NHL Playoffs 2012: Unheralded Goalies Who Must Excel for Teams to Advance

As much as the focus will be on proven commodities like Henrik Lundqvist, Roberto Luongo, Martin Brodeur and others during the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs, the inexperienced or unappreciated goalies are the ones who will ultimately be the true wild cards.

Goal-scoring and defense are both incredibly important aspects to postseason success, but a hot goaltender can make it a lot easier to pull off an upset or dispatch inferior foes. Not every playoff team has the benefit of a goalie who has had success in the playoffs in the past, and some don't even have a goalie who has had a lot of regular-season success either.

There have been numerous cases of a lesser-known goalie standing on his head come playoff time and making a name for himself though, and here are three such netminders who will have to do something similar if their respective teams are going to advance to the second round.

Corey Crawford (CHI)

In just his second season as the Chicago Blackhawks' starting goaltender, Corey Crawford certainly had his ups and downs. His regular-season numbers dipped noticeably from last year to this year, as his goals against average went from 2.30 to 2.72, and his save percentage dropped to .903 from .917—but Crawford still had his moments.

He managed 30 wins in 55 starts and led the Hawks to a season total of over 100 points, so he is going to be their guy in the playoffs for better or worse.

While Crawford does have a veteran with Stanley Cup Finals experience behind him in Ray Emery, he hasn't been anything special himself this season, so the goaltending burden lies on Crawford's shoulders.

Crawford gained valuable experience last season as the Blackhawks lost to the Vancouver Canucks. While the Hawks couldn't beat the eventual Stanley Cup runners-up, they pushed them to seven games, so Crawford will be ready for whatever the Phoenix Coyotes throw at him in the first round.

Braden Holtby (WAS)

With both Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth nursing injuries, the Washington Capitals will be forced to turn to young Braden Holtby between the pipes in their first-round battle with the favored Boston Bruins.

The Bruins are the defending Stanley Cup champions and hold the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference, so that obviously isn't the easiest assignment for Holtby. This is especially true because the Bruins tend to play a rough-and-tumble style of hockey that often results in the opposing goaltender getting bumped or bothered.

Although the 22-year-old Holtby is technically a rookie, he has some NHL experience over the past two seasons, as he has played in 21 games for the Caps during that time span. Holtby is regarded as one of the club's top prospects and it's easy to see why, as he boasts a career record of 14-4-3 with a 2.02 GAA and .929 save percentage.

Those numbers have come in a small sample size and in lower-pressure situations, but Holtby has all the talent in the world and will need to realize his potential quickly to lead the Caps past the mighty Bruins.

Jose Theodore (FLA)

It may seem funny to call a former Hart and Vezina Trophy winner unheralded, but that is precisely the case with Florida Panthers goaltender Jose Theodore at this stage in his career. The 35-year-old veteran was essentially left for dead not too long ago, but he has resurrected his career in a big way with the Panthers.

Not only did he help Florida break its decade-long playoff drought, but he started the majority of his team's games for the first time in three seasons and put up his best numbers since the 2007-08 season with the Colorado Avalanche.

Theodore earned the moniker "three or more," as his goals against average had routinely met or exceeded 3.00 in recent years—but that appears to be a thing of the past. Theodore had a solid 2.46 GAA this season, and was a solidifying force in the blue paint for Florida.

However, even when he was an MVP-caliber goalie, he never had much playoff success. Theodore will look to conquer his demons against the New Jersey Devils and one of the best goalies of all time in Martin Brodeur.