If You're An Ex-Penguin, The Second Round Of The Playoffs Has Been Your Calling Card

This year’s Stanley Cup playoffs have already been chock-full of great performances and unbelievable moments.

And many of those performances and moments have a common underlying theme.

Or, an underlying team, that is.

If you happen to be playing in the second round of the playoffs as a former Pittsburgh Penguin, you’ve probably experienced some good moments. In fact, three of the biggest moments from this past week in playoff hockey have belonged to former Penguins:

– Reilly Smith, a Penguin during the 2023-24 season, scored with just 0.4 seconds remaining in Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers to give the Vegas Golden Knights their only win of the series Saturday. Edmonton Oilers

– Mikael Granlund, a Penguin briefly following the 2023 trade deadline, recorded a hat trick to account for every Dallas Stars goal in their 3-1 Game 4 win over the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday.

– Kasperi Kapanen, who had two different stints in the Penguins’ organization and was with the NHL club from 2020-23, played hero and scored the series-clinching overtime goal for the Oilers in Game 5 against Vegas.

How Have Former Penguins Fared Through Round One Of Playoffs?The Pittsburgh Penguins may not be participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season.

Of course, those three second-round moments take the cake, but there are still other ex-Penguins who have contributed to their current team’s playoff runs as well:

Smith (Vegas Golden Knights): Smith only had two points in the Edmonton series, but both of those points came in Vegas’s only win of the series in Game 3 – with, obviously, the big one coming at the end.

Granlund (Dallas Stars): Granlund has five points in five games during the second-round series against Winnipeg, and overall, he has four goals and seven points in 12 playoff games.

Kapanen (Edmonton Oilers): Kapanen scored his overtime winner in just his second playoff appearance this postseason, and although it’s his lone point, it was a big one.

Matt Murray (Toronto Maple Leafs): Although Murray’s only contribution to the Leafs’ playoff picture – as the third-string goaltender – was relieving Joseph Woll during the third period in a disastrous Game 5 loss, he did stop six of seven shots. And, being that it was his first playoff appearance since 2020, that’s a personal win for Murray.

Former Penguins Goaltender Makes First Playoff Appearance Since 2020It’s safe to say that things did not go well for the Toronto Maple Leafs in their lackluster 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.

Anthony Beauvillier (Washington Capitals): Beauvillier registered the lone goal in the Caps’ 3-1 Game 5 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes – which sent them home for the summer – and he had two goals and six points in 10 playoff games for Washington.

Jordan Staal (Carolina Hurricanes): Staal hasn’t exactly set the world on fire production-wise in the playoffs, but he does have a goal and two points in his last two games and has used his trademark shutdown play to frustrate opponents, so he’s doing his part.

Evan Rodrigues (Florida Panthers): After missing the first game of the Panthers’ second-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Rodrigues has two points in four games and has been mixed up in just about everything.

Dmitry Kulikov (Florida Panthers): A Penguin for just a blip post-deadline in 2023, Kulikov scored a goal in Florida’s Game 5 victory over the Leafs to help them earn their third straight win and put them ahead in the series. He has two points in the series and four points in 10 total playoff games.

For a full list of former Penguins who have competed in this year’s postseason, check out our comprehensive guide to ex-Penguins in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Your Guide To Ex-Penguins In The 2025 NHL PlayoffsThe Pittsburgh Penguins may not be participating in the Stanley Cup playoffs this season.