2025 NHL Postseason: 2nd Round Review & Conference Finals Preview

Florida defeats Toronto, 4-3

Series Recap: The yearly tradition of watching the Maple Leafs fail in the playoffs came in the second round this season, and it was marvelous. For a minute, it looked like they might be in control of the series, even after Anthony Stolarz went down in Game 1. Toronto led the series 2-0 heading to Sunrise, but things unraveled from there. Florida won both games on home ice, earning an overtime win in Game 3 before Sergei Bobrovsky shut out the Leafs in Game 4. With the series even heading back to Toronto, the Panthers mopped the floor with Toronto, winning 6-1 to take a 3-2 lead. The Maple Leafs showed some heart in Game 6, backed by a Joseph Woll shutout to send the series back to Toronto for another Game 7. The Maple Leafs bent like crazy in the first period, coming out of it unscathed. In the second, Florida took over. The Panthers won Game 7, 6-1, earning their third straight trip to the conference finals while potentially ending the Core 4 era in Toronto.

The Turning Point: Even with how tight the first two games were, it felt like Toronto could've put themselves in the driver's seat with another tight win in Sunrise. They led Game 3 by two goals early in the second period before the Panthers rattled off three unanswered goals to close the period. Morgan Rielly tied it in the third, but old nemesis Brad Marchand gave the Panthers life to win in overtime, 5-4. It helped kick off Florida's turnaround on the way to a series victory.

Series Houdini: Auston Matthews (1 goal, 3 assists in 7 games)

To call this season an unmitigated disaster for Auston Matthews feels appropriate. He followed up a 69-goal season with just 33 during an injury-plagued campaign. He failed to make a significant impact in this series. He didn't find the back of the net until Game 6 and was largely held in check by the Panthers. 

Series MVP: Brad Marchand (3 goals, 5 assists in 7 games)

Some teams have ghosts that they'll never escape from. Toronto's is Brad Marchand. After years of terrorizing the Maple Leafs with the Boston Bruins, Marchand reared his rat-like head again in this series, leading all skaters with eight points while tying Sam Bennett and William Nylander with three goals. Marchand had two goals and an assist in Game 7 to clinch the series, bringing him to 37 points in the playoffs against Toronto. Florida's third line was excellent in this series, helping to supplement the Top 6 on the road to victory.

Carolina defeats Washington, 4-1 

Series Recap: Some might see this series as boring. I thought it was an incredibly tight series of games between two division rivals. The Hurricanes used an ironclad defensive plan to shut the Capitals down for five games, earning a trip to the conference finals. All five games were defensive struggles, thanks largely to the goaltending of Frederik Andersen and Logan Thompson. Washington's netminder was the star of the first two games, even in the Capitals' Game 1 overtime loss. When the series shifted to Raleigh, Andersen was the star. Andersen shut out the Capitals in Game 3 before allowing just three goals in the final two games. It took the Hurricanes until the final two minutes of Game 5 to take the lead, getting an Andrei Svechnikov tally with 1:59 to send the East's top seed packing.

The Turning Point: The first two games of the series were incredibly tight, as the sides split in D.C. Washington was the better team for the first 30 minutes of Game 3 in Raleigh. Then, Andrei Svechnikov found a goal off the draw. This was the moment I felt the series changed. The Canes proceeded to win Games 3 and 4 at home to take a 3-1 lead before closing the door in Game 5.

Series Houdini: Alex Ovechkin (1 goal, 0 assists in 5 games)

This distinction belongs to Washington's offense at large, but their captain wasn't able to get anything going against the Hurricanes. He showed flashes and put a lot of pucks toward Frederik Andersen, but his lone goal came during a 5-on-3 in Game 4. He looked disengaged at various points, much to the detriment of his team during this series.

Series MVP: Frederik Andersen (4-1, .937 SV%, 6 goals allowed in 5 games)

Goals were at a premium in this series. Frederik Andersen improved on his league-best numbers in the second round by allowing six goals in five games, never allowing more than two goals in any start. The Hurricanes spend most of the series hanging on for dear life at the beginning of games before finally remembering how to score. Andersen was a major factor in their ability to stick around long enough. He allowed one goal in the first period during the series as his team figured out how to attack the Capitals. He's silencing some of his doubters.

