Jonathan Quick and the 7 Best Players Left in the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Los Angeles Kings opened the Western Conference finals with a 3-2 victory over the Phoenix Coyotes on Sunday, as Jonathan Quick continued his nearly flawless postseason by stopping 25 of Phoenix's 27 shots.

After a Vezina-worthy season, Jonathan Quick backstopped his L.A. Kings through the first two rounds of the playoffs, winning eight of nine starts, and allowing only 1.55 goals per game while turning away just under 95 percent of the shots he faced.

He was dethroned as the league-leader in goals against average by Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist last night, but remains at the top of the list for save percentage at .947.

The 26-year-old netminder became one of the few goaltenders in the history the NHL to lead an eighth-seeded team to a conference final game and joined an even more exclusive group of goaltenders who took down both the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 seed in the same playoffs.

With that said, every goalie still playing deserves recognition, simply because goaltending is arguably the biggest X-factor in the playoffs.

But aside from Quick, which players have been the biggest keys to their teams' playoff success?

Read on to find out.

Dustin Brown

The Kings suffered an offensive drought for much of the 2011-2012 regular season.

Heavy-hitting team captain Dustin Brown quietly amassed 22 goals and 54 points, but exploded offensively as soon as the puck dropped in the 2012 NHL playoffs.

He scored four goals in the first three games of a five game series against the Vancouver Canucks and added two more in a second-round sweep of the St. Louis Blues. The 27-year-old recorded an assist and scored the game-winning goal in the opening contest of the Western Conference finals.

His 13 points led the team and the league among players still active this postseason.

Not to be unnoticed are his defensive contributions and physicality. He's a plus-11 through 10 games and has dished out 45 hits.

There's a reason Dustin Brown was named the Kings' captain in 2008, and he's proving why the "C" should stay on his chest in these playoffs.

Mike Smith

Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney knew Mike Smith could be a starting NHL goaltender, and his intuition is proving to be right on the money.

Smith left the beaches of Tampa Bay this offseason for the deserts of southern Arizona and helped the Coyotes win a Pacific Division championship.

His stellar play continued through the postseason, in which he fought off the high-scoring Chicago Blackhawks in six games and outplayed Nashville's Pekka Rinne in a five-game series.

Smith is behind only Jonathan Quick, his next scheduled matchup, and Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist in GAA (1.87) and only Quick in save percentage (.946). The 30-year-old leads the NHL with two shutouts this postseason.

He surrendered only three goals on 47 shots in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Smith's play has the Coyotes in the conference final for the first time in franchise history, and with Game 1 out of the way and home ice advantage in tow, the Coyotes have a chance to cool down the red hot L.A. Kings and battle for a Stanley Cup Final berth.

Keith Yandle

Coyotes All-Star defenseman Keith Yandle plays big minutes for Phoenix, often against the opposition's top players, and can contribute offensively.

In 12 games this postseason, the 25-year-old blueliner has seven assists and is a plus-seven. He looked very good in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals, finishing with two shots and a plus-one rating.

Not known for his physicality, Yandle has still managed to shut down the opposition's attack, and he's taken only two minor penalties through 12 postseason games.

A consistent 10-plus goal scorer from the blue line in the regular season, Yandle is due for a big goal very soon, and the Coyotes will need all the offense they can get against Jonathan Quick and the Kings.

Martin Brodeur

A year after 41-year-old Dwayne Roloson led the Tampa Bay Lightning to the Eastern Conference finals, the legendary 40-year-old Martin Brodeur helped his Devils advance this far for the first time since 2003.

After taking down the Southeast Division champion Florida Panthers in a seven-game first-round series, Brodeur and the Devils stymied the high-flying Philadelphia Flyers in a quick five-game series in round two.

The NHL's all-time leader in regular season wins now faces one of the league's most promising goaltending stars in Henrik Lundqvist.

Brodeur's 2.05 goals against average is the lowest it's been in the postseason since his cup-winning season in 2003.

Few players still in the playoffs, if any, have more experience than Martin Brodeur—experience that may prove to be the difference in the conference finals.

He surrendered two goals on 27 shots in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, in which his forwards offered no support.

Bryce Salvador

Throughout his career, Bryce Salvador has always been looked at as more of a shutdown defenseman than a finesse blueliner, but he's been both for the Devils this postseason.

The 36-year-old has scored two goals and collected four points for New Jersey, posted a plus-seven rating and has thrown 29 hits while averaging around 25 minutes of ice time a night, often against the opposition's top players.

Besides playing for a cup, Salvador is playing for a contract, and proving he's still got at least a few years of good hockey left at the age of 36.

However, he, along with the rest of his Devils team, went scoreless in Game of the Eastern Conference finals and was a minus-one.

Henrik Lundqvist

Henrik Lundqvist helped the Rangers stave off an elimination at the hands of both the Ottawa Senators and the Washington Capitals.

The 30-year-old goaltender hasn't surrendered more than three goals in any game this postseason, and he stole Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, stopping all 21 shots he faced to take the top spot on the goals against leaders list and tie Mike Smith for the postseason shutout lead.

Generally regarded as the league's best goaltender, Lundqvist now has the chance to solidify his reputation by taking his Rangers to a Stanley Cup Final and beyond.

While a cup win wouldn't make Lundqvist a member of hockey's famous "Triple Gold Club," whose members have won an Olympic gold medal (which he already has with Sweden in 2006), a Stanley Cup and a World Championship gold medal, he may be eligible for an honorary membership with his 2002 World Championship gold medal in inline hockey.

Brad Richards

Part of the reason the Rangers made Richards the top-paid NHL player for the 2012 season was his ability to perform in the postseason. Richards won the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2004 (under current Rangers head coach John Tortorella) with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

So far, Richards hasn't disappointed. The 32-year-old has scored six goals and 11 points in 15 playoff games, including the series-clinching goal against the Washington Capitals.

Richards is behind only Dustin Brown and Ilya Kovalchuk among active scoring leaders, and has been one of the Rangers' more consistent players this postseason.

He and linemate Marian Gaborik have accounted for right around 30 percent of the Rangers' playoff goals.

The 32-year-old didn't register a point in Game 1 against the Devils, but he will be looked upon to contribute as the series progresses.