The second Sunday of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs is here. There will not be any teams eliminated following the four matchups, but each game is nonetheless pivotal as we move closer to the second round.
In each of the four series that play Sunday, the home team has won every game thus far. Will that trend continue? Or will the favored teams in each head back home with a chance to close things out?
The two teams had an extra day off, playing Game 3 on Thursday, a 7-2 win for the Blues. Entering this game, history is not on the Blues’ side; teams that have led 2-1 in a best-of-seven series have gone on to win the series 68.6% of the time, and the Blues specifically are 8-20 when trailing 1-2 in a series.
The good news for St. Louis is that Game 3 was the club’s 13th straight victory at home, going back to the regular season. The Blues have scored at least five goals in seven of those 13 games.
Pavel Buchnevich‘s hat trick was the first of his career, and quadrupled his career playoff goal total — he previously had one goal in 22 games.
Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck appears off his game — compared to the regular season, but not past playoffs. He has allowed four goals or more in nine of his past 12 playoff games.
Winnipeg will need their top players to get back in the scoring swing. Mark Scheifele had two goals and three assists through the first two games, but was held scoreless in Game 3. Kyle Connor began with two goals and two assists and was also held pointless in Game 3.
A healthy scratch earlier in the series, Simon Nemec was the Game 3 hero, scoring the game-winning goal in double-overtime. He is the youngest Devil with an OT goal in a playoff game (21 years, 69 days), and the second-youngest defenseman with such a goal in Stanley Cup playoff history; only Andrei Zyuzin (20 years, 97 days in 1998) pulled off the feat at a younger age.
The multiovertime result was not a shock based on the history of these two clubs: the Devils have now won five straight multi-OT playoff games, while the Hurricanes are now 1-11 in multi-OT playoff games, the worst percentage in Stanley Cup playoff history.
Jacob Markstrom has shown up for the Devils this postseason, with a .929 save percentage and 2.08 goals-against average through three games, facing an average of 33 shots per game.
The Hurricanes have had seven different goal-scorers through three games, including expected output from their stars like Seth Jarvis as well as from some surprising contributors such as Jordan Martinook (15 goals in the regular season) and Jalen Chatfield (seven).
As impressive as Markstrom has been for New Jersey, Frederik Andersen has been a bit better for Carolina: through three games, the Dane has 82 saves on 87 shots, generating a .943 SP and 1.48 GAA.
The six goals that the Canadiens scored in Game 3 were the most they’ve scored in a playoff game since May 7, 2015.
With his assist on Cole Caufield‘s second-period goal, Lane Hutson now has 63 in the regular season and playoffs combined, tying Chris Chelios’ record for the most by a rookie defenseman.
All eyes will be on the status of the goaltenders heading into this game. Sam Montembeault left the Canadiens’ crease during the second period, while Logan Thompson was knocked out of action in the third period.
As part of the Oilers’ offensive onslaught in Game 3, Leon Draisaitl extended his playoff point streak against the Kings to 17 games, which is the third-longest streak against an opponent in Stanley Cup playoffs history, two behind Wayne Gretzky (19, against the Flames) and Mark Messier (19, against the Kings). Decent company!
Connor McDavid now has 12 career playoff games with a goal and two assists, tied with Messier for second most in Oilers history. They both trail Gretzky, who had 24. McDavid also drew even with Jaromir Jagr in sixth place for most games with three-plus points in a game in Stanley Cup playoff history. McDavid has done it 20 times, trailing Gretzky (59), Messier (30), Jari Kurri (28), Nikita Kucherov (22) and Denis Savard (21).
Kings forward Adrian Kempe has nine points this postseason, tied for the second most by a player through three games in the past 40 years of the Stanley Cup playoffs (one behind Gretzky, who had 10 in 1987).
Anze Kopitar‘s six assists are the most through three games in Kings playoff history.
Heading into the postseason, Darcy Kuemper was seen as a strength for L.A. But through three games, he has an .859 save percentage and 4.04 goals-against average, well behind the .902 and 2.57 he registered for the Colorado Avalanche during their Cup run in 2022.
