With two Game 7s officially decided to conclude Round 1, the second-round matchups are set for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and eight teams will continue to battle for hockey’s ultimate prize. Over the next two weeks, the Eastern and Western Conference Finals will be decided as these teams will go head-to-head.
In the Eastern Conference, the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have proven they could still be the team to beat, but will face a very tough test against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals — who finished with the best record in the East — will face off against the Carolina Hurricanes in the Metropolitan Division matchup.
When it comes to the Western Conference, the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets averted disaster in the opening round, but will face an even tougher team in the Dallas Stars. The Stars also had to overcome a 2-0 deficit in Game 7 to defeat the Colorado Avalanche, but now are favored to take down the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Finally, the Vegas Golden Knights will take on the Edmonton Oilers in what could be a battle for the ages. Vegas beat the Minnesota Wild in six games to reach the second round, while Edmonton won four consecutive games against the Los Angeles Kings to move on.
Before the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin, here are our expert picks for every series winner.
Panthers vs. Maple Leafs
Series odds: Panthers -184, Maple Leafs +150 (via FanDuel)
Bengel: I made the mistake of picking against the Panthers in the opening round, but I won’t be making the same oversight this time around. The Panthers looked like a well-oiled machine as they took down the Lightning in just five games. Star forward Matthew Tkachuk made his long-awaited return to the lineup and proved to be the straw that stirs the drink for Florida. The Panthers showcased their balanced offensive attack with everyone from Sam Reinhart to Tkachuk to Aleksander Barkov producing. It also doesn’t hurt that the Panthers have a proven playoff goaltender in the form of Sergei Bobrovsky, who tallied a 2.21 goals-against-average in the first round.
Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are going to need spectacular showings from their talented group of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares if they want to defeat the Panthers. They’re going to have to find a way to pile on the goals if they want to have any chance of beating the Panthers. I think this will be a very entertaining series, but the Panthers have too much firepower and are the reigning Stanley Cup champions for a reason. Pick — Panthers def. Maple Leafs 4-2
Nivison: The Maple Leafs were able to survive a minor scare from the Senators, and they’re back in the second round for the second time in the last three years. The last time they reached the second round, they were ousted by the Panthers in five games. If this result is going to be any different, the Core Four plus Matthew Knies will have to continue its strong play. Those five combined for 12 goals and 20 assists against the Sens.
Of course, the opponent is much more formidable now. What the Panthers did to the Lightning last round was downright frightening. Gustav Forsling and Aleksander Barkov held Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and Brandon Hagel in check for the entire series. Florida has proven time and time again it can shut down elite offensive players, and its forward group can score with anyone. The Leafs put up a good fight, but Barkov is the difference once again. Pick — Panthers def. Maple Leafs 4-2
Hurricanes vs. Capitals
Series odds: Hurricanes -160, Capitals +140 (via DraftKings)
Bengel: It’s definitely worth noting that the Capitals got quite a test against the Canadiens despite finishing off the series in five games. Still, this is a team that thrived offensively to the tune of the second-most goals per contest (3.49) during the regular season. While they have been a sensational offensive team at times, I do think that they may rely a little too much on Alex Ovechkin, and the Hurricanes have more scoring depth in Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and many others.
While I do like the Hurricanes in this matchup, I am forecasting this to be a long series as these two teams are very evenly matched. Through one round, these are the top two teams when it comes to having the lowest goals-against-average. The Hurricanes are slated to get starting netminder Frederik Anderson back from injury to begin the series, which will be a huge boost. This series could be decided by which team’s back end rising to the occasion throughout the series, and I’m ultimately backing the Hurricanes in a tight affair. Pick — Hurricanes def. Capitals 4-3
Nivision: Both of these teams were clear favorites in their respective first-round series, and they played like it. As well as these squads played offensively, the goalies have been the most impressive. Logan Thompson (4.11) and Frederik Andersen (3.93) are the top two goalies in goals saved above average this postseason, according to Natural Stat Trick.
