The 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs continue to feature outstanding individual performances, and Tuesday night was a prime example. Jaccob Slavin was instrumental in leading the Carolina Hurricanes to a Game 1 victory against the Washington Capitals, while the dynamic pairing of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl ignited yet another comeback for the Edmonton Oilers in Las Vegas.
The evening commenced with a tight-checking game in Washington D.C., where the Hurricanes and Capitals were tied 1-1 after regulation. Slavin contributed significantly to this defensive battle and also played the role of hero, scoring the game-winner in overtime.
In Las Vegas, the Golden Knights initially took a 2-0 lead in the first period. However, the Oilers shifted gears in the second, largely thanks to the brilliance of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. The duo combined for four points on the night, demonstrating that when they are performing at their best, even one of the league`s top defensive teams struggles to keep pace.
With another night of intense playoff hockey concluded, let`s highlight the standout individual efforts by naming our 3 Stars of the Night.
3. Leon Draisaitl | C | Edmonton Oilers
Tuesday brought another comeback win for the Oilers, and Draisaitl once again delivered a crucial goal. Early in the third period, with his team trailing 2-1, Draisaitl displayed remarkable hand-eye coordination and hockey sense.
Following a deflected shot from Evan Bouchard that bounced off Adin Hill`s glove and hung in the air, Draisaitl deftly swatted it with his backhand as soon as it landed on the ice. The Oilers` sharpshooter intentionally directed the puck off Hill`s pad and into the net to tie the game. Beyond this highlight-reel goal, Draisaitl also recorded an assist on Edmonton`s first goal, executing a perfect cross-ice pass to Connor McDavid during a textbook zone entry.
2. Connor McDavid | C | Edmonton Oilers
While McDavid didn`t score in the Oilers` Game 1 win over the Golden Knights, he was the primary catalyst behind their rally. As seen multiple times in the first round, McDavid elevated his game when his team was behind, changing the momentum with a couple of exceptional plays.
The Edmonton captain assisted on both of his team`s first two goals, making brilliant plays on each occasion. For the first goal, McDavid threaded a perfect pass around Brayden McNabb to find Corey Perry wide open in front of Adin Hill. On the second goal, McDavid showcased his incredible speed with an end-to-end rush that directly led to Draisaitl`s goal, as he was in position to swat in the rebound from the aforementioned Bouchard shot.
1. Jaccob Slavin | D | Carolina Hurricanes
In Game 1 against the Capitals, Jaccob Slavin delivered a nearly flawless defensive performance and capped it off by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime. During his 18 minutes of five-on-five play, the Hurricanes dominated possession metrics, boasting significant advantages in shot attempts (plus-23), scoring chances (plus-12), and high-danger scoring chances (plus-5), according to Natural Stat Trick. Considering Washington finished second in the regular season with 286 goals scored, this was a truly outstanding defensive effort from Slavin.
Offensively, Slavin led the Hurricanes with five shots on goal. His fifth shot proved to be the final one of the game, as it slipped underneath the pad of Capitals goalie Logan Thompson just 3:06 into the overtime period. Nobody on the ice had a greater overall impact, both defensively and offensively, than Jaccob Slavin did on Tuesday night.
