NHL playoffs winners, losers: Connor Hellebuyck pulled twice; Gabriel Landeskog comes back
There's regular-season Connor Hellebuyck. He's the one who won the Vezina Trophy last season for the second time, was named a finalist on Monday and is expected to win it again.
Then there's playoff Connor. Once a stalwart, he struggled during the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, going 2-8 with a 4.28 goals-against average and .878 save percentage. That includes giving up 24 goals in five games last postseason.
Playoff Connor seemed to have vanished this year because the Winnipeg Jets goalie played well for the second-place Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off and won the first two playoff games at home. But once the series shifted to St. Louis, he lost twice and was pulled in both games after giving up six and five goals, respectively.
With the series tied 2-2 and heading back to Winnipeg, the Jets need regular-season Connor to re-emerge in order for the No. 1 overall team to avoid a collapse.
Coach Scott Arniel said he's "100 percent confident" in Hellebuyck and cited the team's coverage issues against the Blues.
"We need to be better in front of him," he told reporters. "We need to let him see some pucks. … There's things that we have to do to help him. He knows he has to do things to help us."
With every series having played four or more games, here are the early winners and losers of the 2025 playoffs:
Winners
Colorado Avalanche captain Gabriel Landeskog
Landeskog's ability to come back from a troublesome knee injury that required cartilage transplant is enough to get him on this list. But he had six hits and set up several scoring chances in his first game since 2022. He ramped that up with a goal and an assist in his second game. According to JFresh Hockey, the Avalanche outscored opponents 2-0 and outshot them 21-3 when Landeskog was on the ice in five-on-five situations in his first two games.
Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner
Just like with Hellebuyck, Marner thrives in the regular season and has lower production in the playoffs. This season appears to be different. He has seven points in four games against the Ottawa Senators, and the Maple Leafs are in position Tuesday to win a playoff series for just the second time since 2004.
Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov
Kaprizov was in the mix for MVP consideration when he suffered a lower-body injury in January that required surgery and kept him out until early April. He played in four games before the playoffs, then took off with four goals and four assists in four postseason games. The Vegas Golden Knights held him to an assist in a Game 4 victory and will need to limit Kaprizov if they're going to win the series.
Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson
Wilson made the highlight reel when his Game 3 skirmish with the Montreal Canadiens' Josh Anderson continued into the Capitals' bench. He also made the highlight reel when his crushing hit on Alexandre Carrier led to Washington's tying goal in Game 4. Wilson has 16 hits in four games. Throw in his goal and two assists and he has been an impact player.
Losers
Los Angeles Kings coach Jim Hiller
His unsuccessful challenge of the Oilers' tying goal in Game 3 turned around the series. After a review showed that Evander Kane did not kick the puck into net and the goal counted, Hiller challenged for goaltender interference. He lost, the Oilers were awarded a power play and scored 10 seconds later to go ahead 5-4 in an eventual 7-4 victory. Edmonton trailed 3-1 in Game 4 when the Kings played too conservatively in the third period. The Oilers outshot the Kings 16-6 in the third period and scored twice to tie the game, then outshot them 17-7 in overtime to win. The Kings are the only team this postseason to lose when leading by multiple goals entering the third period. Los Angeles needs to improve on its minus-6 goal differential in the third period to avoid being eliminated by the Oilers for the fourth season in a row.
Tampa Bay Lightning power play
The Lightning power play connected at 25.9% in the regular season. It's at 6.7% in the playoffs, second worst among the 16 teams. Their inability to score with the man advantage cost them in Game 4. They had a chance to build on their lead during a five-minute power play in their third period after Niko Mikkola boarded Zemgus Girgensons, But they didn't get a shot on net. That set the stage for Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones for a 3-2 lead and an eventual 4-2 victory and 3-1 lead in their series.
Goalie injuries
Montreal's Sam Montembeault left with a lower body injury in Game 3 and Washington's Logan Thompson left the same game after teammate Dylan Strome accidentally collided with him. Carolina Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen left Game 4 after New Jersey's Timo Meier knocked him into the net. Thompson played Game 4, Montembeault missed it and Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour had no update on Andersen on Monday.
Pregame shenanigans
The NHL Player Safety department is cracking down on shenanigans that take place in pregame warmups. The Senators, Capitals and Canadiens were fined $25,000 each. Ottawa’s Nick Cousins ($2,083.33), Montreal’s Arber Xhekaj ($3,385.42) and Washington’s Dylan McIlrath ($2,018.23) received the maximum allowed individual fines for unsportsmanlike conduct. Cousins shot the puck toward Maple Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz, a former teammate, during warmups. It's not clear what Xhekaj and McIlrath did during warmups before Game 4.