Fantasy Hockey

Lowry ended the year on a 32-game goal drought dating back to Dec. 29.

While Lowry may not be the most prolific scorer, fantasy owners were certainly hoping he'd produce closer to his 2016-17 numbers (15 goals) than his eight tallies this year. The winger's productivity was limited by the fact that he appeared in a mere 45 contests due to various injuries. If he can stay healthy during 2018-19, the St. Louis native should be capable of pushing for the 30-point threshold in a bottom-six role.

Beagle generated a secondary assist against the Lightning on Monday in a 3-0 win to take Game 6 of the conference finals.

The fourth-line center worked with Chandler Stephenson in setting the table for Devante Smith-Pelly's goal in the third period. We doubt that there's been a whole lot of fantasy owners depending on Beagle in playoff pools, but he's an efficient offensive producer who has been known to strike for the occasional goal or assist.

Roslovic spent his first significant chunk of time with the Jets this season, as he played in 41 total contests including the playoffs.

Although Roslovic frequently bounced in and out of the lineup, the fact that coach Paul Maurice felt comfortable putting him on the ice in the postseason shows the level of confidence the club has in the youngster. The winger put up solid numbers given his limited action (11:50 of ice time per outing), as he tallied five goals, 12 helpers and a plus-9 rating. What the organization decides to do regarding restricted free agents Adam Lowry, Joel Armia and Brandon Tanev will factor heavily into what role the 21-year-old Roslovic fills next season. The only certainty for the Columbus native heading into 2018-19 is that he will be given a chance to earn his way onto the 23-man roster during training camp.

Little notched a helper in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to the Golden Knights.

Little's helper may have ended an eight-game pointless streak, but he still finished the season on a 12-game goal drought. The lack of production from the Jets' third line was a significant factor to their inability to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. The 30-year-old's productivity during the regular season was far superior, as he cracked the 40-point mark for the fifth consecutive season and eighth time overall. If Paul Stastny doesn't re-sign with Winnipeg, Little is a near lock to rejoin the second line alongside Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers, which will provide increased opportunities to rack up points during the 2018-19 campaign.

Backstrom posted a pair of assists in Game 6, his first of the Eastern Conference finals, helping his team earn a 3-0 win Monday over Tampa Bay.

Backstrom hadn't been a factor on the scoresheet as Washington lost its grip on the series, but he set up T.J. Oshie twice to get back on track. Despite the fact he's playing through a known hand/wrist injury, expect Backstrom back in the lineup Wednesday in Game 7 (unless you hear otherwise).

Tavares and the Islanders have spoken to each other, SNY.TV reports.

There are reports that former New Jersey and Toronto general manager, Lou Lamoriello, has been hired by the Islanders as director of hockey operations and his first order of business was to contact Tavares. It is unknown what Tavares wants to return to the Isles, but if it was for the organization to hire one of the best GMs in NHL history, mission accomplished. Tavares can be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and will pretty much have his choice of where he wants to play. No matter where he ends up, he will likely be one of the first centers taken off the board in fantasy leagues next season.

Coach Barry Trotz indicated after Wednesday's Game 7 that he believes Smith-Pelly will be okay and that his third-period absence was likely precautionary, Isabelle Khurshudyan of The Washington Post reports.

Smith-Pelly took a shot to the back of the neck area in the first period and a subsequent big hit from the Lightning's Anton Stralman in the second period, leaving the ice for good after that. Fortunately, he will have ample time to rest up ahead of Monday's Game 1 against the Golden Knights, but clarification on his status moving forward could arise following tests in the coming days.

Ovechkin scored 62 seconds into Game 7 and overcame the Eastern Conference hurdle for the first time, helping his team earn a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Given a chance to reach his first Stanley Cup Finals, Ovechkin left nothing to chance. His goal put the Capitals in control and marked the fifth time he's found the scoresheet against the Lightning this postseason. The Capitals and fantasy owners will be hoping Ovechkin can replicate his Tampa performances in the Cup finals, as all four of his goals in the Eastern finals came in each of the four games played at Amalie Arena.

Burakovsky scored two goals in the second period, helping his team earn a 4-0 series-clinching win over the Lightning on Wednesday.

Nobody expected this, considering that Burakovsky hadn't scored a single point in the postseason prior to Wednesday. Granted, he's only played eight games because he was injured in the first round against Columbus, and even after scoring twice, he only received 11:19 of ice time, which means there are likely better options available for the Stanley Cup Final.

Smith-Pelly (undisclosed) was not on the ice when the third period started in Wednesday's Game 7 against the Lightning, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports.

Smith-Pelly went down to block a shot and took it off the back of the neck in the first period, but returned to the contest during the second. A big hit from Anton Stralman resulted in a return trip to the locker room, and it wouldn't be surprising if that spells the end of his night.

Miller (head) is slated to play in Wednesday's Game 7 matchup with Washington, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports.

Miller was involved in a scary on-ice collision with Steven Stamkos, but appears to be no worse for wear. The 24-year-old Miller is bogged down in a six-game goal drought, during which he has tallied a lone helper. While the Ohio native figures to fill a third-line role Wednesday, he should continue to see time on the power play.

Tanev set career highs in games played (61), goals (eight) and assists (10) this season as a fourth-line player.

On a roster filled with elite-level scorers, Tanev quitely completed a solid 2017-18 campaign as a depth guy for the Jets. A consummate grinder even in college -- he spent four seasons with Providence -- the winger seems to have found his niche, as he dished out 188 hits and 56 blocks this year. Fantasy owners in leagues that value these ancillary stats should find the Toronto native a capable deep option that will provide occasional production in the offensive end.

