Based on the thrilling conclusion to the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the upcoming second round promises significant excitement and intense moments for hockey enthusiasts.
The opening round concluded with two dramatic Game 7s, where the home teams orchestrated impressive comebacks from two-goal deficits in the third period to advance. The Dallas Stars overcame the Colorado Avalanche with four unanswered goals, securing a 4-2 victory on Saturday. The Presidents` Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets also mounted a late rally, scoring twice in the final two minutes of regulation against the St. Louis Blues to erase a 3-1 deficit, before captain Adam Lowry netted the winner in double overtime.
These results set up a second-round series between the Stars and Jets, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Winnipeg. The Jets had the upper hand in the regular season matchups against their Central Division rivals, winning three out of four meetings and outscoring Dallas 13-5.
Western Conference Series
In the other Western Conference pairing, the Pacific Division champion Vegas Golden Knights will face the reigning conference champion Edmonton Oilers. Game 1 is set for Tuesday in Las Vegas. Both teams advanced in six games from the first round – Vegas defeating the Minnesota Wild and Edmonton overcoming the Los Angeles Kings. The Golden Knights and Oilers split their four regular-season contests in 2024-25. Their only prior playoff encounter was in the second round in 2023, where Vegas eliminated Edmonton in six games.
Eastern Conference Series
In the Eastern Conference, the Toronto Maple Leafs will take on the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. Their second-round series begins Monday at Scotiabank Arena. Florida dominated the regular-season series against Toronto, winning three of four games and outscoring them 13-7. The Panthers also eliminated the Maple Leafs in five games when they first met in the postseason two years ago in the second round.
The other Eastern series features the Washington Capitals against the Carolina Hurricanes, starting Tuesday at Capital One Arena. The home team won all four regular-season meetings between these Metropolitan Division rivals. Their only previous playoff series saw the Hurricanes defeat the Capitals in seven games in the first round back in 2019.
Betting Opportunities
Despite finishing atop their respective conferences, both Winnipeg and Washington enter their second-round series as underdogs, with odds around +140 at most sportsbooks. Toronto, which finished 10 points ahead of Florida in the Atlantic, is an even larger underdog at around +150. The series between Vegas and Edmonton is seen as nearly even, though the Golden Knights are slightly favored at -115 at several sportsbooks.
Considering the odds and matchups, here are some teams worth looking at for potential series victories from a betting perspective:
Best Bet: Vegas Golden Knights (-105)
The Golden Knights didn`t display their absolute best in the first round against Minnesota, finding themselves down 2-1 before winning two games in overtime and closing out the series 3-2 in Game 6. No Vegas player registered more than five points, and only four scored multiple goals, including defenseman Shea Theodore. Pavel Dorofeyev, their regular-season goal leader, scored only once in the first five games and missed Game 6 due to injury, potentially being a game-time decision for Game 1 against Edmonton. However, Brett Howden has stepped up significantly, scoring three goals in the first round after a career-best regular season.
The Oilers narrowly avoided being down 0-3 against the Kings, scoring four third-period goals in Game 3 to turn the series around and win the next three. Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner late in Game 2 and has started since, but his save percentage was only .893 in the series, allowing four goals twice. While Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid were key against the Kings, neither superstar scored in the last two games. If Vegas can get more production from their key forwards and Edmonton`s stars don`t elevate their game, it`s difficult to envision the Oilers reaching the conference final for a second straight year.
Best Longshot: Toronto Maple Leafs (+152)
Betting against the formidable defending champion Panthers, especially after their convincing first-round performance against Tampa Bay, is challenging. The Maple Leafs, meanwhile, took a commanding 3-0 lead against the Ottawa Senators but then dropped two straight games, needing late-game heroics from Max Pacioretty in Game 6 to finally advance. Florida clearly has an advantage in goal with Sergei Bobrovsky, but Toronto`s Anthony Stolarz served as his backup last season and might have gained valuable insight into playoff success.
For Toronto to succeed, they`ll need a significant offensive contribution from three-time Maurice Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews. He scored only twice in the opening round and has just three goals in his last 16 playoff games (including zero in five games against Florida in 2023). Despite Toronto`s inconsistent first-round finish, there`s reason to like their chances under head coach Craig Berube. He famously led St. Louis to a Stanley Cup in 2018-19 and guided the Maple Leafs to their second division title since 1999-2000 in his first year behind the bench, suggesting he could be the difference-maker.
