2025 NHL playoffs daily: Previews for Saturday's games - ESPN

All but one NHL team will end the season on a bitter note, as there can be only one Stanley Cup champion. But Saturday, we could have our first playoff elimination of the 2025 playoffs.

The Ottawa Senators are on the brink heading into Saturday's game. Despite taking the heavily favored Toronto Maple Leafs to overtime twice in a row, the Atlantic Division champs have scored the game winner each time in the extra session. Can the Senators win one in front of the home crowd to extend the series to five games?

Elsewhere in the Atlantic bracket, the Florida Panthers won both of the first two games in the Tampa Bay Lightning's building. Will this be a shorter series than many expected? And out West, the Minnesota Wild will look to extend their shocking series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Clash of the Western Titans continues in the Centennial State, as the Colorado Avalanche look to even things up with the Dallas Stars.

Read on for game previews with statistical insights from ESPN Research, recaps of what went down in Friday's games, and the Three Stars of Friday Night from Arda Öcal.

Tampa Bay Lightning at Florida Panthers
Game 3 (FLA leads 2-0) | 1 p.m. ET | TBS

Having served his suspension for performance-enhancing substances, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad is eligible to return for this game. The well-rounded blueliner skated 23:30 per game during the regular season, scoring three goals and 30 assists in 56 games.

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The Panthers have another defenseman who has been delivering this postseason; Nate