Round 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs is hitting the nitty-gritty stage, as elimination games will be coming from all corners of North America this week.

The storylines are many, from goaltenders being pulled and trying to regain their form to heavy hits stirring emotions even more than they already were.

ESPN reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identified their top takeaways as all 16 teams remain alive — at least for the time being.

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

Are Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets in trouble … again?

Even with their Game 4 loss Sunday to the St. Louis Blues, the Winnipeg Jets are tied in their series as they look to get out of the first round for the first time in three seasons. But things aren’t trending well for Winnipeg as two-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck again received an early exit.

In Game 3, Hellebuyck allowed six goals on 25 shots before being pulled, then gave up five goals on 18 shots Sunday. Watching how Hellebuyck would respond to being pulled in Game 3 was clearly a point of interest.

Every Western Conference series has seen one goalie have an early departure. This started with Stuart Skinner being removed in Game 2 in the Oilers’ 6-2 loss to the Los Angeles Kings, while Thursday saw both Hellebuyck and Vegas’ Adin Hill get yanked in their team’s defeats. It happened again Saturday with the Stars relieving Jake Oettinger to start the third period in their 4-0 loss to the Avalanche.

Hellebuyck’s recent history with trying to bounce back from consecutive playoff defeats has been an issue. After he won the opening game in last year’s first-round series, he and the Jets lost four straight. The same thing happened in 2023 when they faced the Golden Knights. In 2021, Hellebuyck lost all four of his starts against the Montreal Canadiens.

The last time Hellebuyck snapped a two-game losing streak in the playoffs came in 2019, when he guided the Jets to wins in Games 3 and 4 against, you guessed it, the Blues, who would go on to win the Stanley Cup that season. Hellebuyck needs to show he can turn things around — in a hurry. — Clark

There’s been no better “salt in the wound” moment in the 2025 postseason than Blues fans chanting “WE WANT CONNOR!” after Hellebuyck was pulled from Game 4 in the third period, having given up five goals on 18 shots.

Superior trolling. Winnipeg fans would be proud.

Why wouldn’t they want Hellebuyck back in the crease? He’s just the seventh goalie in NHL history to allow four or more goals in six straight road playoff games, a streak that includes series losses to Vegas and Colorado. He became the second reigning Vezina Trophy winner ever to be pulled in consecutive playoff games, joining the Flyers’ Ron Hextall in the 1988 divisional series.

Hellebuyck has a .817 save percentage and a 4.24 goals-against average in four playoff games. Over his last three postseasons, Hellebuyck has a 4-10 record with an .866 save percentage and a 4.27 goals-against average.

Over his last three NHL regular seasons, Hellebuyck has 121 wins in 187 games with a .922 save percentage and a 2.29 goals-against average. That guy hasn’t even come close to showing up in the playoffs statistically.

Yet anyone that’s watched the Blues’ 16-goal parade against the Jets knows not all of this is Hellebuyck’s fault. “You watch the replays of the goals that went in and there are deflections, screens, pucks bouncing off us and in,” defenseman Luke Schenn said.

Screening Hellebuyck has been the path to success for teams in the playoffs. Around half of the Blues goals have come with traffic in front of him.

“If there’s people getting to the net, we’ve got to get them out of there before they get their screens. We’ve gotta box out earlier. There’s a lot of coverage stuff,” Jets coach Scott Arniel said.

Hellebuyck is a victim of his own domination. We expect the guy considered to be the best goalie in the world to be able to fight through screens and cover for defensive breakdowns.

Arniel was clear that he’s “100% confident” in Hellebuyck in the playoffs. “There are things that we have to do to help him and he knows he has to do things to help us,” he said.

But Arniel also said that if Winnipeg is going to win two out of the next three games, “our best players have to be better than their best players.” And there’s no question that Jordan Binnington has been the better goalie in this series than Hellebuyck.

On Monday, the NHL will announce the finalists for the 2024-25 Vezina Trophy, which Hellebuyck has won twice and will probably win again in June. It’s the award given annually to the best goalie in the regular season. Connor Hellebuyck is in real danger of having his career defined by what he’s failed to do after those initial 82 games. — Wyshynski

Ottawa has life — until Toronto proves it can close

1-12.

That’s the Toronto Maple Leafs‘ record in playoff elimination games going back to 2017.

It’s an unflattering figure, just like the Leafs’ 0-1 record in this series in attempting to close out the Ottawa Senators.

