NHL Playoffs 2012: One Player Each Playoff Team Will Look for to Lead Them

Every NHL postseason, there's always one player who steps their game up in hopes of bringing their team past the first round.

Their leadership at times may be the sole factor in a Game 7 loss or an overtime win to bring them that much closer into the playoffs and, of course, reaching the ultimate goal: the Stanley Cup. 

New York Rangers

Henrik Lundqvist has been the backbone of the Rangers for some time now. Being nothing short of spectacular this season, he is probably the most important player on the Rangers.

If he can maintain his level of play, the Rangers will be one of the most formidable teams in the Eastern Conference.

The question is, can he step up and lead his team past the first round?

Ryan Callahan may be the team's captain, but Henrik Lundqvist has the age and experience to step up when everything or everyone else is faltering. 

Florida Panthers

Kris Versteeg is a staple of the Florida Panthers' offense.

At the same time, his production at some points during the season wasn't what the team had expected. By the end of the season, it had been where they'd hoped, but it was a bit nerve racking some nights.

If we see the Versteeg who was playing a bit off during the season, it will be very hard to contend with the experience of Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils.

On the flip side, if Versteeg is hot in the postseason, he will be a major determining factor in the end result of the series. 

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins are one of the most well-rounded teams in the league. 

Sheer skill up front, solid defense backing them up and Fluery in net is a recipe for success.

Sidney Crosby's health is a major factor in the series. So far so good, but if Crosby falls ill to the rough style of play the Flyers bring to the table every game, it will be difficult for the team to rebound and break through.

Yes, the Penguins have done extremely well without Sid for the regular season, but playing a team like Philly with their grinding style, you need to score, and Sidney always improves your odds every shift. 

Philadelphia Flyers

Perhaps one of the most hot-and-cold goaltenders in the league.

When Ilya Bryzgalov is on, he's on fire

When he's down...he's rock bottom.

Ilya will decide much in this series. Philly has the players to grind out and score the dirty goals and wear other teams down, but Ilya needs to step up to the task of facing one of the best offensive squads in the league and put confidence in his own team for them to get past the first round. 

Ottawa Senators

This team is more dependent on their first line rather than just one player.

If Ottawa's first line isn't scoring, there will be a lot of difficulty in beating the Rangers.

Daniel Alfredsson has the most weight on his shoulders as captain of the team.

Craig Anderson is a solid goalie, but a lack of secondary scoring may prove to be the downfall of this team if the first unit does not play well. 

New Jersey Devils

No one brings more experience and talent in net every night than Martin Brodeur.

But with the big 40 knocking on the door this year, he has to play his very best every night.

The Devil's can do it all on any night, defend and score every minute of every game; all that is needed to wrap up this series is for Marty to be his very best. 

Washington Capitals

If Niklas Backstrom comes into this series playing like how he did before his injury, he will be a huge part of whether the Capitals can get beyond the first round this season.

He was the best on their team during the regular season and was a staple of their entire offense night in and night out.

He can provide the support and scoring the Caps need to win this series against Boston. 

Boston Bruins

Nathan Horton is out for the entire playoffs due to a concussion, removing a huge part of their hard forechecking offense.

Tim Thomas will have to be at his very best because the Bruins cannot contain the Capitals to their own zone without Horton.

The defense and offense are still their for the Bruins, but keeping the Caps locked down is key, and Thomas just needs to be that much better if they fail to do so. 

Phoenix Coyotes

Mike Smith has been a huge part of the Coyotes' success in the regular season and their entry into the playoffs.

His play at a high level has to continue if they expect to finally get past the first round for the first time in franchise history.

The Coyotes are a solid team all the way around, so if Smith can bring his A game, then it will be a huge deciding factor. 

San Jose Sharks

It has undoubtedly been a rough year for the Sharks. They didn't find their usual success they're accustomed to every season and had a bit of trouble even reaching the playoffs.

Joe Thornton has pretty much the same squad as last year behind him. He needs to step up and lead his team and forget about the regular season.

If he can become a staple of the club's leadership and put up decent numbers, the Sharks will find success. 

Chicago Blackhawks

Toews has been a crucial part of the Blackhawks' offense for some time now and when word came down he would be injured for the start of the playoffs, there were a few questions of whether the Hawks could get it done.

Now it has become apparent he will be back for the first game of the playoffs. With this news the Blackhawks get their captain and a key offensive player back in the process.

Toews' return will greatly increase the Hawks' chances of moving on.

Vancouver Canucks

Even without one of the Sedin brothers, the Canucks' offense still remains extremely potent with a hard-playing defense.

The one questionable piece is Luongo...We've seen terrific play coupled with terrible play from big Lou in the playoffs at times, sending the team into a panic last season. 

This season, if Roberto is able to remain consistent, the odds of finding success for the Canucks without one of the brothers is much better off.  

St. Louis Blues

The Blues have it all as well: incredible goaltending, a solid defense and a high-scoring offense. What we don't know if they have is the leadership needed to bring them past the first round and to the finals.

David Backes will have to step up and lead his team in this somewhat uncharted territory to the finals. 

Nashville Predators

Nashville has a large, hard-hitting defense and an excellent goalie to back them up. What Nashville needs to do in order to beat Detroit is find ways to score.

Marty Erat is a huge part of Nashville's offense and has to continue that success into the playoffs to beat Detroit. 

Detroit Red Wings

Perhaps one of the greatest defenseman of our era, Nicklas Lidstrom has done it all. Can he do it again?

The team has remained relatively unchanged from last year, but their road play has been less then spectacular. 

Nick has to find a way to get his team to play better on the road against Nashville to have any hope of success. 

Los Angeles Kings

Stellar in the regular season and one of the biggest contributing players to the Kings' ability to even make the post season, Johnathan Quick will have to be just as good and better if his team can't score a lot of goals against a high-scoring Canucks team.

It may come down to him alone whether or not the Kings can get beyond the first round.