4/21/25 Western Conference Stanley Cup Playoffs Game Recap
- Lyanna Yeow
- Apr 22
- 8 min read
Updated: 19 hours ago
Winnipeg Jets vs. St. Louis Blues (GAME 2)
The Winnipeg Jets won Game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the St. Louis Blues. This game took place at Canada Life Centre and ended with a final score of 2-1.
The Jets had a rocky start to the first period as they were unable to get past the Blues’ strong penalty kill unit when they had two power play opportunities. Their struggle on the power play did not fully hinder the team as #55 Mark Scheifele was able to muster the first goal of the game and put the Jets up 1-0. The Blues received their first power play opportunity of the game one minute and twenty-six seconds after Scheifele’s goal when Jets’ #2 Dylan DeMelo tripped Blues’ #89 Pavel Buchnevich. This Jets’ penalty led to the Blues game-tying power play goal scored by #21 Jimmy Snuggerud which ended the first period with a score of 2-2.
The second period remained scoreless despite the Blues having two power play opportunities during this game. Both teams had a couple great scoring chances, however, the goaltending from the Jets’ #37 Connor Hellebuyck and Blues’ #50 Jordan Binnington remained strong enough to keep the game at a 2-2 standstill.
#81 Kyle Connor broke the standstill with a wrist shot that slipped past #50 Bennington and helped the Jets to regain their one-goal lead a minute and forty-three seconds into the third period (2-1). The period remained quiet for both teams until #5 Luke Schenn received a roughing penalty which put the Blues on their fourth power play of the game. The Jets were able to remain strong on their PK and maintain their lead. After multiple attempts, the Blues were unable to slip a puck past #37 Hellebuyck, who ended up securing the Jets’ 2-1 win.
The standout players
Winnipeg Jets
St. Louis Blues
Stats
Both teams ended with 22 shots on goal
The Jets delivered more hits than the Blues (33 hits vs. 29 hits)
The Jets won more faceoffs than the Blues (53.7% vs 46.3%)
The Blues had a higher power play success rate than the Jets (25.0 PP% vs. 0 PP%)
SUMMARY: Although both teams were relatively even in regards to puck possession, the Jets’ physicality, faceoff wins, and stellar goaltending helped the team win the game despite the Blues having the advantage on the power play.
Upcoming Games
GAME 3
When: April 24, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST
Where: Enterprise Center
Watch: ESPN 2, SN CBC, TVAS
GAME 4
When: April 27, 2025 at 10:00 AM PST
Where: Enterprise Center
Watch: TBS, truTV, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
NOTE: Games 5-7 are TBD for each team as they will be scheduled if necessary
The TEAM lead 2-0 in round one of the playoffs against the TEAM
Who do you think is going to win Game 3?
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Dallas Stars vs. Colorado Avalanche (GAME 2)
The Dallas Stars won Game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Colorado Avalanche. This game took place at American Airlines Center and ended with a 4-3 overtime win for the Stars.
Prior to the first period, Avs Captain #92 Gabriel Landeskog skated on the NHL ice during warmups for the first time since the team’s 2022 Stanley Cup win. Although he was scratched after warmups, it was great to see him on the ice especially after everything he has gone through. Read more about his ongoing road to recovery from a knee injury that many believed was impossible to make a comeback from.
The Avs’ power play unit started off strong with a goal scored by #29 Nathan MacKinnon eight minutes and 19 seconds into the first period (1-0). While the Stars continued to deliver the hits, the Avs continued to add more shots on goal before they had to active their penalty kill unit due to #17 Parker Kelly receiving a holding penalty with two minutes and thirty-seven seconds left in the period. The Stars were able to tie the game 1-1 with a power play goal scored by #91 Tyler Seguin a minute and thirty-three seconds into their two-minute power play opportunity.
Both teams scored early in the second period as #55 Thomas Harley continued the Stars’ momentum and momentarily give the team a short-lived 2-1 lead as #18 Jack Drury answered back quickly with a game-tying goal (2-2). Each team’s penalty kill and goaltending remained strong during this period as their power play units struggled to generate on their multiple opportunities. Despite struggling on the power play, the Avs were able to regain their one-goal lead and make it a 3-2 game after #25 Logan O’Connor scored with thirty-three seconds left in the second period.
The third period was full of physicality, takeaways, and impressive saves by #29 Jake Oettinger (Stars) and #39 Mackenzie Blackwood (Avs) as both teams battled for a Game 2 win. #63 Evgenii Dadonov’s snap shot helped the Stars to tie the game and made the score 3-3 midway through the third period. Although both teams had great scoring chances, the game remained at a standstill as the Stars’ penalty kill remained strong and forced the teams to go into overtime.
