Important players ahead of the 2011 National Hockey League play-offs - Part 1
The 2011 National Hockey League play-offs have kicked off with some upsets already taking place. The result which has come as a shock to many is the Buffalo Sabres beating the Philadelphia Flyers in Game 1 of the quarter-finals.
There are some players in the teams that will perform well and carry their respective squad to new heights, while some teams are relying on their players to perform. However, in this article we will mentioning the players that are important for teams as
they look to make their way in the Conference Finals and then ultimately get their hands on the Stanley Cup.
Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are back in the running for the Stanley after a long time. The last time they were seen in the play-offs was during the 2009 season which saw them facing the Detroit Red Wings in the Finals.
Unfortunately, the Ducks lost the Finals after seven games and it was the Red Wings that got hold of the Stanley Cup. The interesting thing about the Ryan Getzlaf led team is that they are in better shape than ever before. There is absolutely no doubt that
the current Ducks team is better than the 2007 team that won the Stanley Cup and the 2009 team that gave the Red Wings a tough time.
Ryan Getzlaf is one of those players in the Ducks who barely missed a game, but this season he played in only 67 games during the regular season. However, the statistics that he has piled up in as many games is brilliant. He bagged 57 assists and is placed
in the fourth spot in the NHL for assists during the regular season.
Getzlaf played a very important role in helping his team-mate Corey Perry to score 50 goals during the regular season and was the only player to touch the 50 goals mark. Furthermore, he combined with Bobby Ryan to increase productivity and lead the Ducks
to a strong position and finally into the play-offs.
Ryan is certainly one of the dynamic forces in the play-offs, considering the experience that he has. He has already bagged one championship ring and has a superb 0.83 points per game average backing him. Not only will he play the transition role in the
Ducks team, but when he goes forward, he will look to score. The skill and experience coupled with the talent that he has will surely help the Ducks a great deal and carry them forward.
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
One of the experienced campaigners in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s roster who will surely play an important role in the play-offs is Martin St. Louis. He was part of the Lightning team that won the Cup in 2004.
However, there is no doubt that this Lightning team is one of the best teams in the history of the franchise. The play making in the hands of St. Louis and then the offence led by Steven Stamkos makes them a dangerous team.
St. Louis plays an important part in the offence, as the team will be relying on him to provide quality chances to them. His play-off career has been pretty satisfactory thus far, which has seen him maintaining average of 1.07 points per game.
Tags: