Past analysis of Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

Our hockey writers are sharing observations throughout Round 1 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Here's an archive of our analysis from previous days. Tap to return to the main story.

Sunday, April 27

Can Bouchard mitigate mistakes?

Evan Bouchard is the ultimate Jekyll-and-Hyde player. He's blessed with supreme offensive skill but is prone to boneheaded mistakes that usually end up with him digging the puck out of his net. The latter is a major reason why he didn't sniff Canada's 4 Nations roster.

In Game 1 against the Kings, Bouchard had three assists but also an egregious turnover that proved to be costly in a one-goal loss. In Game 2, he gave Quinton Byfield way too much space on a two-on-one, but the Oilers were blown out anyway. In Game 3, he kept the mistakes to a minimum and scored two huge power-play goals in an Oilers win.

The Oilers need more of the Game 3 version of Bouchard for them to come back in this series. The 25-year-old has added pressure to play a more mature game with Mattias Ekholm - Edmonton's best defensive defenseman and Bouchard's usual partner - not available in this series. Is Bouchard up to the challenge of keeping Mr. Hyde from emerging? - Josh Wegman

Tkachuk evades suspension

4 Nations Face-Off pugilists Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk crossed the line when they flattened unsuspecting opponents with late hits in back-to-back playoff games.

Tkachuk, however, avoided Hagel's fate. The Panthers forward received a major penalty but won't be suspended for interfering with Jake Guentzel toward the end of the Lightning's commanding Game 3 victory. The NHL sidelined Hagel for that game after he shook up Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.

Hagel memorably fought Tkachuk off the opening draw of Canada's round-robin clash with the United States. They're on warring sides of the fourth Battle of Florida series in five years, which the Panthers lead 2-1 entering Monday's massive game in Sunrise.

Tkachuk not being suspended is sure to rankle Lightning fans. The NHL won't even hold a hearing, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported. Friedman cited three decisive factors: Tkachuk's hit was seen as less forceful than Hagel's, didn't involve head contact, and came after Guentzel touched the puck.

Tkachuk has three goals (two on the power play) in the series. His ice time is gradually ramping up after a groin injury shelved him for two months. The Panthers thrive when he's dialed in. Florida went 31-19-2 (.616 points percentage) with Tkachuk in the lineup this season and 16-12-2 (.567) when he missed time. - Nick Faris

A season-saving kill

Drake Batherson took Ottawa's second high-sticking double minor of the entire season early in Saturday's overtime period. Blood dripped from Chris Tanev's face as Toronto's automatic power play, which was 5-for-10 in the series entering Game 4, hopped over the boards.

Without John Tavares, who was being treated for an injury in the dressing room, the Maple Leafs failed for four minutes to bag a goal and seal a series sweep. The maligned Senators penalty kill staved off elimination with five saves from Linus Ullmark, a sprawling block by Ridly Greig, and help from a hit post.

Ottawa's Shane Pinto, Jake Sanderson, and Artem Zub spent the first 1:45 in their own zone and played most of the kill. Claude Giroux lost two faceoffs and screwed up a clearance attempt, but he dug in to protect the slot and cleared the puck in the final seconds. Morgan Rielly's cross-zone pass to an empty corner reflected Toronto's aimlessness in the back half of the power play. It allowed Sanderson to net the winner at the 18-minute mark.

In theory, the kill could become the turning point of an epic comeback. It's almost certain to be a footnote as the Leafs advance to Round 2. Either way, it was a resilient, formative moment for a young Senators group that endured OT heartbreak, then fought desperately for the team's first playoff victory in eight years. - Nick Faris

Brooms away, everybody

For only the sixth time in the salary-cap era, and second time in three years, the Stanley Cup Playoffs will have no opening-round sweeps. Despite six of eight series starting out 2-0, teams up against the ropes have found a way to gain life.

Toronto was the only team to build a 3-0 series lead, but Jake Sanderson's overtime winner in Game 4 saved the Senators' season. Impressive efforts from the Oilers, Devils, Blues, Canadiens, and Lightning while down 2-0 also flipped momentum and created more intrigue as the schedule progresses.

