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If you read our latest DFS article on Thursday morning, you would have known that the Panthers and Rangers were a strong bet to bounce back in their respective Game 2s. They did just that, each scoring five goals in convincing wins.  

Rangers 5, Penguins 2 (series tied 1-1)

The Stanley Cup playoffs can create brand new folk heroes out of previously unheralded players. The first 2022 example of that is Louis Domingue, who entered Game 1's overtime in relief after Casey DeSmith left the game. Following a less-than-delicious spicy pork and broccoli dinner, the journeyman Domingue stopped all 17 shots he faced in ensuring a Penguins overtime victory in Game 1. Although he made some great saves in Game 2, Domingue could not perform miracles for the Penguins, allowing five goals on 40 shots.

Frank Vatrano and Artemi Panarin each scored a goal and added two assists in the Rangers win. The points were both players' first of the playoffs.

On Panarin's line, Andrew Copp now has goals in back-to-back games. Same with 52-goal scorer Chris Kreider.

In a losing cause, Sidney Crosby scored a goal and added an assist along with six shots.

Panthers 5, Capitals 1 (series tied 1-1)

Aleksander Barkov and Carter Verhaeghe each scored a goal and added an assist, while Sergei Bobrovsky made 26 saves in earning the win.

Ilya Samsonov took over from Vitek Vanecek in the third period. Vanecek had allowed all five Panthers goals on 18 shots over the first two periods, while Samsonov stopped all 17 shots he faced in the third period. The Capitals have a goaltending decision on their hands for Game 3 back in Washington.  

Tom Wilson missed this game with a lower-body injury that occurred during Game 1.

Stars 2, Flames 0 (series tied 1-1)

Jake Oettinger pitched a 29-save shutout for the Stars in a game that had plenty of feistiness but little in the way of excitement otherwise. Both Oettinger and his goaltending counterpart Jacob Markstrom have allowed just one goal each over the two games. Great if they are your goaltenders for your playoff pool, but not so much if you need scoring from this series.

Joe Pavelski scored the Stars' opening goal on a tip-in, while Michael Raffl scored an empty-net goal to seal the victory for Dallas.

Avalanche 2, Predators 1 OT (Avalanche lead series 2-0)

I wasn't expecting this one to be the game of the night, but that's what it turned out to be. In spite of the low score, it offered plenty of excitement between the Avalanche's relentless attack and Connor Ingram standing tall to the task.

Ingram deserved way better. Making his first-ever playoff start after playing in just three regular-season games, Ingram singlehandedly kept the Predators in this game, stopping 48 of 50 shots he faced. Not just 48 saves, but 48 consecutive saves between Nathan MacKinnon's first-period goal and Cale Makar's overtime winner (see below). An outstanding performance from Ingram.

CALE MAKAR YOU ARE INSANE BUT WE ALREADY KNEW THAT.#GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/Op5CNJScaa

— z – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 6, 2022

At the very least, Ingram has earned the Game 3 start provided that Juuse Saros isn't ready to return yet (which is considered a possibility at this point). Beyond that, David Rittich is a UFA after the season, which could open up a spot for Ingram as Saros' backup if he can further impress during the playoffs. For more on Ingram, see his Dobber Prospects page. There's also a great article over at The Athletic documenting how he's been able to overcome his mental health struggles.

Makar fired 12 shots on goal along with 23 shot attempts in 31 minutes of icetime. In comparison, the Predators as a team had 44 shot attempts. I'll emphasize that 23 shot attempts is a lot, and here's why:

Cale Makar of the @Avalanche had 23 shot attempts tonight (including shots on goal and shots that missed the net or were blocked).

In the last 15 seasons, the only NHL player to have more in any game (regular season or postseason) is Alex Ovechkin (3 times).

— Stats By STATS (@StatsBySTATS) May 6, 2022

MacKinnon took eight shots of his own in this game. In case you've been thinking he doesn't get it done in the playoffs, MacKinnon has 44 points in 27 playoff games over the last three years – an average of over a point and a half per game. Maybe he just can't get it done all by himself.

He is good at hockey, just in case you were wondering. #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/t3qHBMqRoL

— z – Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) May 6, 2022

There might not be many playoff pools that count hits, but if yours does, hopefully Gabriel Landeskog was in your lineup. The Avalanche captain was credited for a team-leading 10 hits, giving him 16 hits over the first two games. He seems to be okay after missing the last month and a half of the season.

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In news among teams not playing on Thursday, Jeremy Swayman will start Game 3 tonight over Linus Ullmark. Over the first two games of the series, Ullmark has allowed eight goals with a save percentage of below .900 in both games. Seems like the right call to make the switch. For other starting goalie information, don't forget to check Goalie Post.

Swayman won't have one of his better defensemen in front of him, as Hampus Lindholm is expected to be out for Game 3.

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With the regular season now in the books, I'll take this opportunity over the next few days to look back at my season predictions. Specifically, my selections for player to rebound and player to disappoint. It turns out that I was correct on one but incorrect on the other. Today, my correct pick of player to rebound in Frederik Andersen.

After a miserable season with the Leafs both injury and performance-wise, I was all in on Andersen rebounding with the Hurricanes. That down season didn't affect Andersen's draft-day value, as he was drafted on average at 42 in Yahoo leagues. He delivered on that value, posting a 2.17 GAA and .922 SV% that helped earn he and Antti Raanta the Jennings Trophy for the fewest goals allowed by team (202 GA).

In picking Andersen on two of my fantasy teams, I was banking on him earning a high win total on the Hurricanes while being aided by a team that is strong with puck possession. That turned out to be the case, as Andersen earned 35 wins while the Canes' 28.2 SA/GP (shots against per game) and 48.11 CA/60 (Corsi against per 60 minutes) were both the best in the league. Those two fantasy teams of mine with Andersen finished in first and second place. Even though Andersen was injured during the final weeks of the season, I'm guessing he guided a few more fantasy teams to victory (assuming a decent Plan B in net).

You can argue that Andersen is not the best goalie in the league, but he plays in a system that insulates him to boost his fantasy categories to be among the best in the league. When picking a goalie, team matters considerably, even if you are not that high on the goalie themselves due to underlying analytics, style of play, or other reasons. Not surprisingly, Andersen was a great choice and Alex Nedeljkovic was not after the latter was traded from Carolina to Detroit.

One concern about Andersen that I'll credit a Twitter follower from bringing up is the fact that he has been injury-prone recently. For the second consecutive season, Andersen is sidelined while his teams play important games. Andersen has been a workhorse goalie throughout his career, having played at least 60 games three times as a Leaf. Having a backup that is more durable than Antti Raanta might help manage Andersen's workload better. That being said, Raanta is on the books for another season like Andersen is.

The silver lining with the Andersen and Raanta injuries (win or lose) is that they will find out what they have with Pyotr Kochetkov and perhaps even Jack LaFontaine (assuming Raanta is out for Game 3). But for next season, there's no reason to expect much different in the Canes' goalie situation with the veterans.

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Follow me on Twitter @Ian_Gooding for more fantasy hockey.