Tampa Bay remains the defending Stanley Cup champion for at least one more day, and we get to watch at least one more playoff game. Ondrej Palat scored the game-winning goal at 13:38 of the third period to give the Lightning a 3-2 win in Game 5, reducing the Avalanche series lead to 3-2. Look at how wide open Palat is on this goal.

If Valeri Nichushkin is the darkhorse Conn Smythe candidate on the Avalanche, then Palat fits that description for the Lightning. Palat leads the Lightning with 11 playoff goals, while he is second on the team to Nikita Kucherov with 20 playoff points. Moreover, Palat also leads the Lightning with 18 even-strength points, as he wasn't bumped up to the first power-play unit until late in the second round and has just one power-play point since the first round. Palat is benefitting from a team-high 23.9 SH%, while no other Lightning player has a shooting percentage higher than 15%. Yet as long as Palat is scoring, he will be on the top line with Kucherov and Steven Stamkos.

One downside of multiple Stanley Cup runs is that free agents become more difficult to retain. Like Nichushkin with the Avalanche, Palat is improving his stock as he continues to score in the playoffs. Palat's overall production actually declined this season (0.64 PTS/GP) compared to last season (0.84 PTS/GP) and he is now on the wrong side of 30, but general managers have a short memory on free agent frenzy day anyway. Both Palat and Nichushkin could make it impossible for their respective teams to re-sign, but that's a problem for another day. Both teams have a Stanley Cup to try to win.

Speaking of Nichushkin, he added another goal and assist in Game 5, giving him nine goals in the playoffs and four in the five games of the Cup final. Nichushkin also took five shots, giving him 21 shots in the series. One Colorado beat reporter stated that he saw Nichushkin carted to the x-ray room, so his status for Game 6 might not be all that certain.

Cale Makar had the same statline as Nichushkin with a goal, an assist, and five shots. He also registered six hits, which is his highest single-game total of the playoffs. Makar has at least five shots in each of his last three games.

Andrei Vasilevskiy stood tall in the Lightning net again, stopping 35 of 37 shots he faced. Even though the Avalanche may be his toughest test, Vasilevskiy has posted three consecutive quality starts. He has faced between 30 and 39 shots in each of the five Stanley Cup Final games.  

Mikhail Sergachev and Corey Perry each recorded a pair of assists in Game 5.

The Lightning were without Brayden Point once again for Game 5, while Andre Burakovsky was out for the Avalanche.

Oh look, it's the return of the Fox glow puck!

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Some injury news:

Joel Farabee underwent disc replacement surgery and is expected to require 3-4 months of recovery time. Depending on recovery time, Farabee could miss at least the start of training camp and worst-case scenario the start of the season. This is the same surgery that Jack Eichel underwent after his trade to Vegas, and Eichel was back in action three months after the surgery, which would be positive news if Farabee is on your roster. However, Eichel and Tyler Johnson (also three-month recovery) are the only two players believed to undergo the surgery, so that estimated timeline still has a very low sample size.

Chris Kreider has undergone surgery to remove a small bone fragment from his wrist. The timetable for his recovery is 2-4 weeks, so he should be ready to start training camp on time.  

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Some coaching news:

According to Frank Seravalli, the Chicago Blackhawks are hiring Luke Richardson to be their next head coach. Richardson has paid his dues with over a decade of experience between working as an NHL assistant coach and AHL head coach, so it is nice to see him rewarded with a head coaching opportunity. The Blackhawks are about to endure a tough slog these next few years with the Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews contracts about to enter their final year and the possibility that Alex DeBrincat will be traded. Richardson sounds like he is the type that will be patient in handling a team that will not have high expectations.

Barry Trotz has announced that he will not be returning to coaching next season. Trotz has coached for 25 consecutive years, so he is probably in need of a break. Of course, Manitoba native Trotz was rumored to be considering the Jets job. The remaining coaching dominos should now quickly fall into place for the teams that still do not have a head coach, including for Winnipeg.

Need a rundown of the fantasy impact of all the coaching changes this offseason? Check out our Fantasy Take – Latest NHL Moves page.

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Cody Glass has accepted his qualifying offer, which is a one-year, two-way contract. Glass stands to earn $874,125 at the NHL level. After being traded from Vegas to Nashville this past offseason, Glass recorded just a single assist in eight games while posting 62 points (14 G – 48 A) in 66 games at the AHL level. Nashville could use his scoring upside, and he seems like a decent bet to make the NHL roster next season. He just may not have the ceiling that he had when he was first drafted, though.

For more on Glass, you can order Dobber's 16th annual Fantasy Prospects Report! There is a reason why sales of this document have increased every year for 16 consecutive summers: when you buy it, you'll wonder why you ever went without it (and never make that mistake again!) Order it here.

Staying with the Predators, Filip Forsberg has been offered an eight-year contract to stay in Nashville. Forsberg put it all together in his contract year, with only 16 players producing a higher point-per-game average (1.22 PTS/GP). Some of his advanced stats were a bit higher than normal (18.6 SH%, 11.7 5on5 SH%, 4.0 PTS/60), which is something to keep an eye on besides what team he plays for next season. I get the sense that Forsberg wants to test the free agent waters, as it sounds like he could really cash in.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.