Plenty of work remains for the teams still trailing, but there's at least hope for some long series after it appeared an anticlimactic first round was in store. - Sean O'Leary

Landeskog's breakthrough inspires Avs

The Avalanche overhauled their roster on the fly this season. They ditched two goalies to bring in better ones, traded Mikko Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt, and loaded up at the deadline to be ready to collide with the Stars. They dressed 43 skaters, one of the largest totals of the NHL salary-cap era.

Their latest addition, captain Gabriel Landeskog, electrified Ball Arena by drawing into Game 3 after three years on the shelf. Colorado dropped his debut in overtime, but a convincing 4-0 victory Saturday leveled the series. Shots favored the Avalanche 48-23. The only attempt that eluded Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger during a second-period siege was Landeskog's snapper that rang in off the post.

Landeskog has a goal, an assist, and eight hits in two games over 13:57 of average ice time, which ranks ninth among Avalanche forwards. His advanced metrics (77% shot rate, 89% expected goals percentage at five-on-five) sparkle. His surgically repaired knee can clearly handle the pace, and he's exploiting openings against a depleted, yet formidable, Stars lineup.

Colorado's hot goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood (.939 save percentage in the round), can continue to outduel Oettinger. The Avs have one incredible defense pair and outstanding center depth, a result of their trading flurry. Thanks to Landeskog - their emotional leader and a point-per-game scorer in the 2022 championship postseason - they have belief, inspiration, and momentum. - Nick Faris

Saturday, April 26

Leafs can't afford needless penalties

The goal-scoring math on the Maple Leafs-Senators series is pretty simple.

At five-on-five, the Leafs have 10 goals to the Senators' five. This imbalance lines up well with what happened in the regular season - Toronto finished tied for 11th in the NHL in even-strength goals, and Ottawa finished 27th.

Each team has scored five goals in other game situations - power play, shorthanded, or six-on-five. Again, these results aren't the least bit surprising given the Leafs' power-play percentage (24.8) was similar to the Senators' (23.8) in the regular season. The penalty kill rates were even tighter.

Veteran-heavy Toronto was the more disciplined team in Games 1 and 2. It let that advantage slip in Games 3 and 4 (though the referees definitely missed an obvious interference call on Senators defenseman Artem Zub in Saturday's overtime).

Penalties are going to be called, and the ones that disrupt an opposing scoring chance are usually worth it. But the Leafs can't afford another boneheaded penalty like Max Domi's roughing infraction in the first period of Game 4. He whacked opposing center Shane Pinto with the end of his stick after a false start on a faceoff. Tim Stutzle scored on the ensuing power play.

The Leafs are in control of this series. They've been the better team overall. But the Sens are capable of making them pay on special teams. - John Matisz

Sens have something to hold onto

The Senators avoided a sweep Saturday night thanks to a Jake Sanderson snipe 17-plus minutes into overtime. Ottawa has a long way to go to beat the Maple Leafs to four wins, and the odds are very much stacked against this team.

Still, Saturday's win is super meaningful for a Sens squad that's put its all into the first four games, two of which ended in overtime heartbreak. Ottawa's nucleus - Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, Shane Pinto, Dylan Cozens, Thomas Chabot, Sanderson - is relatively young and inexperienced. This core needed to taste postseason glory, to know it can not only hang with the NHL's best but also beat them. It builds confidence.

It also helps that several core members contributed to Game 4's 4-3 score.

Sanderson, who will soon be a regular in the Norris Trophy conversation, was the hero and top workhorse (game-high 30:05). Pinto, another blossoming player, scored a massive shorthanded goal. Batherson was buzzing all night and shook off a double-minor penalty in OT. Stutzle, a wizard with the puck, opened the scoring in easily his best game of the series. - John Matisz

Watch out if Eichel gets going

There's no reason to panic after all. Following a 4-3 overtime victory Saturday, the heavily favored Golden Knights head back to Vegas tied 2-2 with the Wild in what's turned out to be a much closer matchup than expected.

