Whoa… 7-0 definitely wasn't what we expected in what was supposed to be one of the best matchups in a long time. After winning 11 consecutive playoff rounds, the Tampa Bay Lightning might finally be getting snowed in. If the 7-0 score looked bad, it could have been even worse if not for Andrei Vasilevskiy saving a number of other high-danger scoring chances. The Avalanche appear to have too much speed for Tampa Bay to handle (and appear to be doing all the small things as well). The Lightning are finally looking like a team that has endured long playoff runs for three consecutive seasons.

Is Valeri Nichushkin a darkhorse candidate for the Conn Smythe? He added to his playoff legend in Game 2, scoring the opening goal, then again in the second period. He now has five goals and 18 shots in his last four games, with 11 of those shots over his last two games. Nathan MacKinnon is the only Avalanche player to take more shots than Nichushkin during the playoffs (58 SOG).

That being said, with all the excitement about Nichushkin finally blossoming, I'm a bit skeptical as to whether he would have the same level of success with another team if he decides to leave Colorado. In other words, he may not have the same quality of linemates (ie. no MacKinnon or Mikko Rantanen or Nazem Kadri on a career year), even if a team investing in him will give him endless opportunities to succeed. That's not to say that Nichushkin will score at a 30-point pace again because I think he's turned the page on that. However, that's just the reality. The team that offers the most money doesn't necessarily offer the best fit.

The Avalanche could be dealing with another injury, as Andre Burakovsky left Game 2 after trying to block a pass. He scored the third goal of the game and assisted on Nichushkin's first goal before leaving. Even with injuries to Burakovsky, Kadri, and Samuel Girard, the Avalanche seem to find the depth to keep on rolling.

Andrew Cogliano was able to return to the Avalanche lineup after missing Game 1, assisting on two goals (while acting as the decoy on both 2-on-1 goals). Kadri skated the morning before Game 2, but he is still not ready to return. I wouldn't be surprised if he returns at some point during the series. Coincidentally, both Cogliano and Kadri have been dealing with thumb injuries.

After going shotless in Game 1, Cale Makar not only took four shots in Game 2, he scored a pair of third-period goals. The first goal was shorthanded; the second goal on the power play.

How about some Darren Helm stats for you? Helm was a bangers leaguer's dream in Game 2, scoring a goal with two minor penalties and 12 hits. Helm is drilling the Lightning all over the place with 22 hits between Games 1 and 2. Helm now leads the playoffs with 84 hits.

Darcy Kuemper's shutout was a relatively easy one – just 16 saves. That was his first quality start in three games. You didn't see a lot of Kuemper in this game, and you only saw many Lightning players when they were on the wrong end of a bad play.

Vasilevskiy has now allowed three first-period goals in back-to-back games. Those rough starts haven't been setting the right tone for the Lightning, so that's something they will have to focus on in Game 3. Seven goals is also the most that Vasilevskiy has allowed in any game in his career – regular season or playoffs.  

–

Nicklas Backstrom underwent left hip resurfacing surgery (a form of hip replacement surgery), which will result in a "lengthy recovery process." The exact timeline for recovery was not provided, although I'm about 99 percent sure Backstrom won't be ready for the start of the season. In fact, reading more about this type of surgery, I'm wondering if he'll be available at all for the 2022-23 season. Ryan Kesler underwent a similar surgery in 2019 and never played another game. Backstrom missed the first two months of this season because of the same hip, although he opted for rehabilitation instead of surgery.

The Capitals are already expected to be without Tom Wilson until December, which would presumably put them down two top-6 forwards to start the season. Placing one or both forwards on LTIR could create some cap space to pursue a replacement in free agency, although things would get tricky when one or both return.

Backstrom's production fell from his usual near point-per-game output throughout his career to just six goals and 31 points in 47 games. In particular, his scoring fell off during the fourth quarter to a single goal and eight points in 17 games. He managed to rebound in the playoffs with six points in six games, likely battling hard through the injury by that point.

–

If you're not following Goalie Post manager Mike Amato on Twitter, then you should be. He started an interesting discussion on Saturday morning with the following tweet, which was likely prompted from the recent Jesper Bratt trade rumors:

As far as rankings go, Bratt is certainly one of the more curious cases out there. I currently have him at #95 in the Top 100 Roto Rankings, but I'd expect his projections and rankings to be all over the board. For example, Dobber views him as a point-per-game player, while Mike sees him as more of a 50-60-point guy.

I'll start with reasons to move Bratt up in your projections. Of course, he was a near point-per-game player last season, leading the Devils with 73 points in 76 games. That major jump in points had a lot to do with an increased shot rate from below 2 SOG/GP in his first three seasons to 2.6 SOG/GP this past season. Bratt's overall icetime increased from 14-15 minutes per game in his first three seasons to over 17 minutes last season, while his percentage of power-play minutes increased from less than 50% in his first four seasons to nearly 60% in 2021-22. The signs were there in the shortened 2020-21 season for a potential breakout, but I doubt most expected Bratt to take off the way he did. More icetime with rising star Jack Hughes will also help prevent a major potential regression, although it is noted that Bratt's even-strength linemates varied widely this past season.

There are also valid reasons to be skeptical about Bratt. For starters, he never scored at more than a 53-point pace in his previous four seasons. I'm not going to emphasize that he never reached 40 points in any of his previous four seasons, as we had two COVID-shortened seasons in which point totals should not be taken as absolute. But 60 points over 82 games was never previously within range, let alone 70. Also, Bratt had a high secondary assist rate of 44.7%. A 40-50% secondary assist rate has been normal for Bratt, but it suggests that a potential downturn in points could mainly be in the form of assists. Bratt recorded 47 assists in 2021-22, yet his career high before that was 25.

My strategy for fantasy drafts is very simple: Look for value from where you are picking. That means not drafting Bratt as a point-per-game player. Even if I really like a player, I try not to reach for them if at all possible. That might mean someone else drafts Bratt instead, which is something I'm perfectly fine with as far as my own drafts go. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and endless combinations of players that you can pick in order to win a fantasy hockey league.

If you don't think I'm confident enough with Bratt, I'll end with something that I've mentioned before: Bratt was my top waiver-wire pick of any of my teams this season. I'd love to have him back next season, but only at a price that makes sense. Yes, you've probably heard that line from your favorite team's GM recently.

–

Happy Father's Day! Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.