HabsWorld Predicts: 2025 Playoffs – Round 2, Part 1
Although Montreal is no longer in the playoffs, the HabsWorld writers shared their predictions on the second round of the 2025 NHL playoffs. The Eastern Conference series will be first up, followed by the Western Conference series tomorrow.
Eastern Conference
Toronto Maple Leafs vs Florida Panthers
James Turner predicts: Panthers in 6 games
Allan Katz predicts: Maple Leafs in 6 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Panthers in 6 games
David Woodward predicts: Panthers in 6 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Panthers in 6 games
Kevin Leveille predicts: Panthers in 6 games
(James) Despite most people favouring the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, I still believed in the defending Stanley Cup champs. But I didn’t expect the Panthers to handle Tampa in such a convincing fashion. Florida shut down the Lightning’s top forwards in a series full of brutal hits. Meanwhile, Toronto finished off Ottawa in six, but not before dropping back-to-back games to extend the series. If the Panthers could stifle the Lightning’s offence, there’s no reason for me to believe they can’t do the same to Toronto’s “Core Four.” They also showed they are not afraid of laying big hits and tiptoe the line between what is legal or beyond, suspensions and penalties be damned. I don’t think the Leafs will be able to handle Florida’s punishing style while blocking out the pressure from their fans and media.
(Allan) After the Canucks, the Flames, the Oilers, the Senators, the Habs, and the Rocket, the Maple Leafs are my favourite Canadian hockey team if you don’t include every other team in the country. But Max Pacioretty plays for the Laffs and he’s served the Habs the best he could in his time with Montreal. The Leafs have their strongest defence in years and have a plethora of scoring talent up front. In net, they’re strong and they have solid coaching. Of course, their Achilles’ heel is they’re the Maple Leafs, no small burden for any team to carry. While Florida and California have more Canadians than Prince Edward Island, they are not Canadian provinces and therefore Florida has no right to win.
(Norm) I genuinely thought the Panthers’ injured or returning players would not be effective in the first round, and it turned out I was very wrong. Sam Reinhart led his team with six points in their five-game series win against Tampa, closely followed by forwards Sam Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, and Alexander Barkov with five points. In goal, Sergei Bobrovsky was excellent, sporting a .901 save percentage and a 2.21 goals against average.
Toronto managed to hang on against an Ottawa squad that would not give up after being down three games to nothing. They eventually were out-matched and lost in six games. Forward William Nylander was clutch with nine points in six games, followed by forwards Mitch Marner with eight, and Auston Matthews with seven points. In an interesting coincidence, veteran netminder Anthony Stolarz matched Bobrovsky’s same stats exactly, albeit in six games. It should be an interesting series, and we will see if the Leafs can stand up to the grinding style that the Panthers excel at. I predict the Leafs will fall in this second-round match.
(David) This edition of the Leafs is the most playoff-ready edition of the Maple Leafs in the Marner-Matthews era. However, Toronto has yet to demonstrate any ability to overcome a hard, heavy team like the Panthers. Absent Florida injuries or Leaf goaltenders outperforming Bobrovsky, Florida will be heavily favoured.
(Brian) I was quite impressed with how the Panthers easily dispatched the Lightning, the team I originally thought was going to get through this division. Despite a sluggish finish to the season, they looked a lot better when the games started to matter. They still have few weaknesses for Toronto to try to exploit. This Maple Leafs group is better than the one that the Panthers beat in five two years ago but there’s a case to make that Florida’s is also better. Anthony Stolarz can steal a game or two and if he does, that could be enough to tilt this in Toronto’s favour. But while the Maple Leafs will put up a better fight than a banged-up Tampa Bay team did, I think this is Florida’s series to lose and they’re not going to lose it.
(Kevin) This series appears one-sided to me. The Leafs new defensive conscious should give them an edge, and yet they face a second consecutive opponent that gave them fits all year long. Add to this the idea that the same old issues surrounding their core and their ability to close off teams reared its ugly head in the first round, and it’s hard to imagine a different outcome here. They lost three of the four contests against the Panthers this season. They escape their series against the Sens with the Core-4 not really dominating the series, while Stolarz had up and down moments throughout the series. But their whole identity change was to prepare for this series, not the Sens. At the other end, the Panthers have continuously stepped up when it mattered most this season, and their quick work of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the most recent proof that someone will have to earn the right to eliminate the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Are the Leafs really that team? Was there any indication in the first round that they could be that team? How do they even come close to the compete level of players like Tkachuk, Marchand, Bennett? Even if Stolarz or Woll play adequately, the advantage belongs to Bobrovsky. I just don’t see this going any other way.
