Inside The Box: Power Ranking the Conn Smythe contenders heading into Game 4

Inside The Box is Puck Prose’s daily news bulletin, covering all the latest news and providing unique analysis and insight, while highlighting the NHL content you need in your lives.

While people will still be recovering from the July 4th festivities today – there’s only so many hotdogs you can eat after all, unless you’re Joey Chestnut of course – the NHL will be preparing for the possible finale of the 2020-21 season.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

Yes, we could see a Stanley Cup Champion crowned tonight if the Tampa Bay Lightning can finish the job in Game 4 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, with the current holders needing just one more win in order to go back-to-back.

Of course, the Montreal Canadiens will be hellbent on avoiding a sweep on home ice and they will look to get the win at Bell Centre later in order to force a Game 5 and shift the series back to Tampa again.

As a result, it should be an absolute doozy of a game and, with the Stanley Cup set to be in the building, now is a good time to take a look at the leading Conn Smythe contenders given that we could see the Trophy handed out tonight.

Power Ranking the leading 2021 Conn Smythe contenders ahead of Game 4

Nikita Kucherov could well go to the Hall of Fame on the strength of his incredible postseason resume alone – that is just how elite the forward is when it comes to Playoffs time.

He has a combined total of 66 points over the past two postseasons, and he’s just two points away from equalling his 34 points haul from last year’s Playoffs which could well happen in Game 4 tonight.

Kucherov has eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points in 21 games this postseason, including two multi-point games in three games in the Stanley Cup Final so far. If he can have a big Game 4 and help Tampa Bay to sweep, then it is more than likely that he will add the Conn Smythe Trophy to his hardware collection.

He’s just been absolute clutch on the biggest stage once again.

Barring a complete collapse, the Tampa Bay Lightning will win the 2021 Stanley Cup Final and it should be a toss up between Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point for the Conn Smythe Trophy, although, as outlined above, the former has the edge due to his impressive numbers.

However, Point has really come of age this postseason and he’s cementing his status as one of the best young forwards in the National Hockey League, which just highlights how loaded this Lightning team really is.

Point has 23 points in 21 Playoff games, he has the most power play goals this postseason with seven and, if that wasn’t enough, the pivot scored a goal in nine consecutive games and is leading the league in Playoff goal scoring for the second year in a row.

His goalscoring exploits have elevated him into the upper echelons of the true great postseason performances, and if the 25-year-old can add to his tally in Game 4 to help clinch the Stanley Cup, then that could be more than worthy of the Conn Smythe.

A goalie hasn’t won the Conn Smythe Trophy since Jonathan Quick was named the Playoffs MVP in 2012, but the drought for goaltenders could end this year if Lightning netminder Andrei Vasilevskiy has anything to do with it.

Already one of, if not the best goalie in the National Hockey League right now, Vasilevskiy has enjoyed a stellar postseason so far with a 15-6-0 record to go along with four shutouts, a superb .938 Save Percentage and a 1.94 Goals Against Average.

He has allowed just five goals in three games in the Stanley Cup Final, pitching a 42-save performance in Game 2 and stopping another 32 shots in Game 3, so if he were to have a monster game in Game 4 and drag Tampa Bay across the finishing line, then don’t be surprised if Vasilevskiy becomes the first goalie since 2012 to take home the Conn Smythe.

Last year’s Conn Smythe winner after recording 22 points (10 G, 12 A) in 25 games as the Lightning finally got their hands on the Stanley Cup, Victor Hedman is in the running to defend his crown this season.

Now, granted, he isn’t a frontrunner given that he hasn’t been as dominant this postseason, but he still has two goals and 16 assists for 18 points in 21 games while averaging 24:31 of total ice time, blocking 43 shots, 20 hits and 10 takeaways.

If Hedman were to make history by becoming only the fourth player to win the Conn Smythe two years in a row, after Bernie Parent, Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby, he will have to absolutely dominate Game 4 (and Game 5 if necessary) and put up some pretty big numbers while completely shutting down the Habs.

Only five players have won the Conn Smythe after being on the losing team in the Stanley Cup Final, and that number isn’t likely to increase this year given that the Tampa Bay Lightning are on the cusp of sweeping this series and the Montreal Canadiens have not been good at all.

However, we felt as though we had to include a Canadiens player in these rankings and if the Habs were to force a Game 5, and maybe even a Game 6, then there is every chance that Carey Price could somehow win the Conn Smythe even without winning the Stanley Cup.

After all, if Montreal is to stay alive in this series for a game or more, they will do so by getting elite goaltending from Price, who was absolutely unstoppable through the first three rounds of the Playoffs but it has been a different story in the 2021 Stanley Cup Final.

Boasting a stellar .934 Save Percentage and a 2.02 Goals Against Average heading into Game 1 in Tampa, Price has allowed 14 goals in three games and his Save Percentage numbers in this series are ugly – .815, .870 and .828.

So, basically, Price will have to absolutely stand on his head and not let a puck get past him in Game 4 and potentially in Game 5 in order to keep the Canadiens alive and stretch this series out a little bit longer. If he’s able to do that and play like he did in the first three rounds, then he could be an outside bet for the Conn Smythe given just how incredible he was for the majority of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

We could well have our answer by the end of tonight, though, as to who will be crowned the Most Valuable Player of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs and take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.