The Chicago Blackhawks overcame a tricky 3-1 deficit to reach the Western Conference for the first time since 2010. Here are the players that have led them this far after two rounds.
Corey Crawford
The netminder was dreadful a season ago, but has re-established himself as the number one in Chicago with a tremendous postseason. Despite allowing some fluke goals against Detroit, Crawford made one stellar save after another in the decisive Game 7 to help Chicago to victory. Crawford has a 1.70 goals against average and a .938 save percentage through 12 postseason games.
Patrick Sharp
After putting up five goals and six points in five games against Minnesota, the sniper put up only two goals and five points in seven against Detroit. However, he had a terrific Game 1 performance and put up a crucial goal in Game 7 for Chicago.
Marian Hossa
The winger is tied with Sharp in points and had five points in seven games against Detroit. However, he scored four points in the final three games of the series to help Chicago make a comeback from a 3-1 series deficit.
Other Candidates: Duncan Keith put up four points against Detroit. Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane finally scored their first goals of the postseason against the Red Wings but will need to step up their play in order to lead this team to another Stanley Cup Championship.
MVP Pick: After round one, Sharp was the obvious choice for his goal scoring. However, Crawford was stellar against Detroit and only stopped less than 92 percent of the shots he faced in two of seven games in the series. Aside from Game 1 where he made 20 saves, Crawford was required to stop at least 25 or more shots in the remainder of the series.