There’s that old cliché that the final win of a series is the toughest to get. The Leafs have spent almost a decade proving that’s true. And Toronto certainly had its chances to sweep the Senators into summer mode in Game 4 on Saturday night. The Leafs had a four-minute power play in overtime, albeit without John Tavares available after he exited earlier to be assessed for a possible injury.

Still.

Toronto was 5-for-9 with the extra man in the first three games of the series; the Leafs were 0-for-4 on the power play in Game 4. They gave up a shorthanded goal to Shane Pinto in the first period to boot. Not ideal.

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Jake Sanderson sends Ottawa fans into a frenzy with Game 4 OT winner

Jake Sanderson celebrates with his teammates after netting the game-winning goal in overtime for the Senators vs. the Maple Leafs.

Now, Ottawa is due ample credit for how it persevered to earn an overtime victory. The Senators went up 2-0 in the first period, only to see that lead evaporate by the second. David Perron put Ottawa up again and the Leafs tied it to force the extra frame. The Senators could have shrunk in the face of that daunting four-minute power play (with or without Tavares) and instead they stood tall. And Jake Sanderson‘s goal gave Ottawa the chance to play on.

Have the scales tipped in Ottawa’s favor? The Senators have nothing to lose here; they have the luxury of playing loose. Toronto is saddled with expectations born of too many prior postseason disappointments. But this Leafs team is built differently, right? And so Toronto can’t — or won’t — let one demoralizing defeat turn into two, will it? — Shilton

Maybe don’t challenge, coaches?

In the regular season, coaches who challenged scoring plays for interference won more than they lost, with a 56% success rate on 126 challenges. Which means the risk — getting a delay of game penalty if they’re wrong — was worth it.

That’s an acceptable risk in an 82-game season. But in a seven-game playoff series, you’ve got to be sure — and so far in the 2025 postseason, coaches would have been better off not challenging.

The first challenge was a somewhat desperate one from Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch in Game 1 against the Kings. Defenseman Jake Walman was ruled to have shot the puck over the glass for a delay of game penalty. He was convinced that wasn’t the case, and the Oilers — trailing 5-3 at that point in the third period — backed up Walman by challenging the call. It was ruled there was “no conclusive evidence” that the puck went off the glass “after a thorough examination of all available replays.”

So Edmonton got a delay of game on top of a delay of game, although Los Angeles couldn’t convert on the ensuing 5-on-3 power play.

The other coaches weren’t as lucky. Tampa Bay’s Jon Cooper unsuccessfully challenged goalie interference on Nate Schmidt‘s goal that gave Florida a 3-1 lead in Game 1. The league ruled Eetu Luostarinen was making a play on the loose puck in the crease before Schmidt’s goal, which by rule isn’t interference. The Lightning were given a delay of game penalty. Matthew Tkachuk scored 14 seconds into the ensuing power play to make it 4-1 and put the game out of reach.

But the most ill-conceived challenge of the playoffs was from Kings coach Jim Hiller in Game 3 against Edmonton, seeking to overturn an Evander Kane goal that made it 4-4 at 13:18 of the third period. I’m still trying to figure out what they saw that inspired the challenge, and why the Kings would gamble with giving Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl a chance to break the tie by handing them a power play — which they did, when Draisaitl assisted on Evan Bouchard‘s eventual game winner.

“We got a good look at it. We took plenty of time. We felt it was goalie interference, so we challenged it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose on those. Tonight we lost, and it cost us big time. No other way around it,” Hiller said, stating the obvious.

So far in the playoffs, the cost has outweighed the benefit. — Wyshynski

Are the Golden Knights about to turn the corner?

Being a franchise in a championship window that already has produced a title is naturally going to spark a conversation about what can be done to win a second. For the Vegas Golden Knights? The whole has been greater than the sum of their parts, not that the parts themselves are to be taken lightly.

The Golden Knights won a Stanley Cup in 2023 by receiving contributions throughout their lineup. That’s exactly what happened Saturday in their 4-3 overtime win that was the difference between them being tied at 2-2 versus facing a consecutive first-round exit with an elimination game on home ice.

Look at how Vegas was able to win. Shea Theodore scored the opener on the power play with Nicolas Roy also scoring a power-play goal that tied it at 2-2. Adin Hill made the necessary saves that allowed the Golden Knights to navigate overtime before Ivan Barbashev scored the winning goal. All three goals were from players who hadn’t scored in the first three games of the series, while Hill rebounded from allowing four goals on 21 shots in Game 4.

