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Montreal Canadiens - In Play! magazine
After Montreal fans waited eight years to fill Bell Centre for playoff hockey, the Canadiens delivered with a six-goal outing in a contest that featured nine combined goals, three game-tying tallies and an abundance of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole’ chants as the home team cut their series deficit in half. File photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
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Apr

Stanley Cup Playoffs Review – April 25, 2025 – CANADIENS DOUBLE UP CAPITALS WITH GAME 3 WIN AT BELL CENTRE

Six different goal scorers found the back of the net for the Canadiens and Jakub Dobes earned his first playoff win after entering Game 3 in relief as Montreal cut its series deficit in half in front of a raucous crowd at Bell Centre. The Canadiens scored six goals in a postseason game for the first time since Game 4 of the 2015 Second Round (6-2 at TBL) – it was also the second time in the past 30 years the club featured six different goal scorers in a playoff contest, alongside the aforementioned Game 4.

  • Dobes became the third goaltender in Canadiens history to earn a playoff victory in a relief appearance, following Rogie Vachon (Game 4 of 1969 QF) and Charlie Hodge (Game 1 of 1955 SF), with Dobes and Hodge both doing so in their playoff debut. He also became just the fifth active netminder to win his first career playoff game in a relief appearance, joining Adin Hill (Game 3 of 2023 R2), Pyotr Kochetkov (Game 2 of 2022 R1), Elvis Merzlikins (Game 3 of 2020 SCQ) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Game 2 in 2015 SCF). Kochetkov and Merzlikins also did so in their postseason debut.
  • Dobes became just the third Canadiens rookie goaltender in the past 20 years to earn a win in the postseason, joining Carey Price (5) and Dustin Tokarski (2).

OILERS STAGE COMEBACK TO SECURE GAME 3 VICTORY

A contest that saw the Oilers jump out to a 2-0 lead in the first period and the Kings score three straight, featured 11 total goals, three tying tallies – including one in the third – and two goals in the span of 10 seconds by Edmonton to help the club skate to a Game 3 victory. Connor McDavid (1-2—3), Evan Bouchard (2-0—2) and Leon Draisaitl (0-2—2), who finished top three in scoring last postseason, all played pivotal roles in the win.

  • McDavid became the fourth player in Oilers history to record 20 three-point playoff games, joining Wayne Gretzky (39), Jari Kurri (26) and Mark Messier (22). With two points in the final frame, the Oilers captain surpassed Esa Tikkanen (7) for the fourth-most multi-point third periods in franchise history, behind Gretzky (18), Kurri (11) and Messier (10).
  • Bouchard scored the second of two Edmonton tallies in a span of 10 seconds, which tied the fourth-fastest two goals in a playoff contest in Oilers history (also 0:10 in Game 1 of 1988 DSF). It trails Game 1 of the 1983 Division Semifinals (0:07), Game 2 of the 1985 Conference Finals (0:07) and Game 1 of 1983 the Division Finals (0:08).

NEMEC HELPS NEW JERSEY NARROW SERIES DEFICIT WITH 2OT HEROICS
After the Devils took a 2-0 lead, the Hurricanes battled back in the third period to pull even, but Simon Nemec scored his first career playoff goal in double overtime to help New Jersey cut its series deficit in half in front of fans at Prudential Center. The Devils own an all-time record of 11-9 in Game 4 when trailing 2-1 in a best-of-seven and have rallied to win six of those series – the most recent instance was during the 2023 First Round, when they bested the Rangers in Game 7.

  • Nemec (21 years, 69 days) became the youngest player in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history to score an overtime goal in the playoffs, eclipsing Adam Henrique (22 years, 80 days; Game 7 of 2012 CQF).
  • Nemec became the fourth defenseman in NHL history to score his first career playoff goal in double overtime (or later), following Matt Carkner (Game 5 of 2010 CQF w/ OTT), Vladimir Konstantinov (Game 3 of 1995 CF w/ DET) and Cy Wentworth (Game 3 of 1931 SCF w/ CHI). He also became just the third defenseman to score in double overtime in the past 10 years, following Ivan Provorov (Game 6 of 2020 R2) and Victor Hedman (Game 5 of 2020 R2).