The series is even despite Vegas' best player, Jack Eichel, underperforming.

Eichel hasn't been outwardly terrible, but he certainly hasn't looked himself. He's skating well, yet his timing seems off, and he's losing puck battles he usually wins. Eichel's somewhere-in-the-middle body of work over four games has produced one point - a secondary assist on the power play in Game 4. That helper marked only his second point in nine total contests in a sluggish month of April.

The Wild have outscored the Golden Knights 6-0 in Eichel's 64 five-on-five playoff minutes. Expected goals are 3.2-2.4 for Minnesota. Now, context is key: Eichel's almost exclusively facing off against an incredibly strong five-man unit in Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek, Jonas Brodin, and Brock Faber.

Eichel was phenomenal during Vegas' Stanley Cup-winning run in 2023. He just had a regular season worthy of down-ballot Hart Trophy votes, too. We know what the two-way American center is capable of. If (when?) he gets going, this series will tilt heavily in Vegas' direction. Watch out. - John Matisz

Guentzel addition was genius

Jake Guentzel's fingerprints were all over the Lightning's sorely needed 5-1 triumph on enemy ice. General manager Julien BriseBois' big summer addition is one of the NHL's great finishers and complementary stars. His three points against the Panthers on Saturday sparked a desperate team.

The Bolts had been outscored 9-2 in the series before Guentzel brushed a shot off Brayden Point's shinpad to tie Game 3. He presented a passing option when Nick Paul slipped behind Gustav Forsling to bury the second Lightning goal. Guentzel batted Nikita Kucherov's spinning pass into the net right before a Florida penalty expired. And he assisted the empty-netter as Matthew Tkachuk rocked him with a late hit reminiscent of the one that got Brandon Hagel suspended.

Guentzel's three-point effort was his fifth since the beginning of March. He put five shots on net in almost 24 minutes of ice time. His clearances on the penalty kill helped compensate for Hagel's absence and Anthony Cirelli's pair of minor infractions.

BriseBois made the bold call to walk away from franchise legend Steven Stamkos right before his game plunged in Nashville. The GM elbowed ahead of rival bidders by trading a third-round pick to the Hurricanes for Guentzel's exclusive negotiating rights. With Hagel out Saturday, Jon Cooper stacked his top line with Guentzel, Kucherov, and Point and watched them menace Forsling and Aaron Ekblad, who was minus-4 in his return from a PED suspension.

Guentzel told the TNT panel postgame that he's sure the league will "take a look at" Tkachuk's hit. If that leads to a suspension, Guentzel's impact on Game 3 and this fiery matchup will grow. - Nick Faris

Oilers were never going quietly

Did anyone really think the Oilers were going to roll over and die after falling behind 2-0 against the Kings? Did we not learn anything from last year?

During their run to the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the Oilers trailed 2-1 and 3-2 in their Round 2 series against the Canucks. They overcame a 2-1 series deficit against the Stars before winning three consecutive games. And of course, Edmonton stormed back from a 3-0 hole to force Game 7 against Florida in the Cup Final. The Oilers don't quit.

The 2025 edition of the team is far less stingy defensively. The injured Mattias Ekholm is badly missed. The goaltending is shaky once again, regardless of who's in net. But the Oilers outscored these problems in a gutsy 7-4 win over the Kings in Game 3. When the going gets tough, Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (a combined five points in the victory) have proven time and time again they can elevate to another level. - Josh Wegman

Familiar face between Anderson, Wilson

As the Canadiens and Capitals' antics escalated at the end of the second period Friday night, Kyle Flemington found himself in the middle of the chaos. The linesman, No. 55 in stripes, tried his best to separate Josh Anderson and Tom Wilson as the bruisers went at it on the Capitals' bench.

It was a wild scene in an epic Game 3. It was also probably a bit surreal for Flemington, who played with Anderson in the OHL. A former tough guy himself, Flemington appeared in 30 games for the 2011-12 London Knights. The club won the OHL title with a deep roster filled with future NHLers.

