Mitch Marner is answering old playoff doubts for Vegas, while Nikita Kucherov and Cole Caufield cool off.
Mitch Marner is at the center of the NHL playoff heat check after a six-point week for the , turning a familiar postseason question into a much different conversation. The old doubts have not disappeared, but Marner is bending games right now, and that matters more than reputation in May. The cold side is less comfortable.
Cole Caufield and Nikita Kucherov both land there after late-series scoring droughts, with Kucherov’s slide carrying extra weight for the Tampa Bay Lightning. When a player of that profile goes quiet at this stage, it changes the feel of a series and raises harder questions about how much Tampa can still force. Quinn Hughes also stands out for the Minnesota Wild, carrying heavy minutes and giving his team real control in demanding playoff shifts.
Colorado, meanwhile, looks increasingly dangerous because Martin Necas gives the Avalanche another creator as the second round sharpens. That is the core tension in this playoff snapshot: production is beating memory. Marner’s week matters because it gives Vegas a live driver at a time when one hot creator can flip matchups.
Kucherov and Caufield are being judged by the same standard in reverse. Their names still command attention, but quiet late-series stretches narrow the room for error around them. Colorado’s case is different because it is less about one swing and more about accumulation.
Necas gives the Avalanche another way to stress coverage, which makes every matchup decision harder. Hughes’ workload for Minnesota fits the same playoff math from another angle: when minutes get heavier and space gets tighter, control has real currency. Marner’s rise also changes the tone around Vegas because it shifts attention from reputation to usefulness.
A six-point week does not erase every postseason scar, but it gives the Golden Knights exactly what playoff teams chase: a player forcing opponents to react. That kind of form can reshape assignments, pressure defensive pairs, and make every quiet shift from the other side feel louder. The cold stretches for Kucherov and Caufield matter because they are not being measured like depth scorers.
Their teams need them to turn possession, chances, and pressure into goals when series tighten. A late-series drought does not define a whole postseason by itself, but it can drag down the ceiling of an attack if the response does not come quickly. The implication is simple: playoff stock is moving on current impact, not regular-season name value.
Marner is rising because he is producing. Kucherov and Caufield are cooling because their late-series scoring dried up. Colorado’s depth looks like a problem because Necas adds another layer.
What's next: The second round will test whether these trends are temporary swings or the start of something more defining. Read at The Hockey News
Playoff momentum can turn fast, but this stock watch captures who is actually shaping games now. Marner’s surge for Vegas changes the tone around his postseason profile. Kucherov’s cold spell forces uncomfortable Tampa questions because his standard is game-breaking offense. Caufield’s drought matters for Montreal in the same practical way: stars must finish chances when margins shrink. Colorado’s case may be the scariest, because Necas gives the Avalanche another dangerous creator rather than just another name on the sheet.
The Hockey Newsthehockeynews.comBy Adam Proteau 6 May, 23:11 en
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