A Running Document of Notes for All Teams as They Clinch a Berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Ten #NHLStats about the Colorado Avalanche, who are headed to the playoffs for a fifth straight season, 18th time since relocating to Colorado in 1995-96 and 27th time in franchise history. Colorado became the second team to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by earning at least one point against Pittsburgh on April 5.
1. The Avalanche have reached the playoffs in five straight seasons for the third time in franchise history, following a streak of 11 consecutive berths from 1995 to 2006 as well as a run of seven in a row from 1981 to 1987 while based in Quebec.
2. Nathan MacKinnon (28-41—69 in 50 GP) ranks among the top 10 in franchise history for career playoff goals (5th), assists (6th) and points (5th). His career postseason points-per-game rate of 1.38 is the third highest in NHL history (min. 50 GP), behind only Wayne Gretzky (1.84 P/GP) and Mario Lemieux (1.61 P/GP) – and just ahead of Mark Messier (1.25 P/GP).
3. Nathan MacKinnon has found the score sheet in 20 of 25 playoff contests since the start of the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers (17-23—40 in 25 GP), kickstarted by a 14-game point streak in “the bubble” which ended when the Avalanche fell to the Stars in Game 6 of the 2020 Second Round. That 14-game stretch is tied with Mark Messier (14 GP in 1988) and Bobby Orr (14 GP in 1970) for the second-longest point streak from the start of a playoff year in NHL history, behind an 18-game stretch by Bryan Trottier with the Islanders in 1981 (11-18—29 in 18 GP).
4. Cale Makar made his NHL debut in Game 3 of the 2019 First Round – three days after winning the Hobey Baker Award – and scored a goal on Flames goaltender Mike Smith at 16:02 of the first period. Makar remains the only defenseman to score a goal while making his League debut in the playoffs, since 1927 when the Stanley Cup was competed for solely by NHL teams. The only forwards to do so in that span are Eddie Emberg (Game 5 of 1945 SF), Les Costello (Game 5 of 1948 SF), Doug Volmar (Game 3 of 1970 QF), Rod Brind’Amour (Game 5 of 1989 DSF), Adam Mair (Game 3 of 1999 CSF) and Lauri Korpikoski (Game 5 of 2008 CSF).
5. Nazem Kadri has averaged over a point-per-game in the playoffs since joining the Avalanche (9-10—19 in 17 GP), including a League-leading six power-play goals and five game winners during the 2020 postseason. Only three players in NHL history have scored more game-winning goals in a playoff year: Brad Richards (7 in 2004), Joe Sakic (6 in 1996) and Joe Nieuwendyk (6 in 1999).
6. The Colorado roster includes two of 21 active players with at least 1,000 career regular-season games who have yet to win the Stanley Cup: Andrew Cogliano and Jack Johnson. Cogliano helped Dallas defeat Colorado in the 2020 Second Round and later appeared in all six games during the Stanley Cup Final, with the Stars falling to the Lightning.
7. The goaltending tandem of Darcy Kuemper (18 GP) and Pavel Francouz (6 GP) have a combined 24 games of playoff experience, with Kuemper logging more than half of those appearances against Colorado (4-5 in 11 GP w/ ARI & MIN). In his first season with the Avalanche, Kuemper can join Patrick Roy as the only goaltender to face the Nordiques/Avalanche in the postseason and then lead them to a series victory.
8. The only players on Colorado’s active roster with a Stanley Cup are Darren Helm (2008 DET) and Andre Burakovsky (2018 WSH). Helm can become the fourth player in League history to go 14-plus years between Cup wins – only Chris Chelios (1986 MTL & 2002 DET), Mark Recchi (1991 PIT & 2006 CAR) and Bill Guerin (1995 NJD & 2009 PIT) have done so. Burakovsky (0.71 G/GP; 10 G in 14 GP) has the third-highest goals-per-game rate when facing elimination in Stanley Cup Playoffs history (min. 10 GP), behind Maurice Richard (0.88 G/GP; 15 G in 17 GP) and Pavel Bure (0.80 G/GP; 12 G in 15 GP).
9. Artturi Lehkonen scored the overtime winner against the Golden Knights in Game 6 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Semifinals to clinch the Canadiens’ first Final berth since 1993. Fellow in-season acquisition Josh Manson will aim to reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in his career – something his father, Dave, did in 2000 after he helped the Stars eliminate the Joe Sakic-led Avalanche.
