Each week, theScore looks at the teams, players, and other hockey figures trending upward and taking a step back. This week, we're looking at some playoff surprises.
▲ Tom Wilson
Because scoring the overtime winner in Game 1 wasn't enough, the Washington Capitals pest tallied twice in a crucial Game 4 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday night.
Wilson has as many goals as Alex Ovechkin so far in these playoffs, and the Toronto-born winger has looked like an entirely different player against his hometown team.
Coming into this series, he'd never scored in 28 career playoff games, and he managed only seven goals and 19 points in 82 regular season contests.
Wilson's contributions are often of the more physical variety and he's accustomed to getting under the skin of opponents, but he's been a thorn in the Leafs' side in a most unexpected way.
▼ Boston Bruins
(Photo courtesy: Action Images)
It's not particularly surprising that the Bruins are trailing the Ottawa Senators in their first-round series, given that Boston is the lower seed.
But it is a mild shock that the Bruins are on the brink of elimination after only four postseason games, considering how much improvement they showed in the regular season after Bruce Cassidy took over the coaching reins.
All four playoff contests have been decided by a single goal, and the Bruins have lost three in a row - including Wednesday's 1-0 victory by Ottawa that gave the Senators a 3-1 series lead.
Two of those three losses came in overtime, which only further illustrates how tight the series has been and how, with a few bounces the other way, Boston could have been on the verge of eliminating Ottawa.
▲ Bobby Ryan
One of the major reasons for the Senators' success in the series has been Ryan's resurgence.
The veteran forward had one of the worst regular seasons of his career from a production standpoint, but he's been revived in the postseason.
Ryan has three goals in four first-round games and back-to-back game-winners with the lone goal Wednesday night and the overtime winner Monday in Game 3.
He's accounted for 30 percent of Ottawa's goals in the series, underscoring how critical his improved play has been for the Senators early on in these playoffs.
▼ Chicago Blackhawks
(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)
The top seed in the West is on the ropes.
Chicago came into the postseason as the best team in the conference, with home ice secured through the first three rounds, but that won't matter much if the Blackhawks can't make it past the Nashville Predators.
That's the potentially disastrous possibility they're facing now, with the Predators holding a commanding 3-0 series lead in their first-round matchup.
The Blackhawks couldn't solve Pekka Rinne at all in the first two games, and when they did it twice in Game 3 - jumping out to a 2-0 lead - they coughed it up and allowed Nashville to come from behind and win 3-2 in overtime.
A great deal of credit is due to the Predators, who've simply outplayed their Central Division rivals, but it is surprising to see the Blackhawks in danger of being swept out of the opening round.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.