Flemington, who's listed at 6-foot-7, 214 pounds on Elite Prospects, capped out at the minor pro level, spending a few years in the ECHL and England. In retirement, he originally planned on becoming a police officer and went as far as completing his police foundations diploma. He pivoted to a different kind of policing after attending an NHL-run on-ice officials showcase in 2018.

"For me, the only reason I got into officiating was to stay in the game," Flemington told theScore in 2019 for a feature on modern officials. "Get out there on the ice and compete. It turned into a pretty good opportunity here."

Also in this year's playoffs from that memorable 2011-12 Knights team: Toronto's Max Domi and Winnipeg's Vlad Namestnikov. Other players with NHL experience - some active, others not - include Bo Horvat, Andreas Athanasiou, Austin Watson, Seth Griffith, Chris Tierney, Greg McKegg, Olli Maatta, Jarred Tinordi, Scott Harrington, and Michael Houser. - John Matisz

Pressure mounts on Ullmark

The Senators are expected to start Linus Ullmark in net for Saturday's must-win Game 4 against the Maple Leafs despite a poor postseason thus far. Ullmark owns an abysmal .815 save percentage in the series. He hasn't posted a mark better than .857 in a single game.

This isn't helping the narrative of the lights being too bright for the 2023 Vezina Trophy winner. His career playoff save percentage is now down to .874 in 13 career appearances.

Of course, not every goal against this series has been Ullmark's fault. The Maple Leafs have done a good job of getting bodies to the net and have received some fortunate bounces. But still, the results are what they are for Ullmark, Ottawa's prized offseason acquisition. He needs to start making saves or the Senators will find themselves golfing by Monday. - Josh Wegman

Stars' unique winning blueprint

Dallas took its first lead of the Stars-Avalanche series when Thomas Harley snuck a shot under Mackenzie Blackwood's glove in the second period of Game 2. Just over a minute later, a similar goal from Colorado's Jack Drury tied the score.

The Stars ultimately won in overtime and added another OT tally in Game 3. They're up 2-1 in the Central Division heavyweight bout despite leading for a grand total of 62 seconds of game time.

They've made do for a few reasons. The score's been tied for most of the series and Dallas never trailed by more than a goal in either win. Colin Blackwell and Tyler Seguin beat Blackwood in overtime with slick finishes to the top corner. Since the third period of Game 2, Jake Oettinger's shut the door with 43 saves and one goal allowed over 103:17 of game time. Harley plays gigantic minutes and has helped curb Colorado's explosive top two lines.

This oddity could be alarming. The Stars slumped into the postseason with a seven-game losing streak - the franchise's longest since 2018 - and folded late in the third period when they fell in the playoff opener. But because of the OT heroics, they're better off than teams like the Blues, who trail the Jets despite being up on the scoreboard for most of that matchup, and the Senators, who have led for 6:53 against the Maple Leafs and face elimination.

Six teams were swept from recent opening rounds after leading for fewer than 10 minutes: the 2024 Capitals, 2022 Predators, 2021 Blues, 2020 Rangers, 2019 Penguins, and 2018 Ducks.

So far, the Stars are on a similar journey to the 2021 Jets. That Winnipeg squad led for 19:52 and relied on OT wins to sweep the Oilers, then never held a lead while being swept by the Canadiens. - Nick Faris

Points leaders through 1 week

Seven nights of playoff hockey are complete, and almost every series is entering Game 4. The exception is Lightning-Panthers, whose third contest goes Saturday afternoon.

Here's a glance at the current scoring leaderboard.

Kempe's been on the ice for a whopping 18 goals in the Kings-Oilers series - nine for, having tallied a point on all of them, and nine against. That bonkers matchup has already produced 30 goals, or 10 more than Jets-Blues and Wild-Golden Knights, the next-highest scoring series.

