Stanley Cup playoffs: Key players on Canadian teams

There was Los Angeles' Chris Kontos in 1989, Washington's John Druce a year later and Matthew Barnaby for Buffalo in '98, players who seemingly come out of nowhere to star in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

And there are the perennial post-season standouts, who consistently provide strong offence or defence and might provide an element of physicality or grit necessary for a successful playoff run.

Below, we profile two players from each of the Canadian teams that could play an integral role in their club advancing to the second round.

CALGARY

Johnny Gaudreau: Fans, even those in Calgary, are probably still marvelling at the rookie forward's 24-goal, 64-point season coming out of Boston College. He also topped all Flames forwards with 21 power-play points. But the playoffs are a different animal, so expect the five-foot-nine, 160-pounder to be shadowed and/or hit a lot by Vancouver in the opening round. However, the 21-year-old is capable of dipsy-doodling and deking his way out of trouble.

Jonas Hiller: Last spring in Anaheim, Hiller first lost his job to Frederik Andersen in the playoffs and then rookie John Gibson. Don't expect it to happen in Calgary, at least early on, as Hiller was solid down the stretch (11 goals against in final six starts) and injured Karri Ramo has just started skating. Hiller has 26 games of post-season experience with a 2.29 goals-against average and .932 save percentage.

MONTREAL

Carey Price: The Canadiens goalie has been on a mission all season, ranking first in the NHL in wins (44), GAA (1.96) and save percentage (.933). Price will likely be more determined in these playoffs after a knee injury knocked him out of last year's Eastern Conference final. Montreal's success starts and ends with Price, a top candidate for NHL MVP honours who has a 2.73 GAA and four shutouts in 42 playoff appearances.

Tomas Plekanec: Montreal's top centre will be expected to pick up some of the lost offence if injured teammate Max Pacioretty doesn't face Ottawa in Round 1. Plekanec's 60 points were second only to Pacioretty's 67 on the team, but he mustered only a goal and two points in four games against the Senators. A plus-8 in the regular season, Plekanec was minus-3 vs. Ottawa and 18 of his 46 penalty minutes came against the Senators.

OTTAWA

Andrew Hammond: Can the popular "Hamburglar" carry his sensational play (20-1-2 regular-season record) into his first NHL post-season? The rookie goalie essentially has played playoff hockey since his recall from the AHL in February and has passed the test, sporting a 1.79 GAA and .941 save percentage. Hammond, who didn't allow more than a goal in four of his final seven starts, was 2-0-0 vs. Montreal with a 2.00 GAA and .945 save percentage.

Kyle Turris: The Senators' No. 1 centre had a career-high 64 points in the regular season and enters the playoffs on a six-game points streak (two goals, seven assists). Only once all season did the 25-year-old Turris go more than three games without a point. A 2007 first-round draft pick of the Phoenix Coyotes, he had one goal in four games versus Montreal this season and posted six goals and nine points in 10 playoff contests in 2014.

VANCOUVER

Radim Vrbata: The late-season return of goalie Ryan Miller was welcomed by many, unlike the struggles of right-winger Vrbata to find the back of the net. His 31 regular-season goals were 11 more than his closest teammate, Daniel Sedin, so Vrbata's inability to score in the final six games is of some concern. So, too, is his career playoff performance (six goals, 14 points, minus-15) in 36 games. He did score twice in four meetings against Calgary this season.

Chris Tanev: The fifth-year defenceman will be judged by how he can handle Calgary's top line of Jiri Hudler, Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau, the NHL's highest-scoring line since February with 31 goals and 68 points in 19 games. One of the league's best defensive blue-liners, Tanev has appeared in just 10 playoff games but shared the Canucks' lead with the Sedin twins for the most points against Calgary this season with three in four games.

WINNIPEG

Bryan Little: He returned from an upper-body injury March 31 and earned one point in the final five games of the regular season. The Jets will be counting on more offence from Little, who had 24 goals and 52 points in 70 regular-season contests and centres the top line with Andrew Ladd and Michael Frolik. The 27-year-old had a goal and three points in two games against Anaheim this season, but has no NHL playoff experience.

Dustin Byfuglien: The Jets will lean on Byfuglien's playoff experience (39 games) after he led Chicago to a Stanley Cup title in 2010 with 11 goals, including five game winners, and 16 points. The six-foot-five, 260-pound Byfuglien was a stalwart on defence this season with 34 points in 43 games and 18 goals and 45 points overall. Fresh off a game-high 24 minutes, 39 seconds of ice time in the regular-season finale, he could be a difference-maker against the Ducks.