A Running Document of Notes for All Teams as They Clinch a Berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
#NHLStats about the Edmonton Oilers, who are headed to the postseason for a third consecutive campaign – a first since a stretch of five straight from 1997 to 2001 – and for the 24th time in franchise history.
1. Edmonton, which holds the highest playoff game winning percentage in NHL history (.588) and the League’s second-highest series winning percentage (.660), has captured the Stanley Cup five times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 & 1990). The Oilers’ five championships are tied with the Penguins (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016 & 2017) for the most among non-Original Six franchises.
2. Connor McDavid can become the fifth player in NHL history to win his first Stanley Cup after posting five or more 100-point seasons – Mario Lemieux (6x; 1991 PIT), Steve Yzerman (6x; 1997 DET), Wayne Gretzky (5x; 1984 EDM) and Denis Savard (5x; 1993 MTL) are the only players to have done so to date. McDavid can also become the 10th player with at least one Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy and Stanley Cup before age 26 – he would join Gretzky, Lemieux, Gordie Howe, Guy Lafleur, Bobby Orr, Bryan Trottier, Jean Beliveau, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby.
3. Leon Draisaitl can become the first player in 21 years to win the Stanley Cup after reaching the 50-goal mark during the regular season, with Joe Sakic (2001 COL) being the last to do so. Draisaitl can also become the sixth different player in franchise history with 60-plus goals in a season including playoffs, following Wayne Gretzky (7x; last: 1986-87), Jari Kurri (4x; last: 1986-87), Glenn Anderson (2x; last: 1985-86), Mark Messier (1982-83) and Craig Simpson (1987-88). Of note, Simpson had 13 of his 69 combined goals that season with Pittsburgh.
4. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can become the second duo in NHL history – and first in more than 50 years – to each win both the Art Ross Trophy and Hart Memorial Trophy as teammates before claiming their first Stanley Cup together. Only Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito have done so, hoisting the Cup with Boston in 1970 just two days after Orr was presented with the Hart Trophy, adding to the Art Ross he had already won for 1969-70, and following in the footsteps of Esposito who claimed both honors for the first time the previous season.
5. Duncan Keith (2010 CHI, 2013 CHI, 2015 CHI) was a core member of Chicago’s three Stanley Cup wins over a six-season span, claiming the Conn Smythe Trophy after the third title. In 2015, Keith led defensemen in playoff scoring and capped his run by netting the Stanley Cup-clinching goal on home ice – the second blueliner in League history to net the championship-sealing goal and leave with the Conn Smythe Trophy (Bobby Orr: 1970 and 1972). Keith (18-68—86 in 135 GP), who sits four points shy of 90 in his playoff career, can become the first blueliner to win the Cup four times since Nicklas Lidstrom (1997 DET, 1998 DET, 2002 DET, 2008 DET).
6. Derick Brassard has 21 career points when his team faces elimination in the playoffs (7-14—21 in 24 GP), third among active players behind Patrick Kane (7-18—25 in 21 GP) and Alex Ovechkin (13-11—24 in 27 GP). Brassard is one of nine different players in NHL history to play for 10 or more different franchises and can become the fourth member of that cohort to win a Stanley Cup (J.J. Daigneault: 1993 MTL; Mathieu Schneider: 1993 MTL; and Jim Dowd: 1995 NJD).
7. Four members of the Oilers roster have skated in the Stanley Cup Final, Duncan Keith (18 GP w/ CHI) and Derick Brassard (5 GP w/ NYR) among a quartet that includes Brett Kulak (2 GP w/ MTL) and Josh Archibald (1 GP w/ PIT). Only two Oilers players – Keith (3x) and Archibald (2017 PIT) – have won the Stanley Cup, tied for the fewest champions among playoff-bound teams.
8. Mike Smith has a .931 save percentage through 29 career playoff appearances, which ranks second among goaltenders to debut since 1955-56 (min. 15 GP), behind Tim Thomas. Smith, 40, can become the third goaltender in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup at age 40 or older – only Dominik Hasek (2008 DET; 43 years, 127 days) and Johnny Bower (1967 TOR; 42 years, 175 days) have done so. Of note, 44-year-old coach Lester Patrick famously tended the Rangers’ goal in Game 2 of the 1928 Final before New York later clinched the Cup.
9. Ken Holland (1998 DET, 2002 DET, 2008 DET) hoisted the Stanley Cup three times as general manager of the Red Wings and was assistant GM when the club won in 1997. He can become the ninth individual in League history with four Cups as an NHL general manager – he would join Sam Pollock (9), Jack Adams (7), Tommy Gorman (7), Conn Smythe (7), Frank Selke Sr. (6), Glen Sather (5), Punch Imlach (4) and Bill Torrey (4).
10. Jay Woodcroft, who officially joined the Oilers on Feb. 10, can become the second head coach in the past 100 years to win a Stanley Cup with fewer than 40 career regular-season games behind an NHL bench. He would join Dan Bylsma, who guided the Penguins to a championship in 2009 with just 25 career games to his credit. Overall, seven teams have won on the heels of an in-season coaching change (last: STL in 2018-19).