Other stat leaders through Friday include Nathan MacKinnon (20 shots on net for Avalanche); Marcus Foligno (27 hits for Wild); Esa Lindell and Brett Pesce (12 blocks for Stars and Devils); Nico Hischier (53 faceoff wins for Devils, 59.6% success rate); Thomas Harley (31:05 average ice time for Stars); and Logan Stanley (28 penalty minutes for Jets). - Nick Faris

3 backups enter the spotlight

The mettle of backup goalies will be tested if Sam Montembeault and Logan Thompson miss more time in the feisty Canadiens-Capitals series. Montembeault seemed to clutch his hamstring before he left the Montreal net Friday. Thompson was helped off the ice with six minutes remaining after being run over by teammate Dylan Strome.

Montembeault's replacement, rookie Jakub Dobes, wandered into the fracas that led to Josh Anderson fighting Tom Wilson in the Washington bench. Dobes is considerably less experienced than Capitals backup Charlie Lindgren, an ex-Hab, and he's never started consecutive games in the NHL. But he was dominant in spurts this season, while Lindgren scuffled down the stretch with an .887 save percentage after the 4 Nations Face-Off break.

Out west, Calvin Pickard wasn't exactly rock-solid in his first start against the Kings. He let in four goals on 28 shots, failed to catch snipes from Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe, and was beaten through the legs by Trevor Moore's lunging stab mere seconds after Edmonton had tied the score. But the Oilers' seven-goal eruption showed they just need tolerable netminding from the 33-year-old vet, who relieved Stuart Skinner in Game 2, to be competitive.

Pickard's only previous playoff starts came in last year's second round. He had a .911 save percentage, won once, and lost once against the Canucks. Returning to Skinner, who struggled mightily before that benching jolted him, helped those Oilers ward off elimination and complete their run to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. - Nick Faris

Top of 2022 draft class makes its mark

Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec made Slovakian hockey history when they went first and second overall in the 2022 draft (along with the pictured Filip Mesar, who also went in the first round). It hasn't been smooth sailing in the NHL for either, but both scored huge goals to help their respective clubs avoid 3-0 series deficits Friday night.

Naturally, it was the top pick in Slafkovsky on the board first. The power forward netted the insurance goal in the Canadiens' crucial 6-3 win over Washington. It was his first tally in the Stanley Cup playoffs, but not for a lack of trying, as it came on his 14th shot of the series.

Later in the night, Nemec had his turn in the spotlight. The right-handed rearguard sliced into the Hurricanes' zone in double overtime and fired the winning goal past Frederik Andersen. Nemec is only in the lineup due to injuries on the Devils' backend, but amid a disappointing season, he reminded New Jersey fans of his elite potential in the biggest moment of the campaign. - Kyle Cushman

Friday, April 25

Hagel suspension fallout

Brandon Hagel's one-game ban for decking Aleksander Barkov with a late hit comes at a terrible time for the Lightning. They trail 2-0 in the Battle of Florida after two home games. They have two goals in 120 minutes, one fewer than Panthers depth defenseman and budding sniper Nate Schmidt. Hagel had an excellent regular season but is already minus-4 in the playoffs and hasn't made a dent offensively.

Hagel's interference major with 10:09 remaining in Game 2 wiped out a Lightning power play while they trailed 1-0. They recorded just two shots on net over the rest of the game. Florida goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has made 39 stops in the series for a .951 save percentage.

Tampa Bay's in desperate straits against a strong opponent. The Panthers are deeper at forward, especially with Hagel suspended and linemate Anthony Cirelli fighting through an ailment he sustained in the playoff opener. - Nick Faris

Who can't buy a goal?

Here's a list of 10 forwards with many shot attempts and dangerous scoring chances but zero playoff goals entering Friday's action.

(Numbers are via Natural Stat Trick.)

These guys yearn to score. Defenders are blocking some of their shots. Others have sailed wide or been devoured by hot netminders.

Rantanen, the Stars' marquee trade addition, is tied with Auston Matthews for the NHL lead in dangerous attempts and has one more than Brady Tkachuk, but both Ontario captains have lit the lamp already. Somehow, Eriksson Ek remains pointless even though his metrics are strong and his linemates, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy, have combined for eight goals and 13 points against the Golden Knights.

