The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs already include some twists and turns, including long -injured players returning to ice and playing through various other diseases.
Two teams take a 2–0 lead in Game 3 on Thursday, and history is in their favor: According to ESPN Research, teams with a 2–0 lead in the best-seven series have gone to win 86% of the time.
Will this be the case for Toronto Maple Leafs and Vinnipag Jets? Or can Ottawa Senator and St. Louis Blues Vijay win at home?
In addition, will Florida Panthers win another game in the barn of Tempa Bay Lightning? And which team will win an important game 3 of Vegas Golden Nights-Mainnesota Wild Series?
Read for the preview of the game with statistical insights from ESPN Research, what happened in Wednesday’s Games, and three stars from Ardh öcal on Wednesday night.
Matchup notes
Florida Panthers in Tampa Bay Lightning
Game 2 (FLA lead 1-0) | ET at 6:30 pm | TBS
With 1–0 panthers, ESPN BET has adjusted the series line to install Florida as a favorite of the series on -210, while the game was -15 before 1.
Matthew Takachuk made his comeback after more than two months on the shelf, and scored two goals to help the panthers take game 1 in the Florida battle. Both Matthew and brother Braddy scored goals on Tuesday, which was 83rd time in the history of Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring a pair of brothers in a single day, the most recent Marcus and Nick Foligno on 21 April 2023.
Sergei Bobarovsky recently backstops cats to win several playoffs, and the win of Game 1 was his 45th, he stood fifth in the playoff victory for balls born outside North America. Leader? His rival Andrei Waslevsky with 66.
Nikita Kucherov won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL’s leading point-scorer in the regular session, but was limited to just one assistance in Game 1. Will this trend continue?
Toronto Maple Leafs in Ottawa Senators
Game 3 (Tor Leeds 2-0) | ET at 7 pm | Espn2
Maple Leafs has won only one playoff series in the last 20 years, but they are halfway to do so in the Battle of Ontario. Oh, and talking about decades of drought, this is the first time Leafs took a 2–0 lead in the best series since the 2002 series against New York Islanders (which he won in seven matches).
Max Domi Game 2 had an overtime hero for Leafs, which was his first playoff OT goal. His father Tie played 98 playoff games in his NHL career, and was never one in a career, where he was more known as a pagilist than a scorer.
The core of Toronto continues to run four trains. John Thawres (two goals, two aids), Mitch Marnar (one goal, three aids), William Nilander (one goal, two aids) and Auston Mathews (three auxiliary) hold the top four positions of their stats sheet, with their statofy game with Golatant Anthony Stolar. Vegat, Mike Pamel, Burney Parent, Frank McCool and Lorne Chabot are others.
A route to Ottawa is a game for goalkeeper Linus Ulmark to steal a game or two. The 2023 Vejina Trophy winner has allowed nine goals at 45 shots through two games, which is one percent of .800. ULLMARK allowed just two goals at 50 shots against Toronto in a regular season, both won for Ottawa.
Vegas Golden Nights in Minnesota Wild
Game 3 (tied series 1-1) | ET at 9 pm | TBS
Why is this game so important? The winners of Game 3 have won 66% of the Stanley Cup playoff history (240–123) tied 1–1 in a series.
Wild game 2 did not want to take any chance, with three first-term goals and the knights were placed at the length of the hand for the remaining part of the game. Kiril Kaprialsov reminded everyone why he was a heart trophy favorite before he was injured in this season, scoring two goals and adding a ridiculous aid to Matt Boldi’s target. The second goal of Kaprialsov tied him up to the second highest playoff balls in wild history with Marion Gaboric, four behind Zach Parise, four.
On the side of Vegas, “Playoff” Tomas Hurt has shown scoring a goal in each of the first two matches. San Jose Shark for a long time is the fourth separate player to score a goal in his first two matches with Golden Nights, a list that includes Mark Stone, William Carlson, and Jonathan March Sault.
The knights also hope that this is just one collision in the road for goalkeeper Edin Hill. He has a .833 save percentage through two games; The figure was in the last postsen in three matches. 931 and 14 in .932 2023 begins during the Stanley Cup run.
Vinypeg Jets in St. Louis Blues
Game 3 (WPG Leeds 2-0) | ET at 9:30 pm | Espn2
Another bit of history working against blues: The President’s Trophy winner who has won 1 and 2 of the best seven series, won the series 95% time (tracked since 1985–86).
If the game hangs in balance, the blues will want to track the Kylle Connor closely. He has scored goals in both sports in this way, which gives him five in his career, passing Paul Statistani for the most in the history of Jets 2.0/Atlanta Thracers.
St. Louis Ruki Jimmy Snugrad – who was playing for the University of Minnesota before this spring – this postsen became another crook to score a goal, joining Logan Stanken in Carolina.
Robert Thomas and Jordan Kiru-Ji led the blues in regular-session scoring and both scored long goals in Game 1-were held in points.
Three stars of Ard from Wednesday night
Sometimes state lines do not matter. AVS Captain, who returns to NHL for the first time after lifting the cup in 2022, is a moment that moves to a team, and the entire hockey is celebrated throughout the hockey world. Welcome, Gab!
Kampay scored two goals and two Assist couples as the Kings decomposed the Olers 6–2 to take both games at home as the series now turns into adamonton.
Thompson made 25 savings including some important stops on dangerous occasions in the third period, defeating the caps 3–1 to gain a 2–0 series lead.
Wednesday’s score
Washington Capital 3, Montreal Canadines 1
(Moving from WSH 2-0)
Another game that was probably slightly closer than Pandits (and fans in DC). Montreal’s Christian Dworak opened scoring in the second period, before the caps responded with two goals in a span of one minute from Connor McMichle and Dylan Strome. This will be caught despite the best efforts of the lead habes, thanks to Logan Thompson for some heroic sews. McMachael added an empty-network just before the final bajer to ensure that the fans are happy, and their team takes a 2–0 lead for Montreal for Game 3.
Dallas Stars 2, Colorado avalanche 1 (OT)
(Dal Leeds 2-1)
The big story here was the return of the avalanche captain Gabriel Landskog. And the first-period target of Valery Nikushkin sent the crowd into a frenzy. But the stars have their own experienced players, and Captain Jamie Ben tied the game to the midway through the third period, before the Tyler Segin extinguished the game winning the game at 5:31 of the overtime.
Los Angeles Kings 6, Admonton Oilers 2
(La Leeds 2-0)
For the last three posts, the Kings have been terminated in the first round by the olers. Is it in the end the year they cross their sufferings from Alberta? Continuing to scoring six goals per game will definitely help. Brant Clarke began the party with a power-play goal at the first 8:44, and he joined the scorchheet by Quinton Bif one, Andrei Kuzmenco, Adrian Kemppe (with two) and Anise Copitors. King’s power is playing Electric In this series, as La has scored five goals on 10 occasions with Man Advantage.
