NHL Playoffs 2015: The All-Postseason Team Through 2 Rounds

We are halfway through the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so it's time to hand out some individual awards to the postseason's top performers.

Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals and Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers engaged in an epic goaltending duel in the second round, but only one could be our first-team goalie. Corey Perry is among the many Ducks with huge point totals, but which ones were good enough to make our list?

The answers to all your questions lie ahead in this fun and informative slideshow featuring our first-, second- and third-team playoff All-Stars. The players were chosen based on their individual showing so far in the postseason, weighted against competition and with a little more emphasis on the second round.

Third-Team Selections

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Left Wing: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

He had five goals and four assists in 14 games, including a goal in Game 7 against the Rangers after guaranteeing a win. He was a force in Games 1 and 2 of the second round and hopefully won't have to hear about disappearing in the playoffs ever again.

Center: Derick Brassard, New York Rangers

Brassard's five goals and eight points lead the Rangers. While eight points barely puts him in the top 20 of scoring leaders, eight points for a team that's finding it hard to score two goals in a game is very impressive.

Right Wing: Jakob Silfverberg, Anaheim Ducks

The 24-year-old has 11 points in nine games and scored a late goal in Game 2 of the first round to sink the Jets. He had a goal and two assists in the final two games of the second round against the Flames, both Ducks wins.

Defenseman: Ryan McDonagh, New York Rangers

He is tied for seventh in defense scoring with two goals and six points. With the Rangers facing elimination in Game 5 of the second round against the Capitals, McDonagh scored in overtime to begin the team's comeback from down 3-1 in the series.

Defenseman: Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks

Seabrook has five points in 10 games, including a triple-overtime winner in Game 4 against the Predators in the first round. He is averaging a little more than 24 minutes per game, a number that should rise in the conference finals.

Goaltender: Ben Bishop, Tampa Bay Lightning

Since the Lightning fell behind the Red Wings 3-2 in their first-round series, Bishop is 6-2 with a .946 save percentage. For the postseason, his first, Bishop has a .931 save percentage.

Second-Team Left Wing: Zach Parise, Minnesota Wild

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By the numbers: With 10 points in 10 games, Zach Parise can say he was a point-per-game playoff performer over two rounds for a second straight season. He has 24 points in 23 games over that span, but the Wild weren't able to get past the Blackhawks and into the conference finals in either year.

Why he's here: Parise was the leading scorer among left wings and had to do it against two tough opponents in St. Louis and Chicago. His two-goal performance in Game 6 against the Blues almost single-handedly clinched the series, and he still found a way to amass three points in the four-game loss to the Blackhawks.

Second-Team Center: Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks

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By the numbers: The Ducks have only played nine games this postseason, thanks to a first-round sweep of the Jets and a five-game defeat of the Flames. But that hasn't stopped many Ducks players from compiling big point totals. Ryan Getzlaf has 12 points (10 assists) while playing 21:07 per game, second-most among forwards to play two rounds.

Why he's here: Getzlaf got to pad his stats against the Jets and Flames, but that doesn't take away from the job he's done. He had one goal and seven assists in the first three games against the Flames in the second round, and he had a three-point showing in Game 1 against the Jets in the first round.

Second-Team Right Wing: Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks

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By the numbers: Patrick Kane is second in playoff scoring with 13 points in 10 games, so maybe you think he should be a first-teamer instead of a second-team selection. He had five assists in the four-game sweep of Minnesota and has at least one goal in five straight games. With numbers like that, there must be someone really good sitting in the first-team spot.

Why he's here: Remember when a broken collarbone was supposed to keep him out until the third round? Or when his early return after missing seven weeks would result in rust? He had a goal and two assists in his first two games back against the Nashville Predators and has taken off from there. The Blackhawks were mostly ordinary down the stretch without Kane, but his return has signaled Chicago's return as the NHL's top team.

Second-Team Defenseman: T.J. Brodie, Calgary Flames

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By the numbers: T.J. Brodie had just a goal and four assists in 11 games this postseason, but his overall play was one of the biggest reasons the Flames made it beyond the first round. He finished the postseason with a 48.4 percent Corsi, about three points higher than the team average. It was an incredible showing for the top defenseman on an overmatched team.

Why he's here: When Mark Giordano went down with a season-ending injury with about four weeks remaining in the regular season, things looked bleak for the Flames. Heck, things didn't even look rosy against the Canucks in Round 1. But whether Brodie was lugging around Kris Russell or Deryk Engelland, he kept the Flames close to even in on-ice shot attempts.

Second-Team Defenseman: Victor Hedman, Tampa Bay Lightning

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By the numbers: The 24-year-old Victor Hedman has a goal and five assists through two rounds, not exactly the type of numbers that will earn him Conn Smythe consideration. But he is third on the team with a 53.8 percent Corsi and has posted those numbers against top competition alongside defense partner Anton Stralman. 

Why he's here: There are a few defensemen with numbers as good or better than Hedman, but he's done it as part of a shutdown pairing against two pretty good teams in Detroit and Montreal. Coach Jon Cooper distributes ice time among his top defensemen pretty evenly, so Hedman is averaging fewer than 23 minutes per game. Even though he's not playing 30 minutes a night, he's been extremely effective in his time on the ice.

