Who's Hot And Cold In The NHL Playoffs: Dahlin Heating Up, Dobes Cooling Off As Game 7 Approaches

The NHL’s second round is nearly complete, and in the past week, there have been big-time performances from some NHLers – and disappearing acts from others.

Whether it’s goalies who are sagging at the worst time, or playoff rookies who are stepping up and thriving, there’s a massive difference between ‘hot’ players and ‘cold’ NHLers.

In some cases, there’s still a chance for redemption for the ‘cold’ players we’ve listed below. But there’s an all-important Game 7 showdown between the Montreal Canadiens and the Buffalo Sabres Monday night in Buffalo, and three of the five players we’ve listed below have the opportunity to either redeem themselves or to build on strong play and make it to the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Here’s our choices for the NHLers who have been ‘hot’ and ‘cold’ since Monday, May 11:

The Sabres pulled themselves away from the brink of elimination this week, and Dahlin was their best player, posting a league-best six assists and seven points in three games.

Dahlin was used a little more sparingly, averaging 22:18 – and that’s down from the 24:11 he averaged in the 2025-26 regular season. But that’s more of a comment on Buffalo’s improved depth on ‘D’ and not on Dahlin’s performance. 

Remember, this is the 26-year-old Swede’s first NHL post-season – and with his numbers this week, Dahlin now has 10 assists and 13 points in 12 games.

Being a point-per-game player is vital to the Sabres’ pushing to a seventh and deciding game against the Canadiens, but regardless of the outcome, you can’t lay any blame at Dahlin’s feet. He’s done his part to keep Buffalo alive in the post-season, and he deserves credit for his contributions.

The Canadiens squandered a golden chance to eliminate the Sabres in Game 6, and Montreal’s lack of offense leads us to look at Dobson as one of the key veterans the Habs need more from.

Indeed, in three games this week, Dobson failed to register a single point, and he managed only four shots on net despite averaging 23:17 of ice time.

Montreal’s attack doesn’t revolve around Dobson putting up a slew of points, but the reality is he has only one point in seven playoff games this year. In his career, Dobson has 11 assists in 38 games, so he needs to pick up his offensive contributions and take pressure off his Habs teammates.

Dobson’s first year in Montreal has been a success, but the Canadiens need more from him if they’re going to advance in the post-season.

The Golden Knights have gotten stronger as the playoffs have unfolded, and one of the key reasons is Dorofeyev’s contributions. The 25-year-old led all scorers this week, with four goals in only two games. That gives Dorofeyev a team-best nine goals and 11 points in 12 playoff games, as well as a rating of plus-6. 

That’s a major improvement on Dorofeyev’s previous playoff experience. In eight games last year, he had only one goal and two points, while posting a minus-7. So Vegas management has to be pleased with Dorofeyev’s development.

While Vegas is deep enough not to need Dorofeyev to do all the heavy lifting, every bit of offense he contributes takes pressure off the rest of the roster. That’s probably why you see the Golden Knights thriving – they don’t need anyone to singlehandedly carry them to victory. That’s what makes them so dangerous.

It’s been a roller-coaster playoffs for Dobes – and this week, the Habs goalie posted a 1-2 record, a save percentage of .868 and a goals-against average of 4.30.

In three games, the 24-year-old allowed a league-worst 12 goals – four more goals than the next-most-porous goalie – and he was pulled in Game 6 in favor of Jacob Fowler. That doesn’t bode well for Dobes’ chances of eliminating the Sabres in Game 7.

Dobes’ current playoff totals are far from ideal – he has a 7-6 record – but he has a .906 SP and 2.59 GAA, and he needs to show Habs coach Martin St-Louis he can be relied upon to deliver great netminding.

Dobes needs to rectify that as soon as possible by bouncing back and delivering a strong showing in Game 7 against the Sabres, as he did against the Tampa Bay Lightning in round one.

In two games this week, Hart was stellar, posting an SP of .956 and a GAA of 1.45. The 27-year-old’s playoff numbers this year see him posting a .917 SP and a 2.37 GAA, and Vegas coach John Tortorella can’t help but be happy with the netminding Hart has provided.

Hart’s only playoff experience prior to this season came in 2019-20 with the Philadelphia Flyers. His numbers then were sparkling, including a .926 SP and a 2.23 GAA in 14 appearances. He’s going to set a new career-best in playoff appearances when the Golden Knights take on the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference final.

If Hart can deliver the same type of goaltending he gave Vegas against the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks in the first two rounds, the Knights will be more than a handful for Colorado.

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.