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Day Two of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs will get underway on Sunday. The HabsWorld writers provide their predictions on the first-round series beginning that night.

Eastern Conference

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Ottawa Senators

Kevin Leveille predicts: Maple Leafs in 5 games
Matt Gauthier predicts: Maple Leafs in 4 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Maple Leafs in 4 games
Allan Katz predicts: Maple Leafs in 6 games
James Turner predicts: Maple Leafs in 7 games
David Woodward predicts: Maple Leafs in 6 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Maple Leafs in 6 games

(Kevin) Everyone wants the Battle of Ontario to be a good one, but I’m not so sure it will be. Ottawa holds two advantages in the series, and the most important one resides with Linus Ullmark in the crease. Leafs fans will point to stats, but the truth is they don’t really know who will be playing in each game as both have significant injury history and both Anthony Stolarz and Joseph Woll have topped their GP best this season already. After that, Toronto is the better defensive and offensive team, they have better special teams, and a significant advantage in experience.

Sure, Brady Tkachuk might be built for the playoffs, but considering what we know about him, he might need some playoff games under his belt to better control his emotions before he becomes the playoff beast everyone is expecting. The Leafs have played a better defensive scheme all season to prepare for this, and Ottawa might be in for an eye-opener. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an important eye-opener that will serve the franchise in the future, but the Leafs need to win now and their #1 offensive question mark in Mitch Marner might have received an important lesson in playing when it matters at the 4 Nations Face-Off. The only other advantage for the Sens is the season series, where they went 3-0. I’m just not sure it means all that much in this context.

(Matt) The Battle of Ontario is on! But this one’s all Toronto. I’m calling a clean sweep for the boys from the Queen City. Is this the year? Leafs in 4.

(Norm) It’s going to be a return for the Battle of Ontario. Head coach Craig Berube has worked hard to change the team’s style. That helped Toronto improve their overall team defence, which helped improve the squad into the 8th-best goals against record in the league. While star forward Auston Matthews’ scoring was down to 78 points, he did miss 15 games at the start of this season with an upper-body injury. Linemate Mitch Marner led the team in scoring with 102 points, and sophomore forward Matthew Knies had a breakout season with 58 points. In goal, Stolarz and Woll split the starts close to evenly. As the veteran, Stolarz is likely to get the first game start, and if he struggles, I expect Woll will get a chance to start.

Ottawa showed strong signs of improvement this season to make the postseason. Their depth at centre is solid, with players like Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux, Dylan Cozens, and Shane Pinto. That depth allowed the Senators to move Tim Stutzle to the wing. Tkachuk missed all of April except the last game. In goal, Ullmark had a solid season. Overall, I feel the Maple Leafs’ depth and defence are stronger than the Senators’, and I expect it will not take Toronto very many games to dispatch of their opponents in this series.

(Allan) I grew up in Montreal hating the Maple Leafs. My DNA demands I pick the Senators to win. I would pick the Laval Rocket to beat Toronto if I could. The biggest problem is the Leafs are probably one of only three Canadian teams that could win the Cup and they are ending the season on an incredible hot streak, even better than the torrid Senators. For a Canadian team to win the Cup, the Maple Leafs have to win to help the cause. If the Leafs lose, it will be because of their curse. It supposedly started in the sixties when Larry Hillman cursed the Leafs for underpaying him. Is it possible Berube has the magic to stall that wretched curse? We will find out.

(James) Oh, the drama that this matchup could bring. Toronto secured a rare Atlantic Division title under new coach Berube. Meanwhile, the Sens have been among the NHL’s hottest teams since the Four Nations break. Ottawa also swept Toronto during the regular season. It is sure to be a series full of emotions for both players and fans on both sides. Toronto feels like an easy pick here…but it’s Toronto. Losing to their Ontario rival (and the perceived little brother) feels like the most Maple Leafs thing ever. I think Toronto will pull off the win, but they will cause panic amongst their fan base like only the Leafs can. Ottawa pushing them to a seven-game series seems appropriate.

(David) Ottawa is a good team and will be a formidable opponent. And the Leafs’ record of playoff failures is well established. However, this Leafs’ team is better built for the playoffs than the others in the Matthews-Marner era. Look for the Leafs to survive Round 1 and potentially go for a deep run this year.

(Brian) I know the Senators did well in the season series but the playoffs are a different animal.  Toronto hasn’t had a ton of postseason success but they are battle-tested and played a style in the season that should have them better suited for the style of the playoffs.  I’m not sure this is Toronto’s year but they should be able to get through the opening round at least.

