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 considerations for each Golden Knights and Oilers
Neither the Edmonton Oilers or Vegas Golden Knights must be feeling overly assured about their goaltending conditions by means of the primary two video games of this sequence.
Not solely did the 2 goalies mix to surrender 9 targets on Thursday, however not one of the goalies on these rosters have been good to date within the playoffs as a complete.
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 gained all 5 of his begins, his sub-.900 save share is a big concern. He additionally was not nice on Thursday.
No place adjustments the playoffs or a sequence greater than goaltending, and proper now each groups are struggling to get it. One among them goes to advance, however there isn’t a assure it will get both of them a championship in the event that they preserve enjoying at this degree in web.
A constructive signal for Edmonton continues to be creating
You want a pair superstars to win the Stanley Cup. You can’t win, nonetheless, with solely a few superstars being requested to hold all the weight offensively.
That has been an enormous drawback for the Oilers all through a lot of the Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl period. It all the time creates a ceiling for what they will do and the way far they will go.
The excellent news is the Oilers’ scoring depth this postseason has been sensational impartial of McDavid and Draisaitl. With targets from Vasily Podkolzin and Jake Walman on Thursday, Edmonton now have targets from 15 completely different gamers this postseason and have saved its heads collectively above water as a group when its two finest gamers aren’t on the ice. That isn’t 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 very good likelihood to win this sequence, 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 by means of the primary two video games of the sequence they’re principally enjoying 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 absolutely lively.
However the targets aren’t fairly following, at the very least not but. That must 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 all the pieces effectively and enjoying a profitable fashion of hockey, it simply by no means fairly has the ending capability and game-breakers to constantly flip all of it into offense. In two video games on this sequence the Hurricanes have simply three targets on 61 whole pictures on purpose, sufficient to get them one win.
They must discover a technique to rating sufficient targets to win three extra video games within the sequence, and 11 extra within the playoffs general.
