By Basil Stroh
SECOND ROUND SERIES SHIFT TO CAROLINA, EDMONTON
Second Round series will shift to Carolina and Edmonton on Saturday as the Hurricanes and Capitals both have the chance to take a 2-1 series lead, while the Golden Knights will focus on cutting their series deficit and stymieing the Oilers, who have their sights set on a seventh straight win. Both games will be available in a doubleheader across the U.S. (TNT, MAX, truTV) and in Canada (Sportsnet, TVAS).
* Alex Ovechkin (37 in 75 GP) can match Sidney Crosby (38) for the most playoff road goals by an active player should he find the back of the net. Ovechkin enters Game 2 tied with Mario Lemieux (0.49) for the fourth-highest goals-per-game average on the road in Stanley Cup Playoffs history (min. 50 GP), behind Dino Ciccarelli (0.58), Maurice Richard (0.54) and Brett Hull (0.51).
* Sebastian Aho and the Hurricanes return to Lenovo Center as one of three teams undefeated at home this postseason (3-0, along with EDM & STL), and can win four straight home playoff games for the seventh time overall and second time in four years following their franchise record-setting 7-0 run in 2022. Aho (30-49—79 in 81 GP) can become the first player in Hurricanes/Whalers history to reach the 50-assist and 80-point milestones – benchmarks achieved by only four and five Finnish players in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, respectively.
* Mark Stone will aim to help the Golden Knights erase a 2-0 deficit for the second time in franchise history – after a Game 2 loss in overtime during the 2021 Second Round, Vegas rallied for four straight wins to eliminate Colorado (the only other time they lost the first two games of a series). Stone, who scored the overtime goal in Game 5 to take a 3-2 lead in that 2021 series, will aim to extend his point streak to six games (as will Jack Eichel). Stone’s run includes an active three-game multi-point streak, one from tying the longest in franchise playoff history (4 GP for Chandler Stephenson in 2023 & Max Pacioretty in 2019).
* The Oilers return to Rogers Place where they’ve been led in scoring by two players who factored on their overtime winner in Game 2: Leon Draisaitl (1-5—6 in 3 home GP) and Connor McDavid (1-5—6 in 3 home GP). Edmonton will aim to extend its already historic run of consecutive comeback wins – it can match the longest run in NHL history (regular season or playoffs), benchmarks established by the 1984-85 Kings (7 GP from Nov. 9-21, 1984) and matched later by the 2016-17 Jets (7 GP from March 26 – April 8, 2017). Another comeback win at any point would be the most by the Oilers in one postseason in 34 years and mark the fourth time they have at least seven in one playoff year (8 in 1991, 8 in 1987 & 7 in 1988).
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