What we learned about the eight NHL teams eliminated in Round 1

New York Times

05-05-2025

As each playoff round ends, the focus tends to be on the winner. Whoever advances will be in the spotlight for at least another round, while the loser has extra offseason time to contemplate what went wrong in Round 1.
For some teams, the wrong will outweigh the right. For others, there are positive aspects to build on. Either way, there is always something to take away from both sides of the matchup when a series ends.
Before Round 2 begins, let's look at what we learned about the eight teams eliminated in Round 1.
Year after year, the Devils showed potential in front of the blue paint, but goaltending was their undoing. That was even a problem in their breakthrough 2022-23 season; the Devils had steady goaltending during the regular season before it contributed to their Round 2 demise.
Enter Jacob Markstrom, who was coming off one of his best seasons in Calgary. He had stretches of excellence in his first year in New Jersey and was his team's rock in Round 1.
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Markstrom gave his team a chance to win with a quality start in four or five appearances against the Hurricanes, with a collective 5.06 goals saved above expected. Even when he fell short — like a disastrous second period in Game 5 — Markstrom rounded back into form and dragged his team into double overtime. Tied 4-4 after two periods, he faced 54 unblocked shot attempts (worth a total value of 3.53 expected goals) over the next 44 minutes and got little offensive support from the team in front of him, which only mustered 12 unblocked shot attempts (worth 0.61 expected goals).
Marky's out here making the incredible look easy. pic.twitter.com/qyglWhzV7c
— New Jersey Devils (@NJDevils) April 30, 2025
Markstrom solidified a position that has burned the Devils for years. Now management needs to add some secondary scoring to give him more support.
There is nothing glamorous about a Round 1 exit in five games. But that doesn't define the Canadiens' year, or make the season a loss.
For a rebuilding team, there are building blocks to success. A team has to:
The last step was the one Montreal had to take this year. After a roller-coaster first half, the Canadiens turned things around at the 4 Nations break and joined the playoff race. Sure, the team needed some good fortune and bad Eastern Conference teams around them to even be in the position for a playoff seed. But that doesn't matter. The fact that the Canadiens played meaningful hockey down the stretch was an accomplishment. The fact that it led to a playoff appearance was a major step, no matter the results. This group of players — led by Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson — gained seasoning and learned how to lose in the playoffs. The next step is learning how to win there, and they're on the right track.
Getting through an 82-game season is one thing. Going on a deep run in the playoffs is an entirely different challenge. Anything can happen in the postseason — that's the beauty of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But that's also what makes rental pick-ups incredibly risky.
A team can load up at the deadline and look poised for a deep run, only to get knocked out in Round 1. And between the deadline and that Round 1 appearance, there isn't always enough time for players to blend into their new surroundings, either. That's why it helps to add players for more than one playoff run.
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Oliver Bjorkstrand has another year on his contract. Having an offseason to prepare for Lightning hockey, plus a full regular season, should help him carve out a role in the lineup. And it should help the Lightning gain more on their big 2025 deadline investment after a disappointing Round 1 exit. It's a strategy this team has used in years past — with Brandon Hagel, who needed time to cook with the Lightning before taking off, and before him, Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. A similar approach should help Tampa Bay run it back next year.
Everything is amped up in the playoffs: the intensity, the pressure, the physicality. But teams still have to walk a fine line between a playoff style and being undisciplined.
That was a lesson for many of the Senators making their playoff debuts in Game 1. As much as the whistles go away in the postseason, that generally isn't the case early on. As series (and rounds) progress, fewer penalties are called and fewer power plays are awarded.
There were 47 power play opportunities across all Game 1s, including six for the Maple Leafs. The first came in the second period, when Tim Stützle boarded Chris Tanev. John Tavares made the Senators pay with a power-play goal. Then, when Ottawa was down two men, both for cross-checking penalties, William Nylander converted on the advantage. The Leafs' third power-play goal was scored after Tyler Kleven high-sticked Scott Laughton.
After scoring three power-play goals in Game 1, Toronto scored another three over the next five games.
It's a harsh lesson any up-and-coming team has to learn in their return to the playoffs and take with them in the future.
