The Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes will kick off their second-round playoff series with Game 1 on Tuesday, May 6.
As the Eastern Conference’s top seed, the Capitals will host the series opener at Capital One Arena. The time of puck drop for the game and the schedule for the rest of the series have not yet been released.
The Capitals will also host Game 2 as well as Games 5 and 7 if they are necessary.
The game will be televised exclusively via ESPN in the US, as all playoff games from the second round forward are no longer carried by local networks. Monumental Sports Network will produce pre- and post-game shows, hosted by the returning Alexa Landestoy.
Per TNT’s Friday night broadcast, the series was set to begin two days earlier on Sunday night until the St. Louis Blues forced Game 7 in their first-round series against the Winnipeg Jets.
Carolina eliminated the New Jersey Devils in five games during their first-round series, the night before the Capitals did the same to the Montreal Canadiens. The Hurricanes finished second in the Metropolitan Division at the end of the regular season, 12 points behind the Caps.
The two teams split their regular-season series 2-2, while Carolina finished ahead in goal differential, outscoring the Capitals 14-11. The Capitals took the last game of the regular-season series 5-4 in a shootout on April 10.
Here’s the press release from the Capitals:
2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round Begins Tuesday for Washington and Carolina
Hurricanes-Capitals Game 1 Set for Tuesday, May 6 in Washington
The National Hockey League today announced the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round will begin on Monday, May 5, in Toronto, with Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs, at 8 p.m. ET. In Canada, the game will be on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports. In the U.S., the game will be on ESPN.
In addition, the League announced that Game 1 of the Second Round series between the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals is set for Tuesday, May 6, in Washington. The game will be televised on ESPN in the U.S. The starting time and Canadian broadcast information for the Hurricanes-Capitals Game 1 will be announced when available.
As previously announced, the start time for Game 7 of the First Round series between the St. Louis Blues andWinnipeg Jets is set for 7 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 4, in Winnipeg. The game will be televised on Sportsnet, CBC and TVA Sports in Canada. In the U.S., the game will be televised on TBS.
The complete schedule for the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round will be announced when available.