So, which goalie will blink first and most often in this series? If Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov keep playing the way they did in Round 1, it will be Thompson. Svechikov found his scoring touch, and Aho showed that he is one of the best two-way centers in the league. For the Caps, Alex Ovechkin totaled four goals against the Canadiens, showing he can still fill the net in the playoffs too. Unfortunately for Ovechkin and everyone else on the Washington roster, Carolina and Montreal aren’t in the same universe when it comes to playing defense. Goals will be harder to come by for the Capitals, and the Canes win the series. Pick — Hurricanes def. Capitals 4-2
Stars vs. Jets
Series odds: Stars -165, Jets +140 (via BetMGM)
Bengel: Both teams had a flair for the dramatic in the first round, but ultimately survived some very tough tests. Forward Mikko Rantanen put together a pair of performances for the ages in Games 6 and 7 to push the Stars past the Avalanche. After a slow start to the postseason, Rantanen racked up a mind-boggling four goals and four assists in the final two games of that series. What may have been even mores impressive than Rantanen’s play was the fact that Dallas was able to win the series without star forward Jason Robertson and defenseman Miro Heiskanen. Considering how deep the Stars are up the middle, they’re the team to beat in this series, and I believe that they’ll come out on the winning end.
Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck — the favorite to win the Vezina Trophy — certainly didn’t play like the NHL’s top netminder in the opening round. Hellebuyck registered a shocking 3.85 goals-against-average and a .830 save percentage in seven games against the Blues. He surrendered at least three goals in six of the seven games, while allowing five or more goals in three contests. Hellebuyck simply has to be better if the Jets want any chance of hanging with the Stars and their juggernaut offense, but I just don’t see that happening. Pick — Stars def. Jets 4-2
Nivison: These teams were dead in the water in the third period of their respective Game 7 matchups, and they both stormed back in dramatic fashion to advance. The Jets were able to do it despite another troubling performance from star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, at least in regulation. His 9.84 goals allowed above average ranks dead last in the playoffs, per Natural Stat Trick.
The big question for me in this series is whether Hellebuyck can gain some confidence from a good effort in overtime of Game 7. If he can, the Jets absolutely have a shot in this series. If he continues to struggle, then the series will be very brief. The Stars simply have too much firepower, especially with Jason Robertson nearing a return, for Hellebuyck to be letting in soft goals. Besides, Winnipeg has little room for error because both Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrisey are banged up after that first-round brawl with St. Louis. Dallas is deeper, healthier and is getting better goaltending. Pick — Stars def. Jets 4-1
Oilers vs. Golden Knights
Series odds: Golden Knights -115, Oilers -105 (via Caesars)
Bengel: The Golden Knights certainly had a forgettable start against the Wild, but ultimately saw their talent push them through to the next round. However, Vegas registered a 3.17 goals-against-average, which certainly isn’t an ideal performance with a proven playoff goaltender like Adin Hill in net and now the Oilers on deck. Hill will have to play more like he did in the final three games against Minnesota. Despite getting off to a slow start offensively, the Golden Knights saw star forward Jack Eichel close out the series strong with five points over the final three games in the opening round.
Meanwhile, the Oilers averaged an NHL-best 4.5 goals per contest in the first round against the Kings. In fact, they scored at least five goals in three of those games. Whenever a team has superstar forwards like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, scoring opportunities are always going to be quite plentiful. Still, the Oilers’ Achilles heel has always seemed to be the goaltending position. Edmonton ended up moving to Calvin Pickard as the team’s starting netminder for the final four games against Los Angeles, which were all victories. If Pickard can produce serviceable performances in net, the Oilers have a chance, but I think the Golden Knights do enough to move on. Pick — Golden Knights def. Oilers 4-3
Nivison: Last round, the Oilers proved once again that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can cover up a lot of warts. That duo combined for 21 points as Edmonton ripped off four straight wins after falling behind 2-0 in the series. The Kings were as well equipped as anyone to deal with the Oilers’ star forwards, and they couldn’t contain them for long.
On paper, the Golden Knights should be up to the challenge, but Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin had some very uneven performances against the Wild. If that trend continues, McDavid and Draisaitl will feast again. On the other side, the Oilers are still without Mattias Ekholm on the blue line, which makes them vulnerable to barrages from the likes of Jack Eichel and Tomas Hertl. Add in the fact that neither team got stellar goaltending in the first round, and this could turn into a surprisingly high-scoring series. If it does, it’s tough to bet against McDavid and the Oilers. Pick — Oilers def. Golden Knights 4-3