By Basil Stroh
NHL Public Relations
A team scored six goals during the Battle of Florida in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third straight contest as the reigning Stanley Cup champion Panthers benefited from the return of Matthew Tkachuk en route to a Game 1 win.
* Max Domi scored the overtime winner for the Maple Leafs in Game 2 with his father, Tie, in the stands as Toronto withstood an Ottawa rally and opened up a 2-0 lead in a best-of-seven series for the first time in more than two decades.
* The Wild earned their first win of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs and did so with the help of Kirill Kaprizov. Minnesota heads back home with its First Round matchup deadlocked 1-1 as it eyes its fifth series win (all of which have come as the lower seed).
* Seth Jarvis scored and helped Carolina secure a win in Game 2. The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the fifth consecutive season the Hurricanes have taken a 2-0 lead in their opening-round series.
DEFENDING CHAMPS SCORE SIX FOR GAME 1 WIN IN ‘bATTLE OF FLORIDA’
Matthew Tkachuk (2-1—3) – in his first game back in the lineup since the 4 Nations Face-Off – Aleksander Barkov (0-2—2), Sam Reinhart (1-1—2) and Sam Bennett (1-1—2) were crucial pillars of Florida’s Stanley Cup run in 2024 and each registered multiple points as the Panthers scored early and often against the Lightning to take Game 1 in the Battle of Florida.
Tampa Bay won eight of the first 10 head-to-head games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs between the two franchises, but Florida has captured five of the past six outings – a stretch that has watched one of either the Panthers or Lightning score at least six goals in each of the past three playoff contests (also TBL: 6 in Game 4 of 2024 R1 & FLA: 6 in Game 5 of 2024 R1).
* Tkachuk, who scored in each of his previous six games with Florida before joining USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, netted one of his team’s two goals in a span of 14 seconds in the second period as the Panthers established a franchise record for fastest two goals in a playoff game.
* Nate Schmidt (2-0—2) got his first taste of the Battle of Florida and accounted for the first Panthers goal in the 14-second span. Florida is the fourth franchise he has scored a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with – the most among active defensemen. Only two blueliners in NHL history have done so with more: Larry Murphy and Paul Coffey (both w/ 5).
DOMI DELIVERS IN OVERTIME AS TORONTO TAKES 2-0 LEAD
Morgan Rielly (1-0—1) helped the Maple Leafs build an early first-period lead, but Brady Tkachuk’s first career playoff goal and Adam Gaudette’s tying tally with less than six minutes left in regulation helped the Senators draw even and produce the sixth playoff overtime game in the Battle of Ontario. It was Max Domi,whose father also netted a winning goal against Ottawa in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, who played the role of hero in the extra frame with his first career postseason overtime goal as Toronto took a 2-0 series lead for the first time since the 2002 Conference Quarterfinals.
Max’s father, Tie – among the fans in Scotiabank Arena for the Game 2 win – was an iconic figure for the Maple Leafs throughout his career and scored the decisive tally in Game 5 of the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals. They became the fifth father-son duo in NHL history to score a playoff game-winning goal with the same franchise, joining Butch and Pierre Bouchard (MTL), Ken Hodge Sr. and Ken Hodge Jr. (BOS), Greg and Ryan Malone (PIT) as well as Peter and Paul Stastny (COL/QUE).
* Rielly’s 13th career playoff goal tied Ian Turnbull for the most in Maple Leafs history among defensemen. In doing so, he became the first blueliner in Maple Leafs history to score in each of the team’s first two games of a postseason.
KAPRIZOV, BOLDY HELP WILD HEAD HOME WITH SERIES SPLIT IN VEGAS
Kirill Kaprizov (2-1—3) and 4 Nations Face-Off standout Matt Boldy (1-1—2) – who connected on a must-see breakout pass to open the scoring – propelled Minnesota as the Wild withstood a Golden Knights rally and became the second Western Conference club in as many nights to rebound from a Game 1 loss with a Game 2 victory.
Boldy scored the first of three Wild goals in the first period as the club tied the franchise’s most in the opening period of a playoff game. The 24-year-old also accounted for each of Minnesota’s two tallies in Game 1 and became the second player in franchise history to score three consecutive team goals in a single postseason (also Marian Gaborik: 3 from Game 3-4 of 2003 CSF)
* Kaprizov, whose effort moved him into a tie for the second-most career playoff goals in franchise history, also became the third Wild player to start a postseason with consecutive multi-point games. The others: John Klingberg (2 GP in 2023) and Eric Staal (2 GP in 2020).
HURRICANES SURGE TO TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD TO NEW JERSEY
The Devils went up 1-0 in the first period, but Jordan Martinook (1-1—2), Seth Jarvis (1-0—1) and Sebastian Aho (0-1—1) helped the Hurricanes surge back to take Game 2. The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the fifth straight postseason Carolina has taken a 2-0 lead in its opening-round series dating to the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
* Jarvis, 61 days removed from representing Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off and did so at an international tournament for the first time in his career, scored his 14th career playoff goal to tie Ron Francis for the seventh most in Hurricanes/Whalers history. In the process, Jarvis also tied Aho for the most postseason goals by a player in franchise history at age 23 or younger.
QUICK CLICKS
* #NHLStats: Live Updates – April 22, 2025 Edition
* Lou Lamoriello will not return as Islanders president, general manager
* Jason Botterill named Kraken general manager, Ron Francis promoted to president
* Stars hoping Mikko Rantanen comes alive when series flips to Colorado
* Andrei Kuzmenko fitting into first-line role with Kings going into Game 2 against Oilers
WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE FEATURES OILERS, KINGS FOLLOWING UP THRILLING GAME 1
Tonight’s slate has the Oilers looking to pull even in their First Round matchup with the Kings following a back-and-forth opener as well as the Canadiens–Capitals and Stars–Avalanche continuing their series after requiring overtime Monday.
Connor McDavid factored on four of Edmonton’s five tallies in Game 1 as the Oilers rallied from a four-goal deficit before surrendering the winner during the final minute of regulation. McDavid reached 121 career postseason points to overtake 13 players on the NHL’s all-time list and recorded his sixth career four-point playoff game, which trail only Wayne Gretzky (26), Jari Kurri (11), Mark Messier (11), Paul Coffey (9), Mario Lemieux (8) and Leon Draisaitl (7) for the most in League history. McDavid has registered four points in three of his last five postseason contests dating to Game 4 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
* Lane Hutson had two assists as Montreal rallied from a multi-goal third-period deficit to force overtime in Game 1. Hutson can become the first defenseman in franchise history with three points through his first two career playoff contests and the Canadiens’ first blueliner with three through the team’s first two games in a postseason since P.K. Subban in 2015. The most points by a Montreal defenseman through two contests in a playoff year is five, achieved by Larry Robinson in 1979.
* Nathan MacKinnon and the Avalanche return to Ball Arena, where MacKinnon has found the score sheet in each of his last 26 games dating to Dec. 12, 2024. MacKinnon and Cale Makar connected on the 1-0 goal before falling to Dallas in Game 2, which marked the 17th time where Makar assisted on a postseason tally scored by MacKinnon.
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