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#NHLStats about the Washington Capitals, who are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the eighth consecutive season and 32nd time in franchise history. Washington became the eighth and final Eastern Conference team (and 12th club overall) to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of Toronto defeating NY Islanders in regulation on April 17.
1. The Capitals’ run of eight consecutive playoff appearances – the second-longest in franchise history behind a stretch of 14 straight from 1983 to 1996 – includes a Stanley Cup win in 2018 and is the second-longest active stretch behind the rival Penguins (16, including 2022).
2. Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, who between them own the Capitals records for career playoff goals, assists, points and games played, are expected to extend their shared franchise benchmark for most years in the postseason to 14. They are two of 14 active players with at least 100 career playoff points, and one of five sets of current teammates on that list (also Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, PIT; Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, CHI; Nikita Kucherov and Corey Perry, TBL; Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, BOS).
3. Alex Ovechkin has 71 career playoff goals (141 GP) – the most among active players and one back of tying Esa Tikkanen (72 in 186 GP) and Patrick Marleau (72 in 195 GP) for 14th place in NHL history. Ovechkin also ranks tied for ninth place in the Stanley Cup Playoffs record books with 27 power-play goals, trailing only Evgeni Malkin (28) among active players.
4. Currently challenging for the most goals in a season by a player age 36 or older, Alex Ovechkin will try to follow that up with a strong playoff performance – the most goals in one playoff year by a player in that age range is 13, achieved by Joe Pavelski in 2020 at age 36. Among the five other players in NHL history who scored 40+ goals in a season at age 36 or older, four reached the playoffs that year: Teemu Selanne (5 G in 2007 SCP), Brendan Shanahan (1 G in 2006 SCP), Phil Esposito (8 G in 1979 SCP) and Johnny Bucyk (0 G in 1973 SCP); Gordie Howe did not make the postseason after notching 44 goals at age 40 in 1968-69.
5. Nicklas Backstrom has notched 24 of his franchise-record 72 career playoff assists on goals by Alex Ovechkin. That ranks as the most assists on a teammate’s playoff goals among active players and the eighth-highest such count in Stanley Cup Playoffs history – the tandem of Jari Kurri (scorer) and Wayne Gretzky (65 assists) sit atop the list, while Bryan Trottier (scorer) and Mike Bossy (27 assists) rank seventh.
6. John Carlson (117 GP) is set to skate in his 12th postseason with the Capitals, which would place him ahead of Calle Johansson (11) for the most years in the playoffs in franchise history among defensemen. Carlson (18-50—68 in 117 GP) ranks fifth among active defensemen with 68 career playoff points.
7. In his second season behind the Capitals bench, Peter Laviolette will aim to add a second Stanley Cup to his resume after winning with Carolina in 2006 and reaching the Final with Philadelphia (2010) and Nashville (2017). Ranking 15th in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with 76 career victories (third among active head coaches), Laviolette enters the postseason for the 13th time in his career and can become the second head coach in League history to reach the championship series with at least four franchises (Scotty Bowman: STL, MTL, PIT & DET). He will tie Pat Burns for 12th place in Stanley Cup Playoffs history for games coached when the Capitals hit the ice in their opener.
8. Washington’s roster includes 13 Stanley Cup champions including nine who won with them in 2018: Nicklas Backstrom, John Carlson, Lars Eller, Michal Kempny, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Dmitry Orlov, T.J. Oshie, Alex Ovechkin and Tom Wilson.
9. Carl Hagelin, Justin Schultz and Conor Sheary all won the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, while Trevor van Riemsdyk was with Chicago for their 2015 win. Hagelin, Schultz and Sheary can become the first set of teammates since 1994 to claim multiple Stanley Cup wins together with one club and then win again as a group with another team (various sets of teammates did so with the Rangers after winning more than once together with the Oilers).
10. Carl Hagelin has an 8-2 record in career Game 7s, tied with four others for the most such wins by a skater, goaltender or head coach in NHL history (Brad Richards: 8-0; Justin Williams: 8-1; Ray Bourque: 8-1; and Glenn Anderson: 8-4).
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Capitals’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the Minnesota Wild, who are headed to the postseason for a third consecutive season, the ninth time in the past 10 campaigns and 12th time in franchise history. Minnesota, who needed only one point to lock up a spot, became the 11th team to clinch a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with their win against San Jose on April 17.
1. The Wild (2000-01) will look to become the first expansion franchise from either the NHL, NBA, NFL or MLB to play its inaugural season in the 2000s or later and win a championship. Only two clubs that have entered the NHL since the start of the 1990s have won a Stanley Cup: the Lightning (2004, 2020 & 2021) and Ducks (2007).
2. After leading the Wild in goals and points en route to the postseason as a rookie in 2021, Kirill Kaprizov will vie for his first Stanley Cup Playoffs series win after setting franchise records in 2021-22. To date, only eight Wild players have skated in the postseason in each of their first two or more NHL campaigns – with teammate Jonas Brodin (6 from 2012-13 to 2017-18) tied for the longest such stretch for the club.
3. Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin each have played in 55 career playoff games, all with the Wild – trailing only longtime captain Mikko Koivu (59 GP) on the franchise list. Spurgeon, in his second season as captain, and Brodin are set to tie Koivu for the most years in the postseason for Minnesota (9). Only Marc-Andre Fleury (162 GP) and Mats Zuccarello (84 GP) have more games of playoff experience on the Wild roster.
4. Entering the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, 14 active players have made each of their first nine or more career postseason trips with their current franchise; Jared Spurgeon and Jonas Brodin are poised to join the list.
5. Marc-Andre Fleury, whose 15 consecutive years in the playoffs are already the most among goaltenders in NHL history, can become the 13th player of any position to make at least 16 straight appearances – a benchmark last reached a dozen years ago by Kris Draper. The last before Draper was Nicklas Lidstrom, who hit 16 straight seasons in 2007-08 and stretched that run to a record-tying 20 straight trips in 2011-12. Fleury, who sits two victories shy of tying Grant Fuhr for third place in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, can become the fifth goaltender to make at least 16 postseason appearances at any point in his career.
6. Wild general manager Bill Guerin acquired Marc-Andre Fleury ahead of the trade deadline and Alex Goligoski during the offseason, reuniting with his former Penguins teammates. Guerin played alongside each of those players in Pittsburgh, winning a Cup with them in 2009 when he collected 7-8—15 during the postseason (24 GP). Fleury and Goligoski are the only Stanley Cup winners on Minnesota’s roster.
7. The Wild could become the first team to acquire a goaltender on deadline day and have that netminder earn the Stanley Cup-clinching victory later that season. Only three champions in that time frame have even acquired a goaltender on deadline day: the 1981 Islanders (Jari Kaarela), 1988 Oilers (Bill Ranford; won Cup) and 2011 Bruins (Anton Khudobin).
8. While Alex Goligoski has his name on the Stanley Cup, he has yet to touch the ice in the Final (playing only two playoff games during Pittsburgh’s run in 2009). The only Wild players who have had a taste of the championship series are Marc-Andre Fleury (18 GP), Frederick Gaudreau (6 GP), Mats Zuccarello (5 GP) and Jon Merrill (3 GP) – the only clubs either headed to the postseason or still in contention with fewer players with Final experience are Toronto (3) and Winnipeg (3).
9. Matt Boldy, who ranks among the top three in franchise history for points in a season by a rookie, can become the eighth Wild rookie to score a goal in the postseason. Only Erik Haula (4), Matt Dumba (2), Kirill Kaprizov (2) and Nico Sturm (2) have tallied multiple playoff goals as a rookie for Minnesota.
10. The Wild head to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the ninth time since 2012-13, trailing only the Penguins (10, including 2022) for the most in that span. St. Louis also has nine in that span (including 2022), while Washington is on the verge of its ninth in that time frame.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Wild’s clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the Calgary Flames, who are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the third time in four seasons and 31st time in franchise history. Calgary became the 10th team clinch a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs thanks to a regulation win by Edmonton on April 16.
1. The Flames return to the playoffs after defeating the Jets in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers and later falling to the eventual Western Conference champion Stars in the First Round. A total of 10 players who dressed for Calgary during the 2020 postseason remain with the team.
2. Calgary will now look for its first best-of-seven series win since 2015 (R1 vs. VAN) – its lone such victory since reaching Game 7 of the 2004 Stanley Cup Final. Only three current Flames played for the team during the 2015 postseason: Mikael Backlund, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan.
3. After breaking the 100-point mark for the first time in his career, Johnny Gaudreau will lead Calgary into the First Round – the first time since 1993 that the club will play a playoff series after having a 100-point scorer. In 1993, the Theo Fleury-led Flames hosted the Kings, captained by Wayne Gretzky, for Games 1, 2 and 5 in an eventual six-game defeat. The teams combined for 22 goals through two contests in Calgary and for 61 goals in the series – the third-most in history for a six-game series. One team scored at least nine goals in three of the six games – the only series in League history in which that occurred.
4. After leading the Flames to the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, Darryl Sutter has since claimed a pair of Stanley Cup wins as head coach of the Kings (2012 & 2014). Los Angeles’ roster during each of those Cup runs featured Trevor Lewis, who scored two goals in the clinching Game 6 of the 2012 Final. Suttercan become the 12th head coach in NHL history with three or more Stanley Cup wins and the first to guide a franchise to the championship series at least 18 years apart – the longest gap to date is 16 years (Art Ross with BOS in 1927 and 1943).
5. Tyler Toffoli won a Stanley Cup alongside Darryl Sutter and Trevor Lewis in 2014, tallying 14 points as a rookie that postseason (7-7—14 in 26 GP), including 2-2—4 in the Kings’ three Game 7 wins. Toffoli also played for Montreal in all five contests during the 2021 Final and now aims to become the second active player to skate in the championship series for at least three different clubs – he would join his 2020-21 teammate Corey Perry (ANA, DAL & MTL).
6. Overall, the Flames’ roster features four Stanley Cup champions, the others being Blake Coleman (2020 TBL & 2021 TBL) and Milan Lucic (2011 BOS). Coleman will aim to become the fifth player in NHL history to claim three straight Stanley Cup titles while winning with multiple clubs – a feat he watched former teammate Pat Maroon accomplish last year.
