One Game 7 delivered in terms of entertainment value. Let's hope the other one does the same before we start Round 2.  

Dallas 4, Colorado 2 (Stars win series 4-3)

When the Avalanche traded Mikko Rantanen, they wouldn't have envisioned him facing them in their upcoming first-round series. Yet in a strange twist that we don't usually see in professional sports, that's where he ended up. Not only was Rantanen facing his old team, he was tearing them apart when it mattered most.

Game 7 was a performance for the ages from Rantanen. Down 2-0 in the third period, the Stars were able to summon a four-point third period from Rantanen, including a hat trick. That gives Rantanen five goals and 11 points in his last three games, including back-to-back four-point games. He also now leads the playoff scoring race, surpassing former teammate Nathan MacKinnon in the process. Yep, he'll be just fine in Dallas.

Stars Mikko Rantanen

First 3rd period, Game 7 Hat Trick in NHL history#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/J00aWoIx57

— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 4, 2025

Avalanche fans are going to have a tough time shaking this one off. I really don't know what to compare this to, but it may have been the moment of the Stanley Cup playoffs so far.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention Wyatt Johnston's game-winning goal with under four minutes to play in the third period – the goal that essentially completed the third-period comeback for Colorado. Johnston scored on a power play resulting from a Jack Drury holding penalty. Not many goals will be bigger than this one.

MR. GAME 7 WYATT JOHNSTON! HE'S ONLY 21! pic.twitter.com/gSy8oqS6RG

— X – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 4, 2025

Like many others, I didn't pick Dallas to win this series because they had missed both Miro Heiskanen and Jason Robertson for the entire series (so much for my Colorado/Tampa Bay final). Props to the Stars for pulling through when it could be easy to say that they didn't have all their guys. The Stars hope to have both Heiskanen and Robertson back in the second round. Heiskanen has not played since late January, so he may need some time to get his legs back.

In Heiskanen's absence, Thomas Harley has stepped up, proving why he was selected for Team Canada at the 4 Nations. Harley has averaged 28:09 over the seven-game series, which is the second-highest average icetime total. (The highest icetime total is a name you wouldn't expect: Brian Dumoulin.)

Need to win a Game 7? Hire Peter DeBoer. He's 9-0 in Game 7s. That's the highest number of Game 7 wins by any coach or manager through all of the NHL, NBA, and MLB. Maybe he delivers stirring pre-game and intermission motivational speeches or something, I don't know. Or he's as cool as a cucumber and that rubs off on his team.

Don't blame Nathan MacKinnon for the first-round series loss. MacKinnon scored his playoff-leading seventh goal in the seven-game series, finishing his playoffs with 11 points.

Josh Manson scored Colorado's other goal, which was a shorthanded goal in the second period to open the score.

Masterton Trophy nominee Gabriel Landeskog was held without a point in Game 7, but he finishes the playoffs with four points in five games while averaging 17 minutes per game. Not bad for being off for nearly three seasons. Hopefully we see him completely back in business next season. Figuring out where to rank him in fantasy drafts won't be easy.

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While waiting for their second-round series with Washington to begin, the Hurricanes took care of some business, signing Frederik Andersen to a one-year, $2.75 million extension. This signing represents a drop from Andersen's current salary of $3.4 million, likely due to the injuries that Andersen has battled through the last few seasons. Andersen has not played in more than 34 games over each of the past three seasons due to various ailments. Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov should continue to form an effective 1-2 punch in net for the Canes.

As for the existing injury that forced Andersen from the net during Game 4 in the first round, Andersen practiced on Saturday and appears to be ready to go for the second round starting on Tuesday, as per Walt Ruff.  

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The Calgary Flames have locked up Matt Coronato long-term, signing him to a seven-year extension with a $6.5 million AAV. The AAV represents a huge jump from the $1.49 million AAV he made this past season. The 13^th overall pick in the 2021 draft, Coronato finished third on the Flames in goals (24) and tied for third in points (47) in 2024-25. Both the term and the annual salary on this contract suggest that the Flames will give the 22-year-old Coronato an extended run in both the top 6 and on the top power play. Expect Coronato to become a household name in fantasy leagues over the next few seasons.

