NHL Playoffs 2013: The 10 Most Important Lessons Learned so Far

The NHL playoffs regularly offer the highest level of entertainment in the sporting world. As the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs have reached the conference finals, the potential for brilliant play may be higher than ever.

The last four Stanley Cup champions are still alive. The Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins are the four best teams in the league this year.

With the anticipation level at a peak, here are the 10 most important lessons we have learned in this year's postseason.

Tomas Vokoun Is a Savior for the Penguins

When the Pittsburgh Penguins got embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs by the Philadelphia Flyers last year (30 goals allowed in six games), general manager Ray Shero did not take his goaltending situation for granted.

Marc-Andre Fleury had collapsed against the Flyers, and backup Brent Johnson was not a viable alternative. The Penguins traded for veteran goalie Tomas Vokoun to serve as Fleury's backup.

When Fleury stumbled in goal during the Penguins' first-round series against the New York Islanders (3.40 goals against average and .891 save percentage), head coach Dan Bylsma had little choice but to give Vokoun an opportunity to turn the team's goaltending fortunes around.

Vokoun has given the Pens everything they have needed between the pipes. He has a 6-1 record in the postseason since taking over for Fleury along with a 1.85 GAA and a .941 save percentage.

The Penguins were about to panic in the first round, but Vokoun saved them from a humiliating defeat. His steady play has allowed them to regain their confidence at the most important point of the year.

Los Angeles Kings Are Formidable Defending Champions

The Los Angeles Kings are made of much sterner stuff than the most recent Stanley Cup champions.

After roaring through the playoffs last year as the eighth seed in the Western Conference to win their first Stanley Cup, the Kings have emerged from two physical battles with victories over the St. Louis Blues and the San Jose Sharks.

In 2010, the Pittsburgh Penguins were eliminated in the second round by the Montreal Canadiens. The Chicago Blackhawks went out in the first round to the Vancouver Canucks in 2011, and the Boston Bruins did the same in 2012 against the Washington Capitals in the quarterfinals.

All three of those teams seemed to lack the focus that they had in their Cup-winning year when they attempted to defend the title.

The Kings don't have that problem. They seem to have increased their level of determination in each game they have played this postseason.

The Blackhawks' Regular-Season Presidents' Trophy Means Nothing

The Chicago Blackhawks were a huge story in the regular season, as they went 24 games before they dropped a game in regulation. It was the best start in NHL history.

Perhaps even more importantly, it put the attention back on the game itself and away from the lockout that had wiped out the first three-and-a-half months of the regular season.

Nobody's impressed with the Blackhawks' start anymore. Their regular-season achievement is part of history, and it did not intimidate the seventh-seeded Detroit Red Wings.

The Red Wings ran out to a 3-1 lead in the conference semifinal series and were not eliminated until Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook fired home a wrist shot early in overtime of the seventh game.

If the Blackhawks didn't know it beforehand, they have to earn every victory they get in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the regular-season accomplishments mean nothing when they step onto the ice in the postseason.

Bruins Find Offense on Blue Line

The Boston Bruins like to point to their four-line depth as one of the key reasons behind their success.

The Bruins are averaging 3.17 goals per game in the postseason, which is second in the league. They have gotten shockingly good offensive numbers from their defensemen, who have scored a league-high 13 goals.

Everyone knows Zdeno Chara has a bomb of a slap shot, and he has scored two goals in the playoffs. However, Johnny Boychuk and unknown rookie Torey Krug have each posted four goals. Defensemen Adam McQuaid, Wade Redden and Matt Bartkowski have also put up playoff goals for the Bruins.

Boston needs to get continued production from the blue line if it is going to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Rangers' 1-Dimensional Hockey Costs Tortorella His Job

The New York Rangers never reached the level that was expected from them this season.

They were touch-and-go to make the playoffs for much of the second half of the season and didn't play their best hockey until after they traded Marian Gaborik to the Columbus Blue Jackets prior to the trade deadline.

They ended up as the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference, and when they blanked the Washington Capitals in Games 6 and 7 of the first round of the playoffs, they moved on to the conference semifinals.

The Rangers advanced because of their defense, in general, and the goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist (1.65 GAA and .947 save percentage vs. Capitals) in particular. However, when they needed to pick up their game against a much more well-rounded team like the Boston Bruins, they had little to offer and were beaten in five games.

Head coach John Tortorella's emphasis on defense prevented his team from developing a solid offensive game. Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News reported that several Rangers players were unhappy with Tortorella. General manager Glen Sather fired Tortorella four days after the Rangers were eliminated from the postseason.