MAPLE LEAFS LOOK TO END ‘BATTLE OF ONTARIO’ ON SECOND SATURDAY OF PLAYOFFS

The Maple Leafs head into the second Saturday of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a chance to become the first team to reach the Second Round, thanks in large part to the overtime heroics of Simon Benoit who has two playoff points to his name – both secured on overtime winners this week. Benoit is the first defenseman and fourth player in League history to have each of his first two career playoff points come in overtime, after Gustav Nyquist (1-1—2), Sergei Krivokrasov (2-0—2) and Lou Trudel (0-2—2).

  • Ottawa is 2-3 in Game 4 when facing a 3-0 series deficit and looks to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after losing the first three contests – something its opponent was the first to do 83 years ago (TOR in 1942 SCF, NYI in 1975 QF, PHI in 2010 CSF & LAK in 2014 R1). The two instances of the Senators extending a series with a Game 4 win were in the 2015 First Round (vs. MTL; lost series 4-2) and 2006 Conference Semifinals (at BUF; lost series 4-1).
  • The Maple Leafs hold a 3-0 series lead for just the second time since their last Stanley Cup win in 1967, with both of those instances coming against the provincial rival Senators. Toronto went on to win four straight against Ottawa in the 2001 Conference Quarterfinals, the most recent of the three best-of-seven sweeps in franchise history – the others came in consecutive Stanley Cup Final matchups against Detroit in 1948 and 1949. Overall, the Maple Leafs are 3-3 in Game 4 when holding a 3-0 series lead.

FIRST POTENTIAL SERIES-CLINCHER PART OF FULL DAY OF PLAYOFF ACTION

All four games on Saturday’s slate have a different start time, making for a continuous flow of Stanley Cup Playoffs action from 1 p.m. ET until at least midnight ET – though each of the final two contests are in series coming off back-to-back overtime games.

  • In Sunrise, Sergei Bobrovsky takes his 86:56 shutout streak home to Amerant Bank Arena – where the last playoff game ended with a Stanley Cup lift for the Panthers. Bobrovsky has allowed only three goals against in his past three postseason appearances dating to Game 7 of the 2024 Final – which have come against last year’s top three playoff scorers (Connor McDavid, Evan Bouchard & Leon Draisaitl) and this season’s highest-scoring team (TBL: 3.56 G/GP).
  • In St. Paul, the high-scoring duo of Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy look to give the Wild a 3-1 series lead for the first time in franchise history (this will be their fifth attempt to do so, as they are 0-4 in Game 4 when leading 2-1 in a best-of-seven series). Three Wild Card teams have taken a 3-1 series lead since the format was introduced in 2013-14: Florida (2023 R2), Colorado (2019 R1) and Nashville (2017 R2). Vegas, meanwhile, can tie a series at 2-2 for the third time (2-2 record in Game 4 when trailing series 2-1).
  • In Denver, the host Avalanche will seek to claim a Game 4 victory to even their series with the Stars following back-to-back overtime defeats. Four of the six previous Colorado-Dallas series have required at least six games (including their two most recent meetings in 2020 & 2024), but only two have been deadlocked through four contests (2000 CF & 1999 CF).
  • The Stars-Avalanche and Maple Leafs-Senators are both coming off consecutive overtime games. Ottawa has never played three straight overtime games in a playoff series, but Toronto, Dallas and Colorado all have done so three times: Toronto last had that happen in the 2017 First Round (vs. WSH), Colorado in the 2010 Conference Quarterfinals (vs. SJS) and Dallas in the 2001 Conference Quarterfinals (vs. EDM). Dallas forward Matt Duchene played for Colorado the last time that franchise contested three straight overtime games in a series – and his eventual Stars teammate Joe Pavelski scored the last of the OT winners during that stretch in 2010.

Lightning’s Hagel Suspended One Game for Interference

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel has been suspended for one game for interference against Florida Panthers forward Aleksander Barkov during Game 2 of the teams’ First Round series in Tampa on Thursday, April 24. The incident occurred at 9:49 of the third period. Hagel was assessed a major penalty for interference.

Canadiens’ Anderson, Capitals’ Wilson Fined for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

Montreal Canadiens forward Josh Anderson and Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson each have been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for unsportsmanlike conduct during Game 3 of the teams’ First Round series in Montreal on Friday, April 25. The incident occurred at 20:00 of the second period. Both players were assessed a minor penalty for roughing and a 10-minute misconduct. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

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Guest Writer