The Penguins finally finished off a game in impressive fashion, but it's just a blip if they don't complete the improbable comeback.

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The Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP has been given out every postseason since 1965, and for the most part it reads like the invite list for a Hockey Hall of Fame mixer: Bobby Orr, Patrick Roy, Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Mario Lemieux and so on. But occasionally, players with less star wattage can win MVP. Think Claude Lemieux's clutch scoring in 1995 or Jean-Sebastien Giguere's stellar goaltending in a losing effort for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim or, perhaps the greatest example, Butch Goring's 1981 Conn for the Islanders. Which players in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs might have Conn Smythe potential, if not the hyp,e entering the postseason? (FYI: The focus here is on higher-seeded teams. Why? Because as Yahoo! Sports NHL writer Nick Cotsonika notes, only one bottom four seed has won the Cup since the League started seeding the conferences one through eight in 1993-94 — the 1995 Devils, in the shortened season. Plus, only three eighth seeds and only two seventh seeds have won a first-round series since the lockout. Good luck, California.) Kevin Bieksa, Vancouver Canucks The Canucks defenseman is coming off his best offensive season in the NHL and plays in every situation. In the playoffs last year, he was in beast mode: Playing 25:40 per game to lead Vancouver, and rightfully earning Conn talk entering the Final. If neither Sedin nor Luongo/Schneider offer a clear MVP during a Canucks' Cup run, Bieksa could be the guy. Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers One assumes that if the Rangers win the Cup, it'll be on the back of Henrik Lundqvist or on the stick of Marian Gaborik or Brad Richards, who won the Conn in 2004. But when Callahan scores, he scores significantly: 9 game winners, seven first-goals, two OT winners and 29 goals on the season. Factor in what the captain does defensively, and he could he a heart-and-soul choice for the Conn.

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The Islanders, to be sure, will talk the talk again all summer and throughout training camp in September.

They will insist they no longer are rebuilding, and they will present reasons why 2012-13 finally will be the year they make it back to the Stanley Cup playoffs after missing out for a fifth consecutive year.

Of course, they've said all those things without backing up those claims in each of the past several seasons, failing to overcome the inconsistency of youth and a few prolonged slumps that ostensibly have cost them any chance of reaching the top-8 in the Eastern Conference.

In completing an uneven 34-37-11 campaign with a 7-3 loss April 7 in Columbus, the Isles guaranteed a bottom-five finish in the NHL (27th overall) and a place in the draft lottery for...

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If their 7-3 victory over the New York Islanders was the last time Rick Nash appears in a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey, there's a certain irony in his going out a winner. It's the perpetual losing, and seemingly annual reconstruction … Continue reading ?

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UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- In each of the past two seasons, New York Islanders forward Matt Moulson has finished in the top-25 in goals scored with 31 and 30, respectively. This season, he's surpassed his career highs in goals (36) and … Continue reading ?

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No. 1 Star: Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets Atkinson registered his 1st career hat trick in his 26th NHL game, scoring once in each period as the Blue Jackets ended the Avalanche's slim playoffs hopes with a 5-2 win. Rick … Continue reading ?

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Ouch. In every sense of the word for New York Islanders forward P.A. Parenteau, who left their game in the second period on Thursday night. Ouch in the way P.A. Parenteau's left leg was pinned under Winnipeg Jets defenseman Mark … Continue reading ?

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Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Hey, remember Deron Quint? Played for the Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue … Continue reading ?

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No. 1 Star: Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes The Columbus Blue Jackets set a franchise record with 54 shots but none found their way past Smith. Stopping all 54 he faced, Smith earned his third straight shutout as the Coyotes blanked … Continue reading ?

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It's subtle, but occasionally the Vancouver Canucks and their constituents have been known to traffic in an us-against-the-world mentality when it comes to treatment by NHL officials. They're also a franchise that, once in a while, has been characterized by … Continue reading ?

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