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USA Today
17-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
2025 NHL playoffs series power rankings: Which first-round matchup is the best?
2025 NHL playoffs series power rankings: Which first-round matchup is the best? Show Caption Hide Caption Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzsky for most goals in NHL history Alex Ovechkin reached a career milestone, scoring his 895th goal. We recently asked Washington Capitals fans where Ovechkin ranks among the NHL greats. Mikko Rantanen will be the center of attention when the Dallas Stars meet the Colorado Avalanche meet in the first round because he starred for the Avalanche before they shockingly traded him. He didn't go straight to the Stars, but the Carolina Hurricanes moved him before the trade deadline and he signed long-term with Dallas. Rantanen is a playoff standout with 101 points in 81 games, the type of production that the Stars hope get them beyond the conference final this year. But first Dallas will have to get past the Avalanche, no small task, even though it did last season. Colorado has reigning MVP Nathan MacKinnon and 30-goal defenseman Cale Makar, the 2022 playoff MVP. They added Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle at the trade deadline, and captain Gabriel Landeskog (knee) could be back for the first time since the 2022 championship. The Stars have difficulties beyond their opponent. They followed a seven-game winning streak with a season-ending 0-5-2 slide. No. 1 defenseman Miro Heiskanen remains out and leading goal scorer Jason Robertson limped off the ice Wednesday. The Stars-Avalanche series leads USA TODAY's power rankings of the NHL's eight Stanley Cup playoffs first-round matchups. Here are the rest: 2. Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers One of these teams has reached the Stanley Cup Final the past five seasons. Tampa Bay has two titles and Florida is the defending champion. The Lightning beat the Panthers twice in the playoffs and Florida won last year's series. Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy is a clutch goalie, Brayden Point is a clutch scorer and Nikita Kucherov has won the last two scoring titles. This might be the deepest Lightning team since the Stanley Cup days. The Panthers, though banged up and missing suspended Aaron Ekblad for Games 1 and 2, are also loaded with talent. Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk and newcomer Brad Marchand could make life miserable for Lightning players. 3. Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators You know a series will be intense when it's called the "Battle of Ontario." This will be the first time the teams have met in the playoffs since 2004. Senators captain Brady Tkachuk is making his playoff debut a year after brother Matthew won a Stanley Cup. Toronto always faces pressure in the playoffs. Can pending free agent Mitch Marner follow his 100-point season with a big playoff performance? And will new coach Craig Berube, a former Stanley Cup winner, help the Maple Leafs avoid another early exit? 4. Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues Remember the 4 Nations Face-Off final, when Canada's Jordan Binnington made several spectacular saves in overtime before Connor McDavid scored on the USA's Connor Hellebuyck for a 3-2 win? Well, they'll be in opposite creases again in this series. Winnipeg's Hellebuyck is favored to win a second consecutive Vezina Trophy, but he was rocked last season in the playoffs (5.23 goals-against average, .864 save percentage) by the Avalanche. Binnington won the Stanley Cup in 2019 but has missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Washington's Alex Ovechkin drew plenty of attention because he broke Wayne Gretzky's goal record. But that overshadowed the fact that the Capitals had a tremendous season after retooling on the fly. Coach Spencer Carbery made all the new veterans mesh properly, leading to numerous personal bests. The Capitals slipped a little down the stretch, so we'll see if they can turn things around against the Canadiens, who made the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Lane Hutson tied a rookie defenseman record with 60 assists, Nick Suzuki scored 30 goals and Ivan Demidov has shown impressive skills in his two games in the league. 6. Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers This will be their fourth consecutive first-round meeting. Edmonton has won the previous three series, needing seven games the first time, then six, then five last season as the Oilers went on to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final. But something feels different this year. The Kings have home-ice advantage and were 31-5-4 at Arena before Thursday's game. Former Stanley Cup winner Darcy Kuemper has provided steady goaltending and the Kings have good secondary scoring, including former Oiler Warren Foegele. Los Angeles won the season series 3-1 and shut out Edmonton twice. The Oilers have star power in Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl but those two had some injury issues down the stretch and defenseman Mattias Ekholm will miss the first round. Considering the series history, though, don't count out Edmonton until the handshake line. 7. Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild The Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in 2023, dipped the following season and won a division title this year, despite losing Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and others to free agency. Pavel Dorofeyev took advantage and jumped from 13 goals to 35. This is a deep, dangerous team, especially with Jack Eichel returning from injury on Wednesday. The Wild have one of the league's top players in Kirill Kaprizov, who missed half a season with injury. He scored three points in his return. This will be the last time to watch future Hall of Fame goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, though Filip Gustavsson likely will see nearly all of the action. 8. Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils This series lost some luster because Devils star Jack Hughes had season-ending surgery. Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour's teams are a near lock to advance to the second round. Devils coach Sheldon Keefe got out of the first round only once when he was with the Maple Leafs. Carolina beat New Jersey two years ago in the playoffs. The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.