Mike Babcock Gets Every Drop of Talent out of the Red Wings

This was supposed to be the year that the Red Wings turned into an ordinary team. They had lost in the first round a year ago to the Nashville Predators and then suffered an even bigger blow when Nicklas Lidstrom decided to retire.

The Red Wings appeared to have a 50-50 chance of making the playoffs, and they played that way through the majority of the regular season. But when it seemed they might miss out in the final week, head coach Mike Babcock got his team to focus, and they won their last four games to come away with the seventh seed in the Western Conference and make the playoffs for the 22nd consecutive season.

They drew the big, physical Anaheim Ducks in the first round and upset them in seven games. Proving that win was no fluke, the Red Wings raced out to 3-1 lead after four games against the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks.

The Red Wings were not able to close out the Blackhawks and they lost in overtime of the seventh game.

Babcock excelled at getting his team to play physical, hard-hitting hockey in the series, and that was one of the main reasons the Red Wings were able to push the Blackhawks to the limit.

The future for Detroit looks good as long as Babcock remains behind the bench.

Tuukka Rask Has Big Shoes to Fill

Tuukka Rask has been a solid goalie for the Boston Bruins in the postseason. He has an 8-4-1 record along with a 2.22 GAA and a .928 save percentage during the playoffs.

However, with the Bruins reaching the Eastern Conference Final and making a run at their second Stanley Cup in three years, the scrutiny on him is intensifying.

Rask has to play up to the standard that Conn Smythe Trophy winner Tim Thomas (1.98 GAA, .940 save percentage, four shutouts) set in 2011 if the Bruins are going to be victorious. That's a lot to ask.

While he was impressive in the five-game series win over the New York Rangers, he had a nightmarish moment in the Bruins' Game 4 loss when he slipped after New York's Carl Hagelin tossed a soft backhander toward the net. Rask looked on helplessly as Hagelin scored.

Shortly thereafter, he looked slow on a wraparound after Zdeno Chara lost the puck.

The bright lights are focused sharply on Rask as he attempts to raise his game.

Blackhawks Know How to Overcome Adversity

The Blackhawks overcame major adversity in the seventh game of their series with the Detroit Red Wings.

With the scored tied 1-1 and less than two minutes to go, Niklas Hjalmarsson appeared to score the go-ahead goal. However, it was waved off when referee Stephen Walkom called coincidental penalties on Kyle Quincey of Detroit and Brandon Saad of Chicago.

The call was questionable at best, and many teams would have felt sorry for themselves after a goal was wiped away. However, the Blackhawks refused to yield to self pity and finished the Wings off early in the overtime on a goal by Brent Seabrook.

That's the mark of a great team.

Quick Is Nearly Impenetrable

The Los Angeles Kings would not have won the Stanley Cup last year and their first two playoff matchups this year if they were a one-man team.

While the Kings have a tough, nasty team and the ability to score clutch goals, the primary reason they have accomplished so much over the last two seasons is the play of goalie Jonathan Quick.

He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP last year and is performing as well or even better this year. Quick has an 8-5 record, and he leads all playoff goalies with a 1.50 GAA and a .948 save percentage to go with three postseason shutouts.

Quick is nearly unbeatable when the Kings are in a position to survive and advance. His late save on Joe Pavelski of the San Jose Sharks in the late stages of Game 7 helped give Los Angeles the series win.

"You're thinking the worst and he comes up with the save and you're, like, `Thank God that guy's back there,"' Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi told Elliott Teaford of the Los Angeles Daily News. "He gives us such confidence and it's something that radiates throughout the locker room."

Penguins Are Best Offensive Team by a Wide Margin

If the Pittsburgh Penguins can get decent defensive play and good goaltending the rest of the playoffs, they should be in a position to lift the Stanley Cup at the end of June.

That's because they are the best offensive team left in the playoffs (4.27 goals per game). The Bruins (second with 3.17 goals scored) have an adequate offense, while the Blackhawks have slowed down in the postseason (2.75 goals per game). The Kings score just enough (2.00 goals per game) to make Jonathan Quick's goaltending stand up.

The Penguins have no limitations on offense. They have two of the best offensive players in the game in Sidney Crosby (15 postseason points) and Evgeni Malkin (16 points). Those two get plenty of support from James Neal (10 points), Jarome Iginla (12 points), Pascal Dupuis (10 points) and Chris Kunitz (nine points). Defenseman Kris Letang (16 points) can ignite the offense from the back end.

They are the best offensive team in the playoffs and have the ability to light up the scoreboard every time they take the ice.