NHL Conference Finals: The Unsung Heroes

The NHL Conference Finals are finally here in the NHL Playoffs. The Eastern Conference features a matchup of the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Out west the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks are going head to head in what will surely be an entertaining series.

The playoffs are a great time for young or lesser-known players to step into the spotlight and make a big name for themselves. In order to contend for the Stanley Cup, the four finalists will need to have some players besides the superstars become unsung heroes and step up to perform exceptionally well.

The New York Rangers were the best team in the NHL at the conclusion of the regular season. Henrik Lundqvist was excellent and helped lead the comeback against the Washington Capitals this past week. Players such as Lundqvist, Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash are well-known players in the league and should continue to perform.

Derick Brassard is a lesser-known center who is currently tied for the team lead in points during these playoffs. Brassard is centering Nash and St. Louis, which certainly helps his scoring, but Brassard is not simply along for the ride with those two players, he has been a consistent contributor.

In Tampa Bay Steven Stamkos has only scored three goals but is still third in scoring. Tyler Johnson and Nikita Kucherov are emerging as stars and have registered 12 and 11 points respectively. The third member of the Johnson and Kucherov line is Ondrej Palat.

Palat is a seventh round pick from 2011 and is only 24 years old. Palat has scored three goals this postseason and has created numerous scoring chances for his linemates. Palat plays on the top power-play unit and has fit in well with the superstars on the Lightning roster.

Out west the Blackhawks have perhaps the most star power in the entire NHL. Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith are the team’s top three scorers. These players are all averaging at least a point per game throughout the playoffs.

A player who is not registering as many points but may emerge in the Conference Finals is young forward Teuvo Teravainen. The 20-year-old Finnish player has begun playing alongside Patrick Sharp and Antoine Vermette. Sharp has been very complementary of Teravainen and the Blackhawks are hopeful the young forward can continue to develop his skills during these playoffs.

Finally, the Anaheim Ducks are similar to the Blackhawks in terms of star power. Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf are the top two scorers and new addition Ryan Kesler is fourth. Kesler has been great in taking pressure off the top line for the Ducks and the former Canucks forward has been a great help to the Ducks.

Kesler has been centering Matt Beleskey and Jakob Silfverberg, two younger players who also have emerged this season and playoffs. Kesler plays a physical style of hockey while contributing on the offensive side of the game as well. The second power-play unit of the Ducks has improved due to the addition of Kesler.

As the Stanley Cup is nearing it will be interesting to watch which players will step up and help their team reach and win the Final. The four aforementioned players, Brassard, Palat, Teravainen and Kesler, are players to watch during the Conference Finals because their contributions could go a long way in determining the Stanley Cup Champion.

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