NHL Playoffs 2012: 7 Most Important Players in the Canucks vs. Kings Series

In the regular season if a player has a stretch of two or three bad games, it's okay—it happens. But this is the playoffs now.

This is a whole different animal.

Two or three games could cost you everything you've worked so hard for all 82 games this year. It's a lot of pressure. But that's why GMs work so tirelessly to try and find those particular players who will bring playoff success and leadership.

The players you can count on. The players you need.

Who are these players in the Kings and Canucks' first-round clash? Realistically, I'd be making a 40-frame slideshow, because every player has to be important. But here are just a few who will really be most important to their teams.

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