Recap of Stanley Cup Playoffs from 17 May

May 18, 2025

Thomas Harley scored just 1:33 into overtime to send the Stars to their third straight Western Conference Final and lock in a rematch of last year’s series against the Oilers.* Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, William Nylander and John Tavares look to earn their first Game 7 victory as teammates when the Maple Leafs close out their Second Round matchup versus Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers, whose last winner-take-all showdown ended with them hoisting the Stanley Cup.

* Max Pacioretty and Brad Marchand will contest their first Game 7 with Toronto and Florida, respectively, and find themselves already among rare NHL company ahead of the series finale.

STARS REACH THIRD STRAIGHT CONFERENCE FINAL, LOCK IN REMATCH WITH OILERS
The Stars and Jets were tied at one goal apiece through 60 minutes of play but Thomas Harley (1-1—2) scored 93 seconds into overtime to secure Dallas’ third straight berth into the Conference Finals. The Stars will look to flip the script on the Oilers in a rematch of the 2024 Western Conference Final – a series Edmonton won in six games.

* Harley (23 years, 271 days) became the third-youngest defenseman in NHL history to score a series-clinching goal in overtime, following Babe Pratt (21 years, 77 days; Game 2 of 1937 QF) and Bobby Orr (22 years, 51 days; Game 4 of 1970 SCF). Harley’s tally also marked the third-fastest, series-clinching overtime goal by a blueliner in League history (1:33), trailing only Chris Tanev (0:11 in Game 4 of 2020 SCQ) and Orr (0:40 in Game 4 of 1970 SCF).

* Miro Heiskanen, who returned to the Stars lineup in Game 4 of the Second Round following a near four-month absence, factored on Sam Steel’s game-tying goal and registered his 12th career point in potential series-clinching games which tied Sergei Zubov for the most by a Stars/North Stars defenseman.

* The Stars are off to the final four in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 14th time in franchise history, which ranks second among non-Original Six franchises behind only the Flyers (16). This marks Dallas’ second run of three straight Conference Finals appearances following 1998 to 2000, which included the franchise’s only Stanley Cup championship (1999).

* WATCH HERE for full highlights from Jets-Stars Game 6.

* The Stars and Oilers are set to become the 10th pair of teams in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to meet in a Conference Final/Semifinal in at least two straight years. It will also mark the 10th playoff series between the Oilers and Stars/North Stars, and eighth since 1993-94 when the latter franchise moved to Dallas. Their eight matchups since 1994 are the second most over that span behind the Capitals and Penguins (9x).

SCHEIFELE SCORES IN HONOR OF HIS LATE FATHER IN GAME 6
Hours after losing his father, Brad, Mark Scheifele honored him by taking to the ice for Game 6 where he scored the opening goal. Following the contest, Scheifele and the Jets met the Stars at center ice for an emotional handshake line, where they paid their respects to the Winnipeg forward.

* Stars fans honored Scheifele and his father by making donations of $55 – the number he wears on his jersey – to charities the Jets forward supports, including the True North Youth Foundation which consists of a number of programs that empower underserved youth in Manitoba.

QUICK CLICKS

* #NHLStats: Live Updates from Saturday
* Conference final round of Stanley Cup Playoffs opens with East on Tuesday
* Craig Berube’s guidance in 1st year has Maple Leafs on verge of East Final

* Panthers ‘feel the pressure’ heading into Game 7 against Maple Leafs
* Alex Ovechkin to return for 21st NHL season with Capitals

Toronto to face Florida in Game 7 showdown at Scotiabank Arena

Auston Matthews and the Maple Leafs are pitted against Aleksander Barkov and the Panthers in their Second Round series finale tonight, with the victor advancing to face the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final. The third winner-take-all showdown of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which follows thrilling Game 7 wins by the Stars and Jets in the First Round, starts at 7:30 p.m. ET and is available on TNT, truTV and Max in the U.S. as well as on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada.

* Matthews can lead Toronto to its first Game 7 win since the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals and snap the franchise’s 0-6 slide in those contests since then. The Maple Leafs can also log their first-ever Game 7 victory versus a reigning champion following defeats against the Lightning in the 2022 Second Round, Devils in the 2001 Conference Semifinals and Flyers in the 1976 Quarterfinals.

* Matthews will contest his sixth career Game 7 and first alongside Max Pacioretty, whose four career series-clinching goals are tied for the most among active players. Pacioretty potted two of his clinchers during Game 7s, which were with Vegas in the 2021 First Round and Montreal in the 2014 Second Round.

* Barkov can guide Florida to its third consecutive Game 7 win following victories versus Boston in the 2023 First Round and Edmonton in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, the latter of which concluded with the Finnish captain hoisting the Cup. Barkov is one of 13 players on the team’s roster who appeared in the championship-clinching win.* Barkov and the Panthers will play their first Game 7 with Brad Marchand, who has required a winner-take-all showdown in each of his four previous playoff series against the Maple Leafs and has gone 4-0 in those contests. Marchand is set to skate in his 13th career Game 7 overall, which will mark the most among active players.

* Paul Maurice (5-0) is one of two bench bosses in League history with wins in each of his first five career Game 7s (also Peter DeBoer: 9-0), while Craig Berube boasts a 2-1 record as a head coach, including a victory versus Marchand and the Bruins during the 2019 Final. Maurice and Berube are set to square off in the NHL’s first-ever Game 7 where both head coaches have at least one Game 7 win to clinch a Cup.