The first 13 games of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs are in the books — thanks for finally joining the party, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning — so each team has had a chance to show the new postseason version of itself.

Which teams and players made the best early impression? Who has room for improvement? How will all of it matter when it comes to the rest of Round 1 and the entire postseason?

ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identified their top takeaways off of the first set of games, covering all eight series.

Read more:
Full schedule
Intel on all 16 teams
Top 50 players
Wyshynski’s bracket
Contender flaws

In just two games, the Avs-Stars series once again proves that all contributions are needed

One of them earns just slightly more than $1 million this season while the other has at least three games remaining on his one-year contract worth $775,000. Yet what they’ve done has been instrumental in why the much-anticipated first-round series between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars is tied at 1-1.

Logan O’Connor is a point away from being tied for the postseason lead in scoring, while Colin Blackwell‘s second-ever playoff goal prevented the Avs from having a 2-0 series advantage before heading back to Denver.

It’s not that premier talents such as Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Jake Oettinger and Mikko Rantanen won’t play a role in the series. But for either team to keep advancing, they’re going to need help from the supporting cast. That’s something the Avs know all too well, as a lack of supporting cast has hindered them the past two years, whereas the Stars ran into that problem during last year’s Western Conference finals.

O’Connor is part of the Avs’ fourth line featuring Jack Drury and Parker Kelly that has already accounted for two goals and seven points; the bottom six has scored three of the Avs’ eight goals through two games. As for Blackwell, he’s a member of the Stars’ fourth line with Oskar Back and Sam Steel that had four points, with each forward averaging more than 10 minutes of ice time. The Stars’ bottom-six group at large was responsible for two of their three goals in Game 2. — Clark

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Colin Blackwell comes up with big OT winner for Stars

Colin Blackwell sends the Stars faithful into jubilation with a great overtime winner to tie the series at 1-1 vs. the Avalanche.

Can the Core Four actually dominate a playoff series?

The Maple Leafs’ Core Four heard those criticisms about their past playoff performances — and they’ve begun to issue a rebuttal. In Game 1 of Toronto’s series against Ottawa, Mitch Marner led the way with three points, and all of William Nylander, Auston Matthews and John Tavares added a pair of points. Tavares added a goal and an assist in Game 2, while Marner, Nylander and Matthews all picked up assists.

Marner’s efforts were particularly noteworthy given his history of stumbles in the postseason. He had just three points in seven playoff games last season (another first-round exit for Toronto) and, in this ever-important contract year, Marner had further incentive to show he can be at his best when it matters most.

If Marner & Co. are finally primed to be big-time producers in the league’s second season (as they so often are for those first 82 tilts), then the Leafs may be on their way to actually fulfilling some long-anticipated postseason potential. Because no matter how strong Toronto’s goaltending is or how much improved their defensive play is, the tide has always turned with the Leafs’ top strikers.

Where the Four go, Toronto will follow. Right? — Shilton

The old guy has still got it

Whenever Alex Ovechkin scores goals, especially at home in D.C., I think back to something Tom Wilson said earlier this season during the Capitals captain’s successful pursuit of Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record.

“There’s just a little extra excitement every time he scores,” Wilson said. “Everyone [on our bench] kind of jumps through the roof whenever he finds the back of the net — which is fitting because he’s always the most excited guy on the ice when anybody else scores.”

Look at Game 1 against Montreal when Ovechkin scored on the power play to give the Caps a 1-0 lead and the roof came off the place. Look at the celebration both from Ovi and the Caps when he ended the game in overtime — rather incredibly, the first postseason overtime goal of his storied career.

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Alex Ovechkin’s OT goal wins Game 1 for Capitals

Alex Ovechkin’s second goal of the game is an overtime winner that gives the Capitals a 1-0 series lead vs. the Canadiens.

From the scoreboard to the dressing room to the vibes, he’s the pacesetter for this team. It’s hard to call his season underappreciated given the fanfare of breaking Gretzky’s record, but has there been a more overlooked MVP performance in the Hart Trophy race than Ovechkin’s this season?

Here’s what MVPs do: They rise to the moment in critical spots. The Canadiens are trying to pull a massive upset in the first round. Their strong third period to tie the game against a too-comfortable Washington team sent the game to overtime. A win in the extra session and all of those ghosts from past playoff humiliations might start haunting the Capitals. Ovechkin knows those ghosts. He has felt the tension that builds in D.C. when things go wrong against a lower seed. And he shut the door. Remember that if the Capitals manage to snuff out this upset bid. — Wyshynski

Are we currently watching the best version of Mark Scheifele … ever?

