Dallas 5, Winnipeg 2 (Stars lead series 2-1)

Another heroic performance from Mikko Rantanen spurred the Stars to a Game 3 victory on Sunday. With three points, Rantanen took back top spot in the league's postseason scoring race, leapfrogging Connor McDavid. It's hard to articulate the outlandish run Rantanen is on right now. He has tallied at least three points in five of his last six appearances. No, that's not a typo. He has 17 points in his last six playoff games and has been involved in 15 of the last 17 goals Dallas has scored.

MIKKO RANTANEN IS RED HOT 🔥

HE'S GOT HIS LEAGUE-LEADING NINTH GOAL OF THE PLAYOFFS 🚨 pic.twitter.com/8qnxXLXFa0

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 11, 2025

The other members of Dallas' Finnish Line also found the scoresheet Sunday, with Mikael Granlund and Roope Hintz racking up two points apiece. Although they've outshot opponents 7-5 this postseason, the underlying numbers suggest Rantanen, Hintz, and Granlund haven't been doing that well as a trio. Through 100 minutes together, they sport a surprisingly low share of expected goals at 41.7% (via Natural Stat Trick). 

Kyle Connor, who fits the archetype of high-volume shooter and goal scorer in fantasy leagues, rediscovered that persona on Sunday. He had a game-high six shots, with one of those finding the back of the net. This was Connor's first point of Round 2, which likely comes as a surprise considering he racked up 12 points through seven games in Round 1. The Jets will hope this is the start of him waking up offensively as they'll need more from him if they're going to come back against Dallas.

While a significant portion of Winnipeg's shots were taken by Connor, Dallas' attempts were spread throughout the lineup, with eight different forwards tallying two shots apiece. I guess that's one of perk of having the league's deepest forward core – everyone's a threat to score.

Gabriel Vilardi had been on the shelf for more than a month when he finally made his first appearances of these playoffs – in Game 5 against St. Louis. It understandably took him some time to find his footing as he went pointless in his first three games, but he seems to be up to speed now, with a three-game point streak after Sunday's assist.

When he posted a shutout in Game 2 it seemed like maybe Connor Hellebuyck was starting to remember who he'd been in the regular season. Unfortunately, that recollection ended up being short lived as he surrendered five goals on 26 shots Sunday. In his last 19 playoff appearances, Hellebuyck has posted a save percentage above .900 just twice. That's a shockingly poor level of play from the league's top regular season netminder.

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Florida 2, Toronto 0 (Series tied 2-2)

After three high-scoring games to start the series, Toronto and Florida decided to let defense and goaltending take center stage in Game 4.

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 23 shots he faced, becoming the first goalie to record multiple shutouts this postseason. His Panthers dominated this game, outshooting Toronto 37 to 23 and putting immense pressure on Leafs netminder Joseph Woll.  

After Anthony Stolarz got injured and Woll posted lacklustre save percentages of .850, .893 and .861 in his first three games of these playoffs, concern started to grow. Woll put together a reassuring performance on Sunday, keeping Toronto in the game by stopping 35 of the 37 shots he faced. It doesn't look like Stolarz will be back during this series, so the Leafs could really use a couple more wonderful performances from Woll.

In his career, Auston Matthews has scored on roughly 16% of the shots he's taken during the regular season. Through 10 games this postseason, he's scored just two goals on 35 shots for a 5.7% success rate. The lack of finish can't be attributed to lack of opportunity, because he boasts 5.73 individual expected goals in these playoffs, which ranks second to only Connor McDavid (via Natural Stat Trick). Matthews has a lethal release and when he's healthy he typically outperforms his expected goals, because with his elite shot, he can beat goaltenders from low-danger areas. The thing is, he dealt with an upper-body injury this year and ended up underperforming his expected goals. We're seeing that again in the postseason, where his usual finishing ability is likely still hindered by an injury. The fact that Matthews missed morning skate ahead of Game 4 supports that theory. He can continue helping the team with strong defensive play, but I fear whatever injury he's dealing with has taken the bite out of his usually dangerous shot.

