Western Conference
(Central Division No. 1) Winnipeg Jets vs (Central Division No. 2) Dallas Stars
The Winnipeg Jets advanced to the second round after a Game 7 comeback win over the wild-card St. Louis Blues in double overtime. Now, they’ll face the Central Division’s No. 2 seed, the Dallas Stars, who also advanced by winning a Game 7.
Dallas defeated the No. 3-seeded Colorado Avalanche in what many considered the most exciting series of the first round. Trailing 0–2 in the third period of Game 7, the Stars mounted a comeback powered by Mikko Rantanen’s hat trick—his revenge performance against the team that traded him just months ago. Dallas sealed a 4–2 victory, eliminating Colorado for the second consecutive year.
The Jets survived one of the worst goaltending performances of the playoffs, which is a testament to the team in front of Connor Hellebuyck. He’ll need to step up against a strong Dallas offense.
(Pacific Division No. 1) Las Vegas Golden Knights vs (Pacific Division No. 3) Edmonton Oilers
The Pacific Division’s top seed, the Vegas Golden Knights, became the first Western Conference team to advance, knocking out the wild-card Minnesota Wild in six games.
Next, they’ll face the No. 3-seeded Edmonton Oilers, last season’s Stanley Cup runners-up. Edmonton rallied from a 0–2 series deficit against the No. 2-seeded Los Angeles Kings, winning four straight games to knock out the Kings for the fourth consecutive postseason.
Edmonton has the two best forwards in the game—Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl—while Vegas won the Pacific Division this season. Both teams are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders, and this series will be a matchup between Edmonton’s high-powered offense and Vegas’ top-rated defense.
Eastern Conference
(Atlantic Division No. 1) Toronto Maple Leafs vs (Atlantic Division No. 3) Florida Panthers
The defending champion Florida Panthers continue their title defense with a second-round matchup against the Atlantic Division’s top seed, the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto advanced after winning the Battle of Ontario, defeating the wild-card Ottawa Senators in six games, bringing them a step closer to ending the franchise’s historic 57-year Stanley Cup drought.
This matchup will be a rematch of the 2023 second round, when Florida eliminated Toronto in five games.
This series is a matchup between Toronto’s elite defense—which has limited opponents to shots from the perimeter—and Florida’s tenacious offense that consistently puts pressure on opposing teams.
(Metropolitan Division No. 1) Washington Capitals vs (Metropolitan Division No. 2) Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes were the first team to advance to the conference semifinals, knocking out the No. 3-seeded New Jersey Devils in five games. Sebastian Aho sealed the series with a dramatic double-overtime winner in Game 5, sending Carolina to its fifth straight conference semifinal.
They’ll now face the No. 1-seeded Washington Capitals, who returned to the second round for the first time since their 2018 Stanley Cup victory. Led by Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals eliminated the wild-card Montreal Canadiens in five games.
Washington boasts a high-powered offense, but their defense will be the deciding factor in this series. Carolina’s power play and penalty kill were more effective than Washington’s in the first round, and they also had the NHL’s top penalty kill during the regular season. If Carolina can maintain that level of special teams play, it could be the difference in the series.
