The Rangers have been the better team thus far, but the Capitals are hanging around and still haven't lost at home yet. With the makeup of their team, the Capitals really need to get the matchup game right to have a chance at climbing back into the series. Especially if Jack Roslovic is making shots like this:

Jack Roslovic with the PERFECT SHOT to put the Rangers back on top 🚀 pic.twitter.com/OgQcfMAwO5
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 24, 2024

The top two lines are what is carrying New York right now, with Mika Zibanejad's three points alongside Roslovic leading the way, while Vincent Trocheck and Alexis Lafreniere are out-pacing Artemi Panarin on the second line. If the top-six does keep this pace of play up, then regardless of Washington's matchups then they are going to be able to out-score any problems they have.

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In the second game of the night, the Panthers really took things to the Lightning, outshooting the Bolts 13-3 in the first, and 37-23 overall. This looks to be a recurring theme, after the Panthers also led in shots in game one, 28-19. Sergei Bobrovsky isn't quite having to stand on his head to win this series, but he has made some exceptional saves. As long as the Panthers can keep from giving Tampa's power play too many opportunities, this series could be over faster than many predicted. If Bob does dial in and turn into Dominik Hasek making saves like this, then it will certainly be a short one.

just an absolutely insane save by Bobrovsky pic.twitter.com/9SwfFk9xUW
— Shayna (@hayyyshayyy) April 24, 2024

Carter Verhaeghe finished the game off with a bit of a revenge goal, after not being kept around by Tampa long enough to really break out. He scored three minutes into the first overtime, and remains one of the most underrated players in the league. He peaked at 78 points this past season, and has three in two games so far after 17 in 21 games last post-season. He may be 28, but he's still getting better.

There were also two notable injuries in this game, with both Sam Bennett (shot to the hand) and Anthony Cirelli (hard fall into the boards) leaving the game momentarily, at this time of the year it's safe to wonder if it's not a bigger injury that is being played through. Both players returned to the game though.

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The Avalanche battled their way back into the series, and have now put 10 goals up on Connor Hellebuyck in two games a they head back to Colorado. Alexandar Georgiev really settled in, only allowing two. There is no goalie controversy in Colorado, despite the media trying to make it a question.

Cale Makar and Devon Toews each played 27 minutes in the win. With Sam Girard not in the lineup, depth on defence is where Winnipeg does still have the advantage, so for any games that go into overtime, I would expect the ice to tilt slightly back in the Jets’ favour.

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I wrote a bit last week about the Buffalo Sabres and the changes they might see with Don Granato fired, well I expected the coaching search to last at minimum a few more weeks, and maybe up to closing in on the draft and free agency. What I did not expect but probably should have, is a desperate team seeming to do very little searching, and recycling a recently fired coach for their second tenure with the team.

Ruff was selected by Buffalo at 32^nd overall in the 1979 draft, and ended up later coaching the team from 1997 to 2013. Over the last decade, Ruff has coached the Stars and Devils, sandwiching a stint as an assistant in New York. His latest two head coaching stints were both opportunities where he took over a team near the end of a rebuild and he was tasked with turning the corner. He had mixed success in those roles, in Ruff's first season with the Stars they made the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. However, when Ruff was with the Devils the team spun its wheels for another couple years before it made the playoffs once, and then missed again leading to his firing.

All that to say, is that Ruff may have experience, but that doesn't mean he's the best man for the job. It doesn mean ice time will have to be earned, and that may not be good news for a lot of the Buffalo youngsters trying to break into an already crowded lineup. I wouldn't be a fan of this move if I owned any prospects in the Buffalo system. For those on the roster, it's a pretty neutral move at this point.

One positive hint to the roster construction for the fall is that Ruff was quoted as being excited about working with Ukko-Pekka Luukkonnen and Devon Levi, meaning it feels unlikely that another goalie is brought in.

Brennan added some thoughts on Ruff's new gig here.

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In addition to the news a week ago that Timo Meier was dealing with two simultaneous MCL injuries earlier this year, he is now also undergoing an arthroscopic shoulder surgery for a nagging issue. If that doesn't explain his regression this past year, then I don't know what will. Definitely a buy-low opportunity here for a player that can be a top-30 asset.

The numbers indicated something was wrong with Meier, and it wasn't just the points. Perhaps even more indicative was the drop in shot volume from 4.2 the previous two seasons to 3.0 last year, as well as a noticeable drop in hits. Meier will turn right around when the season opens next year, so he's still relatively in his prime, and there are a number of useful fantasy years left in him.

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I know the Fedotov AAV is higher than expected, but the contract was agreed upon prior to the player coming over from Russia.

I'm told that the contract had to be a certain number to get Fedotov to come to North America.

Not ideal, but understandable given the circumstances.
— Anthony Di Marco (@ADiMarco25) April 23, 2024

It makes sense that this kind of extension being agreed upon ahead of time is how you entice a prized asset across the pond, and it does explain the higher-than-expected cap hit for someone with all of three uninspiring NHL games under their belt. Fedotov should challenge Samuel Ersson for starts next season on a playoff bubble team in Philadelphia, and with Torts behind the bench it could more often than not come down to a win-and-you're-in kind of rotation. Not one that I have a ton of confidence in for next year.

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Thatcher Demko's injury really changes the outlook on the Preds/Canucks series. This felt like the kind of gut punch that can either deflate a team or bring out the best for a game or two, and last night it proved to be the latter, with the Canucks not seeming to be able to build any momentum, and the Predators jumping on their opportunities to put three past Casey DeSmith before the halfway point of the game. Desmith had played very well in relief of Demko when he was injured late in the season, and is capable of holding the fort, but he's not an All-Star like Demko and is much less likely to steal a game. This certainly feels like a swing in momentum towards Nashville's direction as they head back home for game three.

Despite not having practiced for months and likely dealing with a nagging issue, Filip Forsberg remains dangerous, and is now up to three points in the first two games. The Predators move home now, and for them the line-matching likely becomes a big deal for the next two games.

Looking ahead at next year, Demko is going to be someone I avoid. Two non-minor injuries in the span of a few months, a few previous seasons of heavy workloads, and a team that is due for some regression. None of it points to a high likelihood of him living up to whatever acquisition cost or draft slot you are going to need to have him on your team. Buy low on Filip Gustavsson, Joel Hofer, or one of Buffalo's goalies instead.

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Jakub Voracek's retirement brings back a few fantasy memories for me, including one where I bought low on him a week into the season in what ended up being one of his best years, and it helped win me a championship. All the best to him in retirement, and after all those concussions, hopefully he has found some stability with his health too.

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This gave me a good chuckle.