Stanley Cup playoffs daily: Game 3 of Avs-Stars, while Canadiens, Oilers seek revenge
If the previous games in the three series which continue on Wednesday night are any hint as to their ongoing competitiveness, hockey fans are in for another treat.
Monday night, Game 1 of the Washington Capitals–Montreal Canadiens series went to overtime, as did Game 2 of the Dallas Stars–Colorado Avalanche battle; in the nightcap, the Los Angeles Kings won with a goal in the final minute. Those three matchups will be played again Wednesday:
What are the key storylines heading into the games? Who are the key players to watch?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down Tuesday night, and the Three Stars of Tuesday Night from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
Game 2 (WSH leads 1-0) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 1 was yet another record-breaking night for Alex Ovechkin: By scoring two goals and assisting on the Caps’ other tally, he became the oldest player in Stanley Cup playoff history (39 years, 216 days old) to factor in on all of his team’s goals (minimum of three).
The win is also good news for the Capitals, as teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-seven go on to win the series 68% of the time.
But this contest was all about the unexpectedly close margin, and the fact that it took overtime for the Capitals to earn the victory. The Canadiens’ top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky led the way, accounting for both of Montreal’s goals, and rookie phenom Lane Hutson earned an assist on both goals. A new set of Young Guns?
An injury note for Game 2 and beyond: The Capitals will be without defenseman Martin Fehervary due to knee surgery.
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche
Game 3 (series tied 1-1) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
It took 77:46, but the Stars evened the series with their Central Division rivals in Game 2. At stake in Game 3 is a clear jolt of momentum for the winner, and history will also be on their side moving forward: In the 363 prior series that were tied after two games, the winner of Game 3 won the series 66% of the time.
For Colorado, could their first home game of the postseason also be the return of Gabriel Landeskog to the lineup? The Avs’ captain was activated off IR Monday, but did not play in Game 2. His most recent game wearing an Avs sweater was a memorable one, Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, when he skated the Cup around Amalie Arena after the Avs’ 2-1 series-clinching victory.
The Stars have a key player on his (eventual) way back into the lineup as well, as star defenseman Miro Heiskanen skated on Monday but also did not play. A return from Heiskanen would help solve some problems for Dallas, and present a new challenge for Colorado, as the Finnish blueliner was the Stars’ leader in time on ice this season, and a key part of their power play.
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings
Game 2 (LA leads 1-0) | 10 p.m. ET | TBS
If there are going to be 11 goals every game in this series, sign us up for more!
With their 6-5 victory in Game 1, the Kings became the fourth team in Stanley Cup playoff history to blow a four-goal lead and win in regulation, following the 2022 Calgary Flames, 1978 Boston Bruins and 1972 Bruins.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid continue to climb franchise leaderboards with each subsequent game, it seems. Draisaitl’s 18th goal vs. the Kings tied Esa Tikkanen for the Oilers’ career lead in playoff goals against L.A. Meanwhile, McDavid’s four-point game passes Paul Coffey and Glenn Anderson on the Oilers’ career leaderboard for four-point playoff games; he’s now fifth.
The Kings will hope that they can keep momentum going on the power play; they scored twice with the man advantage in Game 1 after going 2-for-14 in the regular season against Edmonton, and 0-for-12 on the power play in the 2024 playoff loss to the Oilers. Monday was the playoff debut for Andrei Kuzmenko, and he responded with a goal and two assists. On the other side of the spectrum are Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty — who have played in 98 and 96 playoff games for L.A., respectively — and who each had one assist in Game 1.
Arda’s three stars from Tuesday night
In his first game back after an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Tkachuk scored two goals and added a helper as the Panthers take Game 1 in the long-awaited Battle of Florida in a 6-2 rout.
The pair of Wild forwards were electric in Game 2, combining for five points as the Wild take the contest by a score of 5-2, and bring the series back home to the Twin Cities tied at 1-1.
Domi scored the overtime game winner over the Senators in Game 2, giving the Leafs their first 2-0 playoff series lead in 23 years (!).
Tuesday’s scores
Carolina Hurricanes 3, New Jersey Devils 1
(CAR leads 2-0)
Game 2 was a better start for the Devils than in Game 1, as Jesper Bratt opened the scoring at 3:51 of the first period, and New Jersey carried that lead into the first intermission. The Canes roared back with two second-period goals (from Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Martinook), and that advantage held until Seth Jarvis iced it with an empty-net goal. Full recap.
0:53
Martinook sends Canes fans into a frenzy with go-ahead goal
Jordan Martinook gives the Hurricanes their first lead of the game with a short-handed goal vs. the Devils.
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Ottawa Senators 2 (OT)
(TOR leads 2-0)
The Maple Leafs got off to another strong start, scoring another pair of first-period goals off the sticks of Morgan Rielly and John Tavares. But this time, the Senators scored the next two — one each from Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette — to send the game to overtime. Max Domi played the hero for the home fans in Toronto, scoring the game winner just 3:09 into OT. Full recap.