7. Milan Lucic won the Stanley Cup in 2011 when he helped the Bruins defeat the Canucks (and current teammate Christopher Tanev). Lucic, who also reached the championship series with Boston in 2013, has six career goals in the Final (6-3—9 in 13 GP) – trailing only Evgeni Malkin (8 G in 25 GP), Patrice Bergeron (7 G in 20 GP), Brad Marchand (7 G in 20 GP) and Patrick Kane (7 G in 18 GP) for the most among active players.
8. Jacob Markstrom went 8-6 in 14 appearances with the Canucks during the 2020 postseason (2.85 GAA, .919 SV%, 1 SO), including five straight wins from Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Qualifiers to Game 2 of the First Round. Markstrom is the most recent NHL goaltender to earn a series-clinching win against a defending champion – he made 34 saves in Game 6 of the 2020 First Round as Vancouver vanquished St. Louis.
9. The Flames are seeking home-ice advantage, something they have had twice since the 2006 Conference Quarterfinals (vs. ANA; 4-3 L) – Calgary hosted Game 1 in the 2019 First Round (vs. COL; 4-1 L) and also were the home team for Game 1 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers (vs. WPG; 3-1 W), played in Edmonton. They hold an 11-13 all-time series record as the higher seed, though they have lost each of their last seven best-of-seven series under those circumstances dating to the 1990 Division Semifinals (vs. LAK). Their last best-of-seven series won by Calgary as the higher seed was in 1989 when they defeated the Canadiens in the Final to win their first Stanley Cup (after winning the Presidents’ Trophy).
10. Calgary’s victory in the 1989 Stanley Cup Final represents one of four instances in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) that the championship team had zero previous winners (also 1974 PHI, 1980 NYI & 2019 STL), and also one of eighth times the Presidents’ Trophy winner has gone on to hoist the Cup. The Flames’ clinching win that year came after Lanny McDonald put the Flames ahead 2-1 in Game 6, capping his 1,111-game NHL career with a championship and making Calgary the only visiting team ever to win the Cup at the storied Montreal Forum.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Flames’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the St. Louis Blues, who are headed to the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season, 10th time in the past 11 seasons and 45th time in franchise history. St. Louis became the ninth team to clinch a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with their win against Minnesota on April 16.
1. The Blues’ 45 all-time playoff appearances are the most among non-Original Six clubs (ahead of PHI: 40) and second-most among all clubs since 1967-68, behind the Bruins (47, including 2022). St. Louis made 25 of its 45 appearances from 1980 to 2004, tied for the third-longest stretch of consecutive playoff appearances in NHL history.
2. Ten members of the Blues’ Stanley Cup-winning team remain with the club: Ivan Barbashev, Jordan Binnington, Robert Bortuzzo, Tyler Bozak, Ryan O’Reilly, Colton Parayko, David Perron, Brayden Schenn, Vladimir Tarasenko and Robert Thomas. Their roster features 12 Stanley Cup winners overall – also Nick Leddy (2013 CHI) and Brandon Saad (2013 CHI & 2015 CHI) – the third most among all clubs behind Tampa Bay (17) and Washington (13).
3. Vladimir Tarasenko has 35 career playoff goals (78 GP), tied with Bernie Federko (91 GP) for second place in franchise history behind Brett Hull (67 in 102 GP). With 12 career power-play goals in the postseason, Tarasenko is one back of matching Federko (13) for the second most in Blues history, also behind Hull (27).
4. Ryan O’Reilly holds the franchise record for points in a playoff year, accumulating 8-15—23 during the club’s Stanley Cup run in 2019 (26 GP). O’Reilly’s performance earned him the Conn Smythe Trophy, a first for a skater playing in his first season with a team – goaltenders Glenn Hall (1968 w/ STL) and Bernie Parent (1974 w/ PHI) also did so.
5. During the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, Ryan O’Reilly collected 5-4—9 in seven games – a point total exceeded in the championship series by only seven players in the past 48 years: Daniel Briere (12 in 2010), Brian Leetch (11 in 1994), Larry Murphy (10 in 1991), Mario Lemieux (12 in 1991), Wayne Gretzky (11 in 1988, 1987 and 1985) and Paul Coffey (11 in 1985) and Mike Bossy (11 in 1980). O’Reilly also posted a four-game goal streak in the 2019 Final, the longest by any player in that series since Gretzky in 1985 (4 GP w/ EDM).
6. Jordan Binnington,who in 2019 became the first rookie goaltender in NHL history to earn each of his team’s 16 wins en route to capturing a Stanley Cup, needs one victory to match Greg Millen and Mike Liut (both w/ 17) for the most career playoff wins in Blues history. Ville Husso, who has claimed the lion’s share of St. Louis’ wins this season, will aim to become the fifth goaltender to win his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut with the franchise – something Binnington achieved in 2019 (also Ed Staniowski, Roman Turek and Curtis Joseph).
