Saturday brings a quadruple header of Stanley Cup Playoffs action, including the first elimination game of the postseason. The Toronto Maple Leafs go for the sweep of the Ottawa Senators.
In the first game of the day, the defending champion Florida Panthers go for a 3-0 lead after winning both games in Tampa. Plus, there are pivotal Game 4s in Minnesota and Colorado.
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Viewing guide for Saturday
| Game | Time (ET) | TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lightning at Panthers |
1 p.m. |
US: TBS, truTV, FDSN Sun |
|
|
Golden Knights at Wild |
4 p.m. |
US: TBS, truTV, FDSN North |
|
|
Maple Leafs at Senators |
7 p.m. |
US: TBS, truTV |
Max |
|
Stars at Avalanche |
9:30 p.m. |
US: TBS, truTV, Altitude |
All games on Saturday can be streamed on Max.
Watching in person? Get tickets on StubHub.
Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
Panthers lead series 2-0
Series odds: Panthers -650, Lightning +475
After the Panthers took Games 1 and 2 on the road, the biggest story heading into Game 3 surrounds the availability of Brandon Hagel and Aleksander Barkov. Hagel was assessed a five-minute major for interference on Thursday night. The referees upgraded it from a minor due to the ‘degree of violence’ as per Rule 56.5, and upheld the original call after video review. After a hearing on Friday, Hagel was suspended for Game 3.
Head coach Paul Maurice did not indicate whether or not Barkov would be available for Game 3, which could be a game-changer, especially with home ice advantage. The Lightning managed to keep Nikita Kucherov’s line away from Barkov for most of Game 2 in Tampa. But with the series shifting to Sunrise, the Panthers are in control of the matchups — and that likely means serving Kucherov and Brayden Point a steady dose of Gus Forsling and Barkov, if he is in the lineup.
Expert picks
Vegas Golden Knights at Minnesota Wild
Wild lead series 2-1
Series odds: Wild -115, Golden Knights -105
There is a potential upset brewing in Minnesota, with the Wild up 2-1. Minnesota’s top line continues to dominate play, with Matt Boldy, Joel Eriksson Ek and Kirill Kaprizov leading the way. At five-on-five, the Wild had a 15-8 edge in shot attempts in their minutes and 78 percent expected goal rate. Kaprizov and Boldy registered another two points on Thursday night. What makes their success all the more impressive is that the Wild are deploying them against Vegas’ best — it’s a power versus power matchup against the Jack Eichel line, and Minnesota is winning it. On the backend, Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin are helping the Wild in those matchup minutes, too.
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The Golden Knights made a strong push in the third period, but Filip Gustavsson made timely saves. Now the pressure is on Vegas, the best in the Pacific, to even the series before getting pushed to the brink of elimination.
Expert picks
Toronto Maple Leafs at Ottawa Senators
Maple Leafs lead series 3-0
Series odds: Maple Leafs -5000, Senators +1500
This is not your 2023 Maple Leafs team. The Core Four is scoring, Matthew Knies and John Tavares have provided clutch secondary scoring, the power play is clicking, the defense is playing well, unlikely heroes have emerged (like Simon Benoit) and the goaltending is delivering.
The Leafs’ top line didn’t play a perfect Game 3 — Shane Pinto’s line did a good job containing them. But Auston Matthews’ go-ahead goal, set up by Mitch Marner, flipped the script in the second period. About 11 minutes later, Playoff Brady Tkachuk finally arrived with a goal of his own. That sent this series to overtime for the second straight game, and Benoit was the difference less than two minutes in.
The Senators have been pushed to the brink of elimination, but they have a chance to keep their season alive at home. While Ottawa reined in its discipline after a rough first two games, this team needs to generate more chances (and convert on them) if it’s going to push back.
Expert picks
Dallas Stars at Colorado Avalanche
Stars lead series 2-1
Series odds: Stars -150, Avalanche +125
They don’t ask how, just how many. The Stars are up 2-1 in this series, despite only holding a lead for 1:02 minutes of play in three games. Two overtime winners — first Colin Blackwell in Game 2 and then Tyler Seguin in Game 3 — have given Dallas the series lead.
Now the pressure is on the Avalanche to fight back. The Avalanche need more out of their top-six, and maybe Gabriel Landeskog can provide more of a spark in Game 4. He returned to NHL action in Game 3 after missing almost three years of play. The coaches eased him back in with 11:31 five-on-five minutes. In that time, Colorado was up 19-8 in shot attempts with a 70 percent expected goal rate.
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As for the Stars, the reunited second line is back to being a reliable source of offense with a healthy Seguin. Mikko Rantanen earned his first point of this series, with an assist on the overtime winner. And Thomas Harley continues to come up big in Miro Heiskanen’s absence.
Expert picks
Betting/odds, ticketing and streaming links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.
(Photo: Matthew Stockman / Getty Images)
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