Carter Verhaeghe is heating up at the perfect time for the Panthers, boasting four goals and three assists in his last six playoff appearances. This past regular season was a disappointing one as he scored just 20 goals after scoring 34 last year and 42 the year before that. Verhaeghe suffered from an uncharacteristically low shooting percentage, converting on 8% of his shots after posting a rate of around 15% in previous years. His strong postseason performance reinforces that he'll be able to bounce back with more offense in fantasy leagues next year.

Sam Bennett continues to increase his stock ahead of free agency this summer. Sunday's insurance marker gives him a team-leading five goals this postseason. He's tied for the team lead in points (eight), he leads the team in hits (45), and he ranks second in shots (29). Bennett plays with an edge and can cross the line, but boy is he the type of player you'd want on your team in the postseason.

ABSOLUTE FILTHY GOAL FROM SAM BENNETT 🤮

CATS HAVE A TWO-GOAL LEAD LATE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/4Notfn2q8z

📢 advertisement:

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 12, 2025

Speaking of players in suspension-centred conversations, it'll be interesting to see if Max Domi faces any supplemental discipline for this hit on Aleksander Barkov at the end of Game 4.

Max Domi's hit on Sasha Barkov sparks chaos at the final horn https://t.co/j3zVuJUsDk pic.twitter.com/uqREDFahJs

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025

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Some injury updates for Game 4 between Vegas and Edmonton:  

Cassidy says Stone is considered day to day, and won't skate today, but he's hopeful he can go tomorrow.

— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) May 11, 2025

Kris Knoblauch said G Calvin Pickard won't play in Game 4 on Monday.

— Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) May 11, 2025

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As you prepare for next year's fantasy drafts, you'll probably comb through stats from this past regular season to evaluate players. In most cases, you'll be presented with season-long totals and averages. However, these numbers often fail to capture late-season hot streaks, which can be a sign of good things to come. Over the next few weeks, I'll discuss players whose late-season rampages may get lost in season-long numbers. These players could provide great fantasy value if they end up carrying late momentum from this season into next year.

Ilya Sorokin

A .907 SV%, 2.71 GAA and 21.24 goals saved above expected. Solid stats, but a step below the level you'd expect from someone that was recently considered a top-five netminder in the NHL. Looking back at this past regular season, Sorokin's overall stats won't jump off the page, but he was outstanding down the stretch. From the beginning of February to the end of the regular season (April 17^th), Sorokin led the league with nearly 17 goals saved above expected (via Evolving Hockey). Now, because the team in front of him wasn't great defensively, his save percentage and goals against average suffered during this stretch. Still, that league-leading GSAx suggests he was on his game while the Isles battled for a playoff spot, so I'm optimistic he can carry that form into a new campaign. New York's blueline was bitten by the injury bug frequently this past season, with defensive stalwarts Adam Pelech and Scott Mayfield missing significant action. A healthy team, hopefully improved under incoming new management, should hopefully help Sorokin return to top-tier form next year.

Mika Zibanejad

The 32-year-old center provides a great example of nuance being lost in season-long point totals. Upon first glance, you'll see Zibanejad posted just 62 points this year – down from 73 points the previous year, which was already a drop from his 91 points the year before that. However, a closer look reveals that from February 1^st to the end of the regular season, Zibanejad ranked top-15 in scoring with 33 points in 32 games. Why is February 1^st a significant date? Well, that was J.T. Miller's first game for the Rangers this season after he was dealt by the Canucks. That began Miller's second stint with the Rangers, as he and Zibanejad also shared the ice together during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns. Considering how well they produced together for a third of this season, I'm optimistic about what they can accomplish over a larger sample. A full season with Miller could help Zibanejad achieve a higher point total next year – although, whether those two end up playing together again will be up to new coach Mike Sullivan. Zibanejad also suffered from a lack of power-play success this year, which wasn't solved by Miller's arrival. The Rangers have too much talent to be finishing 28^th in the league on the power play, so let's hope this new coaching staff can right the ship, and that Zibanejad is part of the solution. He averaged over 30 PPPs a year in recent seasons but managed a measly 19 this year. I think a more successful power play and more Miller time will be key to Zibanejad bouncing back next season.