The Stanley Cup playoffs continue on Tuesday, with the New Jersey Devils traveling to face the Carolina Hurricanes on the road. After winning Game 1 4-1, the Canes are now -1000 to win the series, the best series odds for the day. Next up, the Toronto Maple Leafs, who took Game 1 6-2, host the underdog Ottawa Senators. The Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning begin their series close in the odds, and the day finishes with the Minnesota Wild at the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights took Game 1 4-2 and are at -600 to win the series. It’s another fun day of hockey.
Viewing guide for Tuesday
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New Jersey Devils at Carolina Hurricanes
Hurricanes lead series 1-0
Series odds: Hurricanes -1000, Devils +625
The Hurricanes opened this series with a bang. After another spring filled with questions around their star power, the Canes’ forecheck and depth proved to be the difference on Sunday night. The third line of Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven and Jordan Martinook disrupted the Devils’ best in matchup minutes and generated some offense. Taylor Hall, another in-season addition, made an impact as well.
The Devils’ frustrations showed on Sunday, despite developing a forecheck to give this rush-based team more dimension; it was no match for the Canes. Carolina dominated play through two periods, and while the Devils showed some life in the third, it wasn’t enough to overcome a 3-1 deficit. New Jersey was shorthanded coming into this series, but its injury woes continued on Sunday night. Brendan Dillon, Cody Glass, and Luke Hughes were all hurt in-game. Hughes, at least, returned, but there were no postgame updates on Dillon and Glass.
—Shayna Goldman
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Ottawa Senators at Toronto Maple Leafs
Maple Leafs lead series 1-0
Series odds: Maple Leafs -425, Senators +320
The Battle of Ontario continues in Toronto. The Maple Leafs hope to build off a hot start, while the Senators will look to clean some things up after falling 6-2 to the Atlantic Division champs.
There was plenty to like from the Maple Leafs. Anthony Stolarz stopped 31 of 33 shots — have the Leafs finally found their playoff goalie? The big shots showed up, seemingly putting their postseason history behind them: Mitch Marner had a goal and two assists, and William Nylander and John Tavares each had a goal and an assist. And the Maple Leafs went 3-for-6 on the power play, which could be a newfound weapon.
The Senators, who ended the regular season with the 19th-best penalty kill, spent a lot of time in the penalty box, including for Ridly Greig’s cross-check on Tavares that won’t result in suspension.
For the Senators to bounce back, they’ll need more from goalie Linus Ullmark and captain Brady Tkachuk, writes Julian McKenzie.
—Sarah Jean Maher
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Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
Series odds: Panthers -120, Lightning +100
The Battle of Florida kicks off Tuesday night for the fourth time in five seasons.
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers will be looking to make their third straight appearance in the Final, while the Tampa Bay Lightning are searching for their third Cup in six years, having won back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021.
The Panthers are led up front by elite two-way forwards Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov, and Matthew Tkachuk could return from the long-term injured reserve. The Lightning boast back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winner Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel, Brayden Point and power-play wizard Jake Guentzel. And don’t forget about Andrei Vasilevskiy in net, who recently told The Athletic’s Jesse Granger that “his best games are ahead” of him.
—Sarah Jean Maher
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Minnesota Wild at Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights lead series 1-0
Series odds: Golden Knights -600, Wild +425
Game 1 between the Golden Knights and Wild had a lot of pace, with chances on both ends. There was a power-versus-power matchup at the top of the lineup, with Jack Eichel and Shea Theodore going up against Kirill Kaprizov and Brock Faber.
Minnesota had the edge here; with Kaprizov, Joel Eriksson Ek and Matt Boldy on the ice, the Wild controlled play with a 27-20 edge in shot attempts and 69 percent expected goal rate. The Golden Knights’ depth made up for it, especially the second line. Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomas Hertl and Brandon Saad thrived with a 19-5 shot attempt advantage, 94 percent expected goal rate and 1-0 scoring edge.
As close as five-on-five play was on Sunday night, the power play proved to be a difference-maker, with the Golden Knights converting eight seconds into their advantage. This team ranked in the top three in scoring on the power play in the regular season, so discipline is key for Minnesota.
—Shayna Goldman
Expert picks
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(Photo of Auston Matthews: Claus Anderson / Getty Images)