Few teams have faced the kind of questions the Winnipeg Jets have encountered for several years, because that’s what happens when a team has made it out of the first round only twice since 2011. The Jets’ 2-1 win Monday in Game 2 against the St. Louis Blues means they now have a 2-0 series lead for the first time since the 2021 postseason, which was also the last time they won a playoff series.

Now there’s another question: How dominant can Mark Scheifele be this postseason?

Consistency has been at the heart of Scheifele becoming a responsible, two-way center who has authored 10 consecutive seasons of more than 20 goals and 60 points. This season, he finished with a career-high 87 points, while his 39 goals were his second-highest ever.

Through two games against the Blues, Scheifele has either scored or created all but two of the Jets’ seven goals. Kyle Connor is the only Jets forward who has logged more 5-on-5 ice time than Scheifele. Even then, it’s just a difference of 31 seconds. The Blues have failed to score in 5-on-5 play when Schiefele has been on the ice, and they have mustered only two high-danger scoring chances in that time.

Yet the most jarring aspect of what he’s doing? He’s just a point shy of matching what he did in last year’s playoffs when the Jets were eliminated in five games, while being two points short of tying how many playoff points he has had over the past two years total. — Clark

It’s the Tkachuks’ world (we’re just living in it)

History was made on Tuesday night: For the first time in the NHL, two Tkachuks competed in Stanley Cup playoff games on the same night — and scored goals. According to ESPN Research, this was the 83rd time two brothers have scored on the same day of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Prior to the Tkachuks’ tallies, the last instance was when Marcus (Wild) and Nick Foligno (Bruins) both scored on April 21, 2023.

Matthew Tkachuk is no stranger to the postseason, having appeared in 72 games during his career with the Calgary Flames and Florida Panthers — 45 of them over the past three seasons. But Brady Tkachuk had to wait seven seasons until the Ottawa Senators made the cut, and he made his postseason debut in Round 1 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Brady Tkachuk scored his first playoff goal in Game 2. He sent a between-the-legs pass in front of the net on the power play that deflected off the skate of Brandon Carlo and into the net. The Senators rallied to send the game to overtime, but Toronto took a 2-0 series lead on a Max Domi goal in the extra session.

“There’s no ounce of panic or doubt in this locker room. We’re looking forward to getting home,” Brady said. “Things happen. You’re not always going to get the bounces So be it. It’s just going to make it that much sweeter.”

Matthew Tkachuk played his first game since being injured in the 4 Nations Face-Off back in February, and he immediately made an impact. It was a negative one at first: Taking a roughing penalty against Nikita Kucherov in the first period that led to Jake Guentzel‘s game-tying goal. But he more than atoned for that sin with back-to-back power-play goals in the second period to make it 5-1 for Florida. He added an assist on Nate Schmidt‘s power-play goal in the third.

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Matthew Tkachuk scores through chaos for Panthers

Matthew Tkachuk scores his second power-play goal of the second period to give the Panthers a 5-1 lead over the Lightning.

“What was on display was the hands. He has an incredible set of hands,” said Florida coach Paul Maurice, who otherwise felt that Tkachuk “wasn’t in the rhythm of the game” after his layoff.

Which means there’s room for improvement. Which is scary for the Lightning.

(Also scary: We’ve yet to see Tkachuck and Brad Marchand on the same line together, combining their powers for the apex of on-ice hockey trolling.)

The NHL playoff format is such that the Tkachuks could face each other in the second round if the Panthers advance past the Lightning and the Senators upset the Maple Leafs. One outcome looks a lot more possible at the moment. But never count out a motivated Tkachuk. — Wyshynski

Carolina’s fresh faces fitting in fine

The Hurricanes may have moved on from one all-star forward in Mikko Rantanen. But the skaters GM Erik Tulsky has brought to the Hurricanes — and subsequently retained — are still making their presence felt.

Logan Stankoven was the centerpiece of Carolina’s return in trading Rantanen to Dallas, and the rising star pumped in two goals against New Jersey in Game 1. Even before the postseason, Stankoven looked like a perfect fit for the Canes. The 22-year-old plays their style of game — he’s relentless battling for pucks, forechecks with conviction and has playmaking talents to spare. The way Stankoven has cultivated a natural chemistry with Jordan Staal is everything Carolina could have hoped for when he came on board. That Stankoven is giving the Hurricanes depth scoring when that has been an Achilles’ heel in playoffs past? It’s perfect. And he’s not the only one giving Carolina its money’s worth.

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Logan Stankoven’s 2nd goal gives Hurricanes a 3-0 lead

Logan Stankoven notches his second goal of the game to give the Hurricanes a 3-0 lead.

