Every playoff round contains its host of surprises as well as a number of busts and disappointments. Here are the biggest busts from the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Brad Richards and Rick Nash
Two goals and six points. That is what Rick Nash and Brad Richards' combined $14 plus million cap hit earned the Rangers this postseason. Nash was fortunate to final strike the twine against the Bruins while Richards found himself on the bench for the final games of the series. Neither had a major impact on the Rangers as they were outscored by Bruins' rookie defenseman Tony Krug; Krug scored four goals in five games against the Rangers.
Craig Anderson
After slamming the door shut against the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson looked dreadful against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The netminder was pulled twice conceded 20 goals in five games; he had only allowed nine goals in five games against the Montreal Canadiens. More importantly, Anderson has only stopped 88.4 percent of the shots he has faced; that number is inflated by a 49 save performance he had in Game 3. He only stopped 76.2 percent of the shots he faced in the four losses against Pittsburgh.
Erik Karlsson
Ottawa's franchise defenseman was terrible against Pittsburgh after being so dominant against Montreal. He put up two points in the entire series (both came in the Game 4 blowout loss) and he was constantly outplayed in the defensive zone. He finished the series with a -5 and six penalty minutes.
The Detroit Red Wings
The Red Wings looked primed for a shocking series victory but proceeded to implode with three straight losses. The team had the entire series under control and limited Chicago to six goals scored in the first four games. Somehow, the team allowed eight in the next two and 10 in the final three. The Chicago power play woke up in Game 5 to torture Detroit. Like the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, the Red Wings proved to be masters at blowing important leads; this was on display in Game 6 when the Red Wings let a 2-1 lead get away from them in the third period.
Jonathan Toews
The Chicago Captain finally scored a goal against Detroit, but has been marginal in the postseason. The former Conn Smythe candidate was consistently shut down by Detroit Captain Henrik Zetterberg and looked frustrated throughout the series. Despite three points in the final three games, Toews only has one goal in 12 postseason games. He needs to be better if Chicago is going to defeat the Los Angeles Kings.
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