Dallas defeats Winnipeg, 4-2

Series Recap: The Dallas Stars continued a second-round trend of sending the division champions home for an early vacation. Dallas earned an early split in Winnipeg, winning a tight Game 1 before the Jets shut them out in Game 2. The Stars defended home ice to win Games 3 and 4, outscoring the Jets 8-3 to take a commanding lead in the series. Winnipeg kept its hopes alive in Game 5 as Connor Hellebuyck pitched his second shutout of the series in a 4-0 victory. There was a cloud hanging over Game 6. On Saturday morning, the Jets announced that Mark Scheifele's father passed unexpectedly the night before. It made his status for the game uncertain, though he opted to play. Naturally, Scheifele scored the opening goal of the game. After Dallas tied the game, Scheifele took a tripping penalty at the end of the third period. It carried into overtime as Thomas Harley ended the series on the power play.

The Turning Point: I'm not here to question the legality of the goal, or whether Connor Hellebuyck really tried to make a play on the puck before it went in. I'm simply stating that it was a big moment in the series. In a 2-2 game early in the third period of Game 3, Alex Petrovic redirected a puck off his skate to give the Stars a 3-2 lead. After a lengthy review, the goal stood before Mikko Rantanen added another shortly after. Dallas went on to take a 2-1 series lead with a 5-2 victory.

Series Houdini: Cole Perfetti (0 goals, 1 assist in 6 games)

Cole Perfetti played an important part in Winnipeg's series win over the Blues in the first round. Against the Stars, Perfetti wasn't a factor. He managed just one assist in Winnipeg's Game 5 victory. Otherwise, he was simply there. He made his presence felt physically, throwing some hits around, but he didn't show up where it mattered most.

Series MVP: Jake Oettinger (4-2, .929 SV%, 2.02 GAA in 6 games)

Going head-to-head with the Vezina winner, even if he wasn't great in the first round, Jake Oettinger had to win the goalie battle if the Stars had any hopes of winning. That's exactly what he did. In Dallas' four victories, he was incredible. He made a series-saving stop on Mason Appleton in the third period, using the paddle to rob the Jets of the lead. Even in Dallas' losses, Oettinger couldn't be pointed to as the reason they lost. He wasn't given any goal support. Oettinger and Frederik Andersen have serious cases as the best goalies remaining in the playoffs.

Edmonton defeats Vegas, 4-1

Series Recap: For the third time in four years, the Edmonton Oilers will challenge for the Western Conference crown after a dominant performance against the Vegas Golden Knights. The road team won four of the five games, with the Oilers winning all three games in Nevada, including the 1-0 overtime win in Game 5 to advance. Many were expecting to see Vegas make a major comeback in the series once Calvin Pickard went down after Game 2, as Stuart Skinner returned to the crease. Game 3 was a good start after Vegas won with less than a second remaining in regulation. However, Skinner proceeded to shut out the Golden Knights in Games 4 and 5, stopping the final 47 shots he faced. Vegas falls short of the conference finals for consecutive seasons for the first time in the organization's history.

The Turning Point: This series had a ton of potential turning points if Vegas had pulled it out. Between Reilly Smith's goal with 0.4 seconds left to win Game 3 and Calvin Pickard's injury, everything seemed to be moving in the Golden Knights' direction. Instead, the turning point might've been Leon Draisaitl's overtime winner in Game 2. Instead of a 1-1 series heading to Edmonton, the Oilers took complete control by winning both games in Vegas. 

Series Houdini: Tomas Hertl (0 goals, 0 assists in 5 games)

As one of the most utilized forwards on Vegas' roster, Tomas Hertl going pointless stands out, especially when the other big players on the team found a way to score in a series where goals were at a premium. Hertl was held off the scoresheet for the series despite leading them with 12 shots. I'm not saying he helps Vegas win the series, but a sign of life would've been great.

Series MVP: Evander Kane (2 goals, 2 assists in 5 games)

Putting McDavid or Draisaitl as the MVP because they had the most points gets boring after a while. Instead, I'm picking Evander Kane, who I felt had a larger overall impact on the series, especially in Game 4. He was a thorn in Adin Hill's side, scoring a goal and an assist, and causing him to lose his mind after Brayden McNabb cross-checked Kane into Hill. Kane added an assist in Game 1 and a goal in Game 2. He hasn't looked bad this postseason after missing the entire regular season. He'll need to keep this up if the Oilers hope to break the Canadian Cup Curse. 