In the other crease, the Oilers switched to Calvin Pickard to start Game 3. Stuart Skinner had rung up an .810 SP and 6.11 GAA in two games, while Pickard generated an .857 SP and allowed four goals in the victory. Who starts Game 4?
Arda’s three stars from Saturday night
The Big Cat returned to form in Game 3, making 33 saves in Tampa Bay’s 5-1 win over Florida to make the series 2-1.
Barbashev had two points, including the overtime winner, as the Golden Knights tied up the series with a 4-3 win over the Wild.
The Battle of Ontario will continue! Sanderson scored the overtime winner for the Senators, keeping them alive with a 4-3 win in Game 4.
Landeskog scored his first goal since his return to the NHL — an absence of nearly three years. His teammates swarmed him, jumping for joy. What a moment!
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0:47
Avs go up 3-0 on Gabriel Landeskog’s slap shot goal
Gabriel Landeskog’s slap shot gives the Avalanche a 3-0 lead in the second period.
As dominant as the Panthers were win winning Games 1 and 2 of this series in Tampa Bay, so were the Lightning in Game 3 in Sunrise. Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk started the scoring at 2:43 of the first period, but it was all Lightning thereafter, as Brayden Point, Nick Paul, Jake Guentzel and Luke Glendening put pucks past Sergei Bobrovsky, and Anthony Cirelli scored an empty-net goal to put a cap on the festivities. Recap.
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0:54
Guentzel scores off Kucherov’s setup 21 seconds into 3rd period
Nikita Kucherov and Jake Guentzel connect again on a Lightning goal to increase their lead on the Panthers.
The Golden Knights were determined to avoid going down 3-1 in this series to the heavy underdog Wild, and they scored the first goal of the game, a Shea Theodore blast on the power play at 6:47 of the first period. The Wild would charge ahead on goals by Marco Rossi and Marcus Foligno before a Nicolas Roy goal early in the third tied the game at 2. After the two teams traded goals less than a minute apart midway through the third, the game headed to overtime, where Ivan Barbashev was in the right place at the right time to knock in a rebound for the game-winning goal. Recap.
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1:06
Ivan Barbashev’s OT winner levels series for Golden Knights
Ivan Barbashev manages to tip the puck into the net amidst the chaos and tie the series at 2-2 for the Golden Knights vs. the Wild.
A strange coincidence thus far in this series: Each Stars win has been by one goal, while each Avs win has been by four goals. Logan O’Connor and Nathan MacKinnon kicked things off for Colorado with first-period goals. In the second, Gabriel Landeskog scored his first goal in nearly three years, and Samuel Girard capped off the festivities with his first goal of the playoffs. Recap.
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0:49
Avs go up 4-0 on Samuel Girard’s 3rd period goal
Samuel Girard lights the lamp to give the Avalanche a 4-0 lead.
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
Just over a month ago, the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster deal that sent shockwaves through the industry. At the time of the trade, the Red Sox were just a game over .500. They went 3-7 in their first 10 games without Devers and looked to be fading out of contention.
As the team fell in the standings, rumors began to circulate that the slugging designated hitter wouldn’t be the only star traded out of Boston. But a 10-game win streak before the All-Star break has vaulted the Red Sox into the thick of the playoff race and provided some clarity about their trade deadline plans.
“Throughout the whole year, we thought we had a really good team,” assistant GM Paul Toboni told ESPN over the weekend. “We were kind of waiting for it to click. That streak reconfirmed the thought that we had a good team.”
Boston doesn’t have a lot of expiring contracts, so even without the win streak, a complete teardown was unlikely. Still, trading some of its outfield depth was a possibility. The Red Sox rank in the top 10 in OPS in right field, center field and left field thanks to Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu.
With that group helping the Red Sox hold an American League wild-card spot, the front office is likely to add pitching, according to sources familiar with their situation, while retaining the abundance of outfielders unless the club is blown away with an offer in the next 10 days.
