Is it?

With the picks and prospects cupboard somewhat bare, Hayes will need to be a major factor. The necessity may increase if Derek Stepan isn’t signed to a long-term deal, too. Stepan is a restricted free agent at season’s end.

***

This is so minor, but it was extremely surprising to see the willingness of both the Rangers and Capitals to dump the puck into the other team’s end during the final minutes of the game Monday.

At one point, Joel Ward had possession of the puck, and Alex Ovechkin was offside. Ward soft dumped it in and allowed the Rangers an easy breakout. I’m not saying he should have tried to wait for Ovechkin and then skated it in or turned it back towards his own end with a pass or on his own.

What stood out, though, was Ward didn’t even think about either or look to see if there was an outlet option anywhere. Even engaging in a board battle at the Rangers’ blue line could have eaten the same time off the clock, and the Rangers wouldn’t have been able to break out with speed.

The Rangers pulled their goalie and changed four of five skaters and dumped the puck in at the same time late, too. One man — sorry, I didn’t catch who it was — skated toward a trio of defenders with no support and then dumped it in for the Capitals to collect and promptly take more time off the clock.

Not only was it surprising to see the willingness to hand the puck over to the opposition, but that neither player looked for a better option.

The point is that a Chicago Blackhawk rarely makes either play. So frequently, it appears many teams — not just Washington and New York — are scrambling late in games and almost appear panicked. It just isn’t an attribute that sticks with the Blackhawks or the Los Angeles Kings, perhaps even the Tampa Bay Lightning.

***

And when you have a 1-0 game, that is what stood out late. Not that it was a boring game, because it wasn’t, but the legitimate scoring chances were minimal. These are big, physically imposing teams with deep defensive corps, and many of those defensemen have a lot of playoff miles.

Neither team is built to win 5-4 games. Except for the Philipp Grubauer Game 2 win in Round 1, the Capitals have allowed four goals over their five wins. Similarly, the Rangers have allowed just six goals through their five wins in the playoffs.

It also highlights how well Braden Holtby has played, and he has been a top-tier goalie for the majority of the season. There was the odd blow-up game along the way, but he won 41 games with a .923 save percentage and 2.22 goals-against average. Unless the Capitals add competition this offseason, expect Holtby to approach 70 games again in 2015-16.

We already knew Henrik Lundqvist was legit.

The margin of error is so small in this series, as the only goal Monday resembled a nine-ball pool shot more than a hockey shot.

There are huge fantasy implications, too.

In daily games, over exposure to a 1-0 game sinks your lineup, especially when the Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks have scored more goals through two games than the Capitals and Rangers have combined to score through three games of their series.

The Western Conference is scoring more goals, and they’re doing so by a wide margin. Players who reach the semifinals in the West could easily outscore plenty of players from the advancing Eastern Conference team.

Does it mean the same will happen next season?

Of course not, however it is becoming a trend, and like most things sport, turning a blind eye to trends is ill-advised. The Rangers (15) have scored one more goal than the St. Louis Blues (14) and still trail the Nashville Predators (21) by six goals, for example. When it comes time to look for value in box pools or deeper in drafts, it is likely better to hone in on a Western Conference player.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders appear to be the exception in the East, at least from this season’s playoffs teams. Maybe the Ottawa Senators qualify, too.

Still, the trend, or at least the successful trend, appears to be locking down the hatches around an excellent goaltender. The starting goalie has already been replaced for two teams remaining in the West, and in the case of Chicago, Corey Crawford has regained his lost starting gig.

***

Again, it was an exciting game Monday, check the highlights.