Hockey fans will receive two Game 7s this weekend: Colorado and Dallas on Saturday night, and now St. Louis and Winnipeg on Sunday.

St. Louis 5, Winnipeg 2 (series tied 3-3)

If you placed a bet on the outcome of this game, hopefully you took into account the Blues' home winning streak. With the 5-2 win in Game 6, the Blues have now won 15 consecutive games at home dating back to the regular season.

Take a look at the playoff scoring race and you'll see Cam Fowler in the top 5. Cam Fowler, the 33-year-old ex-Ducks' defenseman? Yeah, the same guy. Fowler has 10 points in six games in this series. I'll admit that I didn't think his trade from Anaheim would move the needle for the Blues, but acquiring Fowler has really paid off. As a Blue, Fowler has 36 points in 51 regular-season games, which works out to a 58-point pace over 82 games. This after registering just four assists in 17 games in Anaheim. Talk about a trade that helps a player's value!

Fowler was one of the Blues' goal scorers in Game 6, as was Philip Broberg, Nathan Walker, Brayden Schenn, and Alexey Toropchenko. Broberg and Toropchenko also each finished with an assist. Toropchenko has found a scoring touch in the playoffs with four points over his last four games.

Only six Blues skaters failed to reach the scoresheet in Game 6. Pavel Buchnevich and Jordan Kyrou were two of those players. Kyrou has now been held pointless in his last three games.

Meanwhile, it is all up to Connor Hellebuyck to shake his playoff demons in Game 7. Hellebuyck was pulled for the third consecutive road game in this series, allowing five goals on 23 shots in two periods before Eric Comrie took over in net for the third period. He is also now the third goalie in NHL history to allow 4+ goals in seven consecutive road games. Beyond the road struggles, five of Hellebuyck's six games in this series have been really bad starts. Yes, two of the wins were really bad starts because he allowed three goals on fewer than 20 shots in both Games 1 and 5.

Scott Arniel tells Eric Comrie that Hellebuyck is getting pulled again

You could see the disappointment on both their faces 😭 pic.twitter.com/KejyCFs23n

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 3, 2025

The dichotomy of dominant regular-season goalie and disastrous playoff goalie is remarkable – so much so that it doesn't even seem like we're talking about the same goalie. The weight of the playoffs seems to be too much for certain goalies to handle, and even elite goalies aren't immune to that pressure. The ups and downs of Roberto Luongo during his Vancouver years serve as an example of this. The good news is the Jets return home for Game 7, where Hellebuyck has one more chance to flip the narrative.

Although Mark Scheifele (undisclosed) was out for Game 6, Nikolaj Ehlers returned to the lineup from a foot injury. Ehlers was held without a point while playing on a line with Adam Lowry and Cole Perfetti.

Perfetti and Nino Niederreiter scored the Jets' goals in Game 6, both of which were on the power play.

The good news for Winnipeg is that the home team has won all six games of this series. You're never really in trouble in a series until you lose at home, right? The score resets at 0-0 for Game 7, when all bets are off. Anxiety for Jets and Blues fans, and entertainment for the rest of us.  

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The New York Rangers formally announced the hiring of new head coach Mike Sullivan on Friday. The hiring of Sullivan should generally be positive for the fantasy values of Rangers players on the 2025-26 roster. Not only could he provide the typical new coach bump, but he also has the experience of coaching Sidney Crosby and company for a decade in Pittsburgh.

I don't expect Sullivan to last a full decade with the Rangers, simply because NHL coaches don't usually stay with one team for that long. The Penguins experienced a dropoff under Sullivan by missing the playoffs for the past three seasons, but he has banked enough equity for another coaching job, especially since he owns two Stanley Cups rings.

Even though bringing in Sullivan boosts the vibes for the Rangers after a disastrous season, there are still question marks lingering. A few that come to mind:

Does power forward Chris Kreider have much left in the tank at age 34? As per Peter Baugh of The Athletic, Kreider was affected by an early-season back injury, an midseason illness that resulted in vertigo, and a hand injury that might require offseason surgery.

