The Hurricanes’ best players met expectations in Round 1, with Sebastian Aho, Seth Jarvis and Andrei Svechnikov combining for 10 goals and 19 points. With a solid defense corps that is superior to Washington’s, Carolina has what it takes to get back to the Eastern final for the second time in the past three seasons and the third time since 2018-19.

SportsLine's proven model has simulated Dallas vs. Colorado in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs first round on Saturday 10,000 times

The Colorado Avalanche and Dallas Stars meet in Game 7 of their Western Conference best-of-7, first-round series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Saturday.