Stanley Cup Playoffs 2015: Unheralded Teams Primed to Make Noise in Postseason

The Stanley Cup playoffs often bring out the best in the teams that qualify for them, and that tends to lead to some surprising results as unexpectedly deep runs have become the norm in recent years.

The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup as a No. 8 seed in 2012, and plenty of lower-seeded teams have enjoyed success since then, as well. The playoff system is different now, with an emphasis on divisions and wild cards, but the threat of the overlooked underdog is still very much present.

With the conclusion of the 2014-15 regular season approaching, here is a look at a few under-the-radar playoff teams with a great chance to win multiple series and make a run at the Stanley Cup.

Minnesota Wild

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Since the Western Conference is stacked with quality teams, it is easy to look past a squad that is currently in wild-card position, like the Minnesota Wild. Based on how well they have played down the stretch, though, the Wild should be considered a threat to go all the way.

Minnesota possesses everything a team needs to have success in the playoffs—from depth at forward and on defense to strong goaltending. Perhaps, the most impressive thing about the Wild is their ability to win in hostile territory.

According to Michael Russo of the Star Tribune, Minnesota tied an NHL record Thursday by winning its 12th consecutive game on the road:

Winning away from home is the hallmark of a great team, and while doing it in the postseason is a totally different animal, the Wild have showed they have the makeup necessary to have success on the road.

An excellent goalie makes playing on the road much easier, and the Wild certainly have that in the form of Devan Dubnyk. After acquiring him from the Arizona Coyotes, Minnesota has been a different team. He boasts a 1.73 GAA and a .938 save percentage, according to Rotoworld, and he hasn't shied away from manning the crease.

In fact, Dubnyk almost went half a season without taking a break, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Most netminders wear down and wilt with that much work, but it hasn't been the case for the 28-year-old former first-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers.

On top of that, Dubnyk has the ideal mindset and attitude entering the postseason. According to the Wild's official Twitter account, he and his teammates are expecting to accomplish some big things moving forward:

Provided Dubnyk continues to flourish—and he gets some scoring support from the likes of Zach Parise, Jason Pominville, Thomas Vanek, Mikko Koivu, Mikael Granlund and others—there is no reason why the Wild can't represent the Western Conference in the Stanley Cup Final.

Tampa Bay Lightning

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It may seem strange to consider a team that has been near the top of the Eastern Conference standings all season long as unheralded, but the Tampa Bay Lightning don't appear to be receiving as much hype as they should, in terms of being Stanley Cup contenders.

That is likely due to the fact that the Bolts are a young team, and they haven't yet proven capable of winning in the playoffs. With that said, their regular-season performance suggests they could be the cream of the crop in the Eastern Conference.

The Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers and Montreal Canadiens are most often mentioned as the Eastern Conference's best teams, but Tampa dominated them to the tune of an 8-0 record, per Tom Gulitti of The Record:

That success has a lot to do with the Lightning's impressive scoring depth. Perhaps, no team in the league can roll out as many dangerous scoring lines as the Bolts. They are led by 43-goal scorer Steven Stamkos and fellow All-Star Tyler Johnson, but the likes of Nikita Kucherov, Ondrej Palat, Ryan Callahan and Valtteri Filppula are all capable of lighting the lamp with regularity, as well.

Tampa Bay's goaltending also is stout with Ben Bishop posting his second consecutive excellent season as a full-time starter.

Bishop is of the belief that the Lightning are ready to take the next step this season now that they have settled in under head coach Jon Cooper, according to Kevin Allen of USA Today.

"

We have a lot better understanding of our system. We have added some big pieces, plus it's a snowball in our second year under Cooper. You learn his system, you add pieces to it and you take a step forward.

"

The Bolts will encounter some battle-tested teams in the playoffs, and that will be the true measuring stick to determine if they are ready to be a successful playoff team.

Tampa is a complete team, though, and its ability to beat quality teams during the regular season suggests that it can do so in the postseason, as well.

Winnipeg Jets

The Winnipeg Jets have been living on the edge all season long, in terms of playoff contention, but they finally managed to secure a wild-card spot in the Western Conference. This means postseason hockey is returning to Winnipeg.

That is a massive accomplishment in and of itself, since it has been nearly two decades since the Jets last competed in the playoffs, according to James Mirtle of the The Globe and Mail:

While the drought has much to do with the fact that Winnipeg didn't have an NHL team from 1997 until 2011, it was a long wait for Jets fans, regardless.

This Jets team may be lacking in terms of star power, but that doesn't mean they can't have some postseason success. They boast a strong defense corps led by Dustin Byfuglien, Toby Enstrom, Jacob Trouba and trade acquisition Tyler Myers, while the goaltending tandem of Ondrej Pavelec and Michael Hutchinson has stood tall, as well.

Winnipeg also gets scoring throughout its lineup with Andrew Ladd, Blake Wheeler, Bryan Little and Mark Scheifele leading the way.

Though, perhaps, the biggest reason for the Jets' ascent has been the shrewd maneuvering of general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff. As pointed out by Mitch Peacock of CBC Winnipeg, he made a number of acquisitions leading up to the trade deadline:

Myers, Drew Stafford, Jiri Tlusty and Lee Stempniak have all contributed in a positive manner, and they have made the Jets a much tougher team to beat.

The Jets don't garner a ton of attention when compared to the likes of the St. Louis Blues, the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks, but they are a complete team playing with a lot of confidence, and that could lead to them accomplishing some great things.

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