“Having a surplus of good players isn’t a bad thing,” Toboni said. “The high-end depth is a really good thing. It’s not like we’re anxious to move away from that.”
With their outfield situation likely to be addressed in the offseason, the Red Sox have winning on their minds. A young core, highlighted by the arrival of Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer, has had some time to adjust to the majors, leaving the team’s veterans excited about the coming months.
“These guys have been here for a few months now,” Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman said. “We’re starting to learn who we are as a group. The adjustments are being made quicker at this time of the year. It didn’t start out that way, but guys are wanting to learn and get better. You can see that in our growth this year.”
Bregman watched closely while he was out of the lineup because of a quad injury he sustained at the end of May. He has seen what winning baseball looks like during his time in Houston. It has taken the young Red Sox some time to get there.
“We’re a very dangerous team now, especially when we’re prepared and executing,” Bregman said. “We’ve played good for a while now.
“People will say this is a hot streak, but I believe this is who we are.”
As the calendar inches toward August, that’s the sentiment throughout the clubhouse, where the veterans who have been through the uncertainty of trade season are relieved to spend the next two weeks without trade chatter.
“The run we went on before the All-Star break, it was good. We needed something like that to get us back in the mix, restore some confidence,” starting pitcher Lucas Giolito said. “Right now, staying in the present is important, but I don’t think we have guys in this room too worried they’re going to get dealt or anything anymore.”
Two players who were brought in over the offseason might be the most relieved.
All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who has a 1.18 ERA and 17 saves, could have been one of Boston’s most sought-after deadline trade candidates had the front office elected to deal him.
When asked about possibly being moved, the 37-year-old, who is playing for his seventh major league club, smiled as he responded through his interpreter: “The team is in good shape.”
Fellow Boston pitcher Walker Buehler added: “It’s probably good timing to hopefully push the front office to go out and buy and help us make a run. We did our part at the end of the first half there. I want to stay here and be part of it. Don’t want to be on the wrong side of a trade.”
Though they might have done enough to convince the front office to stick with the current veterans, the Red Sox have some of their toughest work ahead of them. According to ESPN Research, they have the hardest remaining schedule for the rest of the month and sixth hardest for the rest of the season, but manager Alex Cora isn’t interested in looking at the stretch run — or what Boston’s first postseason berth since 2021 would mean.
Instead, he believes that if the players can keep attacking each day, the rest will take care of itself.
“I promised myself I’m going to stay in the moment,” Cora said. “It doesn’t do the group any good to start talking about that. We have to win games. It’s not to put pressure on the front office or ownership. It’s what we need to do for us to play in October.”
Opposing teams are asking for “outrageous returns” for pitching, according to league sources, but if the asking prices become more reasonable closer to the deadline, expect the Red Sox to be involved. Until then, they are focused on riding their July momentum while navigating a tough schedule.
“Time to keep it locked in,” Giolito said. “We’ll be welcoming whatever help comes.”
Jesse joined ESPN Chicago in September 2009 and covers MLB for ESPN.com.
Just over a month ago, the Boston Red Sox traded Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants in a blockbuster deal that sent shockwaves through the industry. At the time of the trade, the Red Sox were just a game over .500. They went 3-7 in their first 10 games without Devers and looked to be fading out of contention.
As the team fell in the standings, rumors began to circulate that the slugging designated hitter wouldn’t be the only star traded out of Boston. But a 10-game win streak before the All-Star break has vaulted the Red Sox into the thick of the playoff race and provided some clarity about their trade deadline plans.
“Throughout the whole year, we thought we had a really good team,” assistant GM Paul Toboni told ESPN over the weekend. “We were kind of waiting for it to click. That streak reconfirmed the thought that we had a good team.”
Boston doesn’t have a lot of expiring contracts, so even without the win streak, a complete teardown was unlikely. Still, trading some of its outfield depth was a possibility. The Red Sox rank in the top 10 in OPS in right field, center field and left field thanks to Jarren Duran, Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu.
With that group helping the Red Sox hold an American League wild-card spot, the front office is likely to add pitching, according to sources familiar with their situation, while retaining the abundance of outfielders unless the club is blown away with an offer in the next 10 days.
