As the final four teams in the NHL playoffs jostle to win games, some players are stepping up their games, while others have vanished when their teams needed them most.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are full of surprises.
The Colorado Avalanche and Carolina Hurricanes surprised when they lost a combined one game in the first two rounds, and yet, the Avs are on the brink of elimination, and the Canes lost home-ice advantage in the Eastern Conference final.
Players on the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal Canadiens deserve credit for their teams being in this position right now. Vegas has gotten contributions from up and down the lineup and is nearly in the Stanley Cup final. But not every player on Montreal is firing on all cylinders right now.
Here are four players who have been hot or cold since Monday, May 18:
Hot: Phillip Danault, C, Montreal Canadiens
After the Canadiens acquired him from the L.A. Kings in mid-December, Danault posted six goals and 12 points in 45 regular-season games.
But this past week, he posted two goals and league-leading five points in three games, giving him eight assists and 10 points in 16 playoff games.
Danault's impact extends to the faceoff circle, as he's won 127 of 222 draws for a 57.2 percent success rate during the playoffs. That's higher than his regular-season faceoff rate of 56.2 percent, and that's significantly better than his career average of 53.2 percent.
Danault is coming through on offense and on 'D.' The price the Canadiens paid to acquire him – a 2026 second-round draft pick – has been well worth it.
Cold: Noah Dobson, D, Montreal Canadiens
This is the second straight week Dobson's been cold.
After registering zero points in three games a week ago, Dobson was held off the scoresheet again this week, failing to produce a single point in three games while managing only two shots on net.
Dobson also was poor in the plus/minus department this week, posting a minus-three, including a minus-two showing Saturday night in Game 2 of Montreal's series against Carolina. On Nikolaj Ehlers' overtime-winner, Dobson wasn't quick enough to cut off the shooting lane and reached with his stick unsuccessfully.
Dobson has gone seven straight games without a point, and he has just one point in 10 playoff games this year. The 26-year-old blueliner has limited playoff experience, with 11 points in 41 career games.
An upper-body injury held Dobson out of the lineup to start the playoffs but returned for Game 7 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Considering he ranked second in the NHL in blocked shots during the regular season and only had five this past week, he's not showing his top game at either end of the ice.
The Canadiens don't need Dobson to lead the team in scoring to beat the Hurricanes, but it would help their cause if he stepped up his offensive game. After all, he posted 35 assists and 47 points in 80 regular-season games. So Montreal needs more out of Dobson.
Hot: Tomas Hertl, C, Vegas Golden Knights
The Golden Knights are surprising the hockey world by going up 3-0 on the Avalanche in the Western Conference final, and Hertl's contributions are a significant driver of Vegas' success.
This past week, Hertl had the game-winning goal in Game 3 on Sunday, and he's posted three points in three games.
Entering this season, the 32-year-old had limited post-season success with the Golden Knights. Last year, he had only two assists and five points in 11 playoff games. The year before that, Hertl had just one point in seven post-season games. But after his efforts this week, Hertl has six assists and nine points in 15 games.
Hertl's been cold at times this season, but we have to give credit where it's due.
The crazy thing is, Hertl has been generating offense despite his ice time being significantly reduced. Hertl averaged 17:02 of ice time in the regular season, and his playoff career average is 17:58. But Hertl is averaging only 12:50 in these playoffs.
Vegas coach John Tortorella is using a less-is-more tactic with Hertl, and it's working.
Cold: Brock Nelson, C, Colorado Avalanche
To be clear, the Avalanche trail Vegas 3-0 in their Western Conference final series because many Avs players aren't getting the job done. However, one of Colorado's highest-paid players – Nelson, at $7.5 million per season – is standing out due to his lack of production.
In three games this past week, Nelson failed to put up any points despite firing five shots on net, and he was a minus-four. The 34-year-old's points drought has extended to four games, and he has only two goals and three points in 12 playoff games.
Last year, Nelson had four points in seven post-season games with the Avs, so his struggles on offense this year are obvious. Prior to this season, Nelson had 54 points in 85 playoff games, so he's functioning well below his career playoff point average.
If the Avalanche have any hope of getting back into their series against Vegas, Nelson needs to be considerably better than he's been thus far.
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