NHL Playoffs 2025: Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel headline 3 Stars of the Night after OT thriller

The 2025 NHL playoffs just keep delivering every night. On Thursday, several key players turned in clutch performances with Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel leading the way.

With the Washington Capitals facing the possibility of a 2-0 series deficit going to Carolina, Tom Wilson elevated his game and helped the Caps even the series. Not only was Wilson terrorizing the Hurricanes with his physicality, but he showed some finesse on John Carlson’s game-winning goal.

In the late game, Jack Eichel seemed to have the puck on his stick at all times. The Golden Knights’ star was seeing the ice extremely well, assisting on each of his team’s first three goals. On two of power play goals, Eichel read and manipulated the Oilers’ penalty kill perfectly, leading to a pair of goals for Victor Olofsson.

As great as Eichel was, he was topped only by the best player in the world. Eichel helped the Golden Knights orchestrate a third-period comeback to force overtime, but Connor McDavid made the biggest play of the night with the game on the line.

After another exciting night of playoff hockey, let’s highlight the best performances with our 3 Stars of the Night.

3. Jack Eichel | C | Golden Knights

No player was more noticeable in Game 2 than Eichel, who seemed to create a scoring chance every time he touched the puck. On a night when Vegas had some lapses on defense and in net, Eichel bailed them out. His brilliance gave the Golden Knights a shot, but the rest of the roster left something to be desired.

Eichel posted a career high 66 assists in the regular season, and that improved playmaking ability has translated nicely to the postseason. Eichel set up Vegas’ first three goals, notching an assist on every one of them. The silkiest dish of the night came with Vegas on the power play in the third period. Eichel waited until he saw a sliver of daylight and slid a perfect cross-ice pass to Victor Olofsson, who deposited a one-timer into the back of the net.

2. Tom Wilson | RW | Capitals

Tom Wilson is the best example of the player you hate when he’s on the other team, but love when he’s on yours. That was very clear in Game 2 as he did his best to get under the Hurricanes’ skin while also making an impact on the scoreboard.

As is usually the case, Wilson was throwing his body around everywhere, but his impact didn’t end there. The hulking Wilson showed off some skill on the Capitals’ game-winning goal. Playing the bumper spot on the power play, Wilson had eyes in the back of his head as he found a pinching John Carlson on the backside for an easy tap-in. To cap off an already impressive night, Wilson scored the empty-net goal to lock up the win for Washington.

1. Connor McDavid | C  | Oilers

For roughly 75 minutes, the Golden Knights contained Connor McDavid as well as humanly possible. But that can only last so long. When the game was on line line — when the lights were at their brightest — McDavid made the best play of the entire game to give Edmonton a 2-0 series lead.

With roughly five minutes left in overtime, McDavid picked up the puck in the neutral zone, and he turned on the jets. While flying toward the Vegas blue line, McDavid posterized Eichel with filthy stick-handling. That created a 2-on-1 with none other than Leon Draisaitl, and McDavid set up his superstar teammate with an empty net for the game-winner. That was McDavid’s 14th playoff point, which ranks second in the league.