In lower than three weeks time, the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs have already got produced a number of main moments, and Wednesday night simply added to the record.
The evening acquired underway with the Maple Leafs outlasting the Panthers, 4-3, behind two-point performances from Max Pacioretty, Max Domi and Morgan Rielly. Pacioretty continued his spectacular degree of play with a objective and an help to tempo the Maple Leafs, who take 2-0 collection result in South Florida.
NHL Playoffs 2025: Stanley Cup schedule, bracket, scores, as Maple Leafs, Stars earn victories
Austin Nivison
In the meantime, Mikko Rantanen continued his stellar play as he helped lead the Stars previous the Jets in a 3-2 win of their collection opener. Rantanen registered the primary pure hat trick in Stars’ historical past, whereas goaltender Jake Oettinger turned apart 30 of 32 photographs to carry off host Winnipeg.
With one other thrilling evening of hockey within the books, let’s take a more in-depth take a look at a couple of spectacular performances that got here out of Wednesday’s motion.
3. William Nylander | RW | Maple Leafs
Toronto has wanted offensive manufacturing from its core group of Auston Matthews, William Nylander, Mitch Marner and John Tavares this postseason. With a objective Wednesday, Nylander has actually answered the bell. The Maple Leafs star is now tied for second within the league with 13 factors within the playoffs behind solely Mikko Rantanen. (We’ll have extra to say on him shortly.)
Nylander scored his sixth objective of the postseason on the 4:18 mark of the second interval, which tied the sport at 2. Pacioretty secured the puck at middle ice and started embarking on a two-on-one with Nylander. As an alternative of hanging onto the puck, Pacioretty slid a backhanded cross throughout to Nylander, who corralled the puck and lifted it previous Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. Nylander now has tallied 5 objectives over his final three video games and scored a minimum of one objective in three consecutive contests.
2. Max Pacioretty | LW | Maple Leafs
Since being reinserted into the lineup previous to Sport 3 in opposition to the Senators within the earlier spherical, there’s been few gamers who’ve been extra spectacular than Pacioretty. The veteran ahead tallied a objective and an help, and now has six factors in his final three playoff video games, together with a objective in two of these contests.
Pacioretty made an affect on the sport in many various areas all through Sport 2. With the Maple Leafs on the power-play, Pacioretty was coasting in entrance of the crease and was in a position to deflect Rielly’s level shot just below the crossbar and into the web. Along with moving into the goal-scoring column, he additionally showcased his playmaking capacity when he assisted on Nylander’s objective within the second interval.
1. Mikko Rantanen | RW | Stars
Rantanen picked up proper the place he left off following his sensational Sport 7 when he registered a hat trick in opposition to his former staff. This time, Rantanen recorded a pure hat trick in opposition to the Jets to assist carry his staff to an enormous Sport 1 street victory. He grew to become the third gamers in Stars’ historical past — together with the franchise’s Minnesota North Stars days — to tally a minimum of six objectives over a span of 4 playoff video games.
Rantanen started his goal-scoring showcase 8:43 into the second interval as he displayed an amazing particular person effort. Teammate Evgenii Dadonov uncorked a one-timer that Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck was in a position to cease, however Rantanen swatted the rebound into the web with one hand whereas falling to the ice within the crease. Rantanen accomplished the three-goal efficiency as he was making an attempt a cross, however it went off of defenseman Dylan Samberg’s stick and into the web. The Stars ahead continues to have a nostril for scoring objectives and is making Dallas basic supervisor Jim Nill appear like a genius for getting a deal performed to accumulate Rantanen on the commerce deadline.