NHL teams
Joe McDonald, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Hot or Not: Hedman and Couture sizzled, Ovechkin and Rinne fizzled

We're down to four teams who are vying for the final two spots on hockey’s ultimate stage. Both the Eastern and Western Conference finals kick off this weekend. It's the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the East, and the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks in the West.

Giddy-up, folks, because both series are going to be a good ones. Before the puck drops on the next round, here's who has shined -- or declined -- in the Stanley Cup playoffs so far.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Hot

Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning: The 25-year-old defenseman should be considered an early Conn Smythe candidate. He has four goals and five assists for nine points in the first 10 games of this postseason and is a major reason the Lightning advanced to their second consecutive Eastern Conference finals.

Matt Murray, Pittsburgh Penguins: Time and again, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan described Murray, 21, as being confident and mature beyond his years. The rookie goalie proved that and was solid in leading Pittsburgh to a second-round series victory over the Washington Capitals. He made 36 saves en route to a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6. He's 7-2 this postseason and became the first rookie goalie to win multiple series-clinching games since 2006, when Cam Ward registered four with the Carolina Hurricanes, while Ilya Bryzgalov (Anaheim Ducks) and Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres) each had two.

Nikita Kucherov, Tampa Bay Lightning: Who needs Steven Stamkos? Just kidding. But the 22-year-old Russian forward is proving he’s not a one-hit wonder from a postseason ago. This spring, he’s leading the offensive charge for the Bolts with nine goals and three assists for 12 points in 10 playoff games. He’s also a plus-11 in the playoffs.

Not

John Tavares, New York Islanders: The captain was the reason the Islanders reached the second round, but after posting a goal and assist in Game 1 against the Lightning, Tavares was held without a point the rest of the series. Sure, he hit a post or two and Tampa Bay did a solid job of shutting him down, but New York was counting on his offensive production.

Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals: Yes, the Capitals failed to advance past the second round again, and for that, all fingers will point toward No. 8. There's no question that he produced during the playoffs and was a major reason Washington reached the second round, but despite his seven points in six games against the Penguins, he was not the best player on the ice and the Capitals were ousted.

Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals: It’s always hard to point the finger at a team’s last line of defense as the reason for a loss. A Vezina Trophy finalist for his prowess during the regular season, Holtby struggled at times against the high-flying Penguins. It wasn’t often that he faltered but it resulted in a series loss for the Capitals. He allowed 15 goals in six games against Pittsburgh. In the first round against the Philadelphia Flyers, Holtby allowed five goals in five games.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Hot

Robby Fabbri, St. Louis Blues: The 20-year-old forward had a goal and two assists for three points to help lead the Blues to their first conference finals since 2001 with a mind-blowing 6-1 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of their second-round series Wednesday night in Dallas. Fabbri became the youngest player in Stanley Cup playoff history to register three points in a Game 7. He also became the youngest player in Blues history to score in a Game 7.

Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks: He registered a goal and two assists for three points to help the Sharks with a series-clinching win over the Nashville Predators to advance to the Western Conference finals. Couture has seven goals and 10 assists for 17 points in 12 games this postseason. Against the Predators, he had six goals and five assists for a franchise-record 11 points in the seven games.

Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks: He has nine goals this postseason, which ties Kucherov for the playoff lead. Pavelski also has three game-winning goals.

Not

Kari Lehtonen and Antti Niemi, Dallas Stars: Having no true No. 1 goaltender, especially in the postseason, was a major downfall for the Stars in their second-round exit to the Blues. Lehtonen, who played 11 games (10 starts) in the playoffs, was pulled twice in the series against the Blues, including a Game 7 meltdown when he allowed three goals on eight shots in the first period. Niemi played five games (three starts) and went 1-3-0, with a 3.29 goals-against average and a .865 save percentage.

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators: He had a meltdown in Game 7 against the Sharks and allowed five goals on 26 shots and was eventually replaced by backup Carter Hutton early in the third period. After Rinne allowed the fourth goal, he smashed his stick against the post, before tossing it against the boards and skating off.

Jamie Benn, Dallas Stars: After finishing the regular season with 41 goals and 48 assists for 89 points in 82 games, the Stars’ captain had only one goal and two assists for three points in the second-round series against the Blues. He had four goals and six assists for 10 points in the first round against the Minnesota Wild, but cooled off considerably against the Blues.

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