This week, Leon Draisaitl capped a big rally as the Oilers struck first in the Stanley Cup Finals; by doing so, they snapped Florida’s incredible streak of 31 straight playoff wins when they it after the first or second periods; and a work stoppage seems highly unlikely given that both sides are pleased with the progress of the CBA negotiations. Other Fantasy hockey stories we’re following include…

Stuart Skinner Stepping Up

After losing to Florida in last season’s Stanley Cup Final in dramatic fashion, the Edmonton Oilers looked they were going to drop the opener of the rematch series on Wednesday.

Down 3-1 early in the second period, things didn’t look great for Edmonton. But this team has shown tremendous resilience in coming from behind throughout the playoffs, and that trend continued as they battled back, forced overtime, and then won it with just 31 seconds left in the first extra frame.

Oiler goaltender Stuart Skinner – who has dramatically elevated his play in the playoffs despite some early hiccups – wasn’t incredible in surrendering a trio of goals over the first 22 minutes, but his work over the next 57-plus minutes allowed his team to creep back in and ultimately pull out the W.

He made 29 saves overall, raising his postseason save percentage to .904 to go along with a strong 2.50 GAA. For perspective, in the regular season Skinner posted a 2.81 GAA with an .896 save percentage – the worst numbers of his career. His expected goals allowed rate compared to his actual goals also suggests he was not up to snuff.

Skinner’s rookie season in 2022-23 was notable and even earned him consideration for a RotoRob Award. He was even better as a sophomore before regressing this season.

Skinner has now won five straight playoff games and it’s pretty clear Edmonton — after switching horses midstream and turning to Calvin Pickard, then going back to Skinner when Pickard got hurt — is going to ride Skinner to the end at this point. What’s especially notable is that over his short career he generally has underperformed in the postseason, and realistically he has not cemented himself as the long-term answer in net for the Oilers. But a Stanley Cup ring sure would go a long way towards changing that.

Skinner brings the size (6’4”, 230) to the crease that teams love (although that didn’t stop Jamie Benn from trying to destroy him — see video below) and offers the athletic skills needed to be successful, but foot quickness will always be a challenge. Still, at the age of only 26, Skinner remains a goalie with potential upside going forward.

Buffalo Finds Gem in Ryan McLeod

Two seasons ago, the Buffalo Sabres seemed to finally be making some progress, recording 91 points for their best season since they last made the playoffs. However, in the two seasons since, they dipped to 84 and then 79, marking 14 straight campaigns of missing the postseason.

Yikes.

That extends the all-time NHL playoff drought, which is now three years longer than the second-worst (Florida, 11 straight seasons). While the Panthers are definitely making up for that now, when will Buffalo be able to say the same? It sure doesn’t look like it will happen next season as the Sabres are currently +14,000 to win the Stanley Cup in 2025-26 as per FanDuel.

Obviously, not a ton of good things happened in Buffalo this season, but if you’re seeking a bright spot, the breakout campaign by Ryan McLeod in his first season with the team definitely qualifies.

A few years back, we recommended McLeod as a speculative add for the second half of 2021-22, and it offered mix results as he did manage six points in 15 games in March before seeing his role reduced over the final month.

He’s continuously improved since, setting a career high with 11 goals in 2022-23, upping that last season, and then exploding for his first 20-goal effort while topping 50 points in his Buffalo debut.

The Oilers had high hopes for McLeod when they drafted him in the second round (40th overall) in 2018, but last summer packaged him with Tyler Tullio to acquire Matthew Savoie. Savoie, the ninth overall pick in 2022, saw a bit more NHL time this season (four games) while enjoying a solid campaign in the AHL, but so far, this deal favours the Sabres, even if Tullio looks like organizational depth at best.

Best of all, McLeod has played 56 playoff games from his days in Edmonton, which will make him a valuable asset should the Sabres ever find their way back to postseason play.

Waiver Wire Pick of the Week

Jackson Blake, RW, Carolina Hurricanes (ESPN: 5.1 per cent; CBS: 14 per cent): In his rookie season, Blake quietly climbed the depth chart and enjoyed a solid effort, accumulating 34 points in 80 games. He saw a nice boost in PT in the playoffs while contributing six points over 15 games, and gets a bit of a long-term boost with news that Jesper Fast (neck) has retired. Taken just 109th overall in 2021, Blake looks like a great draft find by the Canes based on him flirting with 20 goals in his debut. With great playdriving skills (61.6 CF percentage) and a clear-cut top six role (pending Carolina’s offseason moves, of course), this 21-year-old kid looks like a major sleeper heading into 2025-26.

RotoRob Tune of the Day

When most people get to a certain age, they get fairly sedentary in their musical tastes, but every now and then a band comes along that just tears down the walls. For us, one of those was Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, sometimes referred to as BRMC. In 2003, they released their second album, Take Them On, On Your Own, a record which ended with the epic and powerful “Heart and Soul.”