Conference Finals Preview

Florida Panthers vs. Carolina Hurricanes

Season Series- The Panthers won two of the three meetings this season. They swept a post-Thanksgiving home-and-home by outscoring them 12-3 (6-3, 6-0). The Canes earned a win in Sunrise to start the new year, winning 3-1. Sergei Bobrovsky started twice, splitting his decisions. Spencer Martin and Pyotr Kochetkov were in the nets for the Canes, so the Panthers haven't seen Frederik Andersen this season. Since they haven't played since early January, neither side has seen the other in their current iteration.

Postseason History- These two have only met once in the postseason, clashing in the 2023 Eastern Conference Final. The Panthers swept the Hurricanes, winning all four games by one goal. Game 1 went four overtimes, becoming the sixth-longest game in NHL postseason history. Matthew Tkachuk scored the game-winning goal in three of the four games.

What I'm Watching- Every knows about the skill both teams possess. That's why my focus is on the battle of the bottom six. Florida's third line (Luostarinen-Lundell-Marchand) were their most effective group against the Leafs. They're likely to face either the Aho line or the Kotkaniemi line in this series. Carolina's fourth line is among one of the best in the league, depending on the combination Rod Brind'Amour puts together. Whoever can be more effective at the bottom of the lineup might help decide who wins the Prince of Wales. 

Prediction- There are two schools of thought about this series. First, the Metropolitan Division can't beat the Atlantic Division. Second, whoever wins this series loses to either Dallas or Edmonton in the Stanley Cup Final. I don't believe either is true. The Hurricanes have had an easier path to reach the conference finals, largely because of how suffocating their defense has been. These are two very experienced teams. Florida has to deal with a quick turnaround after playing on Sunday, though that might not be the worst thing. Solely because of my bias toward the Hurricanes, I'm picking them to win this series, though I'm simply just hoping they don't get swept again. Hurricanes in 7

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers

Season Series- The Stars won two of three against the Oilers this season, including a victory in Edmonton in late March. Dallas won the lone tilt in Texas early in the season, scoring three times in the third period to win, 4-1. The Oilers laid it on Jake Oettinger in early March, jumping out to a 5-1 lead through two periods before holding off a furious Dallas comeback attempt in a 5-4 victory. Jason Robertson recorded a natural hat trick in the second period of the final meeting. With the roles reversed, Edmonton nearly erased a 4-0 deficit before falling a goal short in a 4-3 Dallas win. Oettinger and Stuart Skinner squared off in all three meetings this season.

Postseason History- This is the 8th postseason meeting between the Stars and the Oilers. The two met last season in the conference finals, ending in a six-game victory for Edmonton. Dallas led the series 2-1 before Edmonton rattled off three straight victories. The Stars had won the last five meetings, dating back to 1998. 

What I'm Watching- Edmonton's goalie situation remains one of the most interesting stories remaining in the playoffs. Stuart Skinner relieved Calvin Pickard midway through the Vegas series. After losing Game 3, Skinner pitched back-to-back shutouts to finish the job. Pickard is expected to be out to begin the conference finals, but is there any reason for them to switch netminders if Skinner keeps playing like this? I'll remain interested in that saga, especially with Dallas' high-powered offense on the other end. 

Prediction- During the preseason, I picked the Oilers to win the Stanley Cup. After the first round, I shifted my position to the Stars. Now, I have to decide which side I'm really picking. This all comes down to Edmonton's stars against Dallas' depth and whether Edmonton's goalie tandem can outperform Jake Oettinger. I'm far more confident in Oettinger than I am in either Stuart Skinner or Calvin Pickard. However, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are two of the best in the world for a reason. I have more faith in Dallas as a unit than I do Edmonton. This will be a fun series, but I'm sticking with the Stars. Dallas in 7

Conn Smythe Rankings (Among Teams Remaining)

5. Brad Marchand (3 goals, 9 assists, +11- T-2nd)

4. Jake Oettinger (8 wins- T-1st, 362 saves- 1st, .919 SV%- 2nd)

3. Connor McDavid (14 assists- 1st, 17 points- T-2nd) 

2. Frederik Andersen (7 wins- 2nd, 1.36 GAA- 1st, .937 SV%- 1st)

1. Mikko Rantanen (9 goals- 1st, 10 assists- 5th, 2 hat tricks- 1st)