Carolina Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils

Kevin Leveille predicts: Hurricanes in 7 games
Matt Gauthier predicts: Hurricanes in 7 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Hurricanes in 5 games
Allan Katz predicts: Hurricanes in 6 games
James Turner predicts: Hurricanes in 5 games
David Woodward predicts: Hurricanes in 6 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Hurricanes in 5 games

(Kevin) Neither team enters the season in a particularly good place, so the biggest question here might be which team is able to get going. The Hurricanes hold home ice advantage, and for a team that went 31-9-1 at home, that should be a significant advantage. The Devils hold an advantage between the pipes; a sentence I don’t think has been written since the retirement of Martin Brodeur. However, the Carolina team defense is strong enough that both teams are rather close defensively.

Carolina has a more balanced attack, and they might even hold the outright edge with the absence of Jake Hughes, but the New Jersey power play is far superior to the Canes, so that could be an equalizer. The season series was a wash and was essentially decided by whoever the home team was. In the end, the home ice advantage and the quality of the depth players push me to choose the Hurricanes in 7.

(Matt) Two deep, talented squads square off, but in the end, Carolina’s structure and speed give them the edge.

(Norm) In what may be the most boring series to watch in the first round, both teams are coming into the playoffs cold. New Jersey suffered a huge loss with star forward Jack Hughes out due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. To pick up the slack, forwards Nico Hischier and Jesper Bratt were very productive offensively, even after Hughes left the lineup. On defence, Dougie Hamilton leads a solid squad of blueliners. In goal, Jacob Markstrom is expected to get all the starts, but former Hab Jake Allen is available in case he’s needed.

Carolina boasts one of the strongest 5-on-5 team stats in the NHL. Their persistent defensive style smothers opponents in the neutral and defensive zones to help keep their goals against down. Up front, star forward Sebastian Aho led the team in scoring with 74 points, followed by winger Seth Jarvis with 67. Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere led the blueliners with 45 points. Despite his reputation as an offence-only player, “Ghost” fit into the Hurricanes’ system very well. Although the Devils will put up a fight, missing Hughes will handicap this squad too much, allowing Carolina to win this series.

(Allen) It should be against the law for an NHL team to be in Carolina. As a former stand-up comedian, I can share with you one of the oldest jokes to say to an audience member when they say they’re from New Jersey. You respond with, “I’m sorry.” Carolina will win because of better specialty teams, but frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.

(James) After a big 2023 season, New Jersey was a big disappointment last year. To his credit, Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald made significant moves to fix his roster and get the team back in the postseason. Markstrom has been the saviour in net they needed. Having said that, New Jersey has dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the year. Most notable is Hughes, who underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. I think without Hughes, the Devils’ chances drastically go down. Carolina has somehow come through the Mikko Rantanen debacle mostly unscathed and poised to compete in the East. Markstrom might stand on his head and steal a game or two for New Jersey, but I’ll take Carolina in five.

(David) New Jersey stumbled into the playoffs with an ordinary finish to the season. While that doesn’t always carry over into the postseason, Carolina’s lineup is far superior to the Devils. This matchup could well be over in less than 6 games.

(Brian) The Devils have been sliding for a while now thanks to injuries, making them more vulnerable than it might seem.  Consider this – they were tied with the Habs for points and Montreal barely made the playoffs.  Carolina typically has lacked the top-end scoring to go on a long postseason run but they can generally get through at a round.  I expect history to repeat itself meaning they should get through this series at least.

Florida Panthers vs Tampa Bay Lightning

Kevin Leveille predicts: Lightning in 7 games
Matt Gauthier predicts: Lightning in 6 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Lightning in 5 games
Allan Katz predicts: Lightning in 6 games
James Turner predicts: Panthers in 7 games
David Woodward predicts: Lightning in 7 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Lightning in 7 games

(Kevin) On paper, the Lightning should be the favourite. Even though the teams are only separated by four points, the Lightning are considerably stronger offensively, in goal differential, on special teams, and in the season series where they outscored the Panthers 12-7 despite the teams splitting the results. Andrei Vasilevskiy is having a much stronger season than last year, so that should help.

However, the Panthers will have many players returning to the roster for this series. How will Tampa react to having the LTIR rule playing against them this time? How will the recent success of the Panthers play into the confidence of both teams throughout this series? Or are the Panthers just out of gas at this point? I think the Lightning have enough experience to overcome these factors and it will be the Panthers’ longest offseason in three years.

(Matt) It’s the Battle of Florida! But this time, the Panthers won’t recreate last year’s magic. With scoring champ Nikita Kucherov leading the charge, the Bolts take control.

(Norm) While the Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions, this team limped into the postseason this year. Matthew Tkachuk is expected to return after suffering an unknown injury during the 4 Nations tournament in mid-February. Forward Sam Bennett also missed four games near the end of the season before returning to play the last two. Defenceman Aaron Ekblad was suspended for the last 20 games of the season and may need some time to get back to playing speed after sitting the first two of this series. In his absence, Seth Jones and Gustav Forsling have picked up the slack.

