Stanley Cup Playoffs Player Rankings: Kessel Falls the Hardest

May 17, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) preares for a face off in the first period of game three in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports
May 17, 2017; Ottawa, Ontario, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins right wing Phil Kessel (81) preares for a face off in the first period of game three in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Stanley Cup Playoffs Player Rankings: Teams are Almost Done the Third Round and A Lot of Players have Switched Positions. Who Exactly Will be Number One in each Position? Read to Find Out!

Welcome back to our Stanley Cup Playoffs Player Rankings, this list will be a countdown of the top 10 players for each position. All of these players fell into their spot’s by the numbers they have produced so far. I have eliminated the bottom 10 section because the vast majority of hockey pools are now closed.

With every team finishing their first series a lot has happened and players have still contributed, some are even on pace to have the best post season ever.

Stanley Cup Playoffs Player Rankings
Dec 15, 2016; Dallas, TX, USA; New York Rangers right wing Mats Zuccarello (36) celebrates a goal against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. The Rangers shut out the Stars 2-0. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

For forwards and defenseman, the main factor will be based on points-per-game averages based on who played the fewest games. This statistic shows us how well a player will score over the course of the post-season. When given an advanced look it lets us know how much they could end up scoring in the playoffs and if they would lead the league or not.

Goalies will be decided by save percentage and shutouts as well as wins in fewest games played. While goalies are obviously going to let in pucks, this stat is fundamental in watching their overall success and potential to where they could be in the league if playing for a better defensive team.

Legend:
LW = Last Week
NR = Not Ranked

Top 10 Centers:

1 (LW/+7) – Leon Draisaitl, EDM – 13gp, 6g, 10a, 16pts
2 (LW/+4) – Nicklas Backstrom, WSH – 13gp, 6g, 7a, 13pts
3 (LW/+6) – Mark Letestu, EDM – 13gp, 5g, 6a, 11pts
4 (LW/NR) – Ryan Johansen, NSH – 14gp, 3g, 10a, 13pts
5 (LW/-) – Rickard Rakell, ANA – 15gp, 7g, 6a, 13pts
6 (LW/-5) – Sidney Crosby, PIT – 16gp, 7g, 12a, 19pts
7 (LW/-4) – Ryan Getzlaf, ANA – 16gp, 8g, 10a, 18pts
8 (LW/-6) – Evgeni Malkin, PIT – 17gp, 6g, 17a, 23pts
9 (LW/-5) – Jake Guentzel, PIT – 17gp, 9g, 7a, 16pts
10 (LW/-3) – Derick Brassard, OTT – 17gp, 4g, 7a, 11pts

Top 10 Left Wingers:

1 (LW/+1) – Alex Steen, STL – 10gp, 3g, 4a, 7pts
2 (LW/+2) – Jaden Schwartz, STL – 11gp, 4g, 5a, 9pts
3 (LW/+2) – Alex Ovechkin, WSH – 13gp, 5g, 3a, 8pts
4 (LW/+5) – Patrick Maroon, EDM – 13gp, 3g, 5a, 8pts
5 (LW/+1) – Marcus Johansson, WSH – 13gp, 2g, 6a, 8pts
6 (LW/NR) – Andre Burakovsky, WSH – 13gp, 3g, 3a, 6pts
7 (LW/-6) – Filip Forsberg, NSH – 15gp, 7g, 6a, 13pts
8 (LW/-5) – Viktor Arvidsson, NSH – 15gp, 2g, 8a, 10pts
9 (LW/NR) – Mike Hoffman, OTT – 17gp, 5g, 5a, 10pts
10 (LW/NR) – Clarke MacArthur, OTT – 17gp, 3g, 5a, 8pts

Top 10 Right Wingers:

