The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continued on Thursday night time with two extra second-round video games. Listed below are some key takeaways from the motion.
Goaltending issues for each Golden Knights and Oilers
Neither the Edmonton Oilers nor Vegas Golden Knights needs to be feeling overly assured about their goaltending conditions by way of 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 this point within the playoffs as an entire.
Vegas’ Adin Hill entered play on Thursday with solely an .876 save proportion 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 proportion in his first two video games this postseason, they went to Calvin Pickard. And whereas he entered Thursday’s recreation having received all 5 of his begins, his sub-.900 save proportion is a big concern. He additionally was not nice on Thursday.
No place modifications the playoffs or a collection greater than goaltending, and proper now each groups are struggling to get it. One in all them goes to advance, however there isn’t a assure it will get both of them a championship in the event that they hold enjoying at this degree in web.
A constructive signal for Edmonton remains to be creating
You want a few 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 downside 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 unbiased of McDavid and Draisaitl. With targets from Vasily Podkolzin and Jake Walman on Thursday, Edmonton now has targets from 15 totally different gamers this postseason and has saved its heads collectively above water as a workforce when its two greatest gamers usually are not 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 likelihood to win this collection, but in addition 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 way of the primary two video games of the collection they’re principally enjoying their recreation.
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 method is totally energetic.
However the targets usually are not 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 lately.
Carolina’s most constant Achilles heel yr in and yr out come playoff time is that regardless of doing every thing properly and enjoying a successful 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 collection the Hurricanes have simply three targets on 61 complete photographs on objective, sufficient to get them one win.
They should discover a option to rating sufficient targets to win three extra video games within the collection, and 11 extra within the playoffs total.
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