NHL Playoffs: 5 sleeper players to watch

Look for these five unexpected heroes to emerge in the NHL Playoffs, which begin on Wednesday.

With one of the most entertaining and unpredictable postseasons in sports set to get underway, hockey fans can expect plenty of surprises in the coming weeks.

The NHL playoffs, which begin on Wednesday, promise to be as exciting as ever following a wild regular season. Following the shock of no Canadian teams qualifying for the postseason, top regular season teams like the Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars are primed for deep playoff runs. Standing in their way are usual contenders such as the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings, who remain as dangerous as ever.

Like with any postseason, stars will take center stage in the 2016 NHL playoffs. Alex Ovechkin and Henrik Lundqvist will hope to get their respective teams over the hump, while Sidney Crosby has the Pittsburgh Penguins looking like a top title contender.

However, it takes more than star power to survive four seven-game series and win the Stanley Cup. Unexpected heroes emerge on every successful playoff team, as players are often forced to step up due to the sheer number of injuries on most rosters at this point of the year. Tyler Johnson of the Tampa Bay Lightning stands out as a recent example, as his 13-goal effort in the 2015 playoffs helped his team get all the way to the finals.

These five sleeper players are worth keeping an eye on and could emerge as difference-makers in a closely contested series.

Next: Justin Williams, RW, Washington Capitals