* The Panthers rallied to cut their deficit to one goal on two occasions but a three-point first period from William Nylander and an eventual game winner from Matthew Knies helped the Maple Leafs take a 1-0 lead in a second-round series for the first time since 2001.

* The Islanders won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery – a jump from 10th spot entering the lottery – and will have the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft.

* The second day of Game 1s will feature the Capitals welcoming the Hurricanes, before the Golden Knights and Oilers begin their series – one that will feature two players who’ve led the playoffs in scoring in each of the past three postseasons (Connor McDavid: 2022 & 2024; Jack Eichel: 2023). The most recent Game 1 between Vegas and Edmonton was the last playoff game to feature a player score four goals (Leon Draisaitl in Game 1 of 2023 R2).

NYLANDER NOTCHES THREE POINTS, MAPLE LEAFS WITHSTAND PANTHERS RALLY
William Nylander (2-1—3) opened the scoring just 33 seconds into Game 1 en route to a three-point first period before the Panthers cut the Maple Leafs’ lead to one goal on two separate occasions in the final frame, but Matthew Knies (1-1—2) scored the eventual game winner to help Toronto take a 1-0 lead against the defending Stanley Cup champions. Toronto claimed its first 1-0 lead in a second-round series since the 2001 Conference Semifinals (2-0 W vs. NJD).

* Nylander (0:33) recorded the seventh-fastest game-opening goal in Maple Leafs postseason history and the fastest since Game 3 of the 1987 Division Semifinals (Dan Daoust: 0:31). His six game-opening goals in the postseason trail only Ted Kennedy (9) and Dave Keon (7) for the most in franchise history.

* Nylander became the second player in Maple Leafs history to record three points in the first period of a playoff game, following Morgan Rielly (0-3—3 in Game 2 of 2023 R1). He also became the 10th Maple Leafs skater to record consecutive multi-goal games in the postseason and first since Wendel Clark (Game 6-7 of 1994 CSF).

* Rielly (1-0—1) netted the third of three Toronto tallies in the opening frame and passed Ian Turnbull (13) for the most playoff goals by a Maple Leafs defenseman. Of note, Red Kelly played forward during his tenure with Toronto and was a defenseman during his time with the Detroit.

* Joseph Woll entered the game midway through the second period for his first postseason appearance of 2025. He became the second Maple Leafs netminder to earn a playoff win in relief, joining Terry Sawchuk (Game 5 of 1967 SF).

ISLANDERS WIN 2025 NHL DRAFT LOTTERY

The Islanders won the 2025 NHL Draft Lottery and will have the No. 1 pick in the 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft. New York, which moved from 10th to first in the lottery and began the night with a 3.5 percent chance of ending up with the No. 1 pick, will select first overall at the NHL Draft for the fifth time in franchise history following 2009 (John Tavares), 2000 (Rick DiPietro), 1973 (Denis Potvin) and 1972 (Billy Harris).

* Click here for details on the top prospects, including top-ranked North American skater Matthew Schaefer, for the upcoming 2025 Upper Deck NHL Draft set for June 27-28 in the city of Los Angeles at L.A. Live’s Peacock Theater.

2025 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS SECOND CHANCE BRACKET
Bracket busted? With the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Chance Bracket, fans can now submit a new bracket with their playoffs predictions for the remaining rounds at NHL.com/Bracket. Brackets lock on Wednesday, May 7 at 7 p.m. ET. Through the end of the first round, 33,595 unique brackets had all of the first-round series correct (4.2%).

QUICK CLICKS

* #NHLStats: Live Updates from Monday
* Rob Blake out as Kings general manager, no replacement named
* Wild share farewell video for Marc-Andre Fleury featuring kids
*Adin Hill of Golden Knights set for full-circle moment in Western 2nd Round
*Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson and Dustin Wolf Voted Calder Trophy Finalists