Seven of these forwards are part of trailing teams. Ottawa's top centers, Stutzle and Cozens, struggled to solve Toronto's defensive shell and goalie Anthony Stolarz over three consecutive losses. A couple of first-line wingers - Montreal's Slafkovsky and New Jersey's Meier - will keep firing Friday as their clubs try to stave off 3-0 series deficits. - Nick Faris

Kuzmenko, Kings thriving together

Andrei Kuzmenko is on a heater. The sharpshooting winger entered the playoffs having produced five goals and 12 assists in Los Angeles' final 15 regular-season games, and he's added five points in the first two Kings-Oilers matchups.

Kuzmenko bagged a power-play goal, plus two assists, in his playoff debut. He scored on the man advantage and added another helper in Game 2. Kings fans are anxious to find out what he and the unbeaten club have in store Friday as the series shifts to Edmonton.

An undrafted winger out of Russia, Kuzmenko scored 39 goals as a 26-year-old Canucks rookie. Unable to keep up that torrid pace, he was traded to the Flames in 2024 as part of a package for Elias Lindholm. He was swapped in January to the Flyers and moved again in March to L.A.

His Kings transition wasn't smooth (zero points in first seven games), but Kuzmenko eventually found a comfortable spot on the No. 1 line alongside two-way pivot Anze Kopitar and speedy winger Adrian Kempe. He hasn't looked back, contributing also to L.A.'s blazing-hot five-forward power play unit, which is 5-for-10 in the playoffs. The Kings chased Stuart Skinner and prompted Edmonton to turn to backup goalie Calvin Pickard for Game 3.

L.A.'s offense lacked creativity during last year's first-round loss to the Oilers. Kuzmenko, a pending unrestricted free agent, has helped diversify the attack. - John Matisz

Habs need all hands on deck

Hotshot youngsters dragged the Canadiens out of the basement this season. No moment overwhelmed Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, or Lane Hutson as they racked up clutch goals and led the charge from 16th place in the Eastern Conference to the playoffs.

They need help to threaten the Capitals in Game 3 and claw back in their series. Washington's stocked with opportunistic scorers and fully trusts goalie Logan Thompson, who found his groove with several highlight saves down the stretch of his second game back from injury.

Cagey veterans must chip in offense and defend heartily for Montreal. The Canadiens gained a Game 2 lead when the gritty line of Josh Anderson, Christian Dvorak, and Brendan Gallagher battled to push the puck to the blue paint and through Thompson's legs. They trailed within the next four minutes and surrendered 18 second-period shots because the Capitals' puckhandlers had endless space to stroll through the neutral zone.

Dvorak and Gallagher significantly upped their production after the 4 Nations Face-Off break. The ability of Anderson and Jake Evans to draw penalties puts Montreal's talented power play to work. The electricity of the Bell Centre helped the Habs win 10 of their last 12 home games and surge to the NHL lead in third-period comeback victories. Will one of these factors tilt the scales Friday? - Nick Faris

Benoit the unlikeliest hero

On paper, Maple Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit is perhaps their most replaceable player. This postseason, he's been indispensable. The 26-year-old has been at the center of overtime heroics in back-to-back games and provided his team a 3-0 stranglehold over the Senators on Thursday with a seeing-eye point shot in the extra frame.

It's a remarkable twist of fate for the depth defender following a regular season in which he rarely looked like the player who earned a three-year extension last March. His metrics in the playoffs aren't great, but he's come up big when it's mattered most. Benoit has two points, seven blocks, and 10 hits in the opening round while averaging nearly 19 minutes per night.

"What do the numbers say?" Benoit told The Athletic after Game 3. "I don't care about the season, how the season went - I just feel ready for tonight and the rest doesn't f-----g matter. It's playoffs. Best time of the year."

