Carolina 3, Montreal 2 (series tied 1-1)

Nikolaj Ehlers' second goal of Game 2 on Saturday was the overtime winner for the Carolina Hurricanes, who now head to Montreal with a much-needed split for Games 3 and 4.

Ehlers also finished the game with a playoff-high five shots on goal, which also led the Hurricanes in Game 2. He now has four goals and two assists in nine playoff games. On the first year of a six-year contract with an $8.5 million cap hit, Ehlers provided return on investment when it mattered most. The Canes have folded in recent years once they reached the conference final, so having Ehlers step up was huge.

Ehlers' first goal is also worth showing here.

Eric Robinson scored the Hurricanes' other goal, while Jalen Chatfield and Mark Jankowski each recorded two assists.

In spite of the Game 2 win, the Canes still have some players that need to get out of scoring funks. For example, Logan Stankoven has just one point in his last five games after exploding out of the gate with six goals over his first five games. As well, Andrei Svechnikov has just one goal in 10 playoff games. Svechnikov did try to score a Michigan goal in Game 2, though.

Josh Anderson scored both goals for the Canadiens, including the game-tying goal. Anderson seems to score in bunches but will then go on some extended dry spells. That results in him not scoring enough to be rostered in fantasy leagues, unless we're talking about a very deep bangers league. Yet during this year's playoffs, Anderson finds himself with the same number of goals as Cole Caufield (5). He seems to be the kind of player who thrives on the extra physicality of the playoffs.

Playing on Anderson's line, Phillip Danault assisted on both goals. Danault struggled mightily during the regular season with just 17 points in 75 games, including 12 points in 45 games after being traded from Los Angeles. However, Danault has been on a roll since the Buffalo series with nine points in his last eight games. Maybe the new life he has found in the playoffs will help him bounce back to some degree next season.

Anderson's first goal was on the Canadiens' first shot of the game, of which the Habs only totaled 12 for the entire game. It's tough to get a game to go to overtime with that few shots, let alone to win a game. However, remember that the Habs won Game 7 of their first-round series with Tampa Bay after taking only nine shots for the entire game. The Canadiens are averaging the lowest shot total of any of the 16 teams in this season's playoffs (24.1 SOG/GP), while the Hurricanes average the second-highest shot total (32.5 SOG/GP). It doesn't seem like the shot total will matter much in this series, though.

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Yesterday I featured three waiver-wire pickups that helped various teams of mine early in the season. Today I'll be discussing three more players who I also added from the waiver wire. These players were added late in the season, but they turned out to be integral in my fantasy league championship hopes.

Sam Malinski

I added Malinski in two different leagues: one on December 29 (a deeper league) and one on April 1 (as I was in my fantasy playoffs). Malinski finished with a solid 40 points in his second full NHL season, but his value really exploded when Cale Makar was out of the lineup. From April 1 to 13 when Makar was out with an upper-body injury, Malinski had five points in seven games. Malinski's fourth quarter saw an overall spike in production with 13 points in 21 games. (Guess what! Makar is out of the lineup again! But in the two games that Makar has missed, Malinski doesn't have a point.)

Only one of Malinski's 40 points was on the power play, which is both a good and a bad thing. Malinski is proving that he doesn't need to rely on power-play time to be productive, but the lack of power-play time really caps his potential. Malinski is behind Makar, Devon Toews, and Brent Burns on the power-play pecking order, although the 41-year-old Burns is not under contract for next season and could even retire. Assuming the Avalanche don't bring anyone else in, the vacancy should move Malinski onto the second power-play unit. The first one is simply out of reach because of Makar, unless there is an injury.

Malinski also has decent peripherals, as he averages about two shots per game and about 100 blocks per season. His plus-43 ranking was outstanding, with only teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas along with Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov posting a higher plus-minus total. If Malinski can earn a top-4 role next season, he could turn into a legitimate late-round sleeper in fantasy drafts. Keep in mind that he also begins a four-year contract with a $4.75 million cap hit next season.

Alexis Lafreniere

Lafreniere was a targeted add for me, as I had him on my watch list for a while. I added him three days before my fantasy playoffs started, knowing that the Rangers were one of three teams to play the most games during that time period (12 games). Lafreniere did his part, contributing nine points during the three weeks.

I also targeted Lafreniere because I figured his value would improve after Artemi Panarin was traded to Los Angeles. That also happened, as Lafreniere picked up 10 goals and 10 assists in his last 21 games, also seeing an increase in icetime of over two minutes per game. Much of that icetime was in the form of power-play time, as Lafreniere was finally able to stick on the top power play. Deployment has been an issue for Lafreniere during much of his time with the Rangers, but he's more of a key piece now that Panarin is out of the picture.

Once the season was over, Lafreniere tied his career best with 57 points. The increased responsibility means he should be a good bet to post another career best in 2026-27. It's easy to throw the towel on Lafreniere because he has been in the show for six seasons and hasn't quite lived up to the expected scoring of a first overall pick. However, Lafreniere is still only 24 years old, and he likely hasn't hit his ceiling yet. He should be drafted in many more leagues next season than the 3 percent he was drafted in to start 2025-26.

An added bonus: Lafreniere has not missed a game over the past three seasons, so he is as low an injury risk as there is.

Viktor Arvidsson

Arvidsson wasn’t on my roster for very long, but he made an impact when it was most needed. I added Arvidsson on March 24, just in time for him to give me eight points during two weeks of the fantasy playoffs. Although Arvidsson was a late-season add for me and probably many others, he had an effective bounce-back season with the Bruins (25 goals and 54 points) after a forgettable one-season stint with the Oilers (27 points).

Surprisingly, Arvidsson's icetime actually decreased from his season with the Oilers (15:00) to his season with the Bruins (14:36). Not everyone is a fit with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, but for some reason it just seemed to work better with the likes of Pavel Zacha and Casey Mittelstadt on the Bruins' second line. 

Unfortunately, Arvidsson's ceiling doesn't extend much beyond what he showed with the Bruins. Now 33 years old, Arvidsson has a long injury history. He should provide decent goal and shot totals, but he will not win you your league with hits, high shot volume, or consistent top power-play usage. Of the entire group of top waiver-wire picks I've listed, Arvidsson is the most likely (aside from perhaps Malinski) to be found on your league's waiver wire next season. If he's on a roll like he was late last season, I wouldn't hesitate to add him.

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