{coyotes} Who'll be this year's surprise NHL playoff scorer?

The tradition of the surprise offensive hero emerging in the playoffs is well-established.

Remember journeyman Chris Kontos scoring nine goals in 11 games for the Los Angeles Kings in 1988-89? How about John Druce netting 14 goals in 15 games for the Washington Capitals in 1989-90 after scoring eight regular-season goals.

Even last season, Sean Bergenheim, a 14-goal scorer playing at the time with the Tampa Bay Lightning, was surprisingly among playoff scoring leaders with nine goals in 16 games.

Although it's early in the process, here are candidates to be the biggest playoff surprise:

•Gabriel Bourque (Nashville Predators): After scoring seven goals in 45 games in the regular season, he has three goals in his first four NHL playoff games. He has a history of stepping up in the American Hockey League playoffs. In 2010-11, he had 13 points in 13 postseason games for Milwaukee after a 36-point regular season.

•Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers): The surprise here is mostly about how smart he is playing for a 19-year-old. Couturier has three goals in four games, and he hasn't looked out of place matched up against Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin. Flyers teammate Jaromir Jagr compared him to a young Ron Francis. Seems like an apt comparison.

•Brayden Schenn (Philadelphia): The rookie forward has five points in his first four games and has been buzzing around the ice like a hornet at the company picnic.

•Antoine Vermette (Phoenix Coyotes): With three goals in his first four games, Vermette, 29, has already topped his playoff career high.

•Brian Boyle (New York Rangers): An 11-goal scorer in the regular season, he has netted three goals in four games. He had no goals in five previous playoff games.

•Rostislav Klesla (Phoenix): An 11-year veteran, Klesla has never been considered a dynamic puck-moving defenseman. He had 13 points this season, and he's never had more than 22 points in a season. So how do you explain that he has four points in four playoff games this season?

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