7. David Perron enters the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 92 games of postseason experience, second on the club behind Nick Leddy (121 GP). Perron has recorded 48 career playoff points (15-33—48) – including 13-22—35 in a Blues uniform – which ranks fourth on the club behind Torey Krug (11-43—54 in 79 GP), Vladimir Tarasenko (35-16—51 in 78 GP) and Brandon Saad (25-25—50 in 91 GP).
8. Carrying a balanced offense into the postseason, the Blues will enter with at least seven 20-goal scorers. They will look to become the first club since the 1993-94 Rangers to win the Stanley Cup after having as many players hit the 20-goal mark with the team during the regular season. New York had eight players that season, including captain Mark Messier.
9. The Blues head to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 10th time since 2011-12, trailing only the Penguins (11, including 2022) for the most in that span (WSH is on the verge of clinching its 10th appearance in that time frame).
10. The Blues were swept in their last playoff series (2021 R1 vs. COL), marking the ninth time they lost 4-0 in a best-of-seven series. After the previous eight instances, they rebounded by winning their next series after three of the previous eight instances: 2012 Conference Quarterfinals (vs. SJS; after 2009 sweep), 1970 Quarterfinals (vs. MNS; after 1969 sweep) and 1969 Quarterfinals (vs. PHI; after 1968 sweep).
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Blues’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the Boston Bruins, who are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the sixth consecutive season, the 13th time in 15 years and 75th time in franchise history (second all-time behind Montreal, 85). Boston, who needed only one point to lock up a spot, became the eighth team to clinch a berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs with their win against Pittsburgh on April 16.
1. The Bruins are no strangers to putting together strings of postseason appearances – they qualified for an NHL-record 29 consecutive seasons from 1967-68 to 1995-96, clinched nine straight berths from 1934-35 to 1942-43 and more recently made seven consecutive trips from 2007-08 to 2013-14, with the latter including a Stanley Cup win in 2011.
2. The trio of Patrice Bergeron (23-31—54 in 65 GP), Brad Marchand (29-39—68 in 66 GP) and David Pastrnak (27-41—68 in 63 GP) have combined for 190 playoff points since the latter made his postseason debut in 2017, the fifth-most among any trio of teammates over that span.
3. Patrice Bergeron (46-74—120 in 160 GP) sits four points shy of tying David Krejci (42-82—124 in 156 GP) for second place on Boston’s all-time playoff points list. Bergeron is also 20 contests shy of matching Ray Bourque (180 GP) for the most postseason games played in franchise history.
4. David Pastrnak (27-41—68 in 63 GP) is averaging 1.08 points-per-game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, one of nine players scoring at that rate or better since his postseason debut in 2017. Set to celebrate his 26th birthday May 25, Pastrnak is within reach of becoming the fifth active player to score 30 career postseason goals at age 25 or younger – entering 2022, only Sidney Crosby (40-65—105 in 82 GP), Patrick Kane (37-54—91 in 93 GP), Brayden Point (36-37—73 in 67 GP) and Evgeni Malkin (32-49—81 in 68 GP) have done so.
5. Brad Marchand has nine career game-winning goals during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, including two in 2021, which places him tied for third in franchise history behind Cam Neely (11) and Patrice Bergeron (10). The active leader in career shorthanded goals during the regular season, Marchand has only one such tally during the postseason (Game 3 of 2011 SCF).
6. This will mark the first time since 2004 that Boston enters a postseason without either Tim Thomas or Tuukka Rask as its starting goaltender. The two netminders combined for 86 of the Bruins’ 90 playoff wins from 2008 to 2021 as the club claimed the second-most postseason victories in the NHL over that span.
7. Jeremy Swayman can become the fifth rookie in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to start the opening game of the postseason for Boston – only Tuukka Rask (2010 CQF), Andrew Raycroft (2004 CQF), Blaine Lacher (1995 CQF) and Mike Moffat (1982 DSF) have done so in that span. Overall, only eight different rookie goaltenders have registered a playoff win for the Bruins, with Frank Brimsek setting the single-postseason franchise rookie record in 1939 when he claimed eight wins to back the club to its second Stanley Cup.
8. Boston’s roster includes one of the NHL’s 21 active players with at least 1,000 regular-season games but no Stanley Cup, with Nick Foligno in search of his first championship after stops in Ottawa, Columbus and Toronto.
9. Bruce Cassidy owns a career playoff record of 35-37 in 72 games, including a 33-33 mark as head coach of the Bruins (66 GC). He can become the seventh active head coach to earn 40 postseason victories in 80 or fewer games – Mike Sullivan (63 GC), Lindy Ruff (65 GC), Peter DeBoer (71 GC), Peter Laviolette (73 GC), Jon Cooper (74 GC) and Bruce Boudreau (77 GC) all did so.
10. The Bruins have competed in a Game 7 on 28 occasions (15-13) – the most appearances in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. Boston, tied with Montreal for the most Game 7 wins among all teams, has recorded more victories than 20 active franchises have appearances in seventh-and-deciding games.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Bruins’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning, who are headed to the postseason for a fifth straight year and 14th time in franchise history. Tampa Bay clinched a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by virtue of Pittsburgh defeating the NY Islanders in regulation April 14.
