3 players who must be better in the 2nd round

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a different beast. The games are tighter, the defense better, everybody's laying the body, and the goalies are practically unbeatable.

The field's down to eight from 16. Here are three players who must improve in order to help send their teams to the final four.

Paul Stastny

Paul Stastny was an afterthought in the St. Louis Blues' seven-game first-round win over the defending champion Chicago Blackhawks - even though he played 21:42 a game.

Now, his ice time matters, especially when Vladimir Tarasenko's playing only 17 minutes a game, and is unhappy about the fact. Tarasenko paced the Blues offensively, along with Jaden Schwartz and Robby Fabbri, while Stastny had only two assists.

Making matters worse: Stastny finished the first round with a ghastly 43.7 Corsi For rating, according to War On Ice. Not only is he a non-factor offensively, the Blues are being peppered at the defensive end when he's on the ice. (Granted, the sample size is small.)

It was a disappointing season for Stastny offensively, though, to his credit, he produced better than his first season in Missouri. But he's got to be get going, because the Dallas Stars are no pushover, and this may be his last chance at redemption.

Evgeny Kuznetsov

It's one thing to lead your team in scoring during the regular season, and another to do it in the playoffs.

After exploding for a Washington Capitals-best 77 points in his second full season, Evgeny Kuznetsov managed only a power-play goal against the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the first round, and was held pointless in Game 1 of the second round. Now, in Kuznetsov's defense, the Capitals' offense went cold as a whole in Round 1, as the Flyers almost pushed the series to seven games thanks to some puck luck and brilliant goaltending from Michal Neuvirth.

But against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the focus is going to be on Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, so Kuznetsov heating up will go a long way for Washington. And he's done it before - he had five goals in 14 postseason games last spring.

It's not that Kuznetsov is playing bad hockey - he went into Game 1 against Pittsburgh with a 59.4 Corsi For rating. The puck's just not finding the back of the net, as evidenced by his one goal on 20 shots.

In other words, the hockey gods are playing a part.

Filip Forsberg

It can't be understated how massive the Nashville Predators' first-round win over the Anaheim Ducks was. After blowing a 2-0 series lead, they rallied, backs against the wall, winning two elimination games, one of them - Game 7 - on the road.

Problem is, they're going to have to do it again, as they face another formidable California foe in the San Jose Sharks. And they're going to need a little bit more out of Filip Forsberg, who managed only a goal and two assists in the first round.

Should the Predators move on, it'll be thanks to their defense and Pekka Rinne. Nashville scored only 14 goals against the Ducks - in fact, the Predators were outscored, allowing 18 goals. But Forsberg's going to have to be more of an offensive factor if the Preds hope to get past a Sharks team stacked with scoring talent.

The Swede needs some help, too. Ryan Johansen and James Neal had three points in seven games, as well, while Mike Ribeiro tallied only one assist, and Mike Fisher only one goal. The Predators, as a club, need a bit more bite.