Just one game on Friday, and another game coming up today (Saturday). We're going to have to get used to nights without much hockey for the next little while.

Hurricanes 6, Devils 1 (Hurricanes lead series 2-0)

Without Andrei Svechnikov, Teuvo Teravainen, and what was supposed to be Max Pacioretty, the Hurricanes just keep on rolling. They've now won both games against New Jersey in convincing fashion, which included four goals in the second period of Game 2 alone.

Jesperi Kotkaniemi scored a pair of goals early in the second period, giving him goals in back-to-back games. Prior to that, he had been held without a goal and had just one assist in his first six playoff games. Game 2 was easily his best game of the playoffs, as he also took six shots and won 10 faceoffs. Kotkaniemi's line with Jesper Fast and Jordan Martinook combined for five points for a Hurricanes roster that is really spreading out its talent amid the injuries. A total of 13 Hurricanes have scored at least one goal over eight playoff games.

Shayne Gostisbehere's two assists in Game 2 were his first two points of the playoffs. During the regular season, Gostisbehere scored just 10 points in 23 games after the trade to Carolina compared to 31 points in 52 games before the trade. He will experience more team success in Carolina than he did with Arizona, but that has come at the expense of his individual numbers. He logged around 22 minutes per game for the Coyotes this season, but that number is down to under 17 minutes with the Hurricanes. The good news for those who have Gostisbehere in a keeper is that he is a UFA at the end of the season, which means he could find a more suitable landing spot for his fantasy value.

Since making his playoff debut in Game 6 against the Islanders, Frederik Andersen has slammed the door on the opposition. He has allowed one goal in each of his three starts during the playoffs, picking up quality starts in all three games. Many are talking about Jake Oettinger being the best goalie remaining in the playoffs. Andersen, who was held to 34 games this season due to injury, could enter that discussion if the Canes can finish the job against the Devils. Assuming he remains injury-free.

Akira Schmid has officially turned back into a pumpkin. Schmid was the main reason that the Devils were able to turn their series around following an 0-2 deficit to the Rangers, posting quality starts in four of the remaining five games of the series. However, he's been pulled in both games of this series, which means really bad starts in three of his past four games. It looks like time for the Devils to return to Vitek Vanecek to start Game 3. He will need to stop the Hurricane onslaught (11 goals in two games); otherwise, this series will end in short order.

Timo Meier played in Game 2 after he was announced as a game-time decision. Although he was held off the scoresheet, he registered five shots and two hits.

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The Lightning have signed Michael Eyssimont to a two-year, one-way contract worth $800,000. Eyssimont played for the Jets, Sharks, and Lightning in 2022-23, finishing with 15 points in 54 games. Tampa Bay acquired him from San Jose for Vladislav Namestnikov in a one-for-one trade near the trade deadline. He mainly skated with Nicholas Paul and Ross Colton during the playoffs, so expect him to continue as a bottom-6 forward who could offer fantasy upside if he moves up the lineup.

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Tye Kartye has been a highly-searched player on Frozen Tools recently, as he has been recalled to the Kraken during the playoffs. Kartye scored a goal in his NHL debut in Game 5 of the first-round series against Colorado, then he followed up with a short-side snipe on Oettinger in Game 2 against Dallas. Yet who is he?

Kingston kid Tye Kartye with a Kraken goal. 😌 #StanleyCup

🇺🇸: @NHL_On_TNT ➡️ https://t.co/LaJpv7c3yx #NHLonTNT
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/uEVY6yXLpz pic.twitter.com/eMHzTqcBsm

— NHL (@NHL) May 5, 2023

Kartye has been so off the radar that he doesn't have a Dobber Prospects profile yet (but I imagine it will be soon). That might have to do with the fact that Kartye was never drafted, having being signed as a free agent by the Kraken last season. Even without the DP profile, you can now view a player's non-NHL stats on their Frozen Tools profile page. That's where you'll see that Kartye scored 28 goals and 57 points in 72 games for the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the AHL. In fact, he finished third on the team in scoring as a 22-year-old. Prior to that, he finished his final OHL season as a point-per-game player (79 points in 63 games) with the Soo Greyhounds.

Kartye is averaging just under 11 minutes per game with little power-play time so far. Yet he has been on a top-6 line with Matty Beniers and Jordan Eberle, which provides some scoring upside for him. He's a potential add in deeper playoff pools, but I'd also be interested in next season's fantasy leagues if this deployment can continue. A strong playoff run could even springboard him into next season's long list of Calder Trophy candidates. Even if Kartye is moved down the lineup, Seattle has as balanced a scoring attack as any team, so a demotion shouldn't be a big deal. After all, Daniel Sprong scored 21 goals and 46 points in spite of averaging just 11:25 while playing 66 games (with a few healthy scratches in there).

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Matthew Knies will miss Games 3 and 4 and possibly beyond with a concussion resulting from a hit from Sam Bennett. You be the judge: should Bennett have been suspended for this hit?

Sam Bennett shoves Matthew Knies, making him go back-first into the boards, then tops it off with a bodyslam to the ice. It's a rough one out there tonight, folks! pic.twitter.com/ADLWAmveWf

— Jason Gold (@JayGold85) May 4, 2023

Knies is another top Frozen Tools search. Dobber wrote a good projection for him in a recent Ramblings. You can also review his Dobber Prospects profile.

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Is Jonathan Huberdeau the bust of the 2022-23 season? He went from a career-high 115-point season in 2021-22 to 55 points in 2022-23. That's a 60-point drop, which has to be the biggest one-season point loss of any player not injury-related. In other words, his point total was sliced in half.

It did have something to do with a trade, though. Huberdeau didn't seem to be on the trade block for a Panthers team that had won the Presidents' Trophy in 2021-22. Yet the opportunity to acquire Matthew Tkachuk and sign him to a long-term extension was too tempting to pass up. As a result, Huberdeau was off to the colder climate of Calgary.

It seemed as if Huberdeau could never gain any traction with his new team, though. His slow start seemed to last all season, although some parts of the season were better than others. When it looked like he was ready to shake the doldrums for an improved second half, he started the third quarter with another slump. In the end, he didn’t finish at the point-per-game mark in any single quarter.

Quarter	GP	G	A	PTS
1	18	3	7	10
2	23	5	16	21
3	19	4	5	9
4	19	3	12	15

You may remember that it even got to the point where Huberdeau's agent Allan Walsh tweeted the following:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. Also, negativity sucks the joy right out of players. cc: @NHLFlames

— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) February 17, 2023

Yet in the end, Darryl Sutter ended up being fired as head coach, reportedly a result of multiple players requesting trades if he happened to return. That alone should help Huberdeau bounce back to some degree. He's clearly not a 55-point player, but what should we expect next season?

Huberdeau has never been a super high-volume shooter in the mold of a Nathan MacKinnon, but his shot total had fallen so low that it raises major concern. He managed just 126 shots all season, which was an average of less than two per game and over one shot per game less than 2021-22 (222 SOG). Sutter's old-school mentality of defense first likely contributed to this. An increased shot total will go a long way for an improved goal total. Huberdeau's career high is 30 goals, which he has set twice. Yet 15 goals seems far too low for a player of his caliber.

Hopefully in the search for a new head coach, the GM (who the Flames will need to hire first) will consider the input of his players. Since Huberdeau's long-term contract with a $10.5 million cap hit kicks in next season, it only makes sense for the Flames to maximize their investment in him. Both Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri were new to the Flames this season, so things might be better for both with a year under their belts. I'd expect Huberdeau to bounce back, but to what degree depends on what happens this offseason with the Flames.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.