By Basil Stroh
NHL Public Relations
* After Montreal fans waited eight years to fill Bell Centre for playoff hockey, the Canadiens delivered with a six-goal outing in a contest that featured nine combined goals, three game-tying tallies and an abundance of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole’ chants as the home team cut their series deficit in half.
* An 11-goal Game 3 at Rogers Place finished with the Oilers claiming their first win of the 2025 First Round. The contest featured a third-period, game-tying goal, which has become a trend in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs – it’s the fourth playoff year in the past two decades to feature 10-plus third-period, game-tying goals at this stage of a postseason.
* Simon Nemec scored in double overtime to help the Devils move within one win of evening their series and became the second-youngest defenseman in NHL history to score a playoff goal in the extra frame.
* All three home teams earned a victory Friday to cut their series deficits to 2-1. Seventeen of the 23 games contested so far in the First Round were won by the home team, which is tied for the third-highest total at this stage of a postseason (also 17 in 2004, 1985 & 1968). The most is 19 in 1976, followed by 18 achieved three times (2000, 1988 & 1965).
* A four-game Saturday will have four different start times, making for a continuous flow of Stanley Cup Playoffs action from 1 p.m. ET until at least midnight ET. The Senators will aim to extend their series to Game 5, the Golden Knights and Avalanche vie to tie their series and the Lightning look to cut their deficit in half.
CANADIENS DOUBLE UP CAPITALS WITH GAME 3 WIN AT BELL CENTRE
Six different goal scorers found the back of the net for the Canadiens and Jakub Dobes earned his first playoff win after entering Game 3 in relief as Montreal cut its series deficit in half in front of a raucous crowd at Bell Centre. The Canadiens scored six goals in a postseason game for the first time since Game 4 of the 2015 Second Round (6-2 at TBL) – it was also the second time in the past 30 years the club featured six different goal scorers in a playoff contest, alongside the aforementioned Game 4.
Dobes became the third goaltender in Canadiens history to earn a playoff victory in a relief appearance, following Rogie Vachon (Game 4 of 1969 QF) and Charlie Hodge (Game 1 of 1955 SF), with Dobes and Hodge both doing so in their playoff debut. He also became just the fifth active netminder to win his first career playoff game in a relief appearance, joining Adin Hill (Game 3 of 2023 R2), Pyotr Kochetkov (Game 2 of 2022 R1), Elvis Merzlikins (Game 3 of 2020 SCQ) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Game 2 in 2015 SCF). Kochetkov and Merzlikins also did so in their postseason debut.
* Dobes became just the third Canadiens rookie goaltender in the past 20 years to earn a win in the postseason, joining Carey Price (5) and Dustin Tokarski (2).
OILERS STAGE COMEBACK TO SECURE GAME 3 VICTORY
A contest that saw the Oilers jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and the Kings score three straight, featured 11 total goals, three tying tallies – including one in the third – and two goals in the span of 10 seconds by Edmonton to help the club skate to a Game 3 victory. Connor McDavid (1-2—3), Evan Bouchard (2-0—2) and Leon Draisaitl (0-2—2), who finished top three in scoring last postseason, all played pivotal roles in the win.
McDavid became the fourth player in Oilers history to record 20 three-point playoff games, joining Wayne Gretzky (39), Jari Kurri (26) and Mark Messier (22). With two points in the final frame, the Oilers captain surpassed Esa Tikkanen (7) for the fourth-most multi-point third periods in franchise history, behind Gretzky (18), Kurri (11) and Messier (10).
* Bouchard scored the second of two Edmonton tallies in a span of 10 seconds, which tied the fourth-fastest two goals in a playoff contest in Oilers history (also 0:10 in Game 1 of 1988 DSF). It trails Game 1 of the 1983 Division Semifinals (0:07), Game 2 of the 1985 Conference Finals (0:07) and Game 1 of 1983 the Division Finals (0:08).
NEMEC HELPS NEW JERSEY NARROW SERIES DEFICIT WITH 2OT HEROICS
After the Devils took a 2-0 lead, the Hurricanes battled back in the third period to pull even, but Simon Nemec scored his first career playoff goal in double overtime to help New Jersey cut its series deficit in half in front of fans at Prudential Center. The Devils own an all-time record of 11-9 in Game 4 when trailing 2-1 in a best-of-seven and have rallied to win six of those series – the most recent instance was during the 2023 First Round, when they bested the Rangers in Game 7.
* Nemec (21 years, 69 days) became the youngest player in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history to score an overtime goal in the playoffs, eclipsing Adam Henrique (22 years, 80 days; Game 7 of 2012 CQF).
* Nemec became the fourth defenseman in NHL history to score his first career playoff goal in double overtime (or later), following Matt Carkner (Game 5 of 2010 CQF w/ OTT), Vladimir Konstantinov (Game 3 of 1995 CF w/ DET) and Cy Wentworth (Game 3 of 1931 SCF w/ CHI). He also became just the third defenseman to score in double overtime in the past 10 years, following Ivan Provorov (Game 6 of 2020 R2) and Victor Hedman (Game 5 of 2020 R2).
