Carolina erased a three-goal deficit and went into double overtime for the second time this postseason before Sebastian Aho scored the game winner and helped the Hurricanes become the first team to surge into the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* Brady Tkachuk produced a franchise first as the Senators captured their second win in as many contests to keep their Stanley Cup aspirations alive. Ottawa forced a Game 6 after falling behind 3-0 in a series for the second time in 10 years and guaranteed there that at least five of the eight First Round series will require at least six contests.
* The Oilers and Golden Knights skated to 3-2 series leads Wednesday – for Edmonton, that comes on the heels of three straight comeback wins after dropping their first two games of the series.
* The 2025 First Round continues Wednesday with the Canadiens and Lightning both focused on staving off elimination, while the Jets and Blues will each have the opportunity to take a 3-2 series lead.
HURRICANES ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND WITH AHO’S DOUBLE-OVERTIME WINNER
After New Jersey potted three goals in the opening 10 minutes of Game 5, the Hurricanes responded and erased a 3-0 and 4-3 deficit to level the game twice in the second frame. After a scoreless third stanza, and overtime frame, double overtime was required for the second time this series, but this time it was Sebastian Aho and the Hurricanes who prevailed as Carolina became the first team to advance to the 2025 Second Round.
* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Devils–Hurricanes Game 5.
* The Hurricanes claimed their fifth straight playoff series win against New Jersey dating to the 2002 Conference Quarterfinals and became the fifth franchise in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) with five consecutive series victories versus one opponent, joining the Bruins (7 vs. TOR), Canadiens (7 vs. BOS), Penguins (7 vs. WSH) and Stars (5 vs. EDM).
* Aho became the second Hurricanes/Whalers player to score the series-clinching goal in a game that required multiple overtimes, joining Brock McGinn (2OT in Game 7 of 2019 R1). The winner was also his second career series-clinching goal (2021 R1), which tied Cory Stillman (Game 5 of 2006 CSF & Game 5 of 2006 CQF) for the most in franchise history.
* The Hurricanes will face the winner of the Canadiens–Capitals series; Carolina has battled Montreal seven times in the postseason and won two of those series (2006 CQF & 2002 CSF) and has faced Washington once, a series they clinched in Game 7 (2019 R1).
SENATORS BLANK MAPLE LEAFS TO FORCE GAME 6 AT CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE
Three days after he told the home crowd at Canadian Tire Centre “We’ll be back” following his club’s Game 4 victory, Senators captain Brad Tkachuk (1-2—3) posted three points and complemented Linus Ullmark’s 29-save shutout. Ottawa accounts for two of eight instances of a team forcing a Game 6 after falling behind in a series 3-0 under the current playoff format.
* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Senators–Maple Leafs Game 5
* Tkachuk, the first player in Senators history with three points in a game where the team faced elimination, collected a primary assist on the game-winning goal and watched his team score a shorthanded tally for the second time in as many games. Ottawa became the fourth team on record to score a shorthanded goal in consecutive games when facing elimination in a series.
Did You Know? A Senators win guaranteed that at least five First Round series require six-plus games for the third time in four years and seventh time in 10 postseasons under the Wild Card format (introduced 2014; also 7 in 2023 & 2022, 6 in 2015 & 2014, 5 in 2021, 2019 & 2016).
OILERS, GOLDEN KNIGHTS SKATE TO 3-2 SERIES LEAD
The Oilers and Golden Knights, two of the four teams who have played in the past two Stanley Cup Finals, found the win column Tuesday to move within one of advancing to the 2025 Second Round.
* After surrendering the first goal of the game, Edmonton’s Evander Kane, Mattias Janmark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each found the back of the net to guide the Oilers to a 3-1 win and a 3-2 series advantage – their first lead of the First Round. Edmonton won three straight comeback games in a postseason for the first time in franchise history and became the first team to achieve the feat since Vegas in 2023 (4 GP).
* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Oilers–Kings Game 5.
* Brett Howden scored 4:05 into overtime to record his second game-winning goal of the 2025 First Round as he lifted his club to a 3-2 series lead in the franchise’s 100th playoff contest. Howden matched the franchise benchmark for most game winners in a single series, joining Noah Hanifin (2024 R1), Jonathan Marchessault (2023 R2) and Max Pacioretty (2021 R2). Two other players have multiple game-winning goals this postseason: Florida’s Nate Schmidt (2) and Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor (2).
* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Wild–Golden Knights Game 5.
QUICK CLICKS
* 2025 NHL Draft Lottery set for May 5
* Aaron Ekblad suspended 2 games for Panthers
* Gabriel Landeskog’s wife discusses husband’s return on ‘Never Offside’ podcast
* Pete DeBoer weighs in on Rocky Mountain pie
* Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Zach Werenski voted Norris Trophy Finalists
PANTHERS, CAPITALS BOTH HAVE CHANCE TO ADVANCE
The Capitals (playing at home) and Panthers (on the road) each have the opportunity to reach the Second Round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a victory Wednesday. In the Western Conference, the Jets host the Blues with the series tied 2-2 and the home team winning each of the first four contests.
* The Panthers secured a 3-1 series lead at home with a stunning come-from-behind win that saw goals 11 seconds apart to tie the game and go ahead in Game 4. Florida can become the first defending champ to advance past the opening round since their opponents in this series, the Lightning, did so in 2022. The Lightning have an all-time record of 8-5 when facing elimination on home ice, which includes a 6-3 win over Florida to avoid the sweep in Game 4 of the 2024 First Round.
* In a resurgent Capitals season that saw captain Alex Ovechkin complete The Gr8 Chase to set a new all-time NHL goals record and the team go from last to clinch a playoff spot in 2024 to the top seed in the Eastern Conference in 2025, Washington looks to carry that momentum to a Game 5 victory on home ice that would stand as their first series win since capturing the 2018 Stanley Cup. On the Montreal side, Cole Caufield has scored in three of the first four games of the series – including Game 1 in Washington – after finishing second in the 2024-25 regular season with 24 road goals and will look for more road production to help Montreal stave off elimination.
* The Blues–Jets series shifts back to Winnipeg for Game 5 after the home team has won each of the first four. St. Louis is the second team in four years to rally from a 2-0 series deficit against the Presidents’ Trophy winner to even the series – Vegas was the last to do so in the 2021 Second Round in an eventual six-game series win over Colorado.
You must be logged in to post a comment.