Andrei Svechnikov's elite clutch gene
By all accounts, this was a rough season for Andrei Svechnikov. He struggled to score during the final two-and-a-half months, barely climbing to 20 goals by the end of the campaign. In the first round, Svechnikov came to life, leading the way with five goals. His hot postseason continued during the second round.
Once again, Svechnikov led all skaters with three goals in the series. While that seems like a small number, it's important to remember that goals were at a premium. It's less about how many goals he scored and more about how important those goals were. You could argue he scored two of the most important goals of the series.
He first made his presence felt in Game 3. Washington controlled most of the start, but Svechnikov dove into the play off the draw and snapped one home to break the tie, leading to their 4-0 victory at home. Then, in Game 5, Svechnikov broke another tie, scoring the series-deciding goal with under two minutes left. He has been elite during these playoffs, sitting second in the NHL in goals with 8.