Mitch Marner, William Nylander, John Tavares and Auston Matthews had multiple points as the Maple Leafs opened the first “Battle of Ontario” playoff series in 21 years with a high-scoring victory.
* Logan Stankoven scored two goals to help the Hurricanes defeat the Devils, while Brett Howden also tallied twice during the Golden Knights’ victory versus the Wild.
* The Capitals and Canadiens will contest Game 1 of their First Round series before the Kings and Oilers do the same Monday. The slate also features the Blues and Stars looking to pull even against the Jets and Avalanche, respectively.
MAPLE LEAFS’ STARS SHINE AS TORONTO TAKES “BATTLE OF ONTARIO” OPENER
Mitch Marner (1-2—3), William Nylander (1-1—2), John Tavares (1-1—2) and Auston Matthews (0-2—2) all had multiple points in a playoff contest for the third time (also Game 2 of 2023 R1 & Game 4 of 2020 SCQ) as the Maple Leafs took a 1-0 lead in their First Round series with the Senators.
* Marner factored on a goal by Matthew Knies to record his fifth career three-point playoff game and surpass several skaters for sole possession of the third most in franchise history. The leaderboard is topped by Doug Gilmour (10) and Darryl Sittler (7).
* Knies tallied Toronto’s third and final power-play goal, which was less than a minute after he blocked a slap shot by Thomas Chabot. The Maple Leafs scored three power-play goals in a playoff contest for the first time since Game 1 of the 1999 Conference Finals.
* Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves and Oliver Ekman-Larsson became the first defenseman to score a goal in his first career playoff contest with Toronto since Sylvain Lefebvre in Game 1 of the 1993 Division Semifinals. Lefebvre was Ekman-Larsson, Stolarz and Steven Lorentz’s assistant coach when they won the Stanley Cup with the 2024 Panthers.
NEW HURRICANES STANKOVEN, HALL HELP CAROLINA CLAIM 1-0 SERIES LEAD
Logan Stankoven (2-0—2) and Taylor Hall (0-2—2) made an immediate impact in their postseason debuts with the Hurricanes as the in-season acquisitions had two points apiece and guided Carolina to a 4-1 win over New Jersey.
* Hall became the fifth player in Hurricanes/Whalers history with two assists in his first postseason contest with the club, joining Brent Burns (Game 1 of 2023 R1), Lucas Wallmark (Game 1 of 2019 R1), John Cullen (Game 1 of 1991 DSF) and Sylvain Cote (Game 5 of 1987 DSF). Hall appeared in five contests with the Devils during the 2018 playoffs following his Hart Memorial Trophy-winning regular season.
* Stankoven matched the Hurricanes/Whalers record for most goals in a playoff contest by a rookie, a distinction he shares with Seth Jarvis (Game 5 of 2022 R1), Warren Foegele (Game 3 of 2019 R1), Andrei Svechnikov (Game 1 of 2019 R1) and Erik Cole (Game 6 of 2002 CSF). Stankoven helped the Stars reach the Conference Finals last year and remained a rookie this season after appearing in fewer than 26 regular-season contests with Dallas.
LIVE UPDATES HAS DOROFEYEV’S FIRST CAREER PLAYOFF GOAL, OTHER DEBUTS
Sunday’s edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates had more notes from the three-game slate, including Pavel Dorofeyev’s first career postseason goal and other players who shone in their first playoff game with a franchise.
* Dorofeyev and Tomas Hertl (1-1—2), who were not part of Vegas’ Stanley Cup-winning roster two years ago, connected on a second-period goal to help the Golden Knights take a 1-0 lead in their First Round series with the Wild. Dorofeyev was a member of the organization but did not meet the criteria to have his name engraved on the trophy, while Hertl was acquired by the team ahead of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline.
