5 unheralded players to watch in the Stanley Cup Final
The Stanley Cup Final will be a clash of the titans.
The deepest defense will take on oozing offense, as the likes of P.K. Subban and Ryan Ellis will defend Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And Matt Murray will be peppered with pucks by Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson.
But what about players who don't get the headlines? Here are five others to keep your eye on when the puck drops Monday:
Roman Josi
Arguably the NHL's most underrated blue-liner, Josi plays the most minutes on a Nashville defense that features the likes of Subban, Ellis, and Mattias Ekholm.
A tremendous defender who plays calm under pressure, Josi is capable of chipping in offensively, too, with 10 points in 16 games. He is also one of just four Predators to net five or more goals this postseason.
Jake Guentzel
Not Crosby or Malkin. Not even Phil Kessel. No, the Penguins' top goal-scorer in the playoffs has been Guentzel, who's lit the lamp nine times. The Penguins' scoring depth has been on display all postseason, with no better headliner than the freshman forward.
Guentzel ranks behind just four rookie scorers in NHL playoff history, and the 14 goals that Dino Ciccarelli scored with the Minnesota North Stars in the spring of 1981 could now be in striking distance.
James Neal
The agitating winger is sure to find his way into the spotlight in the Stanley Cup Final. The question is whether he'll do so by burying pucks or by getting under the skin of the opposition. Probably both.
It's an interesting series for Neal, as the former Penguin was dealt to Nashville in 2014 in exchange for Patric Hornqvist. In Tennessee, Neal has become a mainstay of the Predators' offense, and has already chipped in with five goals in the playoffs.
Olli Maatta
Key injuries on the Pittsburgh blue line, where top defender Kris Letang has been out since mid-February following neck surgery, has left youngsters like Maatta to carry the mail on the Penguins' back end.
Pulling down just over 21 minutes a night, Maatta is the Penguins' third-most relied upon defenseman. He's also averaged more time than the team's top-scoring blue-liner, Justin Schultz. Maatta has recorded seven points in 19 postseason contests, including the winning goal in Game 5 against the Ottawa Senators.
Mike Fisher
No, that's not a misprint. The Predators' captain has yet to find the scoresheet through 14 playoff games. Which means there's no time like the present.
Sidelined for the two closing contests against the Anaheim Ducks, there is a good chance Fisher returns when the puck drops against the Penguins. With fellow pivot Ryan Johansen on the shelf for the remainder of the postseason, that makes Fisher's assignment up the middle even more crucial, as he will be charged with shutting down Crosby & Co. Never an easy task.
(Photos courtesy: Action Images)