This season's playoffs have seen many close games. Friday's two contests were not among those close games.

Montreal 5, Buffalo 1 (series tied 1-1)

Alex Newhook led the Canadiens with two goals in Game 2. Add in the Game 7 winner from the Tampa series and Newhook has three goals over his past three games. Newhook, who has been playing on a line with Ivan Demidov and Jake Evans, has also taken four shots in each of his last two games.

JAKE EVANS FEEDS ALEX NEWHOOK FOR HIS 2ND OF THE NIGHT AND IT'S 3-0 HABS 🤯🚨 pic.twitter.com/sp4amN0g8s

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 9, 2026

Mike Matheson, Alexandre Carrier, and Nick Suzuki also scored goals for the Habs. Matheson's goal and Carrier's goal were each their first of the playoffs. Suzuki has goals in three consecutive games.

Cole Caufield, who scored 51 goals during the regular season, continues to press during the playoffs. Caufield has only one goal and is averaging under two shots per game during the playoffs. Caufield hit the crossbar during the third period, so it may be a matter of time. Still, the Habs will need a big goal or two from their sniper if they are to advance past the Sabres.

Zach Benson scored the Sabres' only goal. Benson has piled up five points over his last three games while managing to get under the skin of both the Bruins and the Canadiens. Although he is only 5-10 and 177 lbs., Benson doesn't shy away from the rough stuff, battling away with Jakub Dobes throughout Game 2. The 20-year-old Benson is the kind of player that you want on your team during the playoffs, and he has a bright future in keeper leagues too.

After the game, Tage Thompson was asked whether he is injured, to which he replied, "I don't think that's any of your business." Injured or not, Thompson finished Game 2 without a point and with a minus-4. Thompson also hasn't scored a goal in seven games.

Vegas 6, Anaheim 2 (Golden Knights lead series 2-1)

Sorry, Leafs fans, you'll have to put up with reading some more about how Mitch Marner is an outstanding playoff performer. You had your moment on Tuesday when you won the draft lottery. (Yes, I’m a bitter Canucks fan.)

Marner had another impressive game with a hat trick, one assist, a plus-4, and five shots in 23 minutes of icetime. Over his last four games, Marner has piled up six goals and nine points. With his four-point output, Marner is now the leading scorer of the playoffs with 13 points in nine games, while he is also tied for the lead in goals (6) with three other players. Did you avoid Marner in your playoff pool because of his playoff reputation? Maybe it was all about the pressure of playing for the hometown Leafs. Maybe that factors into why (although far from the only reason) a Canadian-based team hasn't won a Stanley Cup in over 30 years.

MITCH MARNER WITH HIS FIRST CAREER PLAYOFF HAT TRICK 🎩🎩🎩

AND HIS 4TH POINT OF THE NIGHT!!! pic.twitter.com/pLRIj64f7o

— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 9, 2026

Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, and Brett Howden scored the other Vegas goals. Theodore and Howden also each added an assist. Theodore has seven points over his last six games, while Howden has eight points (including six goals) over his last six games.

Mark Stone left this game late in the first period, briefly returning during the second period before leaving for good. It's possible that this is a minor ailment that Stone just decided to rest, as the Golden Knights were already leading 3-0 after the first period. The injury could also easily be something that could cause Stone to miss games, as he has a lengthy injury history. Either way, John Tortorella did not provide an update after the game, and not much else may be provided before Game 4 because it's the playoffs.

Tomas Hertl is now 29 games and counting without a goal, dating back to regular season. Hertl has just two assists in nine playoff games, and he has been held to between 10-13 minutes over each of the last four games.

Beckett Sennecke and Chris Kreider scored the Ducks' goals. Lukas Dostal was pulled after the first period after allowing three goals on eight shots. Ville Husso took over, allowing two goals on 19 shots. Expect Dostal to be back starting in Game 4 on Sunday.

Mason McTavish was made a healthy scratch for the second consecutive game. Even with the Ducks being a team on the rise, the 23-year-old McTavish saw his production fall this season. His four points in seven playoff games isn't bad, but he is averaging only 12 minutes per postseason game. Numerous teams had interest in McTavish when he was an unsigned RFA during the last offseason, as he was viewed as an up-and-coming power forward. He could be traded in the offseason if he is not happy with his role with the Ducks and they no longer see him and his $7 million cap hit in their future plans.

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If you're looking for a list of prospects to trade away or cut from your keeper team during the offseason, this might be the one here.

This is the "clock's ticking" list of 2022 1st and 2nd rounders who haven't yet established themselves as full-time NHLers and pretty much need to next season.

(Bolded have played partial meaningful 20+ GP NHL seasons) https://t.co/boIT4VSi66 pic.twitter.com/Ih2xqvhlwK

— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) May 7, 2026

I say this because JFresh then went on to list forwards and defensemen drafted in the first and second round during the 2010s that followed the same criteria. Neither list provided any players with much appeal fantasy-wise, although both lists had many players that have stuck around in the NHL for a while. That's not to say that none of the above players will be universally rostered in fantasy leagues one day, but at this point it's far more likely that they won't than they will – even the players in bold. Next season will be critical. It might be a good idea to trade them away while they still have some future value left.