Second-Team Goalie: Braden Holtby, Washington Capitals

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By the numbers: Holtby exits the postseason with a .944 save percentage in 13 games, which seems unfair to him. He allowed 10 goals in seven games during the second round, but his teammates only scored nine against the Rangers. What makes his numbers more remarkable is the fact he faced 389 shots in the postseason, which is 54 more than his closest competitor.

Why he's here: Holtby would've been a first-team choice if not for the final outcome of the Capitals' series with the Rangers. The Capitals were mostly outplayed by the Rangers, yet Holtby had them 1:41 away from a series-clinching win in Game 5 before the Rangers tied the score and later won in overtime, 2-1. Holtby's biggest flaw was playing for a team that offered almost no offensive support.

First-Team Left Wing: Johnny Gaudreau, Calgary Flames

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By the numbers: Johnny Gaudreau's first 11 postseason games of his career were fruitful; he had four goals and nine points, including a late game-tying goal in Game 3 that helped the Flames get their only victory of the second round. Gaudreau scored twice in the series with the Ducks, a good sign that despite his lack of size, he can be effective against a bruising opponent.

Why he's here: The Flames were an underdog in both series and Gaudreau was a player both the Canucks and Ducks were focused on stopping. Gaudreau was able to get his points and was about average relative to his teammates in the possession game. Considering the quality of competition and the quality of the Flames as a whole, Gaudreau's nine points are very impressive.

First-Team Center: Tyler Johnson, Tampa Bay Lightning

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By the numbers: Tyler Johnson leads the league with eight goals in the postseason, and his 12 points trail only two players. He had six goals in the first round, including a two-goal performance in a Game 4 comeback win and two more goals in a season-saving Game 6 win against the Red Wings. He tailed off a bit in the second round, at least relatively speaking, with two goals in six games versus Montreal.

Why he's here: While members of the Ducks have gaudy point totals, Johnson got his against a tough Red Wings team and Canadiens goaltender Carey Price. He rescued the Lightning in Game 4 against Detroit and scored a buzzer-beating goal to give the Lightning a 3-0 series lead against the Habs. Johnson's goals, especially in the first round when Steven Stamkos wasn't scoring, have been bigger than anyone's in the playoffs.

First-Team Right Wing: Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks

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By the numbers: Corey Perry leads the league with 15 points in nine games. Only Tampa's Tyler Johnson has more goals than Perry's seven. One of Perry's goals came in overtime of Game 5 to knock out Calgary. Perry has a pair of four-point games—both two-goal, two-assist performances in Game 1 against the Jets and Game 1 versus Calgary.

Why he's here: It came down to Perry and Patrick Kane, but Perry's done a little bit more. It's tough to judge the Ducks when they've played such inferior competition over the first two rounds, but it's not Perry's fault the Flames reached the second round of the postseason. Perry has slaughtered the opposition and scored big goals to boot, so he's definitely in the Conn Smythe discussion.

First-Team Defenseman: P.K. Subban, Montreal Canadiens

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By the numbers: P.K. Subban finishes the playoffs with eight points in 12 games, which makes him the second-leading scorer among defensemen in the playoffs. If he had a little more luck (his one goal on 36 shots), he and the Canadiens may still be playing. He averaged 26:45 per game, fourth-most among players that reached the second round.

Why he's here: He was the anchor on the Canadiens blue line and the one true threat on the power play, even if that power play was about as threatening as a sleeping mouse. Outside of Carey Price, no one was more valuable to the Habs this season and in the playoffs. If the Habs could have found a few more goals against the Lightning, Subban could have plenty of Conn Smythe consideration right now.

First-Team Defenseman: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks

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By the numbers: Duncan Keith is second among all skaters in minutes (30:37), leads all defensemen in points (10) and is tied for eighth among all scorers. He had three points in Game 6 against the Predators, including the series-winning goal late in the third period. He had points in six of his first eight games of the postseason and played 46:19 in the Blackhawks' triple-OT win against Nashville in Game 4.

Why he's here: Keith has been, by far, the best defenseman in the playoffs. He has been a force in all three phases and was the biggest reason Chicago survived a poor start against the Predators. If the Blackhawks knock out the Ducks and Keith maintains this level of play, he should find himself in the driver's seat for a Conn Smythe Trophy he nearly won in 2013.

First-Team Goalie: Henrik Lundqvist, New York Rangers

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By the numbers: Henrik Lundqvist has a .944 save percentage, second among goaltenders to play at least two rounds. With the Rangers down 3-1 in their series against the Capitals, Lundqvist stopped 105 of 110 shots to get the Rangers back to the conference finals. The Rangers offered him just 10 goals of support in seven games against the Capitals, but Lundqvist somehow made it work.

Why he's here: If one more bounce went the Capitals' way in Game 7, it would be Braden Holtby in this spot. As it stands, Lundqvist outplayed his counterpart by the slimmest of margins to earn this place on our list. Lundqvist is 3-0 with the Rangers facing elimination.

All statistics via NHL.com