The closer we get to the end of the season, the tougher it gets to picking the leaders for the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the playoffs. With the Canucks leading the final 2-0, it should come as no surprise that members of Vancouver stand the best chance of winning the award.
Here are sportsnet.ca's Top 5 candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy:
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks: That's right, Roberto Luongo. Say what you will about his inconsistency in the past, the Canucks goaltender has been absolutely solid in the final few games of the semi-final against the San Jose Sharks and in the final against the Boston Bruins. When you consider Luongo's contract runs for an eternity, this should come as very good news for Canucks fans.
Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks: After scoring goals in back-to-back games against San Jose to catapult the Canucks into the final, Kesler has become more of a defensive entity against the Bruins. You could easily argue he has been the best two-way player throughout the entire playoffs and while his ability to check has hampered Boston's ability to score, he is still tied for third in playoff scoring with seven goals and 19 points in 20 games and is plus-7.
Alexandre Burrows, Vancouver Canucks: The biting incident notwithstanding (he clearly broke the code biting the finger of Patrice Bergeron), but Burrows sure comes through for his team when the chips are down. His second overtime goal of the playoffs (his first was the series-clincher against Chicago) shot the Canucks into a comfortable 2-0 lead over Boston. Burrows can indeed be a pest, but he's also a digger who pays the prices for his goals. Burrows has five goals in his last five outings.
Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks: Henrik continues to lead the playoffs in scoring with 21 points, yet he doesn't have a point in the final. With just two goals in the post-season, he's not the sexy choice to win the Conn Smythe, however he has shown the ability to pile up points like he did in the five-game series against San Jose when he scored once and set up 11 other goals.
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins: Did he overplay Burrows on the game-winner 11 seconds into overtime in Game 2? Based on the way he has played all season, I'd say no. Thomas has been aggressive all year and it has served him very well. If you want to point fingers, how about big defenceman Zdeno Chara who was unable to contain Burrows. Obviously for Thomas to win the Conn Smythe he'll need to be responsible for a major comeback by the Bruins. At the very least he'd have to be largely responsible for getting the series to seven games.
LAST WEEK: Ryan Kesler, Vancouver; David Krejci, Boston; Henrik Sedin, Vancouver; Kevin Bieksa, Vancouver; Tim Thomas, Boston
