Unsung players look to carry big tune in playoffs
Anaheim Ducks winger Patrick Maroon has 77 games of NHL experience, yet he already understands pro hockey is a business where one player's misery becomes another player's opportunity.
After Anaheim traded Dustin Penner to the Washington Capitals, Maroon began looking more and more like he could be a more consistent version of Penner. At 6-3 and 230 pounds, he's roughly the same size.
"I hated to see Dustin go," Maroon said. "He was really good to me. He taught me what I need to do. And it has worked out."
After being in and out of the lineup until January, Maroon has played 30 consecutive games. The Ducks see him as an important contributor in their first-round playoff series against the Dallas Stars.
He led the Ducks in penalty minutes and had 13 points in his last 14 games, giving rise to the possibility he could be a candidate to be one of this season's unknown playoff goal scorers, long an NHL tradition.
Through the years, unsung players such as Chris Kontos, John Druce and Dave Lowry have risen up and scored some big playoff goals. Maroon has been a 32-goal scorer at the American Hockey League level.
"I got to play in every situation in the American League, and I was a scorer," he said. "Then in the last couple of months, when I was playing all of the time, you get your confidence level up to where you want it to be. Playing every day helps."
Maroon, 25, said coach Bruce Boudreau has been fair to him. The difficulty of Maroon's role is finding a balance between his physical play and offensive instincts.
"Sometimes you think, 'Do I have to go out there and fight tonight?'" Maroon said. "How much of a physical role should I bring? I try to bring physicality every night. That's my goal. I'm a big body. I try to hit guys, and go strong on the forecheck. If we need help to get going, I'm there to do it. If we need someone to step up for a teammate, I love to do that."
With Boudreau, the St. Louis native is never left wondering what he is supposed to do. "He tells me when I need to pick up my physicality," Maroon said.
That physicality will be even more important in the playoffs.
"No one ever told me I had to fight," Maroon said. "It's just me being me."
Here are other less-heralded players who could end up having a greater impact in the playoffs:
Darren Helm (Detroit Red Wings): Without question, Helm is among the fastest skaters in the NHL. When he jets around the ice, he's always a breakaway waiting to happen. He is intimidating and disruptive because he can blow past defensemen like they are lamp posts.
The problem is that Helm, 27, hasn't been able to stay healthy. But he's healthy now and has been dangerous over the past few weeks. He turns penalty killing into scoring chances for the Red Wings and has the potential to score very big goals.
Tommy Wingels (San Jose Sharks): U.S.-born Wingels has turned out to be a better player than most scouts anticipated.
He was a 16-goal, 38-point man this season, and he looks like he could be a 20-goal, 50-point guy, given the right circumstances.
Secondary scoring is crucial in the postseason, and Wingels is an important contributor to that end.
Brian Gibbons (Pittsburgh Penguins): He was a rookie this season, but he's not your usual rookie. He's 26, and he played four years at Boston College and parts of three seasons in the AHL.
The speedy 5-8 forward knows the game and his role. He had five goals and 17 points for the Penguins in spot duty this season. If you add his AHL and NHL time, he has scored at about a 20-goal rate. The savvy player also spent some time on Sidney Crosby's line.
Radko Gudas (Tampa Bay Lightning): The Czech defenseman is 23 and weighs a shade more than 200 pounds. But he can be a game-changer with his hitting game.
He had 273 hits this season, second among defensemen and tied for third overall. He plays on the edge of the rules, which makes him an even more difficult opponent. He will play 19 to 20 minutes or more and could have as much value as a 20-goal scorer.