Kirill Kaprizov is a game-breaker who likely would have been a Hart Trophy favorite if he didn't miss half of the season. The Wild probably would have locked up their playoff seed sooner with him in the fold, too. But his return was well-timed. After getting some regular-season reps in, he was ready for the postseason. He was part of a loaded top line, with Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy, that managed to slow down Jack Eichel and give the Wild a real chance of upsetting the Golden Knights.
My goodness, Kirill Kaprizov 🤮 pic.twitter.com/Gq0tfC9XeW
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 23, 2025
It was a reminder of just how electric Kaprizov can be and how valuable he is in Minnesota. Boldy, Eriksson Ek and Brock Faber are all already signed long-term. Now management has to find a way to lock up their biggest star as soon as possible.
Kaprizov's current deal is up in 2026, but he can extend as soon as July 1. Between the rising cap and the Wild opening up space with buyouts coming off the books, the sky is the limit for his next contract. That deal could reach the $15-16 million range.
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Sometimes, teams think the best defense is a passive game: just contain the opponent and keep the game low-scoring. But that strategy doesn't have enough dimension, and even the best shutdown teams can lose control of the game that way. Opponents only have to think about one thing in those situations — breaking through that defensive wall — instead of having to play defense against the opponent's attack and then trying to push the pace offensively.
Teams can fall into that mindset when holding a lead late in games, especially in a risk-averse playoff environment. That's what the Kings did as early as Game 1 when carrying a 4-1 lead into the third. LA may have won the game, but it wasn't until after the Oilers came back from a three-goal deficit.
Apparently that blown lead wasn't enough of a lesson for the Kings, because they employed a similar strategy in Game 4 when up 3-1. The Oilers pushed back, with a 33-15 edge in all-situations shot attempts in the third period, to tie the game 3-3 and force overtime. There, Edmonton controlled play with a 31-17 shot attempt advantage before Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner.
Via MoneyPuck
That's when the Kings lost control of the series, and they never had the chance to regain it.
In a perfect world, the Avalanche wouldn't have been in a best-on-best matchup against the Stars in Round 1. The playoff format may be flawed, but there is no appetite to change it. So even though the path isn't always fair, teams have to prepare for that.
Even when teams do prepare for it — look at how much the Avs overhauled their roster this year — it doesn't always translate. Even when management thinks they are making the right moves to extend a window of contention by getting younger and more cost-effective, it doesn't always work out. Mikko Rantanen landing in Dallas wasn't on the Avs' bingo card in January, but sometimes things backfire.
MIKKO RANTANEN TIES GAME 7!!! 🔥
📺 ABC/ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/h914GGVSRx
— ESPN (@espn) May 4, 2025
Sometimes, a team can be better on paper for most of the series and isn't necessarily rewarded. That's hockey. Teams have to be good and lucky to win. And sometimes, a team can have two of the best players in the world in Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon and still fall short.
That's been the case for the Avs for three straight years, who haven't returned to the Western Conference final since winning the Stanley Cup in 2022. The regular season is a grind, but the playoffs are a different animal. It's not easy staying at the top — not when every team studies the best in the league, trying to replicate their success or learn how to beat them.
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Finding the positives in St. Louis may be hard after the team was seconds away from beating the Jets and advancing. There are lessons on the importance of six-on-five situations and how much home ice matters in a series. But the Blues' Round 1 appearance also highlighted big-picture roster-building strategies from last year. The decision to disrupt with not one but two offer sheets to Edmonton played a pivotal part in the Blues' turnaround and playoff run.
Dylan Holloway emerged into a true top-six talent in St. Louis, especially after the coaching change. As much as the Blues embraced a 'next man up' mentality in his absence, he was missed in Round 1. Philip Broberg showed he has the chops to play a top-four role with his new team and stepped up in the playoffs. His play in Game 6 helped extend the Blues' season and force a Game 7.
Offer-sheeting players requires a few things: draft capital and cap space, plus a willingness to potentially sour relations with another team. But the payoff was clear for St. Louis. The Blues acquired players in their prime who can contribute to the team's success now and in the future. If management can keep taking bold swings like this, the Blues can turn this playoff appearance into the start of their next window of contention.
Data via Evolving-Hockey, HockeyViz, HockeyStatCards, All Three Zones and Natural Stat Trick. This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer on these numbers.
(Top photo of Brady Tkachuk and Auston Matthews: Marc DesRosiers / Imagn Images)