It's all playoff pucks today. I'll use that term because it was the name of the very first fantasy hockey article that I wrote way back in 2006 for a website that no longer exists.

Canucks 2, Predators 1 (Canucks lead series 2-1)

Just gotta catch my breath here… okay, I'm good.

After looking a bit shaky in Game 2, Casey DeSmith was up to the task in Game 3. The Vancouver backup stopped 30 of 31 shots in leading the Canucks to a 2-1 win in Nashville. DeSmith will need to be an unexpected playoff hero if the Canucks are going to go on any kind of run, as Thatcher Demko seems unlikely to return in this series.

J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser each scored power-play goals, with Quinn Hughes assisting on both of them. Miller and Elias Pettersson also added an assist each. Hughes leads the Canucks in playoff points with four points (all assists).

Luke Evangelista scored the Preds' only goal with just over three minutes remaining to put Canucks fans on the edge of their seats, but DeSmith and the Canucks managed to withstand a late flurry from Nashville.

This series is becoming known for its low shot total. After taking just 18 shots in Game 2, the Canucks were held to just 12 shots in Game 3. The Preds took just 16 shots while blocking everything in sight in Game 2 (30 blocked shots), but they opened things up considerably in Game 3 while blocking only 11 shots. If you thought the Canucks were snakebitten out of a win in Game 2 (look up the shot attempts if you need more proof), then perhaps the same could be said about the Preds in Game 3. Or to put it another way, I thought the Predators carried much more of the play in Game 3 (which they lost) than they did in Game 2 (which they won).

Circling back to Demko, there were conflicting reports about him possibly returning in the second round as opposed to being out for the entire playoffs no matter how far the Canucks make it. These types of reports show that we can't always place a firm timeline on injuries, and this injury seems like that type. The fact that he travelled with the team is a good sign, though. I think Elliotte Friedman described it best during the intermission in that we really don't know. Projections are especially hard when injuries are involved.

.@FriedgeHNIC provides the latest on Demko's injury. pic.twitter.com/pGrESKyIfH

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 27, 2024

As for Demko next season, he's a potential Band-Aid Boy. The Canucks will need to lighten his workload a bit, as he's had a heavy concentration of starts when he's healthy. He's also been one of the busiest goalies within games, as the Canucks have had to lean on him heavily when they were getting significantly outshot in games prior to this season. It will be interesting to see whether the Canucks go to a veteran backup next season like DeSmith or another free agent, or whether they believe that Arturs Silovs is ready to make the jump.

Roman Josi led all skaters with 30:31 of icetime. He appeared to be double-shifted when Spencer Stastney left the game with an upper-body injury as a result of a hit from Dakota Joshua.

Rangers 3, Capitals 1 (Rangers lead series 3-0)

Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 of 29 shots he faced in Game 3, backstopping the Rangers to a stranglehold in this series. The Rangers will attempt a series sweep in Game 4 on Sunday evening.

Vincent Trocheck scored a power-play goal and added an assist for the Rangers, while Mika Zibanejad registered two assists. Trocheck and Zibanejad are tired for the Rangers' team lead in playoff scoring with five points each.  

John Carlson scored the Capitals' only goal. He's the only Capital in this series who could be classified as hot, as he has points in back-to-back games.

Could Alex Ovechkin be held without a point for the entire playoffs? Ovie at least fired three shots in Game 3 after being held to just one shot between Games 1 and 2. He also logged 24 minutes in this game, which included 11 minutes of power-play time (the Caps went 0-for-6 on the power play).

No points in three games would be a small sample size against one team, so I wouldn't put a lot of stock fantasy-wise in any struggles Ovechkin has in this series. Keep in mind that Ovie scored 23 goals and 36 points in his final 36 games after scoring just eight goals during the first half of the season. But unless you had the Capitals as a potential playoff sleeper (I didn't), Ovechkin probably should have been overlooked in most basic-sized playoff pools. For example, pick any 20 players, which is one that I'm in.  

