There now are just eight NHL teams in contention for the Stanley Cup.
The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs have moved to the conference semifinals following a thrilling finish to Round 1. The Presidents’ Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets closed out the first round with a Game 7 comeback win over the wild-card St. Louis Blues in double overtime.
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Winnipeg erased a two-goal deficit in the final two minutes of the third period, forcing overtime on Cole Perfetti‘s game-tying score with three seconds left. Then, just minutes away from a potential third overtime, Jets captain Adam Lowry tipped home the series-clincher.
Winnipeg’s next opponent is also coming off a Game 7 comeback. The Central Division’s No. 2-seeded Dallas Stars outlasted the No. 3-seeded Colorado Avalanche in what was arguably the most entertaining first-round series — and it finished in dramatic fashion. The Stars overcame a 2-0 third-period deficit in Game 7 as Mikko Rantanen‘s hat trick against the team that traded him just months ago powered a 4-2 comeback win. It’s the second straight year that Dallas bounced Colorado from the playoffs.
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The Western Conference’s other first-round series winners included the Pacific Division’s top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights, who eliminated the wild-card Minnesota Wild in six games. Vegas will next meet last year’s Stanley Cup runners-up, the Pacific’s No. 3-seeded Edmonton Oilers. Edmonton overcame a 2-0 series deficit against the Pacific’s No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Kings, recording four straight comeback wins to bounce L.A. from Round 1 of the playoffs for a fourth straight year.
Over in the Eastern Conference, Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals made it out of Round 1 for the first time since their 2018 Stanley Cup title run with a five-game series win over the wild-card Montreal Canadiens. The conference-best Caps now will face the Metropolitan Division’s No. 2-seeded Carolina Hurricanes, who took down the Metro’s No. 3-seeded New Jersey Devils. Sebastian Aho scored a series-clinching goal in double-overtime of Game 5 against New Jersey, booking the franchise’s fifth consecutive conference semifinal appearance.
The conference semis will also feature the defending champion Florida Panthers. Florida, the Atlantic Division’s No. 3 seed, bounced the Tampa Bay Lighting, the Atlantic’s No. 2 seed, in five games in Round 1 for a second straight postseason. The Panthers, who last year won their first Stanley Cup title, are looking to join an exclusive group of repeat winners.
Florida will continue its title defense against the Atlantic’s No. 1-seeded Toronto Maple Leafs. The Leafs won the Battle of Ontario over the wild-card Ottawa Senators in six games, moving them one step closer to snapping the franchise’s record Stanley Cup drought. Florida beat Toronto in five games when the two teams met in Round 2 of the 2023 postseason.
With Round 2 underway, here’s what to know:
Just like the NBA playoffs, teams aren’t reseeded after the first round of the NHL postseason. The Stanley Cup Playoffs have a bracket format.
Eastern Conference
Western Conference
This section will be updated as second-round schedule details are released (* = if necessary):
Eastern Conference
Hurricanes vs. Capitals
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs (Toronto leads 1-0)
Western Conference
Oilers vs. Golden Knights
Stars vs. Jets
Games airing on ESPN’s family of networks can be streamed on ESPN.com and the ESPN app.
TNT, TBS and truTV broadcasts are available to stream on Max. Games on TNT can also be streamed on TNTDrama.com and the TNT app, while TBS broadcasts are available to stream on TBS.com and the TBS app. Simulcasts shown on truTV can be streamed on truTV.com and the truTV app, as well.