1:18
Max Domi nets OT winner for Maple Leafs
Max Domi finds the net in overtime to secure a 2-0 series lead for the Maple Leafs vs. the Senators.
Florida Panthers 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
(FLA leads 1-0)
The Battle of Florida was the last first-round series to get started, and it was worth the wait — particularly for Panthers fans. Playing in his first game since a lower-body injury sustained in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Matthew Tkachuk scored two power-play goals and added an assist on the final goal of the game (off of Nate Schmidt‘s stick) to make it 6-2. Full recap.
0:48
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.
Minnesota Wild 5, Vegas Golden Knights 2
(series tied 1-1)
After a thorough defeat in Game 1, the Wild are not going away quietly. Kirill Kaprizov brought his offensive wizardry to the proceedings, assisting on Matt Boldy’s first-period goal that seemed to set the tone for the contest, scoring a nifty goal of his own in the second period, and sealing the deal with an empty-net goal in the third. Full recap.
0:40
Kirill Kaprizov squeezes the Wild’s 4th goal past Adin Hill
Kirill Kaprizov scores his first goal of the series with a shot that trickles in between goaltender Adin Hill’s legs.
LOS ANGELES — Veteran forward Evander Kane made his season debut for the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series with the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday night.
Defenseman John Klingberg also returned from a lengthy injury absence as the Oilers attempted to even the series.
Kane is a 15-year NHL veteran who hasn’t played for the Oilers since Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final last June. He had surgery last September to repair a sports hernia, and he underwent knee surgery in January.
Kane was slotted on to the Oilers’ second line alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Klingberg hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury while blocking a shot March 27 in Seattle. The Swedish veteran signed with Edmonton in January after going unsigned early in the season, but he played in only 11 games while dealing with multiple injuries.
The Oilers are hoping Klingberg can help their blue line, which frequently struggled in the Kings’ 6-5 victory in Game 1.
Jeff Skinner was scratched by the Oilers to make room for Kane. The 15-year NHL veteran forward made his Stanley Cup playoff debut in Game 1, recording an assist.
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Ryan S. Clark
Chris Drury and the New York Rangers agreed to a multiyear contract extension on Wednesday, keeping him at the helm of the team’s hockey operations after missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
“I am pleased that Chris will continue to lead the Rangers hockey operations in his role as president and general manager,” Madison Square Garden chairman and CEO James Dolan said in a statement. “Over his tenure, Chris has shown passion for the Rangers, relentless work ethic and a tireless pursuit of excellence.
“While we are all disappointed in what transpired this past season, I am confident in his ability to guide this organization to success.”
Drury, 48, took over as general manager and president of hockey operations at the start of the 2021-22 season. The Rangers reached the playoffs in his first three seasons.
His future was one of a few items that remained in question, with the intent that the Rangers would use this offseason to reload in their bid to return to the playoffs. The team also is facing a third coaching search in four seasons after firing Peter Laviolette following his two seasons.
“I am honored to sign this contract extension and continue in this position with the team I grew up supporting,” said Drury, a former Rangers captain who played four seasons with the team. “As I said when I began in this role nearly four years ago, there isn’t a more special organization in hockey, and I look forward to continuing our work this offseason to help us reach our goals for next season and in the coming years.”
After winning the Presidents’ Trophy and reaching the Eastern Conference finals under Laviolette in the 2023-24 season, the Rangers started 12-4-1 this season, only to lose the next five games. That started a chain reaction of inconsistent play that ultimately led to the Rangers finishing six points out of the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot.
While the Rangers sought to make the playoffs, Drury also made it known they were open for business in December. That’s when they traded captain Jacob Trouba, who still had a year left on his contract, to the Anaheim Ducks. A few weeks later, they traded Kaapo Kakko, the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NHL draft, to the Seattle Kraken for defenseman Will Borgen, who would then sign an extension with the Rangers.
A month before the trade deadline, the Rangers reacquired J.T. Miller in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks. The Rangers also traded defenseman Ryan Lindgren to the Colorado Avalanche and forward Reilly Smith to the Vegas Golden Knights while adding defensemen Carson Soucy in a separate deal with the Canucks.
Still, the Rangers lost four consecutive games in early March before having two three-game losing streaks that further damaged their chances in the Eastern Conference wild-card race.
Now that Drury has a new contract, he’ll be charged with trying to improve a roster that PuckPedia projects will have only $9.67 million in available cap space. K’Andre Miller, Zac Jones and Matt Rempe are part of the club’s eight-player restricted free agent class, while the Rangers have only two unrestricted free agents in Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Calvin de Haan.
Drury will be looking for a coach in what is expected to be a competitive market. Anaheim and Seattle also fired their coaches, and three other teams — Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia — ended the season with interim coaches. The Canucks declined the option on coach Rick Tocchet, but they have offered him a new, more lucrative contract.
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