Connor McDavid, Frederik Andersen shine for Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes as teams search to set Stanley Cup playoff pace

Connor McDavid and Frederik Andersen are stepping up as the first-choice players in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs as the second-round series heat up. The Edmonton Oilers welcome home to Rogers Place with a dominating 2-0 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights, and the Carolina Hurricanes go to Game 3 with the Washington Capitals with the series even at 1-1.With these two series changing locations, teams and stars both start to feel increasing pressure to seize control of their playoff fates. Although the Carolina Hurricanes survived Game 1 in overtime and lost Game 2, the team has not had an in-game lead since Game 4 of their opening-round series against the New Jersey Devils. They've spent over 89 minutes behind and nearly two hours stuck in a tie without ever holding the lead on the scoreboard. Despite that, goaltender Frederik Andersen remains a glimmer of hope. Among all other remaining netminders in the playoffs, Andersen leads in goals-against average (1.55) and is second in save percentage (.930), behind Washington's Logan Thompson. His coolness in the crease is one of the primary reasons that the Hurricanes are still alive, even when they are not dictating the tempo of the game. For the Washington Capitals, veteran defenseman John Carlson continues to challenge all-time graphs. His Game 2 power-play goal was the 13th of his playoff career and left him third behind only Chris Chelios and Brian Rafalski on the list among American-born defenders. Tom Wilson had an excellent all-around effort with two points, three shots, two hits, and two blocks — the best playoff series since Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2018. Out in Alberta, the Edmonton Oilers are cruising along with explosive forward Connor McDavid, who has been as close to unbeatable as can be. With 14 points in eight games, he sits second only behind Mikko Rantanen for playoff scoring and is riding a scorching 1.75-point average per outing. McDavid and Leon Draisaitl combined for the Game 2 OT winner against Vegas, solidifying their reputation as the league's most feared threat. Leon Draisaitl now also shares the Oilers' single-playoff record for most overtime goals, tying Esa Tikkanen's record from 1991. His chemistry with McDavid continues to torment defensemen, and the Oilers' power play has been lethal.The Vegas Golden Knights, trailing 0-2, will need a star performance to make the series go on longer. Victor Olofsson scored two power-play goals in Game 2 and added an assist, making himself and Jack Eichel the short list of multi-goal power-play scorers in the playoffs in Golden Knights history. Three assists were Eichel's third such game in the postseason, joining William Karlsson and Shea Theodore as the only Knights with two three-assist postseason games.Also read: Paul Maurice backs Panthers resilience as playoff pressure buildsAs the playoffs move into their decisive mid-phases of Round 2, the Capitals-Hurricanes and Oilers-Golden Knights series each have embarked on a diverging path. The Capitals and Hurricanes are in a stalemate, grind-it-out, low-odds chess war, whereas Edmonton seeks to outdrive Vegas, unless the Knights counter right back in Game 3.