The Dallas Stars and Winnipeg Jets began their second-round showdown a bit behind the other series, which is why they’re the last teams to play their respective Game 3. That matchup is set to transpire Sunday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET, TBS), followed by a game no less important between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers at a more traditional time (7:30 p.m. ET, TBS).

Which of the two Central teams will go up 2-1? And can the Panthers tie things up with the Leafs after Brad Marchand‘s OT heroics in Game 3?

Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, a recap of what went down in Saturday’s games and the Three Stars of Saturday from Arda Öcal.

Matchup notes

Winnipeg Jets at Dallas Stars
Game 3 | 4:30 p.m. ET | TBS

With each team taking one game of the series in Winnipeg, ESPN BET has updated the series odds heading into Game 3 in Dallas; the Stars are currently favored (-170) to win the series, with the Jets at +140 to advance. The Stars have the second-shortest odds to win the Stanley Cup (+400), while the Jets’ are third-longest (+900).

With his 22-save shutout in Game 2, Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck earned postseason blanking No. 4 of his career. He became the sixth goaltender in NHL history to account for the first four playoff shutouts in a franchise’s history.

Nikolaj Ehlers has run hot and cold as a playoff goal scorer for the Jets; he scored two in Game 2, which was his second career multigoal postseason game. In between this one and the one prior, he went 14 playoff games with zero goals.

Mikko Rantanen‘s streak of five straight multipoint playoff games ended in Game 2, as he registered one shot on goal for Dallas and a minus-1 rating in 21:42 of ice time. He’s currently tied with Toronto’s William Nylander for the playoff scoring lead, with 15 points, and is first among goal scorers, with eight.

Game 2 was the second time the Stars have been shut out this postseason. The first was Game 4 in the first round, at Colorado. The next game? A home win, in which they scored six goals.

Toronto Maple Leafs at Florida Panthers
Game 4 | 7:30 p.m. ET | TBS

After the Panthers won a thriller in Game 3, ESPN BET has the Leafs at -125 to win the series, with the Panthers at +105. Both teams are right in the middle of the Cup futures mix, with the Panthers slightly ahead; Florida is +550 and Toronto is +600.

With his overtime game winner in Game 3, the Panthers’ Brad Marchand extended his own NHL record for consecutive postseasons with a game-winning goal, a streak that goes back to 2017. Marchand’s four career playoff OT goals is seventh all time.

Have we seen the real version of “Playoff Bob” yet? Sergei Bobrovsky is sixth among eight regular goaltenders that made Round 2 with a 2.94 goals-against average, and sixth in the same cohort with a .875 save percentage. Those rates were 2.33 and .906, respectively, during the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run last year.

Maple Leafs center John Tavares scored two goals in Game 3, which was his fourth career multigoal playoff game and second in his career against the Panthers; the previous multigoal game against Florida was in 2016 while Tavares was with the New York Islanders.

With each goal that Morgan Rielly scores, he extends his franchise lead for playoff goals by a defenseman. Rielly now has 15 for his career, ahead of second-place Ian Turnbull with 13.

Öcal’s Three Stars from Saturday

1. The final seconds

We saw it again on Saturday night. You never know what’s going to happen in a Stanley Cup playoff game — even a Leon Draisaitl own goal with one second left in a game that was headed for overtime.

Smith scored two goals — one of which was the game winner that deflected off Draisaitl’s stick — in Vegas’ 4-3 win. He and Nicolas Roy scored 54 seconds apart in the first period to even the score at 2-2, which marked the fastest Vegas has overcome a multigoal deficit in franchise playoff history.

Roslovic finished with two points, including his third career postseason goal as the Canes dismantled the Caps 4-0 to take a 2-1 series lead.

Saturday’s recaps

Carolina Hurricanes 4, Washington Capitals 0
CAR leads 2-1 | Game 4 Monday

Following a scoreless first period with a few superb scoring chances for both teams, the Hurricanes got on the board twice in the second, courtesy of Andrei Svechnikov and Jack Roslovic. That was all the Canes needed, as their relentless defensive pressure in all three zones prevented the Caps from mounting much of an attack in the third. Eric Robinson added a shot that somehow found its way over Logan Thompson‘s left shoulder and Jackson Blake closed things out with a power-play tally. But this night was all about Frederik Andersen earning his fourth career shutout (and first with the Canes). Full recap.

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Eric Robinson gives the Canes a 3-0 lead

Hurricanes fans erupt as Eric Robinson gives Carolina a 3-0 lead with a sweet goal in the third period vs. Washington.

Golden Knights 4, Oilers 3
EDM leads 2-1 | Game 4 Monday

Finally, the Golden Knights are on the board — and it took until the very last moment for them to pull off the stunning win in Edmonton. Savvy Oilers veteran Corey Perry scored two to put the hosts ahead 2-0 in the first. Undeterred, the Knights scored two before the period ended to tie the contest. William Karlsson‘s second-period score put Vegas ahead 3-2, a lead that held until 16:58 of the third, when Connor McDavid tied it at 3. Then, in the very final second of regulation, Reilly Smith slid a sharp-angle shot into the Edmonton crease, where it was tipped in by Oilers center Leon Draisaitl. Game, Vegas. Full recap.

