No. 1 Star: Andrew Shaw, Chicago Blackhawks

Shaw got a little chat from Michal Handzus telling him that calming down would be beneficial for the Blackhawks. It worked and Shaw scored twice in Game 5 as Chicago downed the Detroit Red Wings 4-1, forcing a Game 6. His first goal snapped a 1-1 tie and came 3:31 after Danny Cleary evened things up:

No. 2 Star: Gregory Campbell, Boston Bruins

The Bruins' "Merlot Line" has stepped up for them all series and they in Game 5 they led the way during Boston's 3-1 win to eliminate the New York Rangers. Campbell scored twice, the go-ahead goal midway through the second period and then the empty-netter to seal things. Campbell, along with Shawn Thornton and Daniel Paille, combined for 10 points in the series.

No. 3 Star: Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

Toews scored his first goal of the playoffs to give the Blackhawks a 3-1 lead. Just as important, he finished with zero penalty minutes and led all Chicago forwards in time on-ice with 20:33.

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The Detroit Red Wings couldn't escape. Two times. Two penalty kills. Twice they were unable to clear the puck out of their own zone, allowing the Chicago Blackhawks to capitalize and stay alive for at least one more game. Andrew Shaw and Jonathan Toews took advantage and scored power play goals in the second period as Chicago beat Detroit 4-1, staving off elimination and forcing a Game 6 Monday night.

"We had to play desperate," said Shaw to NBC Sports Network's Pierre McGuire afterward.

Red Wings forward Justin Abdelkader cancelled out a power play opportunity after retaliating on Dave Bolland early in the second period. Detroit was able keep Chicago off the board during that 4-on-4 time, but later in the period, he was back in the box after cross-checking Patrick Kane. The Blackhawks would make him pay with their third goal of the game, coming off the stick of captain Toews:

The goal was Toews' first of the playoffs and a nice comeback from his Game 5 meltdown where he took three consecutive penalties in a 5:34 span. That was part of a bigger storyline of the Blackhawks' getting frustrated by not only the Red Wings, but by some of the calls on the ice.

"You can't change a call when it happens," Shaw said. "You have to move forward. Our PK (4-for-4 in Game 5) has been unbelievable, they've been helping up out all series. [The coaching staff] let us know if we stay out of the box we'll get more offensive chances and we created the win here."

Aside from getting the captain going, the Blackhawks were able to solve Jimmy Howard, who allowed only two goals in Detroit's three straight wins leading up to Game 5. Head coach Joel Quenneville also reunited Brent Seabrook with Duncan Keith and Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya on the blue line. Toews skated with Patricks Kane and Sharp. The moves paid off.

It was a shakeup within the Blackhawks' roster that needed to happen. It woke them up for one game. What about for Game 6?

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

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The door opened for Torey Krug thanks to injuries to the Boston Bruins' defense corps and it's going to be impossible for head coach Claude Julien to take him out of the lineup now. Krug scored his third power play goal of the series to open the scoring in for the Bruins and Gregory Campbell broke the tie 10 minutes later as Boston eliminated the New York Rangers Saturday night in five games with a 3-1 victory.

Joining Krug on the unsung heroes list for the Bruins were Shawn Thornton, Gregory Campbell and Daniel Paille, better known as the "Merlot Line" for the jersey color they wear at practice. The trio that makeup the Bruins' fourth line contributed to what ended up as the winning goal 13:41 into the second period when Rangers defenseman Roman Hamrlik had two turnovers in a matter of moments, leading to Campbell pouncing on a look puck in front of Henrik Lundqvist:

"We learned two years ago that depth comes into play," Campbell told NBC Sport Network's Brian Engblom afterward. "And the further you go into the playoffs, the better the teams are and the higher the level the teams, the more you have to rely on everybody."

Campbell would add his second of the night with an empty net tally with 51 seconds to go in the game.

Ten points from the fourth line. Four goals from a rookie defenseman. Contributions from everyone. That's why the Bruins are set to play the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference Final beginning sometime next week.

Now, after the trade deadline when both teams made moves to improve their rosters, we have the Conference Final many expected.

Follow Sean Leahy on Twitter at @Sean_Leahy

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A long, long time ago, in the halcyon days of 2010 (when the planet Jupiter was destroyed due to international tensions, according to the film, 2010, which I assume is a historical documentary), the Boston Bruins took a commanding 3-0 series lead over the Philadelphia Flyers in Round 2 of the NHL playoffs.

But then they lost Game 4. And Game 5. Game 6? Oh, you'd better believe they lost it.

And then, just when the Bruins thought they couldn't lose any more games, they remembered there was a Game 7 -- but by then it was too late, and they had lost it. With that, the Bruins became just the third team to drop a series after winning the first three games.

You probably remember this story, either because it was just three years ago or because it's been coming up a lot this week, what with Boston having taken another commanding 3-0 series lead, this time over the New York Rangers, and then losing Game 4.

