The second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs has reached a critical stage where elimination games are being played nightly. Thursday evening brings a doubleheader with two teams fighting to extend their seasons.
First on the schedule, the Washington Capitals, trailing their series 3-1, host the Carolina Hurricanes. Following that, the Winnipeg Jets find themselves in a similar must-win situation at home against the Dallas Stars, also down 3-1.
Can either of these teams mount a comeback and force a Game 6?
Read on for detailed previews of tonight`s crucial matchups, including statistical insights, plus a look back at Wednesday`s game results and the standout players from those contests.
Matchup Previews
Carolina Hurricanes at Washington Capitals
Leading the series 3-1, the Hurricanes are strong favorites to advance. Historically, teams holding a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven NHL playoff series win 91% of the time. Carolina boasts an impressive 8-0 record in series where they`ve held this advantage.
Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen has been solid, not allowing a goal for over 123 minutes across Games 3 and 4, marking the fifth-longest shutout streak in franchise history.
For Carolina, Seth Jarvis`s goal in Game 4 was his 16th career postseason goal, a franchise record for a player before turning 24.
Washington`s Alex Ovechkin has been relatively quiet this round, but his power-play goal in Game 4 was significant. It was his 77th career playoff goal, moving him to 12th all-time (surpassing Mario Lemieux). His 31st career power-play goal placed him alone in fifth place all-time (ahead of Nicklas Lidstrom and Joe Pavelski).
Dallas Stars at Winnipeg Jets
Following their Game 4 victory, the Dallas Stars hold a commanding 3-1 series lead. The Stars franchise has a historical record of 13-1 when leading a best-of-seven series 3-1, with their only loss occurring in 1992 as the Minnesota North Stars.
Mikael Granlund was a key contributor in Game 4, scoring a hat trick that included two power-play goals. This was the second time in franchise history a player achieved this feat in the playoffs, the first being Dino Ciccarelli in 1982.
Stars forward Mikko Rantanen continues his dominant postseason performance, leading the playoffs in both points (19) and goals (nine).
Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger has been perfect at home in the playoffs so far, winning all five of his starts. He is the third goalie in franchise history to start a postseason with five consecutive home wins, joining Ed Belfour (2000, 1999) and Cesare Maniago (1968).
The Jets will be looking to capitalize on playing at home, as they have struggled on the road this postseason, holding an 0-5 record and being outscored significantly (25-8).
Winnipeg`s Kyle Connor is close to moving up the franchise`s single-postseason goal-scoring list, currently sitting one goal behind Paul Stastny`s 2018 mark of five goals. Mark Scheifele holds the record with 14 goals in 2018.
Wednesday`s Standout Players
1. Panthers Defensemen
Florida`s defense contributed significantly in Game 5 against the Maple Leafs, with three different defensemen scoring goals. This tied a franchise record for the most goals by defensemen in a single playoff game.
2. Kasperi Kapanen
Kasperi Kapanen sealed the series for the Edmonton Oilers against the Golden Knights by scoring the overtime winner. This was his second career playoff overtime goal. Fans may recall he also scored the golden goal for Finland at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Championship.
3. Florida Scoring Depth
The Florida Panthers showcased impressive depth in their Game 5 win. An impressive 14 different Panthers players recorded at least one point, marking the most points recorded by unique players in a single game in franchise history. Twelve players had a point in Game 3 of the series.
Wednesday`s Game Recaps
Florida Panthers 6, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
While previous games in this series were tight, Game 5 was a dominant performance by the Florida Panthers, who took a 3-2 series lead. The Panthers controlled the play, limiting Toronto`s offense while generating numerous scoring chances. Aaron Ekblad opened the scoring in the first period, and Dmitry Kulikov, Jesper Boqvist, and Niko Mikkola added goals in the second. A.J. Greer and Sam Bennett rounded out the scoring in the third. This was the first goal of the postseason for Kulikov, Boqvist, Mikkola, and Greer. Nicholas Robertson scored a late consolation goal for the Maple Leafs, but it was far too little, too late. Florida now has the opportunity to clinch the series at home in Game 6.
Edmonton Oilers 1, Vegas Golden Knights 0 (OT)
The Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Vegas Golden Knights, winning the series 4-1. Throughout the series, Edmonton received scoring contributions from their depth players, a contrast to the Golden Knights who struggled for offense from both their stars and depth. For the second consecutive game, Vegas could not beat Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, meaning Edmonton needed just one goal to win. That goal came 7:19 into overtime when Kasperi Kapanen scored the series-clinching winner. The Oilers advance to the Western Conference finals for the second straight year and will face the winner of the Dallas Stars-Winnipeg Jets series.
Rupert Hartwell 
Benedict Kingsley