Henrik Lundqvist has been surpassed as the leading candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy.
It’s not because the New York Rangers lost Game 1 — because Lundqvist was sensational – but the most valuable player in the post-season currently plays on the Los Angeles Kings.
Doughty was rated just No. 8 in last week’s edition, but he needed a dramatic upgrade considering he’s averaged a point a game over his last eight games.
With only two teams left in the Stanley Cup playoffs, here’s our top five in the Conn Smythe power rankings:
1) Drew Doughty, Los Angeles Kings: Doughty leads all defenceman in playoff scoring with 17 points (five goals, 12 assists). More important is his play in the defensive zone, where he’s been a physical force while averaging close to 28 minutes per game. After appearing on this list for most of the past month, he’s become the top choice for the Conn Smythe.
2) Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers: Lundqvist has the numbers to be a worthy Conn Smythe winner. Throughout the post-season, the Swede has posted a 2.07 goals-against average with a stellar save percentage of .928, including 40 saves in Wednesday’s Game 1 loss. Without King Henrik, the Rangers wouldn’t be in the position they are now.
3) Anze Kopitar, Los Angeles Kings: Kopitar hasn’t registered a goal since Game 7 against Anaheim (May 16), but the Kings forward still leads the post-season in points. Considering how he’s played, it’s hard to disagree when Wayne Gretzky called Kopitar the third-best player in the world.
4) Jeff Carter, Los Angeles Kings: Carter has been on an offensive tear throughout the last two weeks. After posting11 points (five goals, six assists) in seven games against Chicago, Carter added an assist in Wednesday’s Game 1 victory to move within one point behind Kopitar for the playoff scoring lead.
5) Justin Williams, Los Angeles Kings: After potting the overtime winner in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Mr. Game 7 now has 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 22 playoff games. Williams has nine points in his last seven games and could shoot up to the top of the list if he continues to score big-time goals for the Kings. This is nothing new for Williams, though.