1. Extending their stretch of playoff appearances to a franchise-record five seasons, the Lightning will aim to become the fourth franchise in NHL history – and first in nearly 40 years – to claim at least three consecutive Stanley Cup wins. The last club to do so was the Islanders dynasty (4x: 1980-1983), and before them the Canadiens (5x: 1956-1960; 4x: 1976-1979) and Maple Leafs (3x: 1947-1949; 3x: 1962-1964) each did so twice.
2. Tampa Bay enters 2022 with eight consecutive series victories dating to the 2020 First Round. If the Lightning reach the Conference Finals, they will become the third franchise in NHL history (fourth instance) to win 10 or more consecutive playoff series – the Islanders set an NHL record by winning 19 consecutive series from 1980 to 1984, dethroning the Canadiens who had two double-digit series win streaks (13: 1976-80; 10: 1956-60). Only seven teams in NHL history have won at least nine consecutive best-of-seven series, with the record standing at 14 (NYI: 1980-1984) and only one team doing so over the past 22 years (PIT: 9: 2016-2018).
3. The Lightning return 15 players who won the Cup last year, including 13 who also won with the club in 2020 (Erik Cernak, Anthony Cirelli, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn, Nikita Kucherov, Pat Maroon, Ryan McDonagh, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, Jan Rutta, Mikhail Sergachev, Steven Stamkos and Andrei Vasilevskiy). The two players who won in 2021 only are Ross Colton and Cal Foote, while Zach Bogosian won only in 2020.
4. Reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy has five career series-clinching shutouts – all over the course of consecutive rounds since the 2020 Stanley Cup Final – which is tied with Chris Osgood and Clint Benedict for the most in NHL history. Of note: Benedict had six shutouts in games in which his team could advance, with four coming in total-goals series including one instance of a tie when his team lost the series. He can become the 10th goaltender in NHL history to put his name on the Stanley Cup in three straight seasons.
5. Victor Hedman, who claimed the Conn Smythe Trophy in 2020, (19-69-88) leads all active defensemen in career playoff assists (69) and points (88) while ranking third in goals. He is one of three active defensemen who needs less than 15 points to hit 100 in his playoff career – a benchmark reached by only 13 NHL blueliners.
6. Nikita Kucherov has 127 points in 113 career postseason games (44-83—127; 1.12 P/GP), which ranks among the top 50 point totals in Stanley Cup Playoffs history and places him sixth among active players behind Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Alex Ovechkin, Joe Thornton and Patrick Kane. Kucherov ranks seventh in playoff history with 1.12 points-per-game (min. 100 GP), second among active players for career multi-goal playoff games (10) and has found the score sheet in 70 of his 113 postseason appearances (62%).
7. Steven Stamkos can become the fifth player in NHL history to captain a team to at least three consecutive Stanley Cup wins, a list that currently features Denis Potvin of the Islanders (4x; 1980-1983), Yvan Cournoyer of the Canadiens (4x; 1976-1979), George Armstrong of the Maple Leafs (3x; 1962-1964) and Maurice Richard of the Canadiens (4x; 1957-1960).
8. Pat Maroon (2019 STL, 2020 TBL, 2021 TBL) can become the fourth player in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in four straight seasons while claiming titles with multiple clubs – only Ed Litzenberger (4x; 1961 CHI, 1962 TOR, 1963 TOR, 1964 TOR), Ab McDonald (4x; 1958 MTL, 1959 MTL, 1960 MTL, 1961 CHI) and Eddie Gerard (4x; 1920 SEN, 1921 SEN, 1922 TSP, 1923 SEN) have done so. The last time an NHL player won four straight titles, regardless of circumstance, was during the Islanders’ stretch when 16 players claimed all four Cups.
9. After reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 with Dallas and 2021 with Montreal, Corey Perry will look to become the second player in NHL history to reach the championship series in three consecutive seasons with a different franchise each time (Marian Hossa: 2008 w/ PIT, 2009 w/ DET and 2010 w/ CHI). Perry, a Stanley Cup champion in 2007 at age 22, can become the second player in NHL history to win a Cup with a team after losing to them in the prior Final. He would join Billy Carroll, who played for the Islanders in the 1984 Final against the Oilers before joining Edmonton and winning with them in 1985.
10. As Jon Cooper strives to become the sixth head coach in NHL history to lead his team to three straight championships, he’ll try to help some members of his roster – including regulars Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Brian Elliott, Brandon Hagel and Nicholas Paul – win their first Stanley Cup.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Lightning’s clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the Pittsburgh Penguins, who are headed to the postseason for the 16th consecutive campaign and 37th time franchise history. Pittsburgh clinched a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating the NY Islanders on April 14.
1. The Penguins are the eighth different franchise in NHL history to make 16 or more consecutive postseason appearances – the Red Wings and Canadiens each had two runs of at least that length. Overall, this is the 10th time a club has made 16 or more consecutive postseason appearances and the longest stretch since Detroit’s run of 25 straight trips concluded with their First Round series in 2016.
2. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin each are set to make their 11th consecutive postseason appearance (both missed the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs due to injury), which would tie Jaromir Jagr for the longest stretch in franchise history. The last NHL players to make 11 or more consecutive trips to the postseason with one franchise were Pavel Datsyuk (14; 2002–2016) and Henrik Zetterberg (13; 2003–2016) with the Red Wings.
