Do not let playoff success – or failure – fool you during your next regular-season draft. One postseason will never make – or break – your fantasy strategy. But you can definitely use it to get inside your opponent's head. Just Google John Druce and you'll know why.
Druce is the classic "lightning-in-a-bottle" story. Exactly two decades ago, the unspectacular eight-goal forward exploded for 14 goals in the postseason and took his Capitals to their first Conference Finals. His nine goals in a single series put him in a tie in the top-five playoff performances of all time. Right there with a guy named Jari Kurri.
Of course, it was a mirage. Druce finished in a tie for 73rd in league scoring the following season, and it went downhill from there. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice? Not a chance. Explosive performances by journeymen are lottery tickets. Nothing more. But people get sucked in all the time.
You won't, you're smarter than that, but now is definitely the time to sharpen your fantasy chops to prep for a victory in 2020-21, and there's no better time to do it than when there are so many games streaming or on TV.
Here are a few of the things I always watch for in the postseason. They've helped me on draft day in the past, and I hope they can help you, too.
1. Beware of the Matt Murray phenomenon. It's a lot like John Druce.
Sure, Murray has