Washington Capitals vs Carolina Hurricanes
James Turner predicts: Hurricanes in 7 games
Allan Katz predicts: Capitals in 7 games
Norm Szcyrek predicts: Hurricanes in 6 games
David Woodward predicts: Capitals in 7 games
Brian La Rose predicts: Capitals in 7 games
Kevin Leveille predicts: Hurricanes in 7 games
(James) Washington showed against Montreal why they were the best team in the Metropolitan Division. They used their physicality and experience to out-physical and bully the Canadiens into submission. While the Habs were ahead of schedule in their rebuild, their young core was not yet ready for the Capitals’ veterans. Carolina is a different story. Under Rod Brind’Amour, the Canes won’t be so easily pushed around. Carolina also has plenty of postseason experience. I think Washington’s momentum stalls in this round, and Carolina moves on to their third conference final in seven years.
(Allan) A lot of people ask me, “Allan, how do you always pick the right winners in your playoff predictions?” The answer is simple since I use two very specific tools to figure out who’s going to win. Tool #1: I pick the winners after the series is decided. Tool #2: I pick the winners after the series is decided. Truth be told, I don’t remember who I picked, but that doesn’t mean I don’t do an in-depth study of all the stats. I don’t, but that’s beside the point.
Washington really gave a lesson in playoff hockey to the Habs. Heavy hitting exhausted them and their lack of experience against a veteran-laden team made any other possibilities impossible without luck. The Canadiens had pluck but not the talent of Carolina, nor the good fortune that helped the Habs to the Final not too long ago. Goaltending talent and health will decide the winner and that is where Washington has the edge. Nonetheless, the Capitals have to stay healthy to win what is going to be a solid series filled with intrigue and I suspect a few surprises.
(Norm) Unfortunately, Washington had their way with Montreal in the first round. The Habs’ game three performance was the outlier, and the Canadiens were in close in most of the games with a great never-say-die attitude. Dylan Strome was a point driver for his team, leading them with nine points in five games. Their captain Alex Ovechkin contributed five points, along with Connor McMichael and Tom Wilson. In net, Logan Thompson had the best save percentage in the first round with a .923 percentage, and a 2.23 goals against average. Despite those stats, I did not feel he was that dominant a player.
Carolina did what was expected by eliminating New Jersey in the first round in five games. Forward Sebastian Aho led the Canes with eight points in five games, followed by Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis with five points. Defenceman Shayne Gostisbehere had a strong showing with four points. The oft-injured but well-liked Frederik Andersen won three of four games, sporting a .936 save percentage and a 1.59 goals against and should be ready to return this round after being injured against the Devils. His play earned him a one-year contract extension. When it comes down to it, Carolina is likely to not be deterred by Washington’s tough play and will wear them down with their high-pressure turnover-generating tactics to advance to the next round.
(David) Washington is also a big, physical team. While Carolina possesses plenty of skill and cannot be characterized as undersized, their forwards are not quite as physical. Washington has the edge up front. That said, I would expect a long, tough series which may come down to the goalies. Provided Thompson can remain healthy for the entire series, I expect Washington to advance.
(Brian) I don’t trust either team a ton here. It’s hard for teams to go from being an early out one year to making the Conference Final the next which is what Washington is trying to do here. On the other hand, Carolina still has a lack of firepower, so-so goaltending, and isn’t the toughest of teams and as we saw last round, the Capitals are a pretty tough team. I suspect the Hurricanes will be able to stymie Washington’s attack for a few games but as the series progresses, the more talented team should win out. In this case, that would mean the Capitals taking the series, armed with the goalie advantage and home ice.
(Kevin) In the least surprising of the second-round matchups, two well-rounded teams face-off in what should be an interesting series while not being the most entertaining. Carolina will try to use their speed and forecheck to smother the Capitals. Essentially, the Capitals are facing a version of the Habs on steroids. And if the Habs were able to give the Caps that much of a hard time, I expect that the Canes will be successful in smothering the Caps here. Like they did against the Habs, I expect the Capitals to come out and try to establish their physicality early in this series. The return of Protas makes the size and physicality the biggest edge that the Caps own in this series. That and goaltending. Thompson got better in every game in the first round, and I expect him to be top-notch in this series. For Caroline, Andersen was excellent early in round one before sustaining an injury. He appears poised to return to his crease, but for long and how healthy is he really? This could be a huge swing in the series. So long as Andersen is ready to go, I’ll predict the Hurricanes win this series.