Remember when Dobber said that prospect goalies were a long wait… perhaps until 25 or 26? (I may not have the exact age correct, but hopefully you get the idea.) This seems like the opposite, where 22 or 23 is the age where you need to move on from a forward or defenseman that is not already a full-time NHLer. If you play in a deeper league, you might raise that age a bit. I won't analyze any of the players on this list – at least not today, but at least we have all summer to debate them.

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To no one's surprise (at least not mine), Nikita Kucherov, Nathan MacKinnon, and Connor McDavid have been named the Hart Trophy finalists.

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It's time for me to reflect on the season that was. Which players did I make the right call on during my draft? Which players do I regret drafting? And what did I learn by drafting both?

I'll start with three players I'm glad I drafted in single-season leagues. The first number for each player shows what pick I used on the player, while the second number is the player's Yahoo ranking for the year. I'll avoid obvious picks, such as grabbing Connor McDavid at second overall (if you don't think I should have drafted him there, then I'm happy to debate).

Brandon Hagel (51, 47)

Hagel was picked the most often by the DobberHockey panel as the player to disappoint entering the season. The thinking was that his 90-point output in 2024-25 would be an outlier. Naturally what I did (because my drafts happened before I received the writers' picks) was draft Hagel in two leagues because he was falling farther than I thought he should be. When Hagel recorded just a single point over his first seven games, I thought the four writers who picked Hagel would be more right about him than I would be. Yet following that early-season slump, Hagel went on to pick up 73 points in 64 games. Hagel's playoff performance (7 GP, 6 G, 2 A) has also stood out, meaning that he might finally receive the respect that he deserves.

Power-play usage is Hagel's one downside because of Tampa's depth up front, but that number was higher in the second half and the playoffs than it was during the first half. If he can remain on the Lightning's top unit most of the time, Hagel could push 85-90 points again. Hagel has never recorded more than 13 power-play points in a season, so he won't win you that category. In fact, of all the forwards with as many points as Hagel in 2025-26 (74), none had as few power-play points (12). Conversely, Hagel was tied for 10^th in the league with 61 even-strength points. That means the goals and assists are sustainable enough that you shouldn't panic if he happens to be on PP2.

Hagel has been at or near the point-per-game mark for the past three seasons, and he has reached 30 goals in three of the past four seasons. That means he should be considered a safe top-50 Roto Rankings option by now. Based on usage (19-21 min/GP) and shot volume (2.5-3 SOG/GP), his floor should be 65-70 points with a likely full-season output of 75-85 points.

Tom Wilson (107, 51)

Those who understand bangers leagues will consider it a crime that Wilson would go undrafted by pick 100. The combination of scoring and hits is simply too valuable to pass up on. A major reason for that doubt might be concerning whether Wilson offers enough scoring to justify that position – in other words, if there's an opportunity cost in terms of better offensive producers. (In my particular draft, I picked him when a run on defensemen was taking place that included Brandon Montour, Seth Jones, Shayne Gostisbehere, Aaron Ekblad, and Jackson LaCombe.) As it turned out, my hits total in this league was in the top half, but I didn't have nearly enough hits in my fantasy league final.

Wilson slowly evolved into a consistent scorer with back-to-back 30-goal and 60-point seasons once he turned 30. This scoring is also supported by top-6 usage and top power-play time, and he could be leaned on more heavily if Alex Ovechkin retires. Wilson's shooting percentage, which has been in the 19-20% range over those two seasons, could regress. That could mean he falls below the 30-goal range next season, but he shouldn't fall too far.

The penalty minutes and hits should continue. Wilson has hit triple-digit penalty minutes in each of the past three seasons. Although his hit total fell below 200 for the first time in three seasons, he is still averaging well over two hits per game. Based on his aggressive style of play, Wilson is always in danger of a suspension. However, he should be considered a RW2 in general multicategory leagues and a RW1 in bangers leagues specifically. Projections of 25-30 goals, 55-60 points, 100 PIM, and 200 Hits seem reasonable for next season.

Bo Horvat (163, 88)

A typical draft strategy involves the following: Target mainly (but not all) high-scoring forwards with your first 5-6 picks, then try to add 2-3 defensemen, then look for value forwards. (Answers will vary as to where goalies are drafted.) Horvat fell into the last category in 2025-26 as an outstanding depth forward. Horvat may have fallen well under the radar because he is a center, but also because he is a consistent but not elite option.

When Horvat was traded from the Canucks, the assumption was that his fantasy value would take a hit moving to the defensive-minded Islanders. However, Horvat has settled in quite nicely with the Islanders, picking up his fourth 30-goal season over the last five campaigns. Horvat was able to reach 30 goals again in 2025-26 in spite of missing 14 games.

Horvat's shot total has also increased since the trade. Generally speaking, Horvat was under three shots per game with the Canucks, but he has consistently averaged at least three shots per game with the Islanders. Reaching at least 200 shots again should result in another 25-to-35-goal season.

Horvat also has added value in faceoffs. His faceoff win percentage has never fallen below 50 percent since his rookie campaign of 2014-15. Horvat should be good for at least 700 faceoffs won again if he can appear in at least 70 games.

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Tomorrow, I'll discuss three more players I'm glad I drafted. In the meantime, follow me on X @Ian_Gooding and Bluesky @goodsfantasyhockey.bsky.social