The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on April 19. The Winnipeg Jets are the NHL's top overall seed, having finished the regular season with the most points in the standings, and the Washington Capitals earned the No. 1 seed in the East.

But this time there's a twist. In 2021 and 2022, the Lightning were the defending Stanley Cup champion; this time the Panthers are. Each time the two teams have faced each other, the winner of the series has gone on to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

RALIEGH, N.C. — The Devils have been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Devils lost a wild 5-4, double overtime Game 5 to the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Tuesday night to end their season. They had a 3-0 lead in the first period then blew it five minutes into the second.