The Lightning have a deep team, especially up front, where they boast seven forwards with 20 or more goals this regular season. Kucherov led the NHL with 121 points this season. Vasilevskiy had another outstanding season with 38 wins, a 2.18 GAA, and a .921 save percentage. Defenceman Victor Hedman led his team with 66 points. Tampa will be looking for vengeance against Florida after last year’s playoff loss, and Florida’s injuries will limit their chances against a much deeper Lightning squad this time.

(Allan) The Lightning scored 42 more goals and gave up 14 fewer goals than their cross-state rivals. Tampa finished the season playing half decent hockey while the Panthers sucked. According to the Old Testament, in the Book of Lamentations it very clearly states, “And God said there shall be no hockey teams in Florida.” Yet in the New Testament in the Book of Hey Jude it states, “And there shall be no state taxes in Florida to help draw professional athletes to it.” The result is two teams that are pretty good.

(James) The battle of Ontario is primed for drama, but the battle of Florida is primed for physical hockey. Like it or not, the Eastern Conference runs through Florida. One of these teams has been in the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last five seasons. There is a solid argument for picking Tampa. They have the most potent offense in the NHL at 3.59 goals per game, while being in the top five in goals allowed and penalty kill. The first two games will be critical for the Panthers. If the Cats can steal one of the first two games on the road, they are in a good position to take the series. Tkachuk looks to be in line to return for game one, and Ekblad’s PED suspension ends after game two. Meaning game three onward, the defending Cup champs will be back to full strength and well-rested.

This series could also come down to the stud goaltenders on each side. Vasilevskiy and Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky are capable of winning games for their teams, and both have won the Stanley Cup. Whichever Floridian franchise comes out on top could very well be the Eastern Conference champion yet again.

(Brian) It was interesting to see Florida basically shut things down for the final few weeks of the season.  That should have them a bit more rested if nothing else.  But Tampa Bay has been a bit stronger this year and while they won’t have Oliver Bjorkstrand for this round, I think they have enough firepower to get through this round, especially if Bobrovsky loses the goalie battle.

Western Conference

Los Angeles Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers

Kevin Leveille predicts: Oilers in 7 games
Matt Gauthier predicts: Oilers in 5 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Kings in 6 games
Allan Katz predicts: Oilers in 7 games
James Turner predicts: Oilers in 6 games
David Woodward predicts: Kings in 7 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Oilers in 6 games

(Kevin) Connor McDavid can feel annoyed at the analysis that the Oilers are banged up all he wants, but the fact is that the Oilers haven’t played with a full roster since the start of March and they will be without Mattias Ekholm for this series which is a huge blow to an Oiler blue line that isn’t that deep to start. They are once again facing the Kings who enter with the same questions as last year: Can they score enough to make this series close?

The Kings remain one of the better defensive teams in the league and have been helped by a nice bounce-back season from Darcy Kuemper in that regard. The Oilers remain the better on special teams, but the Kings suddenly find themselves with home ice advantage this year which is significant in this case. The season series was 3-1 Kings but given two of those wins were recent with a decimated Oilers team, I’m not putting too much stock in that result. This battle of styles should be closer than the last two seasons. I usually prefer the defensive team in a clash of styles like this, but the Oilers have had the edge here and that’s hard to ignore with their players returning.

(Matt) The Kings have the goaltending, but they won’t be able to contain a hungry, locked-in McDavid. This will be a stunning fourth consecutive postseason matchup and win for the Oilers against the Kings.

(Norm) Edmonton has been a nightmare for Los Angeles, to say the least. These two teams have faced each other in each of the last three seasons, with Edmonton winning every series. They have their superstar forwards in McDavid and Leon Draisaitl up front, although Draisaitl missed the last 11 games of the season. He is expected to start the playoffs, but who knows how effective he will be. On defence, their top blueliners are Darnell Nurse and Ekholm who shared the scoring lead with 33 points. Ekholm is expected to miss the first round of the playoffs. Goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard do not inspire a lot of confidence with fans and media.

Los Angeles ended the regular season strong with ten wins out of the last thirteen games. Up front, winger Adrian Kempe and Anze Kopitar led the team with 73 and 67 points, respectively. Former Hab Phillip Danault provides a strong two-hundred-foot game and leads their penalty killing squad. On defence, Brandt Clarke had a breakout year in his first full season with the Kings, scoring 33 points to lead his blueliners at the age of 21. Kuemper had a bounce-back season, winning 31 games, with a 2.02 GAA and a .921 save percentage. As a former Stanley Cup winner, Kuemper has the experience to help this squad get past Edmonton. I’ll say, the fourth time is the charm to help the Kings finally get past a banged-up Oilers squad.

