Ranking the 10 Biggest Flops of the 2013 NHL Playoffs

The Stanley Cup Playoffs bring out the best in some players and the worst in other players. The 2013 NHL playoff season has been no different.

While some players seem to always show up for the playoffs, always being involved in their team's success, other players can't seem to "get it together" come playoff season.

Given the mountain of pressure on players to perform well, here is a look at the top 10 playoff flops of this year's chase for the Stanley Cup.

The ranking of these flops will be determined by how directly the flop influenced the outcome of the given playoff series.

10. Montreal Canadiens' Inability to Control Their Emotions

The playoffs bring out high emotions in players as they struggle to advance to the next round. Each game, period and shift can change the series, and that is exactly what happened between the Montreal Canadiens and the Ottawa Senators.

This was the first time that these two division rivals met in the playoffs and the two teams most certainly did not disappoint.

The Canadiens averaged 37 penalty minutes per game over their five-game series loss to the Senators, with 129 minutes in Game 3.

The game marked a turning point in the series, with the Senators going up 2-1. The Canadiens had no answers in Game 4 or 5 and No. 2 seed Montreal went home early, after just five games.

9. Detroit Red Wings Losing Three Games in a Row After Being Up 3-1 to Chicago

When a team like the Chicago Blackhawks finishes with 36 wins in 48 games and captures 77 out of a possible 96 points, winning three games in a row is not out of the question at any point.

Add on to that the fact that the 'Hawks started the regular season with 21 wins in 24 games, going undefeated in regulation during that time, and it isn't hard to see how the Blackhawks came back to win against the Red Wings.

But while on the topic of statistics, it should be pointed out that prior to this year, only 20 of 229 teams that went down 3-1 in a series, per NHL.com, had come back to take the series. That's only 8.7 percent (prior to this year of course).

So while many Red Wings fans and hockey pundits could chalk this year up as a success, the Red Wings fell into the trap of losing three straight, after being up 3-1 in the series.

This collapse wasn't of monumental proportions—as Game 6 and Game 7 were one-goal games (with the series being decided in overtime of Game 7), but the series loss still put Detroit on the unfortunate side of history, and left a sour taste in the mouths of Red Wings supporters.

8. Corey Perry

Corey Perry's alter ego, in a sense, played "Marco Polo" with scoring goals in the playoffs against the Red Wings. Every time Perry had a shot against the Red Wings in the first round, the shot either missed the net or was stopped by Jimmy Howard.

It wasn't for a lack of trying either, as Perry had 24 shots on goal.

His two points, both assists, in seven games against the Red Wings proved to be the difference in the series, as he was 13th in team scoring in the playoffs.

The Red Wings took the series in seven games and the No. 2 seed Ducks, per NHL.com, ended their season earlier than most probably expected.

7. Vancouver Canucks' Penalty Kill

The Vancouver Canucks had the second worst penalty kill, thus far, in the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Canucks went 17-24 (70.8 percent) on the penalty kill, giving up seven power-play goals in only four games as they were ousted in a first-round sweep by the San Jose Sharks.

In a series where teams are very close in skill level and experience, special teams usually play a huge role in deciding which team moves on.

The problem with Vancouver wasn't so much that they gave up seven power play goals in a series, it was the fact that the Canucks gave up six power-play goals in Game 3 and Game 4 combined, significantly ending any hope of a comeback in the series, after Vancouver lost the first two games.

Vancouver wasn't necessarily done after they lost the first two games of the series, but their penalty kill dropped the ball in the two games in San Jose.

Of course it didn't help either on the humiliation front, when the Canucks started complaining that the Sharks' players were diving to draw power plays, per USAToday.com, as the Canucks have long been known as a team that specializes in that area.

Tom Urtz Jr. of Bleacher Report had four Canucks in his article "top 15 divers in the NHL," so the irony is clear.

6. Jonathan Toews Almost Costing His Team a Chance at the Stanley Cup

Jonathan Toews took three penalties in 5:34 of game time in Game 4 of the second-round series with the Red Wings, putting his team down 3-1 in the series.

Toews could be seen furiously slamming his stick against the boards on the way into the penalty box, sulking in the box when his teammate Brent Seabrook came and gave him a quick pep talk.

The Blackhawks needed more from their captain in the first four games of that series and it almost cost them, as they had to win Game 7 in overtime, after forcing Game 7 with back-to-back wins.

Toews has been a no-show on offense with one goal and seven points in 15 games, ranking eighth in team scoring in the playoffs. Chicago needs more from their captain going forward, as he is usually a big part of the team's offense.

Thus far in the playoffs, however, he has been a flop.