There are unexpected heroes every year in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It's easy to root for Benoit, an undrafted journeyman breaking stereotypes and becoming a folk hero within a fan base that's loyal to anyone who steps up when the lights shine brightest. - Sean O’Leary

Leafs own the faceoff dot

At the end of playoff games, one team wins and the other learns something. That outcome isn't nearly as fun, but the Senators can pinpoint needed improvements as they try to avenge their second straight overtime loss to the Maple Leafs and mount any semblance of a comeback.

One area the Sens need to shore up is faceoffs. Success rates in the dot average out over a long season, but the Leafs have controlled 57% of draws through three playoff games and snapped back 63% in Game 3. Auston Matthews' clean win against Shane Pinto a few shifts into overtime set up Simon Benoit's floater through traffic.

The Leafs scored 3, 8, and 9 seconds into various Game 1 power plays. Each time, John Tavares soundly beat Claude Giroux on the opening draw and Toronto picked apart Ottawa's diamond formation. The same thing happened within 18 seconds in Game 2 following a Matthews win over Pinto, the young shutdown center who's struggled with his extremely challenging assignment.

Matthews and Tavares are 27-16 (63%) on faceoffs in the Ottawa zone. Giroux and Pinto are 12-25 (32%) on D-zone draws.

Giroux was the league's best faceoff taker in the regular season, and his win against Max Domi in Game 3 promptly led to a breakout and Brady Tkachuk's equalizer. But overall, his team's getting schooled on a detail that becomes important in the playoffs, when close games can turn on any bounce. - Nick Faris

Golden Knights gifting series to Wild

The Golden Knights are typically very good at managing the puck. It's been a hallmark of their game over head coach Bruce Cassidy's three-year tenure.

On the surface, Cassidy's squad is doing quite well on that front to start the postseason: Vegas' 10 giveaways per game are tied with Toronto and Los Angeles for fewest among the 16 playoff teams.

Unfortunately, not every giveaway is created equal. Vegas is down 2-1 to Minnesota heading into Game 4 in large part due to egregious turnovers.

The Game 2 tape wasn't pretty, and Thursday's Game 3 was equally bad. Goalie Adin Hill's attempted rim led directly to the first goal in a 5-2 Wild win. Defenseman Noah Hanifin's failed reverse deep in Vegas' zone resulted in the second.

Minnesota star Matt Boldy pursued Hanifin like a dog on a bone to force that particular turnover. He and puck wizard Kirill Kaprizov have been spectacular against Vegas, both recording multiple points in all three games. The playoff point leaderboard currently reads: Kaprizov, 7; Adrian Kempe, 7; Cam Fowler, 7; Boldy, 6; Pavel Buchnevich, 6; Mitch Marner, 6.

Not bad for two members of the West's biggest underdog. - John Matisz

Leafs' top line showing up

The sequence that led to Toronto's second goal Thursday night summarized the performance of the club's top line through three games against Ottawa.

It started with Matthew Knies jockeying for real estate around the Senators' net. Then there was Auston Matthews refusing to give up on a puck and eventually winning a 50-50 battle along the wall to gain full possession. A moment later, the puck traveled behind the net, where Mitch Marner skillfully redirected it between his legs to Matthews for a clean one-time snipe.

Each member of the line is playing with such precision, and it goes beyond pure skill. Matthews and Knies have been physically dominant. Marner has been outsmarting opponents with and without the puck. And all three have been clogging shooting lanes, registering a combined 13 blocked shots.

Matthews has won 26 of 43 draws for a 60.3% success rate. Guess who swiped the puck back to the point ahead of Simon Benoit's Game 3 winner?

The Leafs are up 3-0 in the series and 3-0 in the Matthews line's 36 five-on-five minutes, most of which have come against the Sens' shutdown pairing of Jake Sanderson and Artem Zub, and the Shane Pinto-led forward line. Marner leads the club with six all-situations points. Matthews has five. Knies two.

Clutch all around - that's a phrase rarely uttered in the past about anything relating to Matthews, Marner, and the playoff pressure cooker. - John Matisz