Who's Hot And Cold In The NHL Playoffs: Mitch Marner Heats Up

Cold: Cole Caufield, RW, Montreal Canadiens

The Canadiens outlasted the Tampa Bay Lightning in Round 1, although Caufield was held off the scoresheet in Games 5, 6 and 7. After a strong start to the post-season that included four points in his first four games against the Bolts, Caufield's offensive production vanished. Caufield's ice time fluctuated greatly this past week. He logged only 13:13 of ice time in Game 5 as the Habs defended their lead late. He then logged 19:41 in Game 6, which went to overtime, and in Game 7, he played only 14:29. Montreal needs more consistently strong performances out of the 51-goal scorer if they're to beat the Buffalo Sabres in Round 2.

Hot: Quinn Hughes, D, Minnesota Wild

The Wild trail the Avalanche 2-0 in their series, but you certainly can't lay that at the feet of star defenseman Hughes, who posted three goals and six points in three games since last Wednesday. Hughes also averaged a stunning 28:40 of ice time, which trailed only Philadelphia Flyers D-man Travis Sanheim (28:43) among players who appeared in three games this past week. Hughes, 26, has been everything Minnesota GM Bill Guerin hoped he'd be when he acquired the Vancouver Canucks captain. When July 1 hits, however, Guerin will try to ensure Hughes remains in Minnesota. He's eligible for a contract extension and could become a UFA in the summer of 2027. If the Wild win a Stanley Cup or continue to show lots of promise, Hughes may choose to remain in Minnesota over the long haul. In any case, Hughes has been spectacular for the Wild in the post-season, and if Minnesota comes back in this series against the Avs, it will be because Hughes helped them get there.

Cold: Nikita Kucherov, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning

After another excellent regular season, Kucherov went without a point in the Lightning's final three games against Montreal. Kucherov exited the post-season with only five assists and six points in seven games – numbers that would be great for 99 percent of the league. But for a consistent Art Ross Trophy front-runner like Kucherov, they aren't nearly so impressive. The Lightning have failed to get beyond the first round for the past four years. In that span, Kucherov has played 23 games while putting up 21 assists and 23 points. Ideally, the Lightning want Kucherov to be as dominant in the post-season as he's been in the regular season, and that hasn't happened.

Hot: Martin Necas, RW, Colorado Avalanche

Fine, we could have gone with Nathan MacKinnon, who had two goals and six points in just two games this past week. But we wanted to shout out another forward for the Avs who had just two points in the first round. In Games 1 and 2 against the Wild, Necas had four assists and five points, giving him six assists and seven points in six playoff games. The 27-year-old has 42 points in 72 career post-season games, but he's now producing at a point-per-game pace in these playoffs.