3. Sidney Crosby (69-122—191 in 174 GP) needs five points to tie Paul Coffey (59-137—196 in 194 GP) for sixth place in career points during the Stanley Cup Playoffs and nine to become the sixth player in NHL history to accumulate 200 career postseason points. He also needs one assist to tie Jaromir Jagr (123) for ninth place in playoff history. Crosby’s next playoff goal will move the Penguins captain into a tie with Steve Yzerman (70) on the all-time NHL list; he trails only Alex Ovechkin (71) among active NHL players.
4. Sidney Crosby (69-122—191 in 174 GP) and Evgeni Malkin (64-110—174 in 170 GP) sit first and second in all-time postseason scoring for the Penguins and are two of six skaters to produce more than a point-per-game for the franchise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (min. 50 GP). The only other club with as many players who own a career point-per-game rate of 1.00 or better in his playoff career with the franchise is Edmonton (6).
5. Kris Letang (22-64—86 in 142 GP) leads all active defensemen in career playoff goals (22), ranks third in assists (64) and tied for second in points (86). Letang, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin aim to become the first active players to win a fourth Stanley Cup.
6. In addition to the trio of three-time winners, Pittsburgh has four other players with Stanley Cup pedigree: Brian Dumoulin and Bryan Rust won back-to-back with Pittsburgh, first in 2016 and then in 2017 when they were joined by Jake Guentzel; the other is Jeff Carter who won in 2012 and 2014 with Los Angeles.
7. Brian Boyle is the player on Pittsburgh’s with the most regular-season games played who has yet to win the Stanley Cup. With 118 playoff games to his credit also, Boyle is one of five Penguins players with a triple-digit total in that category (also Sidney Crosby: 174 GP; Evgeni Malkin: 170 GP; Kris Letang: 142 GP; and Jeff Carter: 126 GP). Pittsburgh’s 1,218 total games of postseason experience are fourth most among all current rosters behind Tampa Bay (1,660 GP), Washington (1,345 GP) and NY Islanders (1,268 GP).
8. Rickard Rakell joined Pittsburgh on March 21 and has collected 11-8—19 in 46 previous postseason appearances with Anaheim. The Penguins have either reached the Stanley Cup Final or won the Cup after acquiring recognizable faces on Deadline Day since the 2005-06 season: 2008 (Pascal Dupuis, Marian Hossa & Hal Gill), 2009 (Bill Guerin) and 2017 (Mark Streit).
9. Mike Sullivan owns a career playoff record of 44-38, including a 41-34 mark with the Penguins. He sits six victories shy of becoming the seventh active head coach to accumulate 50 wins in the Stanley Cup Playoffs – entering 2022, only Darryl Sutter (89), Barry Trotz (83), Peter Laviolette (76), Jon Cooper (70), Peter DeBoer (68) and Lindy Ruff (66) have done so.
10. Pittsburgh (38-25 in 63 series) ranks second among non-Original Six clubs in best-of-seven series victories, trailing only the Flyers (39-34 in 73 series). The Canadiens (81-43 in 124 series), Red Wings (55-45 in 100 series), Bruins (54-53 in 107 series) and Blackhawks (42-44 in 86 series) are the only franchises with more.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Penguins’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are headed to the postseason for a sixth straight year and 71st time in franchise history. Toronto and the NY Rangers became the fourth and fifth teams to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating Montreal and Ottawa, respectively, April 9.
1. This marks the first time since 2004 that Toronto has made at least six consecutive postseason appearances. The only longer playoff streaks in the 104-season history of the franchise came from 1931-1945 (15 seasons), 1959-1967 (nine seasons) and 1974-1981 (eight seasons).
2. Mitchell Marner is averaging 0.78 points-per-game in his playoff career (5-20—25 in 32 GP), tops among current Maple Leafs and among the top 10 in franchise history (min. 30 GP). Auston Matthews ranks second among active Toronto players (0.75 P/GP; 13-11—24 in 32 GP).
3. After becoming Toronto’s first 50-goal scorer in 28 years, Auston Matthews will now try to become the first player since 2001 to win the Stanley Cup after hitting the 50-goal mark in the regular season (Joe Sakic: 54 G w/ COL). The most goals scored by one player for Toronto in a season, including playoffs, is 58 by Dave Andreychuk in 1993-94 (53 in regular season, five in playoffs).
4. Auston Matthews, Mitchell Marner, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly are set to appear in their sixth straight postseason, which will be a first for any quartet (or more) of Maple Leafs teammates in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68). The last time Toronto had at least four skaters with a simultaneous playoff streak of six or more seasons was 55 years ago, when 10 players – George Armstrong, Bob Baun, Johnny Bower, Tim Horton, Red Kelly, Dave Keon, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Pulford, Eddie Shack and Allan Stanley – capped a stretch of seven consecutive appearances (1961-1967) by hoisting the club’s last Stanley Cup.
