Oilers fans might remember Game 3 of the Western Conference Final as the one that got away after J.T. Compher's third-period goal trickled through the legs of Mike Smith as the eventual game winner. Smith has to make this save as Compher takes his shot straight after skating out of the penalty box.

The truth is that the Avalanche appear to be too much for the Oilers to handle. The shots on goal over these first three games have been 47-37, 40-24, and 43-29 – all in favor of Colorado. That's an avalanche of pucks that Oilers goaltending has faced.

Compher stepped up in a big way when called upon. Because of the injury to Nazem Kadri (more on that shortly), Compher moved onto Mikko Rantanen's line and logged nearly 20 minutes. Compher and Artturi Lehkonen also took turns on the first-unit power play in Kadri's absence. Compher has now scored five goals in his last four games, which includes two 2-goal games in the final game against St. Louis and the first game of this series.

Compher's short-term value takes a big bump with the news that Nazem Kadri is expected to miss at least the rest of the series. According to one report, Kadri even left Rogers Place with a cast on his right arm, which sounds like something that could sideline him for the rest of the playoffs.

Kadri left Game 3 very early in the first period after taking an Evander Kane cross-check from behind. Although Kane received a five-minute major, the Avalanche could not capitalize on the resulting power play. Could Kane get suspended for this, or is the five-minute penalty enough?

Overshadowed by the Compher and Kadri news was the fact that Valeri Nichushkin scored a pair of goals while taking five shots and two hits. Although Nichushkin has been playing on the top line with Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog, he entered this game without a point in his previous four games and without a goal in his previous seven games.

Devon Toews assisted on both of Nichushkin's goals, giving him seven points (1 G, 6 A) over his last six games.

Pavel Francouz did what he needed to, stopping 27 of 29 shots to earn his second consecutive win and quality start. Since the Avs have a 3-0 stranglehold in this series, they have no reason to rush Kuemper or Kadri back at this point.

The Mike Smith Experience was on full display in this game. Only Smith would make a spectacular save on what would have been Nichushkin's third goal but then fail to close the five hole on Compher's goal. He can be both brilliant and disastrous – even in the same game.  

Kailer Yamamoto did not suit up for Game 3 after leaving Game 2 with an upper-body injury.

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According to Jeff Marek of Sportsnet, the Senators might start next season with three goalies. This probably wasn't what the Senators envisioned when they acquired Murray two offseasons ago, which actually seems like longer given how much of a flop the trade and subsequent signing has been. Murray actually improved somewhat in 2021-22 (including a 2.01 GAA/.942 SV% run in Quarter 3), but then he suffered a concussion in an early March game (in which he allowed eight goals) and didn't return after that. In fact, Murray has started only 45 of the Senators' 138 games in his two seasons there.

Former journeyman Anton Forsberg stood out as the Sens' top goalie this past season, but it's Filip Gustavsson's contract status that is driving this decision. Gustavsson's contract becomes one-way to start next season, so losing him on waivers would be a difficult pill to swallow if Murray is injured or can't play well later. Yet who knows, maybe this is the year that Murray finally puts those issues behind him.

But for now, this will be a very difficult goalie situation to project, and one that you should probably lean toward avoiding if at all possible. Even if the Sens take a step forward next season.

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Varying from previous offseasons, the top Frozen Tools profile searches are now mainly populated with players still participating in the playoffs. That may have something to do with the increased DFS content on the site. However, I noticed two recent outliers on the list in terms of players whose teams are no longer playing games this season. One is Scott Perunovich, who Alex brought up in a recent Ramblings regarding the potential for first-unit power-play time, but only if he can stay in the lineup. The other is Kirby Dach, who by virtue of the high number of searches might be the most interesting player to watch on the Blackhawks next season.

Although Dach will be entering his fourth NHL season, he has played only 152 games over his career because of injuries and COVID-shortened seasons. That games-played total is more like two seasons played, which is something to bear in mind for a lot of players that are entering their fourth season. As well, entering the NHL straight from his 2019 season may not have been the best idea for Dach's development. That all being said, circumstances may point toward at least a modest increase in 2022-23.

From the first half to the second half, Dach's power-play time dipped about a minute per game. In addition, he was moved from a line with Kane and Alex DeBrincat to start the season to the likes of Toews, Philipp Kurashev, and Dominik Kubalik in the second half. Dach didn't do himself any favors with his first-half production (14 PTS in 40 GP), and his second-half production showed only slight improvement (12 PTS in 30 GP).

During Saturday's intermission, the 32 Thoughts guys shared the fact that the Blackhawks will listen on anyone except for Toews, Kane, and Seth Jones (Sportsnet). If I'm the Blackhawks, 100 percent that's what I'm doing. But in terms of embracing a proper rebuild, they won't be able to do that until next offseason. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are entering the final year of their long-term contracts, each with a $10.5 million cap hit and a no-movement clause. Even if neither could be moved even if the Blackhawks tried, they could still transition Dach into a more significant role sooner rather than later. That includes more time with top scorers at even strength and on the power play. Dach may not be ready for a significant breakout next season, but modest improvement is quite possible.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.