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Golden Knights stun Oilers with Reilly Smith’s buzzer-beating goal

Reilly Smith scores a miraculous goal for the Golden Knights with 0.4 remaining to give them the win.

EDMONTON, Alberta — Reilly Smith scored with 0.4 seconds left on a shot that deflected in off Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl‘s stick to give the Vegas Golden Knights a stunning 4-3 victory in Game 3 on Saturday night.

Smith’s goal is tied for the latest game winner in regulation in Stanley Cup playoffs history along with Nazem Kadri‘s goal for the Colorado Avalanche in 2020 and Jussi Jokinen’s goal for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2009, according to ESPN Research.

“Honestly, I’ve seen [Vegas forward William Karlsson] use that play a few times where he forechecks and spins it out in front of the net, jumping off the bench,” Smith said when asked about the play. “I think there was around seven seconds. I just tried. And being first on it. … So I thought there was a chance. And once it popped out I saw a lot of guys sell out. So I just hope that I had enough time to kind of pump-fake and find a lane and, you know, worked out.”

The game-winning goal came after Oilers star Connor McDavid tied it with 3:02 to go with a centering pass that went in off defender Brayden McNabb‘s skate.

“We didn’t sort it out very well to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s unlucky, it’s unfortunate,” Draisaitl said of the game-winning goal. “It goes off my stick, and I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. It’s just a bad bounce.”

After Corey Perry gave Edmonton an early 2-0 lead, Nicolas Roy and Smith tied it with goals in a 54-second span late in the first period. Karlsson put the Golden Knights in front with 2:55 left in the second, beating goalie Stuart Skinner off a give-and-go play with Noah Hanifin. And Adin Hill made 17 saves for Vegas.

The Golden Knights’ win Saturday cut Edmonton’s lead to 2-1 in the Western Conference semifinal series. Game 4 is Monday night in Edmonton.

“Before the series starts, if you were to tell us that we were gonna be up 2-1 after three, we’d be happy,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “We’d be pleased with that, not only up 2-1, but Game 4 at home.”

Vegas rallied in the first period after Golden Knights forward Mark Stone left because of an upper-body injury.

“Big win for our team,” Smith said. “We need to use the momentum in front of us to push forward, but focus one game at a time. That’s kind of always been the mindset for this group. We have a lot of resiliency. So as long as you focus on that next game and get a little bit better every night.”

Roy, playing a day after being fined but not suspended for cross-checking Trent Frederic in the face in overtime in Game 2, cut it to 2-1 off a rebound with 4:43 left in the first. Smith then slipped a backhander through Skinner’s legs with 3:49 to go in the period.

Skinner stopped 20 shots, taking over in goal for the injured Calvin Pickard. Pickard appeared uncomfortable and was seen shaking out his left leg after Vegas forward Tomas Hertl landed on his left pad in Game 2.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

DENVER — For the next week or so, Kris Bryant will be restricted to not much more than a casual walk as he recovers from a procedure to fix his chronically bothersome back.

The Colorado Rockies designated hitter just hopes this finally alleviates the pain. Bryant returned to town after recently traveling to Los Angeles to undergo a procedure referred to as an ablation, which is designed to interrupt pain signals being sent from the back to the brain. He explained Saturday that it took roughly 45 minutes.

“I feel like I got stabbed in the back right now,” Bryant said before the Rockies played the San Diego Padres. “Not ideal, but I’m in good spirits.”

Once he’s cleared for more than a light stroll, Bryant will return to the weight room in an effort to build strength. There’s no timetable for a return to baseball activities quite yet.

“Just got to let nature take its course,” manager Bud Black explained.

Bryant’s currently on the injured list with lumbar degenerative disk disease, which involves the deterioration of the spinal disks that act as cushions between the vertebrae. It’s his ninth stint on the IL since 2022 due to a series of health issues.

His back has gotten to the point where cortisone shots no longer work. That’s why he had the ablation procedure. Anything to avoid back surgery.

“I don’t want to get to that point. I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” Bryant said. “Just trying to check boxes as they go. We tried all the other, I guess you say, conservative treatments, or more traditional approaches with cortisone shots. They just didn’t work for me. So this was another step along the way.”

“I’m willing to try anything,” added Bryant, whose pain at times has brought on nausea. “It’s weighed on me, for sure. It just sucks.”

The 33-year-old Bryant is hitting .154 this season with no homers, one RBI, 13 strikeouts in 11 games.

Bryant has been limited to 170 games with Colorado since signing a $182 million, seven-year contract before the 2022 season. He’s suffered from an array of injuries, including plantar fasciitis, a bone bruise in his foot, heel issues, a broken finger, a back strain, a lower rib contusion and back problems.

“Right now I feel like I’m in a good spot,” said Bryant, the 2016 NL MVP with the Chicago Cubs. “It just wears on you. It’s not an easy thing for me to deal with but doing the best I can with a pretty crappy situation.”

He hasn’t set any sort of baseball goals quite yet.

“It’s really just one day at a time,” Bryant said. “Just continuing to do everything I can that’s in my power — and the training staff’s power — to find a way to navigate this.”