If the previous games in the three series which continue on Wednesday night are any hint as to their ongoing competitiveness, hockey fans are in for another treat.
Monday night, Game 1 of the Washington Capitals-Montreal Canadiens series went to overtime, as did Game 2 of the Dallas Stars-Colorado Avalanche battle; in the nightcap, the Los Angeles Kings won with a goal in the final minute. Those three matchups will be played again Wednesday:
Canadiens at Capitals (7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Stars at Avalanche (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Oilers at Kings (10 p.m. ET, TBS)
What are the key storylines heading into the games? Who are the key players to watch?
Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down Tuesday night, and the Three Stars of Tuesday Night from Arda Öcal.
Matchup notes
Montreal Canadiens at Washington Capitals
Game 2 (WSH leads 1-0) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Game 1 was yet another record-breaking night for Alex Ovechkin: By scoring two goals and assisting on the Caps' other tally, he became the oldest player in Stanley Cup playoff history (39 years, 216 days old) to factor in on all of his team's goals (minimum of three).
The win is also good news for the Capitals, as teams that win Game 1 in a best-of-seven go on to win the series 68% of the time.
But this contest was all about the unexpectedly close margin, and the fact that it took overtime for the Capitals to earn the victory. The Canadiens' top line of Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky led the way, accounting for both of Montreal's goals, and rookie phenom Lane Hutson earned an assist on both goals. A new set of Young Guns?
An injury note for Game 2 and beyond: The Capitals will be without defenseman Martin Fehervary due to knee surgery.
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche
Game 3 (series tied 1-1) | 9:30 p.m. ET | ESPN
It took 77:46, but the Stars evened the series with their Central Division rivals in Game 2. At stake in Game 3 is a clear jolt of momentum for the winner, and history will also be on their side moving forward: In the 363 prior series that were tied after two games, the winner of Game 3 won the series 66% of the time.
For Colorado, could their first home game of the postseason also be the return of Gabriel Landeskog to the lineup? The Avs' captain was activated off IR Monday, but did not play in Game 2. His most recent game wearing an Avs sweater was a memorable one, Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final, when he skated the Cup around Amalie Arena after the Avs' 2-1 series-clinching victory.
The Stars have a key player on his (eventual) way back into the lineup as well, as star defenseman Miro Heiskanen skated on Monday but also did not play. A return from Heiskanen would help solve some problems for Dallas, and present a new challenge for Colorado, as the Finnish blueliner was the Stars' leader in time on ice this season, and a key part of their power play.
Edmonton Oilers at Los Angeles Kings
Game 2 (LA leads 1-0) | 10 p.m. ET | TBS
If there are going to be 11 goals every game in this series, sign us up for more!
With their 6-5 victory in Game 1, the Kings became the fourth team in Stanley Cup playoff history to blow a four-goal lead and win in regulation, following the 2022 Calgary Flames, 1978 Boston Bruins and 1972 Bruins.
Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid continue to climb franchise leaderboards with each subsequent game, it seems. Draisaitl's 18th goal vs. the Kings tied Esa Tikkanen for the Oilers' career lead in playoff goals against L.A. Meanwhile, McDavid's four-point game passes Paul Coffey and Glenn Anderson on the Oilers' career leaderboard for four-point playoff games; he's now fifth.
The Kings will hope that they can keep momentum going on the power play; they scored twice with the man advantage in Game 1 after going 2-for-14 in the regular season against Edmonton, and 0-for-12 on the power play in the 2024 playoff loss to the Oilers. Monday was the playoff debut for Andrei Kuzmenko, and he responded with a goal and two assists. On the other side of the spectrum are Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty -- who have played in 98 and 96 playoff games for L.A., respectively -- and who each had one assist in Game 1.
Arda's three stars from Tuesday night
1. Matthew Tkachuk
LW, Florida Panthers
In his first game back after an injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Tkachuk scored two goals and added a helper as the Panthers take Game 1 in the long-awaited Battle of Florida in a 6-2 rout.
2. Matt Boldy, Kirill Kaprizov
LWs, Minnesota Wild
The pair of Wild forwards were electric in Game 2, combining for five points as the Wild take the contest by a score of 5-2, and bring the series back home to the Twin Cities tied at 1-1.
3. Max Domi
C, Toronto Maple Leafs
Domi scored the overtime game winner over the Senators in Game 2, giving the Leafs their first 2-0 playoff series lead in 23 years (!).
Tuesday's scores
Carolina Hurricanes 3, New Jersey Devils 1
(CAR leads 2-0)
Game 2 was a better start for the Devils than in Game 1, as Jesper Bratt opened the scoring at 3:51 of the first period, and New Jersey carried that lead into the first intermission. The Canes roared back with two second-period goals (from Shayne Gostisbehere and Jordan Martinook), and that advantage held until Seth Jarvis iced it with an empty-net goal. Full recap.
Jordan Martinook gives the Hurricanes their first lead of the game with a short-handed goal vs. the Devils.
Toronto Maple Leafs 3, Ottawa Senators 2 (OT)
(TOR leads 2-0)
The Maple Leafs got off to another strong start, scoring another pair of first-period goals off the sticks of Morgan Rielly and John Tavares. But this time, the Senators scored the next two -- one each from Brady Tkachuk and Adam Gaudette -- to send the game to overtime. Max Domi played the hero for the home fans in Toronto, scoring the game winner just 3:09 into OT. Full recap.
Max Domi finds the net in overtime to secure a 2-0 series lead for the Maple Leafs vs. the Senators.
Florida Panthers 6, Tampa Bay Lightning 2
(FLA leads 1-0)
The Battle of Florida was the last first-round series to get started, and it was worth the wait -- particularly for Panthers fans. Playing in his first game since a lower-body injury sustained in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Matthew Tkachuk scored two power-play goals and added an assist on the final goal of the game (off of Nate Schmidt's stick) to make it 6-2. Full recap.
Matthew Tkachuk scores his second power-play goal of the second period to give the Panthers a 5-1 lead over the Lightning.
Minnesota Wild 5, Vegas Golden Knights 2
(series tied 1-1)
After a thorough defeat in Game 1, the Wild are not going away quietly. Kirill Kaprizov brought his offensive wizardry to the proceedings, assisting on Matt Boldy's first-period goal that seemed to set the tone for the contest, scoring a nifty goal of his own in the second period, and sealing the deal with an empty-net goal in the third. Full recap.
Kirill Kaprizov scores his first goal of the series with a shot that trickles in between goaltender Adin Hill's legs.