<p>The Stanley Cup Playoffs are back, which means that for the next two months, we’ll get non-stop exciting action in the NHL as we witness history in another team looking to win a championship. Here at Daily Faceoff, we’ll be keeping you in the loop of everything that happened in the playoffs, every day until the Stanley Cup is hoisted in June.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Panthers shut out Lightning to take 2-0 lead home</h2>



<p>They say that you aren’t screwed in a best-of-seven series until you lose at home. But if you lose both at home, you’re going to need a miracle. That’s where the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/tampa-bay-lightning/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> find themselves right now. After getting blown out in Game 1, they only fared better on the scoreboard, but it still wasn’t a strong showing, as they were blanked by Sergei Bobrovsky and the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/florida-panthers/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Florida Panthers</a> in a 2-0 loss, while only getting 19 shots on net in the game.</p><div class="injected-ad injected-video" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="0" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="146"></div>



<p>Nate Schmidt opened the scoring with his third goal in just two games, <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/florida-panthers-nate-schmidt-ties-nhl-record-for-most-goals-by-defenseman-after-two-stanley-cup-playoff-games" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tying the record for most goals in the first two playoff games by a defenseman</a>, but the big turning point was Brandon Hagel’s hit on Aleksander Barkov in the third period. Not only does it potentially have long-term ramifications with Barkov leaving the game, but with it also giving the Panthers a five-minute power play with 10 minutes left in the game, Florida had an easy time killing the clock and winning the game 2-0, and now lead the series 2-0 as they head home for Game 3.</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brandon Hagel with a big hit on Aleksander Barkov 😳<br><br>Hagel received a penalty for interference, and Barkov headed to the locker room. <a href="https://t.co/eGA9L2xagf">pic.twitter.com/eGA9L2xagf</a></p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1915572991314059617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Benoit comes up big in overtime again as Leafs take 3-0 series lead</h2>



<p>The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/ottawa-senators/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ottawa Senators</a> are officially on life support. It was a game that should have been a bit more memorable, with it being the first playoff game in Ottawa in eight years, and the first home playoff game for this current core of Senators players. But, the <a href="https://theleafsnation.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Toronto Maple Leafs</a> continue to look like a changed team in this series (so far), and they showed that once again in Game 3 with an overtime win.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="1" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="199"></div>



<p>The two teams did play a tight, action-packed game, so overtime was a very fitting resolution to this game. But instead of a bounce finally going the way of the Senators, Simon Benoit came up clutch again for the Leafs. After setting up Max Domi in Game 2, Benoit blasted home the Game 3 winner just 79 seconds into the extra game, making it the second-quickest overtime winner in franchise history. With that, the Leafs take a 3-0 series lead for the first time since the Leafs and Senators met in 2001, and have a chance to close out the series on Saturday.</p>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">SIMON BENOIT WINS GAME 3 IN OVERTIME! <br><br>TORONTO TAKES A 3-0 SERIES LEAD! <br><br>🎥: Sportsnet | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/EgZ7IFKjJs">pic.twitter.com/EgZ7IFKjJs</a></p>— TheLeafsNation (@TLNdc) <a href="https://twitter.com/TLNdc/status/1915585466562470102?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Kaprizov, Boldy help Wild to take series lead</h2>



<p>Are the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/vegas-golden-knights/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vegas Golden Knights</a> in trouble? After looking like strong favourites in this first round series with the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/minnesota-wild/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Minnesota Wild</a>, and looking just as much in Game 1, the Wild bounced back with a dominant showing in Game 2. With the series now shifting to Minnesota, it appears that the Wild aren’t letting up.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="2" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="176"></div>



<p>Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi opened the scoring for the Wild, and after Alex Pietrangelo cut the lead in half, Matt Boldy and Kaprizov scored in the second to give Minnesota a 4-1 lead. Reilly Smith attempted to make it a game again in the third with a goal, but Marcus Foligno put the game away with an empty netter. The Wild win the game 5-2, and take a 2-1 series lead, with Kaprizov and Boldy combining for 13 points in three games so far in these playoffs. Meanwhile, Adin Hill had his second straight game with a save percentage lower than .810, and got pulled in this game after the fourth goal.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Blues chase Hellebuyck in Game 3 rout</h2>



<p>While the concerns surrounding Connor Hellebuyck’s recent playoff performances are a little bit overblown, they’ve likely creeped back into the concerns for the <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/winnipeg-jets/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Winnipeg Jets</a> after his performance in Game 3. The <a href="https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/teams/st-louis-blues/line-combinations" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">St. Louis Blues </a>got the best of him, and exploded for seven goals in the game, with Hellebuyck getting yanked after allowing six goals on 25 shots. Pavel Buchnevich led the way with a hat trick and an assist, Cam Fowler had a goal and four assists, and Robert Thomas had four assists as St. Louis took the game by a score of 7-2 to win their first match of the series.</p><div class="injected-ad" data-nn-ad-tech-injection-count="3" data-nn-ad-tech-max-gap="130" data-nn-ad-tech-current-gap="217"></div>



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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Pavel Buchnevich has the first hatty of the 2025 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StanleyCup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StanleyCup</a> Playoffs! 👏<br><br>Hat Trick Challenge presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/AstraZenecaUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstraZenecaUS</a> <a href="https://t.co/WrW9Jz6Ri1">pic.twitter.com/WrW9Jz6Ri1</a></p>— NHL (@NHL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHL/status/1915617160535195724?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2025</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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