The Stars’ penalty kill unit kicked off overtime with a successful thirty-four seconds penalty kill which was carried over from the final minutes of regulation. Both the Avs and Stars had a couple of great scoring chances after the Avs power play ended. With a lot of back and forth action going on and some remarkable saves from both #35 Blackwood and #29 Oettinger, it wasn’t until the final minutes of overtime when #15 Colin Blackwell was able to slip the game-winning overtime goal past #35 Blackwood to secure the Stars’ 4-3 overtime win. This victory for the Stars would not have been possible without the impressive efforts of #29 Oettinger who not only helped the team to secure their win but also forced Game 5 in this playoff series.
The standout players
Dallas Stars
Colorado Avalanche
Stats
The Stars slightly outshot the Avs (39 SOG vs. 37 SOG)
Both teams delivered 45 hits
The Avs won more faceoffs than the Stars (54.4% vs 45.6%)
The Avs had a higher power play success rate than the Stars (33.3PP% vs. 25 PP%)
SUMMARY: Overall, both teams relatively had the same amount of puck possession and physicality throughout this game. The Avs did have the advantage when it came to winning faceoffs and capitalizing on their power play opportunities. However, the Stars’ stellar goaltending by #29 Jake Oettinger was what helped them win the game.
Upcoming Games
GAME 3
When: April 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST
Where: Ball Arena
Watch: ESPN, SN360, TVAS-D
GAME 4
When: April 26, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST
Where: Ball Arena
Watch: ESPN, SN360, TVAS-D
GAME 5
When: April 28, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST
Where: American Airlines Center
Watch: ESPN
NOTE: Games 5-7 are TBD for each team as they will be scheduled if necessary
The series is tied 1-1 between the Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars in round one of the playoffs.
Who do you think is going to win Game 3?
Comment down below!
LA Kings vs. Edmonton Oilers (Game 1)
The LA Kings won Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers. This game took place at Crypto.com Arena and ended with a final score of 6-5 in the Kings’ favor.
The Kings opened up their 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs debut with a goal scored by #96 Andrei Kuzmenko two minutes and forty-nine seconds into the first period (1-0). This momentum helped boost confidence in their goaltender, #35 Darcy Kuemper, and also strengthened their penalty kill unit. #55 Quinton Byfield Kings extended the Kings’ lead and helped them to end the first period with a 2-0 lead after the Oilers struggled to generate successful goal scoring chances against #35 Kuemper.
While #35 Darcy Kuemper continued to dominate in the Kings’ net early in the game, #74 Stuart Skinner remained solid for the Oilers up until the last five minutes of the second period. The Kings extended their lead by two-goals when #9 Adrian Kempe scored the third Kings goal of the game and #24 Phillip Danault scored the fourth goal for the Kings (4-0). With five seconds left in the period, Oilers’ #29 Leon Draisaitl got the team on the board and made it a three-goal game going into the third period (4-1).
The first five minutes of the third period were full of great opportunities for both teams. #13 Mattias Janmark continued the Oilers’ momentum into the third period with a goal scored within the first two minutes of the game (4-2). This momentum also helped them to kill off #18 Zach Hymans’ illegal check to the head penalty early on in the period as well. Unfortunately, the Oilers’ momentum hit a rough patch when #22 Kevin Fiala scored a goal four seconds into their power play opportunity to make it a 5-2 game in the Kings’ favor. The Oilers continued to preserve through their power play struggles as #90 Corey Perry, #18 Hyman and #97 Connor McDavid scored three goals and made it a tied game with one minute and twenty-eight seconds left in the third period. This last push by the Oilers was not enough to overtake the Kings as #24 Danault pulled through and helped to secure the Kings 6-5 win within the final minute of the game.
The standout players
LA Kings
Edmonton Oilers
Stats
The Kings outshot the Oilers (30 SOG vs. 25 SOG)
The Oilers delivered more hits than the Kings (42 hits vs. 30 hits)
The Oilers won more faceoffs than the Kings (52.3% vs 47.7%)
The Kings had a higher power play success rate than the Oilers (40.0 PP% vs. 0.0 PP%)
SUMMARY: Despite the Oilers’ commendable efforts and physicality throughout this game, the Kings’ puck possession, faceoff wins, and power play unit helped them to secure their 6-5 win.
Upcoming Games
GAME 2
When: April 23, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: TBS, Max, SN, CBC, TVAS
GAME 3
When: April 25, 2025 at 7:00 PM PST
Where: Rogers Place
Watch: SN, CBC, TVAS 2, TNT, truTV, Max
GAME 4
When: April 27, 2025 at 6:30 PM PST
Where: Rogers Place
Watch: SN, CBC, TVAS, TBS, truTV, Max
NOTE: Games 5-7 are TBD for each team as they will be scheduled if necessary
The LA Kings lead 1-0 in round one of the playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers
Who do you think is going to win Game 2?
Comment down below!
Come back for the next 2025 Stanley Cup Round One Western Conference game recap!
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