(Allan) As a Canadian living in Los Angeles, I can’t help cheering for my home country. To top it off, the Oilers are probably one of only three Canadian teams that can win the Cup. Here’s the problem, while the Oilers have owned the Kings for many years, this year the Kings are the better team. Both teams ended strong but the Kings have the better record. Offensively the teams are close but defensively the Kings are statistically much better. I’m picking the Oilers because of their two superstars; Draisaitl and some Scottish guy named McDavid, but I am far from certain.

(James) This series was the hardest for me to read. A valid argument can be made for either team. The Kings have the second-best goals against average (2.44) and were 3-1-0 against the Oilers in the regular season. Edmonton has a top-10 power play, and I actually don’t put too much credence on regular-season head-to-head matchups. The playoffs are simply a different animal. At the end of the day, I’m going to stick with my rule of thumb I used for the Dallas versus Colorado series: when in doubt, lean towards the team with the best player. In this case, the Oilers have the two best players in McDavid and Draisaitl. Add the fact that Edmonton came within one game of bringing home the Cup last year, and it’s hard for me to see them take a first-round exit.

(Brian) This is still by and large the same Los Angeles roster that has had trouble getting through the Oilers in the last three seasons.  Edmonton largely has the same core as well with the same glaring question mark in goal.  If Skinner can play even adequately with some consistency, the Oilers should be able to get through this round.  But if the bad version shows up, Los Angeles could pull this out.  I think Skinner will be decent enough not to cost Edmonton this series.

Vegas Golden Knights vs. Minnesota Wild

Kevin Leveille predicts: Golden Knights in 5 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Golden Knights in 5 games
Allan Katz predicts: Golden Knights in 6 games
James Turner predicts: Golden Knights in 4 games
David Woodward predicts: Golden Knights in 6 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Golden Knights in 5 games

(Kevin) The story entering this series is how healthy the Wild can really be? They started the year as one of the better teams in the entire league but have been absolutely decimated by injuries. They’ve got most of the roster back, but they had to spend much of the second half hanging on before having to win some games to even make the playoffs so how much is left in the tank?

On the other side, Vegas has been as formidable as ever this season as they hold an advantage on paper both offensively and defensively in this series. The Golden Knights are one of the best units on the power play and they are facing one of the worst teams on the penalty kill, which likely is a good start when trying to understand how the Knights went undefeated against the Wild this season. The one weakness that can be found on Vegas is their penalty kill, but the 20th-ranked power play in Minnesota might not have the weapons to truly expose that weakness, though the return of Kirill Kaprizov will surely help. Minnesota hasn’t gotten through the first round in ten years, but I think they’ll need to wait another one for it to happen.

(Norm) Minnesota has lost key players this regular season, but still managed to make the playoffs.  Kaprizov missed half the season, and centre Joel Eriksson Ek missed 38 games due to injuries. Both are expected to start the first round series though. To pick up the slack, Matt Boldy and Marco Rossi led the teams with 73 and 60 points, respectively. On defence, veteran Jared Spurgeon had 32 points to lead his squad. In goal, Filip Gustavsson is the Wild’s number one starter, and veteran Marc-Andre Fleury is a capable backup.

Vegas won their last six games to end the regular season on a high note. Star center Jack Eichel led his team in scoring with 94 points, with forwards Mark Stone and Tomas Hertl following up with 67 and 61 points, respectively. Shea Theodore had an excellent season with 57 points to lead the Golden Knights. In goal, Adin Hill will get the starts in the playoffs with Ilya Samsonov backing him up.

It’s only been two years since Vegas claimed its first Stanley Cup, and they still have a very strong chance to go far this postseason. Their overall team game is better than Minnesota’s, and the Golden Knights won all three matches against the Wild in the regular season. I cannot believe Minnesota has a chance.

(Allan) The Golden Knights scored almost 50 more goals and gave up twenty fewer goals than the Wild. Las Vegas’ last ten games were better than the Wild as well.

(James) Some teams peak at the right time, heading into the postseason. The Wild are not one of those teams. It feels like Minnesota has limped into their postseason spot, and for their trouble, they are rewarded with a first-round matchup against the Golden Knights. Last year was a misnomer for Vegas. After winning the Cup in 2023, there was a bit of a hangover for them last season, leading to an early first-round bounce. This year, the Golden Knights have been hot from the start and look poised to contend for the cup yet again. If there is going to be a first-round sweep, this series is the most likely candidate.

(Brian) I feel that Minnesota is a better team than many give them credit for and yet I don’t think they stand much of a chance.  Vegas has the edge in offence, defence, and goaltending, and has a core group that’s a lot more battle-tested than the Wild.  Normally, that’s a combination for a pretty quick series.