“Having a surplus of good players isn’t a bad thing,” Toboni said. “The high-end depth is a really good thing. It’s not like we’re anxious to move away from that.”
With their outfield situation likely to be addressed in the offseason, the Red Sox have winning on their minds. A young core, highlighted by the arrival of Anthony and infielder Marcelo Mayer, has had some time to adjust to the majors, leaving the team’s veterans excited about the coming months.
“These guys have been here for a few months now,” Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman said. “We’re starting to learn who we are as a group. The adjustments are being made quicker at this time of the year. It didn’t start out that way, but guys are wanting to learn and get better. You can see that in our growth this year.”
Bregman watched closely while he was out of the lineup because of a quad injury he sustained at the end of May. He has seen what winning baseball looks like during his time in Houston. It has taken the young Red Sox some time to get there.
“We’re a very dangerous team now, especially when we’re prepared and executing,” Bregman said. “We’ve played good for a while now.
“People will say this is a hot streak, but I believe this is who we are.”
As the calendar inches toward August, that’s the sentiment throughout the clubhouse, where the veterans who have been through the uncertainty of trade season are relieved to spend the next two weeks without trade chatter.
“The run we went on before the All-Star break, it was good. We needed something like that to get us back in the mix, restore some confidence,” starting pitcher Lucas Giolito said. “Right now, staying in the present is important, but I don’t think we have guys in this room too worried they’re going to get dealt or anything anymore.”
Two players who were brought in over the offseason might be the most relieved.
All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who has a 1.18 ERA and 17 saves, could have been one of Boston’s most sought-after deadline trade candidates had the front office elected to deal him.
When asked about possibly being moved, the 37-year-old, who is playing for his seventh major league club, smiled as he responded through his interpreter: “The team is in good shape.”
Fellow Boston pitcher Walker Buehler added: “It’s probably good timing to hopefully push the front office to go out and buy and help us make a run. We did our part at the end of the first half there. I want to stay here and be part of it. Don’t want to be on the wrong side of a trade.”
Though they might have done enough to convince the front office to stick with the current veterans, the Red Sox have some of their toughest work ahead of them. According to ESPN Research, they have the hardest remaining schedule for the rest of the month and sixth hardest for the rest of the season, but manager Alex Cora isn’t interested in looking at the stretch run — or what Boston’s first postseason berth since 2021 would mean.
Instead, he believes that if the players can keep attacking each day, the rest will take care of itself.
“I promised myself I’m going to stay in the moment,” Cora said. “It doesn’t do the group any good to start talking about that. We have to win games. It’s not to put pressure on the front office or ownership. It’s what we need to do for us to play in October.”
Opposing teams are asking for “outrageous returns” for pitching, according to league sources, but if the asking prices become more reasonable closer to the deadline, expect the Red Sox to be involved. Until then, they are focused on riding their July momentum while navigating a tough schedule.
“Time to keep it locked in,” Giolito said. “We’ll be welcoming whatever help comes.”
Whether your favorite club is looking to add or deal away — or stands somewhere in between — here’s the freshest intel we’re hearing, reaction to completed deals and what to know for every team as trade season unfolds.
1. Eugenio Suarez: The Arizona Diamondbacks star is No. 1 in our updated MLB trade deadline candidate rankings and could be the most impactful player to move this month. On pace to hit more than 50 home runs, the 2025 All-Star is on the wish list of every contender in need of third-base help.
2. Sandy Alcantara: The 2022 Cy Young winner is an intriguing option in a deadline with a dearth of impact starting pitching available. His ERA is over 7.00 for the Miami Marlins this season, but some contenders believe he could regain form in a new home.
3. Jhoan Duran: This deadline is suddenly teeming with high-end relievers who will at the very least be in the rumor mill during the coming days. If the Minnesota Twins opt to move their closer — and his devastating splinker — Duran might be the best of the bunch.
