ELITE EIGHT MVP’S
NHL / Hockey
Written by Chase Howard
Source (Background Photo): CBS Sports
Colorado Avalanche
MVP - Cale Makar
He leads his team in playoff scoring with 12 and is the only defenseman to pace a postseason contender. He sits second in ice time per playoff game. Even teammate and one of the runners up for this award Nathan Mackinnon said of Makar “he might be the best player in the league right now”.
Honorable Mention - Nazem Kadri
Calgary Flames
MVP - Johnny Gaudreau
Johnny Hockey is at it again leading the Flames in playoff scoring by three and sits third in overall playoff assists with 11. Despite averaging under 20 minutes per game and being a minus-1 so far these playoffs. Gaudreau also only has 2 goals despite 40 shots; his playoff shooting percentage of 5% is about ten percent below his regular-season of 15.3%
Honourable Mention - Matthew Tkachuk
Edmonton Oilers
MVP - Connor McDavid
Let’s not overthink things here, 1 + 1 still equals 2 and Connor McDavid is still better than you. He is the straw that stirs the drink in Edmonton, look no further than his play in game two of this round where he wouldn't quit down 3-1, and after two doses of McDavid magic, the game was suddenly all tied up. Need more proof? McDavid leads in playoff plus-minus at +16, almost double second place
Honourable Mention - Evander Kane
St Louis Blues
MVP - David Perron
David Perron leads the Blues in playoff scoring, second in playoff goals with nine, and is tied for playoff power-play scoring lead. It may be tough for him to remain this good though as he has an overly strong 24% shooting percentage, nearly ten points up from his regular-season average. Plus Perron has been fined $5000 for cross-checking Nazem Kadri, hopefully, he can regain his composure and help his team stay in this series.
Honourable Mention - Jordan Binnington
Carolina Hurricanes
MVP - Antti Raanta
So far in this year's NHL playoffs in nine games and almost two hundred and fifty shots, Raanta has let in only nine goals, for a save percentage of .939 and a goal-against average of 1.86, sitting second to Jordan Binnington in both categories. Despite being hurt and being thrust into the #1 Netminder role, this is all. He seems only to be getting better, allowing only three goals to the Rangers in three games so far, including a Game Two shutout.
Honourable Mention - Jacob Slavin
Florida Panthers
MVP - Carter Verhaeghe
Like the rest of this team, Verhaeghe couldn't find a way to strike against Tampa, but that shouldn't diminish his excellence in the first round. He also finished the Panthers' playoff run with their scoring lead, four more than the next Panthers player. Not too shabby for a guy who plays with Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Claude Giroux.
Honourable Mention - Claude Giroux
NY Rangers
MVP - Adam Fox
This sly defenseman doesn't get the credit he deserves. He is second on the Rangers in playoff scoring and second in defenseman playoff scoring to Makar. He leads the playoffs in time on ice per game by a staggering amount with over 27 minutes per game. Fox also has the fourth most blocked shots in the playoffs and is third on the Rangers in takeaways, highlighting his defensive value.
Honourable Mention - Chris Kreider
Tampa Bay Lightning
MVP - Andrei Vasilevskiy
There is a myriad of complex reasons as to why Tampa has made a third consecutive Eastern Conference Finals, and we are officially talking dynasty territory people. No disrespect to Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov or Steven Stamkos, but Vasilevskiy is the biggest reason for this. After their surprising sweep of Florida, the team that led the NHL this year with 4.11 goals per game, the Panthers only managed three goals in the four games on 155 shots, which can be attributed greatly to Vasilevskiy’s outstanding play.
Honourable Mention - Victor Hedman
Comentarios