On Thursday, home teams aim to tie their respective series as the second round of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continues. The top-seeded Washington Capitals face the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 at home in the Eastern Conference, while in the West, the Vegas Golden Knights host the Edmonton Oilers for their second contest.
Despite winning all home games against Montreal in the first round, Washington lost Game 1 to Carolina 2-1 in overtime after surrendering a third-period lead. Carolina`s Jaccob Slavin scored the winner early in the extra frame, marking the Hurricanes` third overtime game in their last four.
Vegas`s home record dropped to 2-2 this postseason after a 4-2 loss on Tuesday. Mark Stone gave the Golden Knights a quick 2-0 lead with two goals, but Edmonton narrowed the gap before the first intermission and scored three times in the third period to take the series lead.
Edmonton has won five games in a row since dropping the first two against Los Angeles. The reigning Western Conference champions have trailed in all five of these wins and were either behind or tied entering the third period in four instances.
Best Bets
Alex Ovechkin, Capitals: Anytime goal scorer (+165, bet365)
The NHL`s regular-season goal king didn`t find the net in the series opener, but he rarely goes consecutive games without a goal, doing so only twice since late January. Ovechkin is on the verge of passing Mario Lemieux for 12th place on the all-time playoff goal list with his next tally. The veteran forward scored twice against Carolina during the 2024-25 regular season and four times in their 2019 playoff series.
Dylan Strome, Capitals: 1+ assist (+100, FanDuel)
Strome had a career-best 53 assists in the 2024-25 season and recorded at least one in four of Washington`s five first-round games. The center is tied for sixth in the league with seven assists this postseason, significantly more than his total from his first 13 playoff games. Strome registered two assists against the Hurricanes this season and has 11 career regular-season assists versus Carolina.
Connor McDavid, Oilers: Anytime goal scorer (+165, bet365)
The reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner posted two assists in Game 1 against Vegas, his fourth multi-point game this postseason. While he hasn`t scored in four games, he`s due after netting five in the prior seven playoff games stretching back to last year`s Stanley Cup Final. McDavid scored five times against Vegas in their second-round series last year and has set up six goals in his last four games.
Leon Draisaitl, Oilers: 2+ points (+122, FanDuel)
Draisaitl is tied for fourth in the NHL with 12 points in seven playoff games. The German forward`s Game 1 performance included a goal and an assist, marking his fourth multi-point effort this postseason and third against the Golden Knights in seven career playoff meetings.
