Dallas 2, Winnipeg 1, OT (Stars win series 4-2)
Thomas Harley scored a power-play winner just 1:33 into overtime of Game 6 to send the Dallas Stars to the Western Conference Final and a rematch with the Edmonton Oilers.
Our condolences go out to Mark Scheifele, who suited up for Game 6 even though his father died unexpectedly on Friday night. Many of us wouldn't be able to do our jobs fresh off something like this happening, but not everyone handles grief the same way. Scheifele said that playing in the game is what his father would have wanted. He even scored the game's first goal, which was a special moment that his dad would have been proud of.
However, Scheifele's tripping penalty (the first penalty of the game) with just 14.8 seconds left in regulation put the Stars onto the power play, where they scored the game-winner in overtime. Should this have been a penalty shot and not a two-minute minor? Regardless of what would have been the correct call, this is an especially painful way for Scheifele's season to end.
Josh Morrissey left Game 6 in the second period after getting his leg tangled up with Mikko Rantanen. Following the game, Scott Arniel admitted that Morrissey's injury is "not good" and they'll know more once they return to Winnipeg. Keep an eye on whether this is the type of injury that affects Morrissey's availability for the start of training camp in September and perhaps even regular-season games in October.
With Morrissey out, Neal Pionk, Dylan DeMelo, and Dylan Samberg each logged at least 23 minutes in Game 6.
The Stars used 11 forwards and seven defensemen in this game, with Rantanen basically being double shifted. Rantanen led all Stars forwards with 24:23 in icetime, just behind Harley (25:00) in team icetime. No other Stars forward was on the ice for more than 19 minutes.
Sam Steel scored the other goal of the game, which tied the score at 1 in the second period. The goal was Steel's first of the playoffs. Steel now has more goals in the playoffs than Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene, while he has the same number of playoff goals as Evgenii Dadonov, Jamie Benn, and Mason Marchment.
Despite advancing to the next round, the Stars have numerous players on the Frozen Tools Cold List, including Robertson (1 PT in 6 playoff GP), Duchene (1 PT in last 5 GP), along with Dadonov, Benn, Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston (0 PTS in last 3 GP). They will need to ramp up their scoring to counter the high-powered Oilers attack. Robertson has averaged only 14:55 in icetime during the playoffs, so I'm wondering if he's still not 100 percent from the injury that caused him to miss the entire first round.
Following his buzzer beater in Game 7 of the first round, Cole Perfetti was held to just a single assist in the second round.
Kyle Connor's playoff run ends with him sitting third in playoff scoring with 17 points in 13 games. Scheifele currently resides in tenth with 11 points in 11 games.
Both goalies were tremendous in this game. Jake Oettinger stopped 22 of 23 shots he faced, while Connor Hellebuyck stopped 18 of 20 shots.
The Western Conference Final between the Stars and Oilers will start on Wednesday in Dallas, while the Eastern Conference Final between the Hurricanes and either the Leafs or Panthers will start on Tuesday. Below shows the tale of the tape for the West Final. Who do you like? Our experts will provide their conference final picks following Game 7 of the Panthers and Leafs.
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Shifting gears, the top Frozen Tools searches from the past week are mainly players in the playoffs. However, there are two names on the list whose NHL seasons have finished, but they are being discussed this offseason for different reasons. I'll weigh in on why these two players are of particular interest in fantasy leagues.
Rossi is 23 years old, appears to be a player on the rise, and is set to become an RFA this offseason. So why would Minnesota consider trading him? According to Michael Russo of The Athletic, the Wild were rumored to have offered Rossi a five-year contract worth $5 million per season, which Rossi turned down. Rossi's salary projection appears to be anywhere between $5 and $7 million, depending on term. Keep in mind that the salary cap is rising, if that seems like a lot for an unproven player.
Rossi improved from 40 points in his first full season to 60 points in his second full season. His cause was helped by over a minute and a half more icetime per game while averaging top-unit power-play minutes, which resulted in his power-play point total increasing from 6 PPP in 2023-24 to 16 PPP in 2024-25. However, Rossi's shot total also decreased from 2.0 SOG/GP to 1.7 SOG/GP, as he was aided by a stronger shooting percentage of 17.6% compared to 12.6%, resulting in three more goals. That could lead to a possible regression in 2025-26, which the Wild might be aware of when they perform their salary calculations.
A potential Rossi trade or even an offer sheet would be something to watch for this offseason. If the Wild decide to move on from Rossi (or vice-versa, if he decides not to sign), look for the Wild to try to acquire another top-6 center with the cap space they would have used on Rossi plus decreases on the cap penalties from the Zach Parise and Ryan Suter buyouts.
Every season has at least a few players that come out of nowhere to become a must-add for fantasy teams. One of those players in 2024-25 was LaCombe, who appeared to be buried down the Ducks' depth chart to start the season, but instead finished with 43 points while playing the point on the top power play. Meanwhile, those holding Olen Zellweger or Pavel Mintyukov stock were left scratching their heads, as both were held to under 70 games and 20 points.
However, the hiring of Joel Quenneville could result in a switch here. It's too early to speculate which way Quenneville will lean, which makes the value of all three young d-men a little uncertain. The good news for LaCombe is that he wasn't overly power-play reliant. Of his 43 points in 2024-25, only nine were on the power play. Only Thomas Chabot and Devon Toews had more overall points while registering fewer power-play points. That should make LaCombe a decent source of points, regardless of where he ends up in the power-play pecking order.
The Ducks were dead last in power-play effectiveness last season (11.8%) – a number that stands to improve under Quenneville and a young team that will have another year of experience. As the team leader in icetime 2024-25 (22:18), LaCombe should be able to pick up points and peripherals as he settles in on the Ducks' top four – perhaps even as their top defenseman. For 2025-26 drafts and possibly beyond, I'd rank LaCombe over Zellweger and Mintyukov. Obviously things can change, though.
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