NHL Playoffs 2012: Stars Sure to Flop Come Playoff Time

The NHL playoffs are upon us, which means that teams now need to find that extra gear.

Some star players enter the playoffs and rise to the occasion, earning themselves a place among the most clutch players of the postseason.

Other players struggle through the playoffs despite whatever regular-season successes they may have had.

It's hard to explain a lot of these struggles, but they show up every year. Here are some of the players who will struggle in the playoffs this year.

Roberto Luongo

Roberto Luongo seems to always have seasons that take large swings.

He starts slow and then finds his groove. Then March comes along and he and the whole team struggle again before finishing strong.

The playoffs are a whole different story. Last year was the first season Luongo managed to find his game for long enough to help push his team to the brink of a championship, but even then he had issues.

He was benched in the first round after letting the Blackhawks claw their way back from a 3-0 series deficit.

Had he had a single respectable road game in the Stanley Cup finals, the Canucks might have been the ones hoisting the hardware; granted, the whole team pretty much stunk up the ice in Boston.

Luongo has a tendency to be mentally fragile. It has hurt him in the playoffs before and it will again.

Alexander Semin

That's right, the other Alexander on the Washington Capitals has been nothing but a postseason disappointment for the Capitals.

Ovechkin takes a lot of the blame for the Capitals' postseason woes but really shouldn't. He's been better than a point per game in all of his postseason adventures.

Semin, on the other hand, who has all the skill and ability in the world, just seems to buckle under the pressure of the playoffs.

This year won't be any different.

Marian Gaborik

Marian Gaborik had a fantastic regular season this year, notching 40 goals en route to helping the Rangers win the East.

His playoff performances in the past have yet to live up to any of his fantastic regular seasons.

At the moment, Gaborik is a spitting image of Dany Heatley, who has yet to do anything meaningful in the playoffs.

This could be the year that Gaborik finally brings that scoring touch into the postseason, but until he proves he can do it, people will continue to expect the playoff bust.

Gaborik needs to be able to light the lamp if the Rangers are going to make a deep run in the playoffs.

Ilya Bryzgalov

Ilya Bryzgalov hasn't really had any luck at all when playing in the playoffs.

The last two seasons, Bryzgalov put up pretty good numbers in the regular season, only to be absolutely lit up and embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs.

His stats in those two playoff series are ugly. In 2009-2010, Bryzgalov was 3-4 with a 3.44 GAA and .906 save percentage.

It was worse against the Red Wings the following year, when the Coyotes were swept in four games. His goals against was an astonishing 4.36, with a save percentage of .879.

Bryzgalov has a much better team in front of him, but he already has shown what happens to him when he loses confidence.

That could be fatal for the Flyers, who will be taking on an incredibly explosive offense in the Pittsburgh Penguins in the first round.

Patrick Marleau

Patrick Marleau has had a tendency to disappear in the playoffs from time to time. 

He's had decent performances the past couple of seasons but still occasionally played poorly enough to be called out by the media.

The St. Louis Blues are a team that is solid defensively and can frustrate teams with that ability, which might be bad news for Patrick Marleau and the San Jose Sharks.

Marleau needs to be a consistent threat in this series for San Jose to prevail, but I don't see it.

Radim Vrbata

Radim Vrbata had a great season this year, hitting the 30-goal mark for the first time in his career.

Vrbata is also going to be a huge reason the series ends up whatever way it does.

If Vrbata is able to keep his scoring going in the playoffs, then the Coyotes have a great chance of moving on.

If not, then count on another first-round exit from the Coyotes.

My prediction is that Vrbata, who has never been out of the first round of the playoffs, will not be a huge factor due to Chicago's skill and experience defensively.

The Blackhawks know what it takes to stop a team's top goal scorer, and Vrbata is going to be stifled.

Jeff Carter

After successfully pouting his way out of Columbus, Jeff Carter helped the Kings move into the playoffs.

He probably won't be too much of a help in the playoffs, as he has never been able to be very productive in the playoffs.

His 21 points in 47 playoff games leaves a lot to be desired, especially from a guy who has the mix of power and hands that Carter does.

He should be a dominant force in the playoffs, but he never is.

Ilya Kovalchuk

Kovalchuk hasn't been bad in his previous playoff appearances, he just hasn't lasted long enough to make any type of difference.

The first time he was in the playoffs, the Thrashers were swept in the first round.

Last time he was in the playoffs, his team lost in five games.

The Devils have a chance to pull a first-round upset, but people have been underestimating the Florida Panthers all year long.

Could this be the year?