Frankly, with 2010 in mind, losing this series seems even more impossible now. These collapses happen about once every 30 years. I think of it like being hit by lightning or bird poop. It's unlikely to happen a first time, let alone a second time so soon after, at that. Once you've been struck, be it by bird excrement or a massive electrical discharge from the sky, that has to be it, no? Consider yourself scratched off the universe's hit list.

But on the other hand, as unlikely as it is to happen, this one time, it happened. And now, every time the Bruins take a 3-0 series lead, they'll be haunted by the ghosts of 2010, at least in media reports, until they close this thing out.

Considering the Rangers are the ones with their backs against the wall, you'd have to think they're going to be the more motivated team in Game 5, and Game 6, if it comes to that. But the Bruins have only to look to 2010 for extra motivation, and really, they don't have to look at all, since reporters will bring 2010 to them. The longer they let the Rangers hang around in this series, the longer they'll have to hear about that unfortunate event.

The Stanley Cup is motivation enough, of course, but if they need any more, it's this: a loss in Game 5 means two extra days and perhaps more, of talking about a moment they'd rather not relive.

Want everyone to shut up about it? Win on Saturday.

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(Ed. Note: As the Stanley Cup Playoffs continue, we're bound to lose some friends along the journey. We've asked for these losers, gone but not forgotten, to be eulogized by the people who knew the teams best: The bloggers who hated them the most. Here’s Andrew Berkshire of Habs Eyes On The Prize and Mike Obrand. Again, this was not written by us. Also: This is a roast and you will be offended by it, so don't take it so seriously.)

By Andrew Berkshire and Mike Obrand

Hello and welcome as we bid adieu to the most blissfully unaware and naval-gazing organization in pro sports, the 2012-13 Ottawa Shenatorsh.

The reaction around most of the NHL when the news came out that the Sens were eliminated was a mildly confused “There’s a team in Ottawa?”

Yes, my friends, there is a team there, although Canada’s Phoenix Coyotes aren’t really located in Ottawa, they play in Kanata, which is actually quite far away from Ottawa.

When awarded an expansion NHL franchise on Dec. 6, 1990, the Senators faced an extreme uphill battle to create a fanbase in an area dominated by both Leafs and Habs fans. 20 years after their first NHL season in 1992-93, Ottawa remains a city dominated by Habs and Leafs fans. Perhaps that’s why the franchise and fanbase has such a hilarious inferiority complex.

To make matters worse for the desperately reaching fanbase, the Senators have completely failed to create a team identity outside of being generally boring to watch for their entire history. This is especially troublesome when their division has four other teams with strong identities.

The Montreal Canadiens: Small and skilled

The Boston Bruins: Big and physical

The Toronto Maple Leafs: Terrible at hockey

The Buffalo Sabres: Annoying cheap shot artists

The Senators had an opportunity to give themselves an identity early on in their history, with five straight top-three picks, which netted them the most hated player in franchise history, the most well-known bust in NHL history, another huge bust with a mullet, a player who’s best known for having his eye carved out by another Ottawa Senator, and Chris Phillips.

Not exactly a glorious start to a franchise, and probably why one of the most notable players in the team’s history is Chris Neil.

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Throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs, we’ll be spotlighting unsung heroes around the postseason on a weekly basis.

He plays about eight minutes a night, yet his impact is more palpable than players with twice his ice time. He’s the most physically intimidating player on the Boston Bruins not named Zdeno Chara. Once in a while, he even gets offensive.

He’s Shawn Thornton, and together with Daniel Paille and Gregory Campbell he’s playing on the most underrated line in the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. They skate hard, hit harder and possess the puck in the offensive zone better than some of their opponents’ top lines do.

They’re the “Merlot Line”, because of “the cranberry Bruins jerseys they don in practice,” according to Joe Haggerty.

Both Paille and Campbell have been seen as something more than fourth liners in their careers, but Thornton’s had to work hard to break the stigma that he’s just a brawler who barely warrants a roster spot.

“He’s not a high-end skill player,” Coach Claude Julien told the Boston Globe. “But he still has enough skill so you can use him and play him. That’s the thing that, as a coach, I’ve always liked of our enforcer. He’s one of those guys who can settle things down when things get out of hand, but he’s able to play. I don’t like having a guy sit on the bench playing 2-3 minutes and just utilizing him in those [fighting] situations. Thorny’s fit the bill extremely well.”

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No. 1 Star: James Neal, Pittsburgh Penguins

It was epic Neal time in Pittsburgh as the winger scored thrice in the Penguins' 6-2 rout of the Senators, leading his club into the third round of the 2013 postseason. Enjoy this clip of all three goals, unless you're a Senators fan, in which case, maybe just skip ahead:

No. 2 Star: Kris Letang, Pittsburgh Penguins

Letang was all over the ice, setting up the Penguins' second goal from behind the net, scoring the eventual game-winner, and adding another assist on Neal's hat trick goal. With three points on the night, Letang finished the series with 10 points. He's a defenceman.

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