MLB trade deadline buzz
July 22 updates
Why the 2022 Cy Young winner isn’t the most in-demand Marlins starter: Edward Cabrera has become more coveted than Sandy Alcantara, who teams believe might take an offseason to fix. Alcantara’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is scary low — just 1.9 — and his ERA is 7.14. Cabrera, on the other hand, is striking out more than a batter per inning and his ERA sits at 3.61. The 27-year-old right-hander will come at a heavy cost for opposing teams. — Jesse Rogers
How Kansas City is approaching the trade deadline: The Royals have signaled a willingness to trade, but with an eye toward competing again next year — meaning they aren’t willing to part with the core of their pitching staff. Other teams say Kansas City is (unsurprisingly) looking to upgrade its future offense in whatever it does.
Right-handed starter Seth Lugo will be the most-watched Royal before the deadline, since he holds a $15 million player option for 2026 “that you’d assume he’s going to turn down,” said one rival staffer. That’ll make it more difficult for other teams to place a trade value on him: The Royals could want to market him as more than a mere rental, while other teams figure he’ll go into free agency in the fall when he turns down his option. — Buster Olney
But the Dodgers’ focus ahead of the deadline is still clearly the bullpen, specifically a high-leverage, right-handed reliever. Dodgers relievers lead the major leagues in innings pitched by a wide margin. Blake Treinen will be back soon, and Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol are expected to join him later in the season. But the Dodgers need at least one other trusted arm late in games.
It’s a stunning development, considering they returned the core of a bullpen that played a big role in last year’s championship run, then added Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates in free agency. But Scott and Yates have had their struggles, and there are enough injury concerns with several others that it’s a need. — Alden Gonzalez
Which D-backs starter is most coveted? The Diamondbacks are getting as many calls — if not more — about Zac Gallen as they are for Merrill Kelly even though the latter starting pitcher is having the better season. Teams interested in adding to their rotations still have more faith in the 29-year-old Gallen than the 36-year-old Kelly. — Rogers
Who are the White Sox looking to deal? Chicago’s Adrian Houser seems likely to move, as a second-tier starter who has performed well this season. The 32-year-old right-hander was released by the Rangers in May but has been very effective since joining the White Sox rotation, giving up only two homers in 57⅔ innings and generating an ERA+ of 226. Nobody is taking those numbers at face value, but evaluators do view him as a market option. The White Sox also have some relievers worth considering.
But it seems unlikely that Luis Robert Jr. — once projected as a centerpiece of this deadline — will be dealt, unless a team makes a big bet on a player who has either underperformed or been hurt this year. The White Sox could continue to wait on Robert’s talent to manifest and his trade value to be restored by picking up his $20 million option for next year, which is hardly out of the question for a team with little future payroll obligation. — Olney
Why Rockies infielder could be popular deadline option: Colorado’s Ryan McMahon is the consolation prize for teams that miss out on Eugenio Suarez — if he’s traded at all. The Cubs could have interest and would pair him with Matt Shaw as a lefty/righty combo at third base. — Rogers
Does San Diego have enough to offer to make a big deal? The Padres have multiple needs ahead of the trade deadline — a left fielder, a catcher, a back-end starter. How adequately they can address them remains to be seen. The upper levels of their farm system have thinned out in recent years, and their budget might be tight.
The Padres dipped under MLB’s luxury-tax threshold this year, resetting the penalties. But FanGraphs projects their competitive balance tax payroll to finish at $263 million this year, easily clearing the 2025 threshold and just barely putting them into the second tier, triggering a 12% surcharge.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller might have to get creative in order to address his needs. One way he can do that is by buying and selling simultaneously. The Padres have several high-profile players who can hit the market this offseason — Dylan Cease, Michael King, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez — and a few others who can hit the open market after 2026. Don’t be surprised to see Preller leverage at least one of those players, and their salaries, to help fill multiple needs. — Gonzalez
Which Orioles could be on the move? Not surprisingly, Baltimore is perceived as a dealer and is expected by other teams to move center fielder Cedric Mullins, first baseman/designate hitter Ryan O’Hearn and some relievers. — Olney