QUICK CLICKS
* Gabriel Landeskog to get larger role for Avalanche in Game 4 against Stars
* You literally gave me life’: How NHL employee was saved by co-worker’s kidney donation
* Brandon Hagel suspended, will miss Game 3 for Lightning against Panthers
* Nick Cousins, Senators fined for actions prior to Game 3 against Maple Leafs
* NHL Awards finalists to be announced starting April 28
MAPLE LEAFS LOOK TO END ‘BATTLE OF ONTARIO’ ON SECOND SATURDAY OF PLAYOFFS
The Maple Leafs head into the second Saturday of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a chance to become the first team to reach the Second Round, thanks in large part to the overtime heroics of Simon Benoit who has two playoff points to his name – both secured on overtime winners this week. Benoit is the first defenseman and fourth player in League history to have each of his first two career playoff points come in overtime, after Gustav Nyquist (1-1—2), Sergei Krivokrasov (2-0—2) and Lou Trudel (0-2—2).
Ottawa is 2-3 in Game 4 when facing a 3-0 series deficit and looks to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after losing the first three contests – something its opponent was the first to do 83 years ago (TOR in 1942 SCF, NYI in 1975 QF, PHI in 2010 CSF & LAK in 2014 R1). The two instances of the Senators extending a series with a Game 4 win were in the 2015 First Round (vs. MTL; lost series 4-2) and 2006 Conference Semifinals (at BUF; lost series 4-1).
* The Maple Leafs hold a 3-0 series lead for just the second time since their last Stanley Cup win in 1967, with both of those instances coming against the provincial rival Senators. Toronto went on to win four straight against Ottawa in the 2001 Conference Quarterfinals, the most recent of the three best-of-seven sweeps in franchise history – the others came in consecutive Stanley Cup Final matchups against Detroit in 1948 and 1949. Overall, the Maple Leafs are 3-3 in Game 4 when holding a 3-0 series lead.
FIRST POTENTIAL SERIES-CLINCHER PART OF FULL DAY OF PLAYOFF ACTION
All four games on Saturday’s slate have a different start time, making for a continuous flow of Stanley Cup Playoffs action from 1 p.m. ET until at least midnight ET – though each of the final two contests are in series coming off back-to-back overtime games.
In Sunrise, Sergei Bobrovsky takes his 86:56 shutout streak home to Amerant Bank Arena – where the last playoff game ended with a Stanley Cup lift for the Panthers. Bobrovsky has allowed only three goals against in his past three postseason appearances dating to Game 7 of the 2024 Final – which have come against last year’s top three playoff scorers (Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard & Leon Draisaitl) and this season’s highest-scoring team (TBL: 3.56 G/GP).
* In St. Paul, the high-scoring duo of Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy look to give the Wild a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history (this will be their fifth attempt to do so, as they are 0-4 in Game 4 when leading 2-1 in a best-of-seven series). Three Wild Card teams have taken a 3-1 series lead since the format was introduced in 2013-14: Florida (2023 R2), Colorado (2019 R1) and Nashville (2017 R2). Vegas, meanwhile, can tie a series at 2-2 for the third time (2-2 record in Game 4 when trailing series 2-1).
* In Denver, the host Avalanche will seek to claim a Game 4 victory to even their series with the Stars following back-to-back overtime defeats. Four of the six previous Colorado-Dallas series have required at least six games (including their two most recent meetings in 2020 & 2024), but only two have been deadlocked through four contests (2000 CF & 1999 CF).
* The Stars–Avalanche and Maple Leafs–Senators are both coming off consecutive overtime games. Ottawa has never played three straight overtime games in a playoff series, but Toronto, Dallas and Colorado all have done so three times: Toronto last had that happen in the 2017 First Round (vs. WSH), Colorado in the 2010 Conference Quarterfinals (vs. SJS) and Dallas in the 2001 Conference Quarterfinals (vs. EDM). Dallas forward Matt Duchene played for Colorado the last time that franchise contested three straight overtime games in a series – and his eventual Stars teammate Joe Pavelski scored the last of the OT winners during that stretch in 2010.
NHL PODCASTS WEEKLY ROUNDUP
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 25): Gary Roberts on Rivalries, Playoff Intensity, and the Battle of Ontario
* Energy Line with Nate and JSB (April 25): Mike Johnson discusses the Maple Leafs’ big series lead, first round of playoffs
* La Tasse de Café LNH (April 24): Balado : Les Capitals dans le siège du conducteur
* NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers (April 24): Brad Richardson has seen some things: Playoff roundup, the coaching carousel and JD’s Warfare review
* NHL @TheRink (April 23): Mike Rupp joins; NHL Playoffs heating up, Max Domi’s OT heroics, Coaching shakeups
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 23): A Conversation With The Commissioner: Playoffs, LTIR, and the Future of the NHL
* Never Offside with Julie and Cat (April 22): WillMack Chaos; Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini join
* Energy Line with Nate and JSB (April 22): Jonny Lazarus talks Stanley Cup playoff debate, Rangers coaching change
* 100% Hockey with Millard & Shannon (April 21): Leafs Strike First & More Playoff Reactions with Mike Johnson
* NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers (April 21): Jackie Redmond live from WrestleMania: Blackwood’s big night, more playoff previews and JD’s dad joins us
* NHL Fantasy on Ice (April 17): 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs preview: fantasy pools & betting
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