2) Mike Cammalleri: After weeks of struggles, he appears to be on track
now with his second straight productive week.  He’ll need to be at his best
for the postseason.
(Previous: 2  Average:
7.75)

3) Carey Price: It wasn’t a must win game against Chicago but it wasn’t
far from it either.  What does Price do?  Pull off another 40+ save
performance; if that’s not clutch, I don’t know what is.
(Previous: 3  Average:
2.73)

4) P.K. Subban: I wasn’t a big fan of the end to end rushes as those are
things he won’t be able to get away with against Boston but his defensive play
was strong and he did score the playoff-clinching goal.
(Previous: 5  Average:
7.46)

5) Andrei Kostitsyn: It wasn’t his sniping abilities that proved to
be the most dangerous but rather his passing.  He set up Subban’s OT winner
as well as the tying goal in Ottawa with just over 10 seconds left in
regulation.
(Previous: 10  Average:
10.46)

6) James Wisniewski: He was a little hot and cold offensively but when he
was on, boy was he on.  He seemed hesitant to shoot on the PP, opting to
defer too often to Subban; he’ll need to shoot to keep the defense honest.
(Previous: 7  Average:
6.86)

7) Tomas Plekanec: He was the lone semi-consistent player in the faceoff
dot all week long while his play on the penalty kill was terrific.
(Previous: 3  Average:
6.04)

8) Scott Gomez: Even though some are going out of their way to try and
nitpick every element of his game (including a certain broadcaster who will be
covering the Habs in English in this postseason), there are still a lot of
positives.  If he can keep feeding Gionta, it will go a long way in giving
Montreal a chance to win this series.
(Previous: 8  Average:
10.27)

9) Alex Auld: Another decent outing from him in Ottawa, though allowing 3
goals in the final 20 or so minutes of the game leaves me with a bit of a sour
taste.
(Previous: 20  Average:
9.77)

10) Mathieu Darche: Good habits lead to good things, even if the end
result isn’t always a goal.  This is what keeps him in the lineup, he
rarely has a misread in the offensive zone.
(Previous: 1  Average:
12.95)

11) Brent Sopel: I thought his best game as a Hab came against his former
team in Chicago.  That’s an encouraging sign that there is another echelon
to his game, we’re going to need to see it against Boston now.
(Previous: 17  Average:
16.33)

14) Ryan White: Fortunately for him, it doesn’t matter how pretty the
goal is, just as long as it goes in.  With Boston as a matchup, he’ll have
more of a chance to make an impact.
(Previous: 18  Average:
15.70)

15) Paul Mara: He struggled at times to keep up skating wise, something
that hadn’t proven to be concerning before.  Like White, seeing Boston in
Round 1 make his presence in the lineup a near must.
(Previous: 13  Average:
12.13)

16) David Desharnais: It appears he has hit the rookie wall at the least
opportune time.  In his last 9 games, he has 0 points and a -6 rating. 
It’s hard to put too much pressure on him but he needs to be better.
(Previous: 11  Average:
10.08)

17) Jaroslav Spacek: He was barely noticeable in either game he played
which in some respects isn’t completely bad.  However, I still have my
doubts about his readiness to play and I don’t think I’m the only one.
(Previous: N/A  Average:
13.11)

18) Yannick Weber: He was hard to evaluate here as he was playing a
position he never has before.  He didn’t do much of anything notable that
was good or bad and at the very least, he has his game legs under him now.
(Previous: N/A  Average:
16.12)

19) Lars Eller: Dumb penalties are hard enough to take during the regular
season but in the playoffs, it’s even more costly.  If he can stay out of
the box, he could make a difference against Boston.
(Previous: 21  Average:
13.60)

20) Hal Gill: By the end of the Ottawa game, he looked completely gassed
out there; he needed a break.  Like with Pyatt, he gets some credit for
another strong week on the PK though.
(Previous: 12  Average:
14.92)

21) Travis Moen: He was completely invisible vs Chicago and seeing as how
he missed the last two games with some sort of injury, I suspect we know why now.
(Previous: 14  Average:
14.92)

2009-10:
Powerplay: Season 21.8%, Playoffs 16.4% [-5.4%]
Penalty Kill: Season 83.0%, Playoffs 84.5% [+1.5%]
Net Change: -3.9%

2008-09:
Powerplay: Season 19.2%, Playoffs 0.00% [-19.2%]
Penalty Kill: Season 82.4%, Playoffs 75.0% [-7.4%]
Net Change: -26.6%

2007-08:
Powerplay: Season 24.1%, Playoffs 14.6% [-9.5%]
Penalty Kill: Season 82.5%, Playoffs 84.1% [+1.6%]
Net Change: -7.9%

2005-06:
Powerplay: Season 19.2%, Playoffs 22.2% [+3.0%]
Penalty Kill: Season 81.1%, Playoffs 80.0% [-1.1%]
Net Change: +1.9%

With the exception of 05-06, there has been a drop off of sorts. 
Considering how anemic the offence has been at times this season, this is one
trend that really needs to be reversed for this club to succeed this postseason. 
This may not be the key to the series against Boston but be sure not to
discount its importance, I know I won’t.