5. Goaltending Failures of the Montreal Canadiens

When a team's goaltenders give up 20 goals in a five-game series loss, the onus is usually on the goalies to prove that they weren't at fault. Now given—for what it's worth—the Canadiens' management still stands behind Carey Price, per CBC.ca, even after this season's first-round ouster.

But that doesn't excuse giving up 13 goals in just under four games—to the Ottawa Senators of all teams. Price had an 89.4 save percentage and a 3.26 GAA.

Price doesn't deserve all of the blame, as he was hung out to dry by his team, but he wasn't able to make any timely saves to keep his Canadiens in the game when they were down and out.

Price left with an injury in Game 4 and was replaced by backup Peter Budaj, who had been phenomenal in the regular season.

Budaj came in for overtime in Game 4 and gave up the game-winning goal after facing only two shots. Game 5 wasn't any better for him as he gave up six goals on 29 shots and the Canadiens were eliminated in five games.

The Canadiens' goalies definitely didn't get much help offensively, but they didn't really give their teams a chance to win either.

4. Pittsburgh Penguins' Defensive Breakdowns

Lack of defensive zone coverage, giveaways, turnovers and lack of support on the puck—all four of these are great ways to lose hockey games.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' defense corps has found ways to lose games against the Bruins in the first three games, with giveaways like Kris Letang's gaffe, above.

The Penguins are built to be an offensive juggernaut, but they're playing a proud defensive hockey club in the Bruins, meaning the Penguins' defense has to step it up going forward.

Although the struggles seemed confined to this series with Boston, the No. 1 seed Penguins gave up 28 goals in 11 games to the Ottawa Senators and the New York Islanders. That's 2.54 goals against per-game against what were the seventh-ranked and 27th-ranked offensive teams in the regular season, in terms of goals per game.

The Islanders put up three goals or more in four of the six games in the first round, as well as three goals in two of the five games against the Senators.

Not exactly confidence-boosting numbers right there.

The Pittsburgh defense has definitely been a flop thus far in the playoffs.

3. Ottawa Senators' Second-Round Implosion

The Ottawa Senators defeated the Montreal Canadiens in a thoroughly convincing five-game series win in the first round of the playoffs.

They followed that up by laying an egg against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Now once again, playing the Penguins is no cake walk—unless the Penguins' opponent is the Boston Bruins, apparently—so it would be unfair to completely fault the Ottawa Senators for getting blown out in a couple games by the Penguins.

But the way that they lost some of the games against the Penguins was just unacceptable.

For example, the Senators lost Game 4 and Game 5 by a combined score of 13-5, including six consecutive goals in Game 4. If that isn't "throwing in the towel," they should redefine that phrase.

The Senators gave up 23 goals in five games. Because the Senators are offensively limited in the first place (27th in goals per game in the regular season), they needed to play a more defensive game to have a chance of winning against Pittsburgh.

That simply didn't happen.

This flop, of sorts, in Game 4 and Game 5 was absolutely disastrous to watch, as the games got completely out of hand towards the end of the series.

2. Toronto Maple Leafs Third-Period Implosion in Game 7 Against Boston

For those hockey fans that were fortunate enough to watch this game on TV, only one word suffices to describe this game—surreal.

With the Bruins trailing by three goals in the third period of Game 7 of a series which they had led 3-1, the Bruins were in trouble. Then Nathan Horton scored with 10:42 left in the third period and from then on, things got interesting.

The Bruins scored twice with less than 1:30 left in the third period to force overtime and Patrice Bergeron scored his second straight goal to win the game in the first overtime.

Every Boston Bruins' win after that game has had to leave marks on Leafs' fans pride, as the Leafs had the game in the bag with a 4-1 lead, halfway through the third period.

The Leafs played 49 minutes of good hockey, but the Bruins stole the show and the series, and in doing so, ended the Leafs season.

Possibly the biggest flop of the playoffs.

Or is it?

1. Former Conn Smythe Winner Brad Richards and His Benching and Disappearing Act

It feels like forever since 2004—the last time Brad Richards was on top of the playoff hockey world.

Richards won a Stanley Cup and the Conn Smythe that year, with 12 goals and 26 points. He has hit double figures in the NHL playoffs twice in the playoffs since then, but this year was just not his year.

In fact, not only was it  not Richards' year, but John Tortorella benched his star player for back-to-back elimination games in Game 4 and Game 5 against the Bruins, in Round 2.

Richards had one goal—his only point of the playoffs in 10 playoff games and was thoroughly ineffective, playing on Tortorella's fourth line at one point, before eventually being benched.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

The Rangers' second-round series loss to the Bruins came as no surprise, because Richards (and Rick Nash as well) failed to show up in the series, and the playoffs in general.

This benching of a former Conn Smythe Trophy winner caps the biggest flops of the Stanley Cup playoffs slide show quite fittingly.

All statistics courtesy of NHL.com.

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