USA Today
11-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Frozen Four scores, bracket: Western Michigan vs. Boston University title game set
Frozen Four scores, bracket: Western Michigan vs. Boston University title game set Show Caption Hide Caption Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzsky for most goals in NHL history Alex Ovechkin reached a career milestone, scoring his 895th goal. We recently asked Washington Capitals fans where Ovechkin ranks among the NHL greats. The Western Michigan Broncos and Boston University Terriers will battle for the 2025 men's ice hockey national championship on Saturday. Both schools were victors during Thursday's Frozen Four games in St. Louis. That's about where the similarities end for these two programs. Western Michigan is making its first Frozen Four appearance and, subsequently, is playing for the national title for the first time. The Broncos won in the most dramatic of fashions Thursday, knocking out defending champion Denver in double overtime. Boston University is one of the sport's powerhouse programs, playing in its third straight Frozen Four and 25th overall (third best all-time). The Terriers, though, haven't won it all since 2009. They reached the final by dispatching Penn State. Here's everything you need to know about the Frozen Four and championship game: Frozen Four schedule Here's the schedule for the Frozen Four, which began on Thursday: Thursday, April 10 Western Michigan 3, Denver 2 (2OT) Boston University 3, Penn State 1 Saturday, April 12 Western Michigan vs. Boston University | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2 (Fubo) Frozen Four bracket Here's a look at the matchups for the 2025 Frozen Four: Western Michigan vs. Denver Boston University vs. Penn State How to watch Frozen Four TV channel : ESPN2 : ESPN2 Live stream: ESPN App | ESPN+ | Fubo (free trial) The Frozen Four semifinals and championship game will air on ESPN2. John Buccigross (play-by-play) and Colby Cohen (analyst) will call the game while Quint Kessenich will serve as the rinkside reporter. Streaming options include the ESPN App, ESPN+ — ESPN's subscription streaming service — and Fubo, the last of which offers a free trial for potential subscribers. Watch the 2025 Frozen Four live with Fubo (free trial) Where is the Frozen Four? Location: Enterprise Center (St. Louis) The 2025 Frozen Four will be held at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, the home rink of the NHL's St. Louis Blues. It's the first time since 2007 and the third time that St. Louis has played host to the event.
USA Today
10-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
When do 2025 NHL playoffs begin? Bracket format, dates and more
When do 2025 NHL playoffs begin? Bracket format, dates and more Show Caption Hide Caption Alex Ovechkin passes Wayne Gretzsky for most goals in NHL history Alex Ovechkin reached a career milestone, scoring his 895th goal. We recently asked Washington Capitals fans where Ovechkin ranks among the NHL greats. The NHL regular season will end in one week, and plenty of positioning is still to be determined. The Washington Capitals have clinched the Metropolitan Division title and could clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference on Thursday night. However, the Pacific, Central and Atlantic Division titles are still up for grabs on Thursday morning, as is the Presidents' Trophy winner for top regular-season team. The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils will face each other in the first round, but the other seven first-round series have yet to be cemented. Only 12 of the 16 playoff spots have been clinched. Here's what you need to know about when the NHL playoffs begin, the Stanley Cup playoffs bracket format and key dates through the opening of free agency. When does the NHL regular season end? The NHL regular season is scheduled to end on Thursday, April 17 with seven games. When do the NHL playoffs begin? The NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs are scheduled to begin on Saturday, April 19. NHL playoff bracket explained The top three teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. The next best two teams in each conference qualify as wild-card teams. The playoff bracket is as follows (all series are best-of-seven): First round (in each conference) Best team vs. second wild-card team No. 2 team in that division vs. No. 3 team. Other division winner vs. first wild-card team No. 2 team in that division vs. No. 3 team. Second round (in each conference) The winners of the first two series would face each other, as would the winners of the third and fourth series. Home-ice advantage goes to the team with the best record. Conference finals (in each conference) The winners of the second-round series would face each other. Home-ice advantage goes to the team with the best record. Stanley Cup Final Conference finals winners would face each other in the championship round. Home-ice advantage goes to the team with the best record. Current NHL playoff bracket (as of morning of Thursday, April 10) Eastern Conference Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers Western Conference Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers When is the NHL draft lottery? That date is to be determined. It's usually in May between the first and second rounds of the playoffs. NHL Central Scouting's final prospects rankings are due to come out the week of April 15. When is the NHL Scouting Combine? The 2025 NHL Scouting Combine will be held June 1-7 at LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, New York. When does the Stanley Cup Final begin? No opening date has been set. It depends on how the playoff series progress. The last possible date for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is June 23. When is the NHL Awards Show? That date is to be determined. When is the NHL draft? The 2025 draft will be held on Friday, June 27 and Saturday, June 28 in Los Angeles at L.A. Live's Peacock Theater. It was last held in Los Angeles in 2010. Top prospects, media and fans will be in attendance, but NHL team executives, scouts and coaches will participate virtually this year. When does NHL free agency begin? NHL free agency begins at noon on July 1.