Matt Rempe was doing his thing again. This time it was a late hit on Trevor van Riemsdyk. Rempe likely won't be a huge contributor on the scoresheet, but he has totalled 14 hits over the three games. Expect him to continue to be in the lineup because of the physicality of playoff games, unless the Department of Player Safety believes that he has crossed the line enough to warrant a suspension.

Matt Rempe lays out van Riemsdyk and gets called for Interference. 😲 pic.twitter.com/M0vpLf8MDt

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2024

Avalanche 6, Jets 2 (Avalanche lead series 2-1)

Colorado put on a run-and-gun show for their home fans in Game 3, scoring five unanswered goals in the third period. Two of those goals were on the power play, while the last goal was an empty-netter. The Avs stormed the Jets with 40 shots total in this game.

The concern at the start of the series was whether Alexandar Georgiev would hold up in net for Colorado. With the win, Georgiev has back-to-back quality starts. After three games, potential Vezina winner Connor Hellebuyck is the goalie having a rough time. Game 3 was the second time in this series that the Jets have allowed four goals in a period, which is something they didn't do once during the regular season. Hellebuyck has now allowed 15 goals in three games with a save percentage of around .870 in each of the three games. Granted, he has faced over 30 shots in each game and at least 40 shots in two of the games.

Casey Mittelstadt led the Avalanche with three assists, while Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews scored a goal and added an assist each. Mikko Rantanen chipped in two assists.

The Jets will need to tighten up defensively in order to bounce back in this series. Easier said than done against an Avalanche team that can pour it on. It won't get any easier for the Jets, as they may lose a key defenseman going forward. During a skirmish at the end of the game, Brenden Dillon's hand was cut badly, perhaps by a skate. The Jets said after the game that Dillon was still being examined. Hoping for the best, although he could be facing a lengthy absence.  

Oilers 6, Kings 1 (Oilers lead series 2-1)

Do you think Zach Hyman's 50-goal season was a fluke? Well, he has a league-leading six goals in three playoff games, including a pair of goals in Game 3. Although it seemed like a lot at the time it was signed, Hyman's seven-year contract with a $5.5 million cap hit is a bargain now. Similar to how I didn't think teammate Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would reach 100 points again this season because it seemed like an outlier, I don't think Hyman scores 50 goals again next season. Give Hyman credit: he's turned out to be a much better player than I thought when he appeared to be a third wheel on Toronto's scoring lines earlier in his career.

Nugent-Hopkins, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid also chipped in three points each, and all had multiple power-play points. McDavid leads all playoff scorers with nine points (surprise, surprise), while Draisaitl has multiple points in each of the three playoff games. If the Oilers go on a deep run, McDavid and Draisaitl should be at the top of the playoff scoring race while Hyman and Nuge won't be far behind.

Like most of my colleagues, I picked the Oilers to win, but I predicted that it would take seven hard-fought games. The Oilers certainly look like the easy favorite now since their two wins were lopsided while the Kings' win was in overtime. The scoreboard does reset at 0-0 at the start of each game, so I'm not yet ready to hand the Oilers a five-game series win.

After three games, Cam Talbot has a 5.30 GAA and .861 SV%. Keeping the Oilers' big guns off the scoresheet is no easy task, but those are quite simply ugly ratios. I wonder if the Kings give Big Save David Rittich a go in Game 4. And I wonder what their goaltending situation will look like next season. Zero G works much better for fantasy teams than it does in the real NHL.

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William Nylander was a full participant in practice on Friday, which seems like a positive sign in his returning to the Leafs' lineup for Game 4. When Nylander was asked if he will play, he replied, "I don't know." The Leafs have scored just six goals over the first three games, so they could definitely use Nylander, who was two points shy of reaching 100 during the regular season.

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RIP to Bob Cole. I've heard the term "soundtrack" of the game of hockey in many tributes, but it describes what he was perfectly. If there was an important game, Cole was capturing the moment in only the way he could. If you haven't already, take four more minutes out of your time to watch this.

A tribute to the legendary Bob Cole. 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/OwSqqpcQys

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 25, 2024

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