Everything Barbashev, Hill, Roy and Theodore did speaks to how the Golden Knights can tap into their depth. Could Game 5 lead to similar results for star Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone? Both players, who were held to no points entering Game 3, were also pointless in Game 4 but showed signs of promise considering they combined for 10 shots on goal. That’s the same number of shots they had in the first three games combined. — Clark

No love lost in the Battle of Florida

Of course it all starts with Matthew Tkachuk.

Florida’s feistiest forward already was giving Tampa Bay fits in their first-round series with three goals in the first three games. Then came another crushing blow — literally — when Tkachuk smacked Bolts forward Jake Guentzel at center ice and earned a game misconduct as Florida fell 5-1 in Game 3.

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Fracas ensues after Tkachuk’s late hit, Cirelli’s empty-netter

Matthew Tkachuk gets a five-minute major for a late hit prior to Anthony Cirelli’s empty-net goal.

Naturally, debate ensued over whether Tkachuk deserved supplemental discipline for the hit — Guentzel was in the process of passing the puck and had released it when Tkachuk made contact. There will be no suspension for Tkachuk — and how that decision will sit with the Lightning, well, we will find out in Game 4 on Monday night.

Players on both sides exchanged pleasantries following Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel, and it was clear the physical ante was upped in more ways than one. The Lightning played a statement game Saturday, scoring five unanswered goals to get themselves back in the series. Now we can only wonder how the bad blood will seep into the rest of it.

Discipline is key in a long playoff run; it’s even more critical for Tampa Bay given the Panthers’ strong power play (30%) so far in the postseason. The Lightning getting that win and now being further bonded by the way Tkachuk leveled their leading playoff goal scorer adds new layers of intrigue to what lies ahead in this bout of Atlantic Division rivals. — Shilton

Everyone loves Tom Wilson (except those that hate him)

After their Game 4 win, Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson was asked how important teammate Tom Wilson was to the team’s success. Wilson was seated next to Thompson, who turned and grinned widely at the hulking forward.

“No need to make his head any bigger,” said Thompson, who then proceeded to further inflate it.

“He’s been huge for us. The heart and soul of this organization, right? When he’s making plays, big hits, we feed off that. Especially in our home rink, I think the whole building feeds off it. He’s a huge part of this team. We love him,” the goalie said, before expanding his arms to mimic Wilson’s head filling with praise.

Wilson deadpanned: “That’s it?”

Like Logan Thompson, there are many who love Tom Wilson. There are also legions of fans and opponents who loathe him for a history of injurious hits and other unsportsmanlike conduct. Montreal fans and players were not enamored with Wilson in Game 3 when he fought Josh Anderson in a brawl that spilled into the Capitals’ bench and then pretended to sob while calling out an unidentified Habs player as a whiner.

“Things escalated,” said Anderson after the game.

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Canadiens-Caps brawl spills into the bench at end of 2nd period

The Canadiens and Capitals close the second period with a massive brawl in which Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson spar into the bench.

Wilson was more controlled in Game 4 — by his own admission, he wanted to stay out of the box to make a difference on the ice and didn’t take a penalty in the game. In the third period, his impact was felt quite literally: Wilson demolished Montreal defenseman Alexandre Carrier with a center-ice check moments before the Capitals controlled the puck and Brandon Duhaime scored to tie the game at 2-2 with 13:21 left in regulation.

“It’s been a physical series both ways. Getting hit. Giving hits,” said Wilson, who added an empty-netter in the 5-2 win. “It was a big hit. The boys were able to score right after. That’s the way that hockey goes.”

Wilson has played in the postseason for the Capitals since 2012-13. He’s experienced the high of the Stanley Cup championship in 2018 and the lows of postseason collapses. It’s to Washington’s credit that they haven’t given oxygen to a Montreal upset bid, thanks to their Game 1 OT win on an Alex Ovechkin goal and their third-period comeback in Game 4 that gave them a 3-1 series lead.

“It’s a group that’s had different guys step up throughout the year. I don’t think there’s any panic when we’re down a goal. We believe in ourselves,” Wilson said. “We got it done. It’s really fun to come to the rink.”

No one’s scarier when he’s having fun than Tom Wilson. — Wyshynski

More to Landeskog’s Game 4 performance than just his goal

Any questions about how Gabriel Landeskog would fit into a Colorado Avalanche lineup that has dramatically changed since he last played nearly three years ago have been answered at various times this postseason. But in a 4-0 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 4 on Saturday, he provided a clear reminder of what the Avs had been missing.

