NHL Playoffs: First Round MVPs

There's still a long ways to go before crowning a Stanley Cup champion and Conn Smythe winner, but here are the players who have stood as the most valuable so far in the first round:

Sergei Bobrovsky, Columbus Blue Jackets: "Bob", with the help of Seth Jones and a John Tortorella-inspired team effort to out-effort the Tampa Bay Lightning's entire offense, led the Jackets to the biggest upset in NHL history, a sweep of the team who holds the regular-season record for wins (62 in 82 games).

Nathan MacKinnon, Colorado Avalanche: Similarly, the Avs eliminated the top seed in the West in five tiny, measly games, and while Mikko Rantanen also showed poise and scored key goals, and goalie Philip Grubauer held the fort, MacKinnon was the sparkplug that ignited almost every offensive chance and every play that put the Calgary Flames in trouble.

Ben Bishop, Dallas Stars: In another upset, the Stars also eliminated a division champion, with some run support from Alex Radulov. But it was Bishop's multipe 40-save outings and better-than-the-regular-season astonishing stats (1.89 GAA and .945 save percentage with a 4-2 record in the postseason, compared to 1.98 and .934 during the regular season) that outplayed reigning Vezina winner Pekka Rinne in a hard-fought series.

Tuukka Rask, Boston Bruins: He played well. No one on the Bruins did anything unexpected. Meh.

Robin Lehner, New York Islanders: The Vezina nominee lept his compure and let the Pittsburgh Penguins shoot in his chest for an entire four-game sweep. The competition will get stiffer, but this is the stage he's been groomed for his entire career to overtake.

Justin Williams, Carolina Hurricanes: Mister Game Seven strikes again. What a tremendous leader. The Canes' captain serves as an inspiration that goes beyond what he does on the ice, yet he still shows up big when it matters the most.

Tomas Hertl, San Jose Sharks: Hertl played like a superstar all series long. He's the only Sharks forward I felt deserved to play past the first round.

Jordan Binnington, St. Louis Blues: Simply put, the rookie-from-nowhere is in a state of grace, like Cam Ward over a decade ago. Like Ward, his return to earth may very well be in the Andrew Raycroft/Jim Carey spectre, i.e. a huge drop, but for now, he's making it all look very easy.