QUICK CLICKS
* Jeff Skinner ready for first Stanley Cup Playoff run with Oilers
* Brad Marchand ‘same old pain in the butt’ with Panthers entering playoffs
* CFL’s Argonauts tape hockey sticks poorly, wish Maple Leafs luck in playoffs
* Easter Bunny hops over to Lenovo Center to sound Hurricanes siren
* Color of Hockey: Abby Roque big hit with kids from Hockey in New Jersey program
PLAYOFFS TO INCLUDE ALL-TIME LEADING GOAL SCORER FOR FIRST TIME 28 YEARS
For the first time since 1997, the NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer will be on the ice for the Stanley Cup Playoffs as Alex Ovechkin and the Capitals begin the pursuit of a second Stanley Cup, 15 days after he completed The Gr8 Chase. The last playoff game involving the player with the most goals in NHL history was May 25, 1997, when Wayne Gretzky notched two assists for the Rangers at Philadelphia in a series-ending Game 5 defeat in the Eastern Conference Final. Gretzky had 862 regular season goals at the time of what ended up being his final playoff game, and shared the series lead with nine points – including his 10th and final postseason hat trick in Game 2.
* The Capitals-Canadiens series is one of two cross-border matchups that will begin tonight, along with the fourth straight opening round matchup between the Oilers and Kings. In other action, the Blues will try to escape the “Winnipeg Whiteout” with a split while the Stars eye for a third consecutive Game 2 victory. Check out the April 21 edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates for notes ahead of each game.
CAPITALS-CANADIENS ENTER SECOND SERIES IN SAME RANKINGS AS FIRST MEETING
The Capitals became the turnaround team of the 2024-25 season by securing the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference after clinching the 16th and final playoff spot in their 82nd game last year – the exact situation the Canadiens found themselves in by locking in a postseason berth and a matchup with Washington on Wednesday. Captained by Alex Ovechkin, the active leader in playoff goals (72) who has 969 career goals including regular season, Washington will open the Stanley Cup Playoffs on home ice for the first time since 2021.
* Exactly 15 years ago today, the Capitals pulled ahead 3-1 in the only other series between these clubs, but the Canadiens reeled off three straight victories after that to eliminate Ovechkin, John Carlson and the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals in the 2010 Conference Quarterfinals.
* Montreal is the youngest team in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs with six returnees from their run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final – including now-captain Nick Suzuki, leading goal scorer Cole Caufield and veteran forward Brendan Gallagher – as they return to the postseason for the first time since that run. Several recent additions will look to help the Canadiens replicate their fate from 2010, including top-scoring and record-setting rookie Lane Hutson, 2022 No. 1 pick Juraj Slafkovský and seven-time 20-goal Patrik Laine.
FOURTH STRAIGHT KINGS-OILERS SERIES STARTS IN LOS ANGELES THIS TIME
This will mark their 11th all-time series and fourth year in a row in which the Kings and Oilers meet, the seventh time in the expansion era (since 1967-68) that teams go head-to-head in four straight postseasons (and second involving these clubs after four straight from 1989 to 1992). It also is the fifth time in NHL history that two clubs meet in the opening round in four or more consecutive playoff years. Los Angeles has home ice in the opening round for the first time since 2016 and just the 10th time in franchise history (4-6 in Game 1 in that scenario), as they seek to win a series against Edmonton for the first time since 1989.
* The Kings have a mix of veterans, including captain Anze Kopitar – who ranks among the top five in franchise history in many playoff categories – and young talent, like 22-year-old Quinton Byfield who has a point in seven of his past 11 playoff games, all against the Oilers (1-7—8 since 2023). Byfield was one of four Kings with at least 15 home goals this season as the club set a franchise record for home wins (31) and posted a home points percentage of .805, which ranks tied for seventh in NHL history over a 41-game home slate.
* The Oilers are expected to have both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl in their lineup for the first time since March 18 as they look to embark on another lengthy playoff run following a Game 7 defeat in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. McDavid (1.58) and Draisaitl (1.46) rank third and fourth in Stanley Cup Playoffs history for career points-per-game (min. 50 GP), including a combined 66 points against the Kings as they both rank among the top six in NHL history for career playoff points against the franchise.
