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.

Multiple seasons were on the line Wednesday in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Washington Capitals had an opportunity to close out their first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 after winning three of the first four, while the Florida Panthers had the opportunity to do the same to the Tampa Bay Lightning in their own Game 5.

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.