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Saturday was full disclosure day for Senators, in particular for one Brady Tkachuk. The Ottawa captain admitted that he played through two different injuries during the playoffs: an upper-body injury suffered against Pittsburgh and a hip injury dating back to the 4 Nations tournament. Tkachuk missed 10 games this season, all of them after the 4 Nations and eight of them in April just before the playoffs.

Something to consider in next season's fantasy drafts is the impact that the Olympic break could have on players such as Tkachuk. We won't know every player on every Olympic roster until after the season starts, but it would seem like the Tkachuk brothers will be front and center on Team USA again.

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Mark Scheifele is being listed as a game-time decision for Game 7 against St. Louis tonight (Sunday). Scheifele skated on his own on Saturday morning after missing Game 6 with an undisclosed injury. Scheifele may have been injured after receiving two separate hits in Game 5 from Brayden Schenn and Radek Faksa. With this being a do-or-die game for Winnipeg, it wouldn't be a complete shocker if Scheifele suited up. However, I highly doubt he'll be at 100 percent for the game if he plays. (Sunday update on Scheifele: He did not take the morning skate, which puts his availability for Game 7 into further doubt.)

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William Eklund appeared to dodge a major injury at a World Hockey Championship pre-tournament game. Eklund took a skate to the wrist or hand, skating off the ice in pain. His agent Todd Diamond has stated that the skate blade didn't cut any key tendons or nerves. Eklund's availability for the World Hockey Championship isn't known at this time, as the full extent of the injury isn't known. Check back for further updates, although it sounds like he'll still be okay for next season.

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With the first round about to end, let's take a quick look at some studs and duds during the playoffs (beyond the obvious names):

Adrian Kempe – The Kings forward finished his playoffs in the top five in scoring with 10 points (4 G, 6 A). In the Kings' first two games (their only two wins of the series), Kempe piled up seven points along with 11 shots.

Cam Fowler – The Blues defenseman has matched Kempe with 10 points in six games. Prior to that as a Blue, Fowler has 36 points in 51 regular-season games. You probably didn't care much when Fowler was traded to St. Louis, as he had just four assists in 17 games prior to that in Anaheim.

Dylan Strome – Alex Ovechkin's center registered a point in every game of the five-game series with Montreal. Strome has totaled nine points over those five games.

Phillip Danault – I bet you didn't have him in your playoff pool unless it was a very deep one. Danault finished the 2024-25 playoffs with eight points in six games, including points in five of the six games. He also averaged over 20 minutes per game playing in all situations.

Pavel Buchnevich – The Blues winger has been held without a point in his last two games, but he has still managed to put up seven points over the six-game series. He had a hat trick and an assist in Game 3 at home.

Brandon Hagel – Finishing with an impressive 90-point regular season, Hagel could not follow up in the playoffs with even a single point. That's not really fair to criticize, as Hagel missed Game 3 with a suspension and Game 5 with a concussion. Still, hopefully he wasn't a key component of your playoff pool.

Gustav Nyquist – A trade deadline acquisition, Nyquist was held without a point in the six-game series with Vegas, averaging only 11 minutes of icetime. Nyquist also scored just two goals and seven points in 22 regular-season games. I doubt he's part of the Wild's plans next season.

Brock Faber – Unlike Nyquist, Faber is a major component of the Wild's future. Yet like Nyquist, Faber was held without a point in the playoffs. Although he should continue to log major minutes for Minnesota, Faber's future probably doesn't include PP1 duties, especially with Zeev Buium entering the picture.

Charlie Coyle – Acquired at the trade deadline, Coyle registered just a single point in seven games, logging just nine minutes in both Game 6 and Game 7. The Avalanche might have simply been shortening their bench, as four of their forwards were on the ice for at least 20 minutes in Game 7. Coyle had decent regular-season production after joining Colorado (13 PTS in 19 GP), and he has another year left on his contract, so I wouldn't look too much into the lack of playoff production.

Fabian Zetterlund – Yet another example of a trade deadline pickup becoming a spare part for the new team, Zetterlund hasn't found his footing in Ottawa. After registering just two goals and five points in 20 regular-season games with the Senators while averaging about three fewer minutes per game than he averaged in San Jose, Zetterlund did not pick up a single point during the playoffs. He is an RFA, so Ottawa could easily give him another crack.

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