Taking a look at the five leading candidates for the Stanley Cup playoffs MVP award.
The elimination of the Detroit Red Wings has sadly taken Pavel Datsyuk out of the Conn Smythe race. It's unfortunate because he was having an unbelievable playoff right up until his team was eliminated by the San Jose Sharks in Game 7 of Round 2.
However, there are still some pretty solid candidates. Here are this week's top five candidates for the playoff MVP award:
Dwayne Roloson, Tampa Bay Lightning With his team playing nearly flawless defence, Roloson has been the backbone of a team that suddenly has many believing it can win the Stanley Cup. The veteran goaltender leads the playoffs in goals-against average (2.01), save percentage (.941) and gives his team the confidence to take the occasional chance on offence knowing he'll save the day in the event of a breakdown.
Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks The 26-year-old Kesler continues to prove he's one of the top two-way players in the game. Not only does he lead the playoffs in scoring with 16 points in 14 games, Kesler is plus-6, has three power play goals, two game-winners (one in overtime) and leads all forwards in the post-season with 45 hits. Not a bad resume!
Ryane Clowe, San Jose Sharks The big Newfoundlander has played a key role for the Sharks in all aspects of the game. If San Jose gets to the promise land -- the Stanley Cup final -- they will need Clowe to continue contributing on both offence (he's tied for the team lead with 13 points) and physical play (he's tied for the team lead among Sharks forwards with 32 hits).
Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay Lightning The re-emergence of Lecavalier is a big reason why the Lightning hold a lead over the Bruins in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference final series. Lecavalier, an offensive dynamo when the Lightning won the Cup in 2003-04, is a more well-rounded player who is contributing at both ends of the rink. While he failed to register a point in Game 1 against Boston, he was noticeable all game going 62 per cent on face-offs, firing five shots and finishing the game with a plus-3 rating.
Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks Even though his Sharks lost Game 1 of the Western Conference final to Vancouver, Thornton was heard from with a goal and an assist. The player who often thinks pass-first led the Sharks in shots with five. Thornton has been significantly more involved in this year's playoffs, finally taking his game to a higher level at the most critical time of year. This is definitely a more determined Thornton in this year's playoffs.
Last week: Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit; Vincent Lecavalier, Tampa Bay; Pekka Rinne, Nashville; Ryan Kesler, Vancouver; Joel Ward, Nashville