10. Joe Sakic, who captained the Avalanche to the only Stanley Cup wins in franchise history (1996 and 2001), can become the third individual in NHL history to win a championship as both a player and general manager with the same franchise. To date, only Serge Savard of the Canadiens (player: 8; GM: 2) and Milt Schmidt of the Bruins (player: 2; GM: 2) have done so. In addition, Lester Patrick won the Cup as Rangers GM three times, including in 1928 when he also tended goal for the club under emergency circumstances in Game 2 of the Final.
#NHLStats about the Florida Panthers, who are headed to the postseason for a third straight year and eighth time in franchise history. Florida became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating Buffalo on April 3.
1. The Panthers have reached the postseason in three straight campaigns for the first time in franchise history. Florida will aim for its first series victory since the 1996 Eastern Conference Final, a seven-game affair that saw the Panthers (in their third NHL season) eliminate a Penguins team that had won two of the previous five Stanley Cup championships and included Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Zubov.
2. Jonathan Huberdeau (4-12—16 in 16 GP) is the franchise leader in playoff assists, with eight of those coming in the 2021 First Round against the Lightning. He finished that series with 2-8—10 – collected across four multi-point games (Game 1, Games 3-5) – to establish Panthers benchmarks for assists and points in a single series. Huberdeau needs one point to surpass Stu Barnes and tie Dave Lowry for second place in franchise playoff history; two points will tie him with Ray Sheppard for the most by a Panthers player.
3. Aleksander Barkov (Tampere, Finland), who ranks fifth on the Panthers’ playoff points list, can become the first Finnish-born captain in NHL history to guide his team to a Stanley Cup. Nicklas Lidstrom (Vasteras, Sweden; 2008 DET), Zdeno Chara (Trencin, Slovakia; 2011 BOS) and Alex Ovechkin (Moscow, Russia; 2018 WSH) are the only non-North American players to captain a Cup winner. Barkov posted a five-game point streak in the 2021 First Round, tied for the second longest in club playoff history.
4. Joe Thornton is one of two players in League history to skate at least 1,700 career regular-season games without winning a Stanley Cup (also Patrick Marleau: 1,779 GP). To date, the two highest game-played counts before hoisting the Cup are 1,612 (Ray Bourque; 2001 COL) and 1,597 (Dave Andreychuk; 2004 TBL).
5. Claude Giroux (25-48—73 in 85 GP) owns the second-most career playoff points among members of the Panthers’ active roster, behind Joe Thornton (32-102—134 in 186 GP). They are two of 21 active players with at least 1,000 regular-season games but no Stanley Cup. Giroux is one of three different players in NHL history to record at least six points in a road playoff game (Game 2 of 2012 CQF at PIT), following Wayne Gretzky (2x) and Rick Middleton.
6. One of two Stanley Cup winners on Florida’s roster, Patric Hornqvist claimed back-to-back championships with the Penguins – first going head-to-head with Joe Thornton in the 2016 Final and then scoring the Cup-clinching goal in the 2017 Final. Selected by the Predators with the last pick of the 2005 NHL Draft, Hornqvist became the second player in NHL history to score a Cup-clinching goal against the team that drafted him (also Rick MacLeish in 1974 w/ PHI, vs. BOS).
7. Carter Verhaeghe (2020 TBL) can become the eighth player in NHL history to win at least one Stanley Cup with multiple teams based in the same U.S. state or Canadian province. Only two players have done so in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68): Greg Gilbert (1982 NYI, 1983 NYI & 1994 NYR) and Dustin Penner (2007 ANA & 2012 LAK).
8. Overall, the Panthers roster includes six players who have skated in the Stanley Cup Final (Patric Hornqvist, Noel Acciari, Joe Thornton, Claude Giroux, Ben Chiarot & Carter Verhaeghe). On the flipside, it also features one of four active players with at least 500 career regular-season games who has yet to make a playoff appearance: Sam Reinhart, an offseason acquisition now in the midst of a career-best campaign (the others: Jeff Skinner, Rasmus Ristolainen and Zemgus Girgensons; Nicolas Deslauriers can bring that list to five).
9. The Panthers will look to become the eighth team in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup after making a head coach change in-season, a feat that four of the past 13 champions have achieved (2019 STL, 2016 PIT, 2012 LAK, 2009 PIT, 2000 NJD, 1971 MTL & 1932 TOR).
10. Florida will aim to halt a run of seven consecutive postseason series defeats that dates to the 1996 Stanley Cup Final, tied with Toronto (2004 CSF to 2021 R1) for the longest active run of consecutive postseason series losses. The 26 years since Florida’s last series win marks the longest such drought by a franchise in NHL history.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Panthers’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
