a first for the Senators franchise.
Veteran forward David Perron recorded his first playoff goal for the Senators, making it the fourth team with which he has scored in the postseason (previously with the Blues, Golden Knights, and Ducks).
Matthew Knies scored his sixth career playoff goal. This places him tied for fourth among Maple Leafs players aged 22 or younger since the 1976-77 season in playoff goals, trailing only Auston Matthews (12), Wendel Clark (11), and Russ Courtnall (8).
Toronto`s defensemen have surprisingly contributed five goals this postseason, the most by any team. This is notable considering the Leafs defense corps scored the fewest goals in the regular season (21).
New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
Game 5 (Carolina leads 3-1)
While the Devils hold an advantage in scoring at 5-on-5 in the series (7-5), they have been outscored during their own power plays (0-1), Carolina`s power plays (0-4), and when their net is empty (0-2).
Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen left Game 4 after a collision with Devils forward Timo Meier. Although Meier had not scored against Andersen in the series, he scored on his very first shot against backup goalie Pyotr Kochetkov.
Andersen`s availability for Game 5 is uncertain. He currently leads all playoff goaltenders this postseason with a 1.59 goals-against average and ranks second among qualified goalies with a .936 save percentage.
Andrei Svechnikov achieved his second career playoff hat trick in Game 4. He is the only player in Hurricanes/Whalers franchise history to record a playoff hat trick.
Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 4 ended one trend and continued another. Ivan Barbashev`s overtime winner snapped a three-game playoff overtime losing streak for Vegas. Conversely, the loss extended Minnesota`s home playoff overtime losing streak to five games.
Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson made 42 saves in the loss, marking his second career playoff game with 40 or more saves. He is the only goaltender in franchise history with multiple 40-save performances in the postseason.
Kirill Kaprizov recorded an assist in the Game 4 loss, bringing his point total to eight in four games this postseason, just one point shy of the current playoff scoring leaders.
Vegas forward Tomas Hertl is in excellent form. His goal in Game 4 was his third this postseason, and he has scored eight goals in his last nine games dating back to March 22nd.
The Wild have generally been effective at limiting Jack Eichel`s production. He registered one assist in Game 4, his first point of the series, despite leading his team with 94 points in the regular season.
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings
Game 5 (Series tied 2-2)
With his two-goal performance in Game 4, Evan Bouchard became only the fourth defenseman in Stanley Cup playoff history to have back-to-back multigoal games. He joins Rob Blake (2002), Al Iafrate (1993), and Denis Potvin (1981) in this exclusive group.
Leon Draisaitl, who scored the overtime winning goal in Game 4, now has eight four-point games in his playoff career. This ranks him fourth in Oilers history for such games, behind Wayne Gretzky (20), Mark Messier (10), and Jari Kurri (10).
Tied with Draisaitl for the playoff scoring lead is Kings winger Adrian Kempe, who is also tied for the goal-scoring lead with four goals. Kempe had accumulated only 19 total points in his 22 previous playoff games, all played with the Kings.
Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper has faced a high volume of shots, stopping 134 so far, which is the second most among postseason goaltenders (Gustavsson leads with 136). Kuemper`s current .881 save percentage is the second-lowest of his playoff career, slightly better than the .879 he posted in two games for the Wild during the 2013 playoffs.
Arda`s Three Stars from Monday Night
1. Wyatt Johnston
C, Dallas Stars
Johnston scored his first goal of the 2025 postseason just nine seconds into the game. This goal is tied for the fifth fastest goal to begin a game in Stanley Cup playoff history. He had an outstanding night, contributing two goals and an assist in the Stars` victory.
2. Mikko Rantanen
RW, Dallas Stars
Rantanen scored his first postseason goal for the Stars against his former team. He is now the seventh player in NHL history to score a playoff goal against a team with which he had previously accumulated 100 or more postseason points. The others include notable names like Jaromir Jagr, Brett Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Bernie Geoffrion.
3. Jon Cooper
Coach, Tampa Bay Lightning
His post-game comments continue to be highly entertaining, to the point where he merits recognition. He notably stated, “I`m sick of talking about hits” — and then provocatively asked the media for their opinions on the matter. A truly memorable moment.
Monday`s Results
Florida Panthers 4, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
Florida leads series 3-1 | Game 5 Wednesday
Following a first period that was intense but scoreless, the game significantly escalated in the second. Anton Lundell opened the scoring for the Panthers. Aaron Ekblad then delivered a heavy hit on Tampa Bay`s Brandon Hagel, which went unpenalized on the ice and forced Hagel to leave the game. Subsequently, the Lightning quickly scored two goals within 11 seconds via Mitchell Chaffee and Erik Cernak, taking a lead that held deep into the third period. However, in a dramatic turn, the Panthers responded with two goals in an identical 11-second span from Ekblad and Seth Jones, sending the arena into a frenzy. Carter Verhaeghe sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Dallas Stars 6, Colorado Avalanche 2
Dallas leads series 3-2 | Game 6 Thursday
As chaotic as Monday`s opening game was, this one seemed headed in a similar direction early on. Dallas` Wyatt Johnston scored just nine seconds into the game, marking the fastest goal ever to start a playoff game in Stars franchise history. Fellow young player Thomas Harley added another goal with 45 seconds remaining in the first period. From that point forward, Dallas maintained control over Colorado. Second-period goals from Mikko Rantanen, another from Johnston, and one from Mason Marchment, followed by an empty-netter from Roope Hintz, emphatically sealed the proceedings. Artturi Lehkonen and Nathan MacKinnon scored for Colorado in the second period, but it was far from enough on this night.
