The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday night time 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 nor Vegas Golden Knights must be feeling overly assured about their goaltending conditions by the primary two video games of this sequence.
Not solely did the 2 goalies mix to surrender 9 objectives in Edmonton’s 5-4 win on Thursday, however not one of the goalies on these rosters have been good thus far 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 adequate 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 modifications 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 hold taking part in at this stage in internet.
A optimistic signal for Edmonton remains to be creating
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 impartial of McDavid and Draisaitl. With objectives from Vasily Podkolzin and Jake Walman on Thursday, Edmonton now has objectives from 15 completely different gamers this postseason and has stored its heads collectively above water as a workforce when its two greatest gamers aren’t on the ice. That isn’t one thing that has ever actually occurred for the Oilers in recent times.
If that continues they aren’t solely going to have a superb probability to win this sequence, but additionally the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl once more and, maybe, even the Stanley Cup this time round.
Hurricanes’ outdated playoff issues are nonetheless lurking
The excellent news for the Hurricanes is that by the primary two video games of the sequence 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 lively.
However the objectives aren’t fairly following, no less than not but. That needs to be a priority, as a result of that is how so a lot of their postseasons have ended in recent times.
Carolina’s most constant Achilles heel 12 months in and 12 months out come playoff time is that regardless of doing every part effectively and taking part in a profitable model of hockey, it simply by no means fairly has the ending potential and game-breakers to constantly flip all of it into offense. In two video games on this sequence the Hurricanes have simply three objectives on 61 whole pictures on aim, sufficient to get them one win.
They need to discover a method to rating sufficient objectives to win three extra video games within the sequence, and 11 extra within the playoffs total.
