In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there can only be one winner. This means some players who gave every ounce of what they had will fall just shy of winning it all. This postseason, it could be Pittsburgh’s rookie Jake Guentzel who has tallied 13 goals in these playoffs – one short of the rookie record – or his teammate Evgeni Malkin who leads the league in points with 26, it could also be Nashville goaltender Pekka Rinne who has posted an incredible 1.88 Goals Against Average. With that in mind, let’s take a look at previous players of the 2000s that have come up short despite their gargantuan efforts.

2003 – Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

Total Playoff Stats: 21 Starts, 15-6 Record, 1.62 Goals Against Average, .945 Save %, 5 Shutouts

In The Final: 7 Starts, 3-4 Record, 2.57 Goals Against Average, .910 Save %

Stanley Cup Outcome: Lost to New Jersey Devils in 7 Games

Mighty Ducks’ netminder Jean-Sebastien Giguere had, perhaps, the best performance by a goaltender ever during the 2003 NHL Playoffs, but his tremendous postseason efforts fell just short of bringing home the ultimate prize. The 25-year-old Giguere posted a 1.62 Goals Against Average (GAA) and .945 save percentage while shutting out the opposition five times, earning himself the title of a big game performer.

Incredibly, Giguere participated in seven overtime games during the 2003 playoffs, including three multiple-overtime games. Even more unbelievably, he won all seven of them, the longest being a five-overtime marathon in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal against the Detroit Red Wings, where he made 60 saves on 63 shots.

While Giguere’s performance in the Cup Final wasn’t up to par with what he had done in the previous three series, his amazing playoff run was not forgotten, as he took home the Conn Smythe Memorial Trophy for Playoff MVP, despite his team’s failure to obtain the ultimate prize.

2007 – Daniel Alfredsson, Ottawa Senators

Total Playoff Stats: 20 Games Played, 14 Goals (4 Game-Winners), 8 Assists

In The Final: 5 Games Played, 4 Goals, 1 Assist

Stanley Cup Outcome: Lost to the Anaheim Ducks in 5 Games

The Senators’ captain was the driving force behind Ottawa making their first Stanley Cup appearance in team history. Alfredsson led the league in goals with 14 and tied teammates Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza in points with 22 over the course of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The most memorable of his 14 goals came in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final. The goal was an overtime-winner against Buffalo and sent the Senators to the Stanley Cup Final. His overtime-winner against the Sabres was just one of his four game-winning goals in the playoffs, also good for the league lead.

While his team was only able to take one game in their Stanley Cup Final matchup with the Anaheim Ducks, the 34-year old veteran was easily the Senator’s best player in the series, as he had a point in four games and tallied a goal in three games, including netting both Senators goals in a 6-2 season-ending loss in Game 5.

2008 – Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins

Total Playoff Stats: 20 Games Played, 6 Goals (One Game-Winner), 21 Assists

In The Final: 6 Games Played, 2 Goals, 4 Assists

Stanley Cup Outcome: Lost to the Detroit Red Wings in 6 Games

The league’s top player showed just how dominant he could be during his first deep run in the playoffs. The 20-year old Crosby posted 6 goals and 21 assists in the 2008 playoffs, which tied Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg for the league lead in the playoffs.

His outstanding playmaking ability was most visible in Game 2 of the Penguins first round series with the Ottawa Senators, as he tallied four assists in a 5-3 Pittsburgh victory.

After being shutout in Games 1 and 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, it was Crosby who finally solved Red Wings’ goaltender Chris Osgood in Game 3; he tallied two goals in a 3-2 Pittsburgh win that cut Detroit’s series lead to 2-1. While the two goals in Game 3 were his only two goals in the Stanley Cup Final, Crosby still made his presence felt as he notched assists in the last three games of the series, before the Red Wings came out on top.

2010 – Daniel Briere, Philadelphia Flyers

Total Playoff Stats: 23 Games Played, 12 Goals (4 Game-Winners), 18 Assists

In The Final: 6 Games Played, 3 Goals, 9 Assists

Stanley Cup Outcome: Lost to Chicago Blackhawks in 6 Games

Perhaps the best playoff performance of this millennium, Daniel Briere had an unbelievable postseason as the Flyers made a surprise run to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010. The small-statured Briere came up huge, as he led all players in points with a whopping 30 – 12 goals and 18 assists – and in game-winning goals with four.

Briere’s best game came in a 6-5 losing effort in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final as he registered a goal and three assists. This performance was just one of his eleven multi-point games in the 2010 playoffs.

While Briere was outstanding all postseason, he turned his game up another notch when the Flyers reached the Final. Briere’s four-point game in Game 1 was just the beginning of one of the greatest Final performances in a losing effort, as Briere tallied 12 points – three goals and nine assists – in six games against the Blackhawks.

2016 – Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks

Total Playoff Stats: 24 Games Played, 10 Goals (2 Game-Winners), 20 Assists

In The Final: 6 Games, 2 Goals, 4 Assists

Stanley Cup Outcome: Lost to Pittsburgh Penguins in 6 Games

Due in part to missing 30 games with a broken fibula and arterial bleed, Logan Couture was held to just 36 points during the regular season. In the postseason, however, Couture made up for lost time; he nearly matched his regular season totals, as he posted 30 points during the Sharks’ run to the Final.

Couture was at his best in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, with the Sharks on the brink of elimination. Couture carried the Sharks to victory with a goal and two assists in the game, staving off elimination. He also posted three-point performances in the series-clinching Game 5 of San Jose’s first round series with the Kings, and again in Game 7 of the quarterfinal against Nashville.

In the Final, Couture led all skaters with 6 points – two goals and four assists – in six games against Pittsburgh.

Dean Snock is a writer and the Hershey Bears reporter for Good Night, Good Hockey. You can follow him on Twitter @Dsnock97.

Dean is a lifelong Philadelphia sports fan (note the Carson Wentz photoshop) and an aspiring sportswriter. He is a student at Millersville University where he is studying sports journalism. The primary way of contacting Dean is at this email: dsnock@gnghockey.com.