To a lesser degree, can Mika Zibanejad reverse two consecutive seasons of declining production? In addition to Zibanejad and Kreider, numerous other Rangers took a step back in the scoring department in 2024-25.

Will Artemi Panarin's sexual assault allegation affect him in any way next season?

Will any of the above players be moved by GM Chris Drury during the offseason?

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The Rangers also announced they had signed Juuso Parssinen on Friday, agreeing with the forward to a two-year extension worth $2.5 million. Parssinen played for three teams in 2024-25, registering five points in 11 games in a Ranger uniform to conclude the season. Expect him to serve in a depth role next season, although he has some potential to move up the lineup.

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Do you want the truth about injured players following a season full of "upper-body" and "lower-body" doublespeak? Check out year-end press conferences of eliminated teams. According to Lightning GM Julien BriseBois, Victor Hedman played a with broken foot during the playoffs. Despite the broken foot, Hedman recorded three assists in the five-game series with Florida, including two assists in Game 5. Expect Hedman to be ready for training camp.

According to Benjamin Pierce of the Lightning team website, here is the long list of injuries the Bolts were dealing with in addition to Hedman:

Oliver Bjorkstrand suffered from compartment syndrome, required a house call at 2 a.m. and went to the ER for surgery. (I've never heard of compartment syndrome, but here's a definition of what it is.)

Anthony Cirelli grade 2 MCL sprain

Luke Glendening Right shoulder AC joint separation

Yanni Gourde broken finger

Brandon Hagel concussion

Nikita Kucherov left hand injury

Nick Paul left wrist tear

Erik Cernak left knee contusion

Many thought the Panthers would be the more injured, worn-down team in this series after two Stanley Cup runs and Matthew Tkachuk going all-out at the 4 Nations. It's easy to shrug off the Lightning's five-game exit as poor performance, but the truth is that the Stanley Cup playoffs are a war of attrition.

BriseBois also confirmed that Jon Cooper would be back with the Bolts next season, throwing cold water on any rumors that he would be fired after three consecutive first-round exits and would then surface elsewhere.

BriseBois also revealed that the Lightning are unlikely to sign Isaac Howard, the team's top prospect. He said that the team will either trade Howard or take the compensatory pick if Howard signs elsewhere as a free agent.

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The recently eliminated Montreal Canadiens were also in self-reveal mode on Friday. Sam Montembeault admitted that he tore his groin in Game 3 against Washington – an injury that caused him to miss the last two games of the series. The good news is that no surgery will be required.

Meanwhile, Patrik Laine said that he broke his finger in Game 2. Laine is already a Band-Aid Boy, having not reached 60 games in a season for the past four full (82-game) seasons. Draft him in fantasy leagues with the expectation that he will likely miss a chunk of games for one reason or another.

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Some more NHL trophy nominations on Friday:

We know that the Selke Trophy winner this season plays for a Florida-based team. Aleksander Barkov, Anthony Cirelli, and Sam Reinhart are the three finalists for the award.

Marc-Andre Fleury, Gabriel Landeskog, and Sean Monahan are the Masterton Trophy nominees. All three make compelling cases about perseverance and dedication to the sport, so it is difficult to pick a winner.

Scott Arniel, Spencer Carbery, and Martin St. Louis are the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award. Could the winner simply say "no thanks" to avoid the kiss of death that is included with the award? All kidding aside, all three of these coaches have guided their teams above expectations this season.

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The Eastern Conference Game 1 dates have been announced.

Monday: Florida at Toronto, 8 pm ET

Tuesday: Carolina at Washington, time TBA

Rest of series schedule TBA

Look for the Dobber writers to make their picks for the second round shortly before puck drop. You can review their Round 1 picks here.

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Enjoy Game 7 between Colorado and Dallas tonight! I'll be by tomorrow to discuss that game plus any other happenings on Saturday. In the meantime, follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Threads @goodsfantasyhockey and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social