NASHVILLE — And the Conn Smythe Trophy goes to …
Heading into the Stanley Cup final, most expected to hear Pekka Rinne’s name after that sentence. But with two game-winners in the first two games of the series, Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Jake Guentzel has bumped the Nashville Predators goalie from the top spot.
Unless you would rather vote for the scoring leader, Evgeni Malkin, or Sidney Crosby or — if you really want to get creative — Matt Murray AND Marc-Andre Fleury.
Then again, these things can change in a hurry. With the series potentially half over, here are seven players who could be crowned playoff MVP:
JAKE GUENTZEL
It’s hard to fathom now, but after failing to score in the Eastern Conference final, there was talk whether the Penguins would make Guentzel, who leads the playoffs with 12 goals, a healthy scratch for Game 1 of the Cup final.