Landeskog scored 11 goals and 22 points in 20 games when he led Colorado to the third Stanley Cup in franchise history in 2022. His goal and assist in Game 4 against the Stars pushed his career totals to 28 goals and 69 points in 71 postseason contests.

Part of what has allowed Landeskog to consistently find success within the Avs’ setup — whether scoring himself or setting up his teammates — is how he positions himself on the ice, from working in the corners to gain possession to finding a way to get in the slot. Those traits played a role in his one-timer from the slot, off a feed from Brock Nelson, that gave the Avs a 3-0 lead.

Yet the sequence that might have best summed up what Landeskog provides came on Samuel Girard‘s goal that gave Colorado a 4-0 advantage. Landeskog, who received a secondary assist, gave the puck to Nelson, who then found Girard. As Girard was getting ready to shoot, Landeskog went to the net front and battled with 6-foot-7 Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel to gain position and screen goalie Casey DeSmith.

Landeskog’s presence not only helped the Avs knot the series as the scene shifts to Dallas, it is a key element that could push Colorado onward as the playoffs continue. — Clark

Goalie clinic turned to controversy in Hurricanes-Devils

New Jersey’s run might already be done if not for goalie Jacob Markstrom. Carolina could hardly be this commanding if not for netminder Frederik Andersen.

That’s been a significant storyline in the series so far, how two top-tier goaltenders have held their respective teams in balance. In Game 4 on Sunday things took a turn, though, when Andersen was bowled over in his crease by Timo Meier and had to exit the game, being replaced by young Pyotr Kochetkov.

There was no penalty called on the play that sent Andersen to the locker room. And to add insult to injury, Meier turned around and scored on the incoming Kochetkov to narrow the Hurricanes’ lead to 3-2. Ouch.

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GK Frederik Andersen exits the game for the Hurricanes

Frederik Andersen exits the game after a collision, causing backup goalkeeper Pyotr Kochetkov to enter the game.

It’s no secret Andersen has had a rough go with injuries. He missed 39 games in the regular season following knee surgery and was finally appearing at full strength — and health — for the playoffs. Now his status is murky, and the Devils can take advantage — thanks in large part to the marvelous Markstrom.

New Jersey has had poor luck with its blueline health, playing without Brenden Dillon or Luke Hughes since Game 1 and losing Johnathan Kovacevic in Game 3, and it’s Markstrom who has made up for his club’s deficiencies. The veteran has stood tall against Carolina’s attack to give New Jersey every opportunity to take a lead — and hold it — but the Devils’ scoring woes (they had just five through the first three games) haven’t exactly supported Markstrom’s cause. No matter. The Devils goaltender has still produced an impressive .929 save percentage in the postseason, putting him just behind Andersen in that category atop the playoff leaderboard for starting goalies.

And Andersen has earned his place at the peak. He’s been rock solid for Carolina and closed the door on New Jersey time and again. Andersen’s heroics in Game 3 allowed the Hurricanes a chance to come back and win in double overtime. (His stop on Meier in the second period was particularly outstanding.)

The way these two have gone toe-to-toe is playoff goaltending at its best. We should be talking about who can sustain their excellence long enough to be the deciding factor in a series victory. Now it’s a question of who will be available for the Hurricanes going forward — Andersen or the upstart Kochetkov? The answer could have long-term implications for Carolina. — Shilton

Can the Oilers beat the curse of the Western Conference?

OK. Maybe “curse” is too strong a word in this case. However, being the team representing the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final has come with its fair share of issues over the last few postseasons.

It started in 2020 when the Stars won the Western Conference playing in the Edmonton bubble. They lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning and failed to make the playoffs the following season. Of course, there was no Western Conference champion during the 2020-21 season because of the pandemic.

Fast-forward to 2022. The Avalanche won the West and the Stanley Cup. But a year later, they were eliminated in the first round. In 2023, the Golden Knights captured their first title only to get knocked out in the first round in 2024. Entering the weekend, the Oilers were trailing 2-1 in their series against the Kings after losing the first two games in Southern California.

The Kings-Oilers series has been bizarre beyond the fact this is the fourth straight time they’ve played in the first round. A last-minute goal in a 6-5 thriller in Game 1 was followed up by the Oilers giving up six goals for the second consecutive game in a 6-2 loss, which was followed by another high-scoring contest with the Oilers winning 7-4 in Game 3. It’s a safe bet something else bizarre could happen, like the Oilers either falling prey to the curse or breaking it. — Clark