1 (LW/+8) – Mats Zuccarello, NYR – 12gp, 4g, 3a, 7pts
2 (LW/+4) – T.J. Oshie, WSH – 13gp, 4g, 8a, 12pts
3 (LW/+4) – Justin Williams, WSH – 13gp, 3g, 6a, 9pts
4 (LW/+1) – Patric Hornqvist, PIT – 13gp, 4g, 3a, 7pts
5 (LW/NR) – Bryan Rust, PIT – 15gp, 6g, 1a, 7pts
6 (LW/NR) – James Neal, NSH – 15gp, 5g, 2a, 7pts
7 (LW/-4) – Jakob Silfverberg, ANA – 16gp, 9g, 5a, 14pts
8 (LW/-4) – Corey Perry, ANA – 16gp, 4g, 7a, 11pts
9 (LW/-7) – Phil Kessel, PIT – 17gp, 7g, 11a, 18pts
10 (LW/-2) – Bobby Ryan, OTT – 17gp, 5g, 9a, 14pts

Top 10 Defenseman:

1 (LW/NR) – Cam Fowler, ANA – 12gp, 1g, 7a, 8pts
2 (LW/+5) – Ryan McDonagh, NYR – 12gp, 2g, 5a, 7pts
3 (LW/+1) – Justin Schultz, PIT – 14gp, 2g, 6a, 8pts
4 (LW/-1) – Shea Theodore, ANA – 14gp, 2g, 6a, 8pts
5 (LW/-3) – Roman Josi, NSH – 15gp, 5g, 5a, 10pts
6 (LW/-5) – Ryan Ellis, NSH – 15gp, 4g, 6a, 10pts
7 (LW/-2) – P.K. Subban, NSH – 15gp, 2g, 8a, 10pts
8 (LW/NR) – Mattias Ekholm, NSH – 15gp, 0g, 8a, 8pts
9 (LW/-3) – Erik Karlsson, OTT – 17gp, 2g, 13a, 15pts
10 (LW/NR) – Olli Maatta, PIT – 17gp, 2g, 5a, 7pts

Top 10 Goalies:

1 (LW/NR) – Carey Price, MTL – 6gp, 2w, .933 save percentage, 1.86 GAA
2 (LW/NR) – Tuukka Rask, BOS – 6gp, 2w, .920 save percentage, 2.24 GAA
3 (LW/+4) – Jake Allen, STL – 11gp, 6w, .935 save percentage, 1.96 GAA
4 (LW/+4) – Henrik Lundqvist, NYR – 12gp, 6w, .927 save percentage, 2.25 GAA, 1so
5 (LW/+5) – Cam Talbot, EDM – 13gp, 7w, .924 save percentage, 2.48 GAA, 2so
6 (LW/+3) – Braden Holtby, WSH – 13gp, 7w, .909 save percentage, 2.46 GAA
7 (LW/-4) – Pekka Rinne, NSH – 15gp, 11w, .942 save percentage, 1.62 GAA, 2so
8 (LW/-4) – Marc-Andre Fleury, PIT – 15gp, 9w, .924 save percentage, 2.56 GAA, 2so
9 (LW/-4) – John Gibson, ANA – 16gp, 9w, .918 save percentage, 2.59 GAA
10 (LW/-4) – Craig Anderson, OTT – 17gp, 10w, .916 save percentage, 2.44 GAA, 1so

Next: First Round Mock Fourth Edition

Top Forward of the Week: Viktor Arvidsson, NSH – 4gp, 0g, 5a, 5pts, +4
Nashville has impressed all post-season and it’s not hard to see why they have four lines that can score and three defensive lines that can do the same. Also, lets not forget who they have played in net. But Arvidsson’s contributions over the last week have definitely been beneficial.

Top Defenseman of the Week: Olli Maatta, PIT – 4gp, 2g, 1a, 3pts
Pittsburgh has been another team that’s been impressive, but since they are the defending cup champions it’s not surprising. They dominated Columbus and Washington and are now in a fairly tough series against Ottawa. But after a 7-0 win to take a 3-2 series lead on Sunday, Pittsburgh’s just one win away from returning to the cup.

Top Goalie of the Week: Matthew Murray, PIT – 3gp, 2w, .958 save percentage, 1.08 GAA, 1so
When Matthew Murray was injured during warmups in the first game against Columbus, every Pens fans heart sank. However, Marc-Andre Fleury has been on top of his game and now that Murray is healthy and at 100%, he’s going to be carrying the rest of the workload and so far he’s been superb.