Top 10 Key Players In Hockey’s Version Of The Final Four
Playoff Beard-less Cleary {photo courtesy Dan4th/Flickr}
Christopher Ralph is the staff columnist for the Toronto Maple Leafs at THW.
Of course, the Eastern and Western finalists all have their respective superstars which are the driving force of their franchises and have been instrumental in their teams’ advancement this deep in this year’s quest for Lord Stanley’s Cup.
Beyond the superstars, however, are the unsung heroes who are key cogs in their own right, even if all they bring to the table may not show up on the stats sheets.
The second round of the playoffs saw three series going to the deciding game 7, with the other going to six games. Thus, with one of the most closely contested playoffs in NHL history, these often underrated players have an even greater impact on their team’s ability to escape the “Final Four” and battle it out for hockey’s Holy Grail.
Without further ado then, I present to you, in no particular order, 10 key players in the conference finals that will significantly influence their teams’ chances on advancing to the fourth and final round, in the most gruelling postseason in all of sports.
- Dan Cleary – A fellow Newfoundlander and most impressive playoff beard grower, Cleary has clearly found his place as a key performer in the NHL after a rough start to his career, being a highly touted 13th overall pick in 1997 ironically by fellow original 6 Western Conference opponent Chicago Blackhawks. Cleary is now more valued for his energy, checking and 2-way play, but has chipped in with an impressive 10 points in 12 games thus far (he has opened the scoring for the Wings today as I watch the first period). Check out fellow THW columnist Paul Benvin’s article for a great image and video of Cleary’s game 7 and series clinching goal against the Ducks in the second round. {Update: make that 11 points in 12 games with 2 goals in the opener!} Paul also takes note of Cleary’s play his latest article.
- Chris Kunitz – Trade deadline pickup Kunitz after a cool 18 points in 20 games with the Pens to close out the regular season, has not been able to make much of an impact on the scoreboard with no goals and only 7 assists in 13 playoff games to date this season. While fellow trade deadline pickup forward Bill Guerin has provided some nice secondary scoring, Kunitz has sputtered. Somewhere between now and the Stanley Cup, the Penguins are going to need some sort of offensive contribution from this talented forward. On a positive note, he has impressed me with the physical component of his game, effectively finishing some very nice checks on a consistent basis.
- Matt Walker – One tough customer, as evident by the video below in which his finger was contorted after a shot block in the Flames series – Walker returned to action later in the game, the Hawks’ third paining blueliner will be called upon to do battle with the deep Wings’ forward corps. He’ll be in a clearing the likes of guys like Franzen and Holstrom from the front of the crease. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMYR-E4vHoU
- Chad Larose – The energetic and scrappy forward has provided some nice secondary scoring for the ‘Canes. As fellow THW writer highlighted in her article “And How the Carolina Hurricanes Can Beat The Pittsburgh Penguins”, Paul Maurice might do well in assigning Larose the task of pestering SC87 to try and throw him off his game. Of course, easier said than done, but Larose is capable of making free ice hard to come by for Sid the Kid.
- Erik Cole – Almost a duplicate of Kunitz above, Cole averaged almost a PPG after coming over from the Oilers at the trade dealine. However, in the postseason he has no goals and meazley 2 assists in 14 games, even given the ‘Canes success. If Carolina has any hope of taking out Pittsburgh they will need offensive contributions from guys like Cole.
- Kris Letang – As Penburgh Blog reports, Letang is one of seven Penguins who are “having themselves a playoffs”: “Last season Letang had 0 goals, 2 assists in the playoffs over 16 games. This year, through 12 games, Letang’s got 3 goals and 6 assists. Huge reversal, and ‘Tanger appeared to fight through what could have been a shoulder injury early in the Caps series without missing a beat.” If Gonchar is out at all or not 100%, Letang becomes an even more important piece of the puzzle. I’ve been a big fan of his since juniors and after watching his performances in back to back WJC gold medal wins in ’05 and ’06, you had to know Pittsburgh had themselves a third round steal.
- Dave Bolland – With the likes of Lidstrom and sidekicks on the blueline Rafalski, Stuart and Kronwall keying in on Kane, Toews, Sharp, Versteeg and Havlat, guys like Bolland will be counted on to provide offensive support. The versatile 2-way forward has had an impressive playoffs thus far contributing 9 points in 13 games. One unique characteristic that stands out for me that Bolland possesses is incredible hand-eye coordination. He has a great knack for picking clearing attempts out of the air.
- Sergei Samsonov – With 4 goals in the playoffs thus far and some important goals amongst them, the Caniac Nation will be looking for even more from the extremely talented forward. Consistency is the key for Samsonov, but again ‘Canes will require scoring from various resources. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TasvJHVm9Q
- Tim Gleason – The shutdown rearguard will be counted on heavily in an effort to provide damage control by Crosby, Malkin and company. Early in this year’s postseason, Gleason notched his first goal of the season (including regular season) notching the OT winner in Game against the Devils in the first round. “It was exciting. It was exciting just to get a goal in general,” Gleason said. “It was a long year without one. I’m not too much of a talented guy. I pretty much wanted to hit the net and shoot it hard.” {The Star Ledger}
- Ben Eager – With 11 regular season goals, Eager has some finish, but it’s his physical, disruptive and energetic play that the ‘Hawks will depend upon in an effort to get the Red Wing Army off their game. Eager and Byfuglien are Chicago’s counter-punch to Detroit’s Holmstrom and Franzen’s physical play.
Ben Eager Airborne {Sean Ware/Flickr}
Honorable Mentions: Maxim Talbot, Dustin Byfuglien, Matt Cullen, Darren Helm, Matt Cooke, Adam Burish and Andrew Ladd.
Post your comments below with or without your own selected key performer(s).
Chris is THW's senior draft/prospect analyst and a Managing Editor. Watch for Chris' regular column "The Next Ones" Prospect Profile series as well as the annual THW NHL Entry Draft Guide. Follow @ChrisRalphTHW on Twitter as he infiltrates, dissects and analyzes all happenings of hockey prospects and the NHL entry draft. Email: cralph[at]thehockeywriters[dot]com
Eddie Ellis – The Next Ones – 2013 NHL Draft Prospect Profile http://t.co/EG0D0X3rTp via @thehockeywriter by @SebERead #THW - 8 hours ago
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