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.
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Most players are happy to be done facing the Los Angeles Dodgers, but Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong might not be one of them.
The Los Angeles native has torched his childhood team this season, including Wednesday night at Wrigley Field when he went 3-for-4 with a home run, two stolen bases and a career-high four RBIs, helping the Cubs to a 7-6 win. It came one night after Chicago beat L.A. 11-10, with Crow-Armstrong contributing another home run.
He was asked Wednesday whether his production has special meaning coming against the team he used to root for.
“Absolutely,” he said. “I mean, they are regarded as the best, and I think we’ve enjoyed being able to show that we’re right there with them, and yeah, it’s always a little extra special for me getting to do it against the team I grew up going to see.”
Crow-Armstrong erased a 2-0 Cubs deficit with an opposite-field, three-run homer in the fourth inning, then added a run-scoring single an inning later, which turned out to be the final run of the night for the Cubs.
Overall, he had four home runs and nine RBIs in the seven-game season series against the Dodgers, which the Cubs won 4-3 after losing the first two games in Japan in mid-March. But that was before the Cubs’ offense took off. They’re averaging an MLB-high 6.3 runs per game.
Crow-Armstrong’s season took off as well, starting over a week ago when the teams met in Los Angeles. In the 10 games since, the 23-year-old is hitting .400 with five home runs.
“He needs to send me a bottle of wine or some golf balls with all the success he’s had,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts quipped before Wednesday’s game.
Roberts and Crow-Armstrong exchanged pleasantries before the first game of the series, as the second-year player is friends with Roberts’ son, Cole. The two played against each other growing up.
“I got a couple different connections to Doc,” Crow-Armstrong said. “He’s so great.”
That’s the same word Crow-Armstrong’s teammates are using about him as he continues to impress both at the plate and in the field. According to ESPN Research, he’s the fastest player in Cubs history to reach five home runs and 10 stolen bases, doing it in 26 games.
Plus, his pitchers love seeing him patrol center field.
“Defensively, I got to say he’s probably the best,” Wednesday’s starter, Matthew Boyd, said. “And what he’s doing at the plate is no surprise.”
Crow-Armstrong showed signs of breaking out late last year but then struggled early this season before locking in during the Cubs’ most recent road trip. He said he got “on-time” with his swing while learning how to deal with failure better. He was asked how satisfied he is with his game right now.
“If it comes out in a win, it’s very satisfactory,” he said. “It makes me feel very content. I love being able to impact it in any way I can.”
So does his manager, who called Wednesday a “wonderful game” for Crow-Armstrong.
“He made his presence felt in a big way for sure,” Craig Counsell said.
Crow-Armstrong is quickly becoming a fan favorite, as the Cubs faithful are taking to his aggressive style of play. He was asked what it’s like to hear his name chanted when he comes to the plate after producing in previous at-bats.
“I’ve tried to tune that out,” he said with a laugh. “I was actually thinking about it yesterday and I was like, I got to be 0-for-20 when they’ve chanted my name. But they continue to chant and they get behind every one of us and it’s the coolest thing.”
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Jesse Rogers
CHICAGO — Los Angeles Dodgers starter Blake Snell will back off his throwing program as he continues to recover from left shoulder inflammation, according to manager Dave Roberts.
“As he was playing catch, he just didn’t feel great,” Roberts said Wednesday afternoon before the Dodgers played the Chicago Cubs. “Right now, we’re going to slow play the throwing. Will probably get it looked at again when we get back home.”
Snell, 32, has been on the injured list since early April after making just two starts for the Dodgers. He signed a five-year, $182 million contract this past offseason.
Snell, who was set to throw a bullpen session Wednesday, felt discomfort in the shoulder while playing catch Tuesday. Roberts was asked how concerning the latest setback was.
“I wouldn’t say concerning because part of the messaging from us to Blake is, it’s about later on in the season and if there’s any type of discomfort, let’s not try to fight through it,” Roberts responded.
Snell is one of several Dodgers pitchers on the mend, including left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who pitched three innings in a minor league start Tuesday, his second rehab outing this spring.
“Velocity was good,” Roberts said. “Got into the fourth inning. He’ll make a start next week. Really positive stuff.”
The Dodgers also received positive news about right-hander Tyler Glasnow after he left his last start with leg cramps. His latest bullpen session went well, according to Roberts.
Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani is throwing again after missing time on the paternity list. He’ll have another bullpen session Saturday as he recovers from elbow surgery, though the team still doesn’t have a timetable for his return to major league action.
The team was also without catcher Will Smith on Wednesday after he injured his wrist on a play at the plate in Tuesday’s loss to the Cubs.
“As he made the tag, his [left] wrist turned in and so there’s some residual soreness,” Roberts said.
Smith could get imaging done when the team returns to Los Angeles, but Roberts wasn’t overly concerned about the injury.
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