Myers logged a full 82-game campaign for the first time in his career.

After missing nearly all of the 2016-17 season, Myers was one of five Jets players to see action in every game this year. As a result, the defenseman registered his highest point total (36) since 2010-11 with Buffalo. Perhaps the biggest reason for the Houston native's increased production was his role with the man advantage, where he averaged 2:04 of ice time and tallied three goals and 14 helpers. If he can hold onto his spot on the power play, the 27-year-old could rack up another 30-plus point campaign in 2018-19.

Kulikov was limited to a mere 62 games this season due to injuries.

Not only did Kulikov miss 28 contests as a result of a back injury, it also caused him to be a healthy scratch for three outings before returning for the final game of the year. Where the Russian fits into the Jets' lineup next season likely won't be decided until closer to training camp, but if it becomes clear he will be watching more than playing, the club will almost certainly look at moving him due to his $4.3 million cap hit -- a high price to pay for a fringe defenseman.

Morrow was back in the lineup against the Capitals in Game 5 after sitting out the previous 11 contests.

After joining the team at the trade deadline, Morrow logged 18 regular-season contests in which he averaged 14:30 of ice time and notched five points. Once the team got healthy, the 24-year-old was relegated to a seat in the press box, but needing a change of pace, coach Paul Maurice reinserted him into the lineup -- albeit in a losing effort. While he won't jump out to fantasy owners, the organization will likely re-sign the restricted free agent in order to keep some quality deep on the blue line.

Enstrom appeared in a mere 43 contests this season.

Various injuries throughout the 2017-18 campaign set Enstrom back and limited him to six points -- the lowest total of his 11-year NHL career. At this point, it seems improbable the blueliner will get back to being a 50-point producer like he was in his Thrashers days. More likely, the 32-year-old figures to be in the high teens, low 20s in terms of offensive numbers heading into 2018-19.

Sieloff signed a two-year, two-way contract extension with the Senators on Tuesday.

Sieloff competed mainly in the ECHL last season, compiling 11 points -- three goals and eight assists -- over 47 games. The 24-year-old blueliner made one appearance with the Senators in 2017-18 and managed to notch a goal, but he also recorded a minus-2 rating in the contest. He will likely begin 2018-19 in the minors as well, but he could surface in the NHL at some point in the campaign should the need arise.

Dahlbeck has decided to sign with a KHL team, Chip Alexander of The Raleigh News & Observer reports.

Dahlbeck couldn't bust through to a consistent spot in the lineup for the Hurricanes in 2017-18, dressing for just 33 games that resulted in five points -- one goal and four assists. The terms of his deal in Russia have yet to surface, but it's possible the 26-year-old has played his last game in the NHL.

Vasilevskiy stopped 19 of the 22 shots he faced Wednesday, but it wasn't anywhere near enough to keep his team's season alive, as it took a 4-0 loss to Washington in Game 7.

Vasilevskiy didn't get off to a great start on Alex Ovechkin's early goal, and the Lightning defense didn't help by allowing Andre Burakovsky two great looks at the net. Tampa Bay made the mistakes a team can't make in a Game 7, and Vasilevskiy and his owners paid the price. The netminder was solid in Games 3, 4 and 5 to get his team back in the series, but Game 7 more closely resembled the struggles of the first two games in this series, a tough way for him to end what was a quality season for himself and his owners.

Holtby stopped all 29 shots Wednesday, helping his team reach the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-0 win over Tampa Bay.

Holtby now hasn't allowed a goal since 33 seconds into the second period of Game 5, and if he and the defense can keep this up, even Vegas' powerful offense will be hard-pressed to find twine.

Fleury (undisclosed) is not dealing with an injury, despite skipping Wednesday's practice session, per Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Initial reports following Sunday's Game 5 clincher suggested Fleury may have been dealing with an injury; however, it appears the netminder is ready to go and is getting some much needed time off. At this point in the season, nearly every player is dealing with some sort of aches and pains, so it shouldn't come as a surprise the 32-year-old is resting up ahead of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Flower is 12-3 with a 1.68 GAA in the postseason and seems dialed in on his way to lifting Lord Stanley's chalice for a third consecutive time.

Vasilevksiy will guard the home crease in Wednesday's Game 7 against the Capitals, ESPN reports.

Vasilevskiy stopped 31 of the 33 shots he faced during Game 6, but it wasn't enough for him to avoid a loss that forced a Game 7 showdown in Tampa. He's been particularly impressive over the last four contests, totaling a 2.01 GAA and a .942 save percentage to compile a 3-1-0 record following an 0-2-0 start to the series. The 23-year-old netminder may need another strong effort Wednesday to boost the Lightning to their second Stanley Cup Finals in the last four seasons.

Niemi agreed to terms on a one-year deal with Montreal on Tuesday worth $950,000.

After a disappointing start to his 2017-18 season with Pittsburgh and Florida, Niemi finally settled in with the Canadiens, as he went 7-5-4 with a 2.46 GAA in 19 appearances. The Habs obviously liked the netminder's body of work and at a relatively discounted $950,000, he won't break the bank for a No. 2 behind Carey Price. Even if the Finn does struggle, the club still has Charlie Lindgren waiting in the wings.

Holtby will defend the net in Wednesday's Game 7 against the Lightning in Tampa Bay, ESPN reports.

Holtby bounced back from a trio of disappointing efforts to post a 24-save shutout in Game 6, setting up perhaps the biggest game of his career Wednesday. He's been stellar overall this postseason (11-6-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .919 save percentage) and even more dominant on the road, owning a 7-2-0 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .921 save percentage over nine appearances. Another strong effort may be required Wednesday for the Caps to earn their first trip to the Finals since 1997-98.