The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday evening with two extra second-round video games. Listed here are some key takeaways from the motion.
Goaltending issues for each Golden Knights and Oilers
Neither the Edmonton Oilers nor Vegas Golden Knights must be feeling overly assured about their goaltending conditions via the primary two video games of this collection.
Not solely did the 2 goalies mix to surrender 9 targets in Edmonton’s 5-4 win on Thursday, however not one of the goalies on these rosters have been good to date within the playoffs as an entire.
Vegas’ Adin Hill entered play on Thursday with solely an .876 save share this postseason, which isn’t going to be ok to win a Stanley Cup. It is unhealthy, and he was not nice on Thursday.
As for the Oilers, after Stuart Skinner posted an .810 save share in his first two video games this postseason, they went to Calvin Pickard. And whereas he entered Thursday’s sport having received all 5 of his begins, his sub-.900 save share is a large concern. He additionally was not nice on Thursday.
No place adjustments the playoffs or a collection greater than goaltending, and proper now each groups are struggling to get it. Considered one of them goes to advance, however there is no such thing as a assure it will get both of them a championship in the event that they maintain taking part in at this degree in web.
A optimistic signal for Edmonton remains to be growing
You want a few superstars to win the Stanley Cup. You can’t win, nevertheless, with solely a few superstars being requested to hold the entire weight offensively.
That has been an enormous downside for the Oilers all through many of the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl period. It at all times creates a ceiling for what they’ll do and the way far they’ll go.
The excellent news is the Oilers’ scoring depth this postseason has been sensational unbiased of McDavid and Draisaitl. With targets from Vasily Podkolzin and Jake Walman on Thursday, Edmonton now has targets from 15 completely different gamers this postseason and has saved its heads collectively above water as a staff when its two greatest gamers aren’t on the ice. That’s not one thing that has ever actually occurred for the Oilers lately.
If that continues they don’t seem to be solely going to have a great probability to win this collection, but additionally the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl once more and, maybe, even the Stanley Cup this time round.
Hurricanes’ previous playoff issues are nonetheless lurking
The excellent news for the Hurricanes is that via the primary two video games of the collection they’re largely taking part in their sport.
They’re pushing the tempo of play, they’re out-shooting the Capitals and they’re dominating the sport from a territorial perspective. Their amount over high quality shot strategy is totally energetic.
However the targets aren’t fairly following, at the least not but. That needs to be a priority, as a result of that is how so lots of their postseasons have ended lately.
Carolina’s most constant Achilles heel yr in and yr out come playoff time is that regardless of doing the whole lot nicely and taking part in a profitable model of hockey, it simply by no means fairly has the ending skill and game-breakers to persistently flip all of it into offense. In two video games on this collection the Hurricanes have simply three targets on 61 whole pictures on objective, sufficient to get them one win.
They should discover a approach to rating sufficient targets to win three extra video games within the collection, and 11 extra within the playoffs total.