Tulsky also acquired veteran forward Taylor Hall midseason, and his early playoff performance has been promising. Hall’s line with Andrei Svechnikov and Jesperi Kotkaniemi was excellent in Game 1 — even without breaking onto the score sheet — generating 12 shots on goal and out-chancing the Devils 20-6. They could be a significant weapon for the Hurricanes as these playoffs roll along.

Most importantly, Carolina doesn’t feel so top-heavy now. The Hurricanes have been tripped up before by diminishing offensive contributors in a long postseason run. The way their fresh faces are fitting in, though, puts Carolina on a promising track to greater playoff success. — Shilton

What version of the Kings will show up in Game 2 against the Oilers?

For all the strides the Los Angeles Kings made in Jim Hiller’s first full season, nobody quite knew what to expect once the postseason started.

And in some ways, there are still no guarantees beyond the fact that the Kings now possess a 1-0 series lead following their 6-5 win in Game 1 over the Edmonton Oilers. After building a commanding four-goal lead against the team that has been both the literal and proverbial roadblock the past three postseasons, the Kings were reminded of why no lead of more than two goals is safe whenever they play the Oilers in the playoffs.

Why? Because 12 of the 18 playoff games between the Oilers and Kings over the past three years have been decided by less than two goals. Maybe that’s what made Monday’s game so jarring yet so familiar.

But to witness the version of the Kings that rallied to win Game 1 with a Phillip Danault goal with 42 seconds remaining? It’s something the Kings have done before against the Oilers as they did it in the 2022 and 2023 postseasons… only to then lose the series.

Are the Kings are once again in for a similar fate? Or could they finally have the answers that get them beyond their perennial tormentors and into the second round? — Clark

Special teams already playing a special role

The Vegas Golden Knights drew fewer penalties than any team in the regular season. They earned the second-fewest power-play opportunities. And yet, Vegas had the second-best power play in the league.

How? Well, just ask the Minnesota Wild.

The Wild took just two penalties in Game 1 against the Golden Knights and were burned on the man advantage both times. That’s how Vegas works. They see an opportunity, they take it.

That’s something of a theme in this early first-round action, actually. There has been plenty of power-play action. And it has been a healthy factor in determining several outcomes. In fact, through an extremely small sample size, power plays are converting at the highest rate (33.8%) in Stanley Cup playoff history (records available starting in 1977-78).

Toronto scored three goals on the man advantage to take Game 1 of their series. Colorado and Dallas each already have two power-play goals. Same with Los Angeles. St. Louis has three — although it hasn’t helped them to a victory yet over Winnipeg. And interestingly, the Jets have just one power-play goal through two games but are tied for the most at even strength (five).

So how much will special teams continue to fuel some of these matchups? Toronto’s coach Craig Berube was quick to say his team shouldn’t be expecting to rely on multiple power-play goals per game to get by. Will clubs be able to tighten up defensively? And even if they do, will those singular man-advantage chances keep tilting the ice in one team’s favor like it did so completely for Vegas in Game 1?

It’s not always a foregone conclusion that regular-season success in any category can carry over to the postseason, but the quick returns in this one show how what worked before can keep carrying the day for some contenders — Shilton

The Wild have scored seven goals in their series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Kirill Kaprizov has had a hand in five of them, including a three-point Game 2 performance that helped the Wild knot things up at 1-1 headed back to Minnesota.

In Game 1, he had the primary assist on both of Matt Boldy‘s goals, which got Minnesota within one goal with 8:14 left in the third period before Brett Howden‘s empty-netter iced the 4-2 Vegas win.

In Game 2, Kaprizov hooked up with Boldy again to open the scoring with one of the best saucer passes in recent memory.

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Matt Boldy goes five-hole to put Wild in front

Matt Boldy nets his third goal of the series as the Wild take a 1-0 lead over the Golden Knights.

“That might have been the best pass I’ve ever seen. It was unbelievable,” Boldy said. “He is a special player.”

The Wild built a 3-0 lead after the first period. Kaprizov’s goal 3:59 into the second period offered a huge bit of insurance as Vegas rallied. He then iced the game with an empty-netter to complete the two-goal night.

There’s a certain poetry in Kaprizov being an early postseason MVP, when one considers how his regular season turned out. The Wild star was limited to 41 games thanks to a lower-body injury that required surgery in January. Please recall the ESPN Awards Watch for that month, which Kaprizov still led while having already missed a few games. Were it not for his injury, it’s entirely conceivable that Kirill the Thrill ends up as a Hart Trophy finalist.

Instead, he’ll have to settle for being Minnesota’s offensive savior in the playoffs, helping to orchestrate a possible upset over the division champion Golden Knights. The Twin Cities should be rocking for Game 3 on Thursday. — Wyshynski