5. Auston Matthews and Mitchell Marner have reached the postseason in each of their first six NHL seasons (2016-17 to 2021-22), a feat achieved by only nine others in franchise history. The only others to do so in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) are Tomas Kaberle (6x; 1998-99 to 2003-04), Borje Salming (8x; 1973-74 to 1980-81) and Ian Turnbull (8x; 1973-74 to 1980-81).
6. Toronto’s roster includes three of the NHL’s 21 active players with at least 1,000 regular-season games but no Stanley Cup, the most among all clubs. Jason Spezza, Mark Giordano and Wayne Simmonds make up that group, with Spezza standing as one of four active players with 1,200 or more games who has yet to win (also Joe Thornton, FLA; Ryan Suter, DAL; and Brent Burns, SJS).
7. John Tavares is the only player on the Maple Leafs roster who has scored a series-clinching goal – he notched the double-overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2016 First Round. The goal came for the Islanders against the Panthers and gave New York its first series win in 23 years. Tavares also netted the goal that forced overtime in that contest, tying the score with Florida 54 seconds away from forcing Game 7.
8. Michael Bunting, the 11th rookie in franchise history to accumulate 50 points in a regular season, will look to follow that up with a memorable performance in his first trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Of the 10 other rookies to record 50 points in a season for the club, only two managed at least five points in the ensuing playoffs: Auston Matthews (2017: 4-1—5 in 6 GP) and Steve Thomas (1986: 6-8—14 in 10 GP).
9. Toronto will aim to win a playoff series for the first time since the 2004 Conference Quarterfinals against Ottawa, when Joe Nieuwendyk scored twice in Game 7. Toronto’s 18 years without a playoff series win marks the NHL’s second longest active drought behind Florida (26 years).
10. Toronto has required a winner-take-all game in nine of its past 12 series dating to 2002, including eight Game 7s (3-5) and a Game 5 defeat against Columbus in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers. That includes an active run of four straight years with a winner-take-all showdown (2018-2021) – a streak exceeded by only three teams in NHL history.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Maple Leafs’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the New York Rangers, who are headed to the postseason for the 61st time in franchise history and fifth time since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. New York and Toronto became the fourth and fifth teams to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating Ottawa and Montreal, respectively, April 9.
1. The Rangers are headed to the postseason for the first time since 2020 when they faced the Hurricanes in a best-of-five series during the Stanley Cup Qualifiers. A total of 13 players who dressed at least one game with New York in that series remain with the team.
2. Chris Kreider is the only player who remains with the Rangers after dressing for the cub in the 2014 Stanley Cup Final, notching 13 of his 39 career playoff points that year (24-15—39 in 80 GP). Kreider made his NHL debut during the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, notching 5-2—7 in 18 games to help the Rangers reach the Conference Finals – their first of three trips to that round over a four-year span from 2012 to 2015. Kreider is one of 148 players to make his League debut in a playoff game since 1927 when the Stanley Cup was competed for solely by NHL teams and one of 11 to do so in that span with the Rangers. He now ranks among the top 10 in franchise history for career playoff goals (t-6th) and games played (10th).
3. Artemi Panarin has averaged nearly one point per playoff game in his NHL career (0.93 P/GP; 10-18—28 in 30 GP). The only undrafted players to debut since 1963-64 and average at least one point per game in the postseason (min. 25 GP) are Wayne Gretzky (1.84 P/GP), Bobby Orr (1.24 P/GP), Peter Stastny (1.13 P/GP) and Phil Esposito (1.05 P/GP).
4. Adam Fox (3 GP) and Igor Shesterkin (1 GP) each made their postseason debut during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers. Fox is set to become the third reigning Norris Trophy winner to contest at least one playoff game with the Rangers – he is set to follow Doug Harvey (1961-62 Norris; 0-1—1 in 1963 SCP, 6 GP) and Harry Howell (1966-67 Norris; 1-0—1 in 1968 SCP, 6 GP).
5. Igor Shesterkin can become the second Rangers netminder on record to top all goaltenders in save percentage at the end of a season (min. 25 GP), following Gump Worsley in 1957-58. Should he do so, Shesterkin would then try to become the seventh different save percentage leader to win a Stanley Cup (since 1955-56 when shots on goal were officially tracked).
6. The Rangers have entered the playoffs with the NHL’s regular-season leader in power-play goals (outright or tied) twice since 1933-34. Camille Henry paced all players with 19 power-play tallies in 1957-58 before adding one during the 1958 Stanley Cup Playoffs, while Dean Prentice had 10 in 1961-62 (tied w/ Gordie Howe). New York lost in the opening round in each postseason.
7. Barclay Goodrow (2020 TBL & 2021 TBL) and Sammy Blais (2019 STL) are the only members of the Rangers’ active roster with at least one Stanley Cup. Goodrow will aim to become the fifth player in NHL history to claim three straight Stanley Cup titles while winning with multiple clubs – a feat he watched former teammate Pat Maroon accomplish last year.
8. Head coach Gerard Gallant guided the Golden Knights to a historic Stanley Cup Final berth during their inaugural season. Vegas’ roster featured Ryan Reaves, with the Golden Knights eliminating Andrew Copp, Jacob Trouba and the Jets in the Conference Finals that year.
9. The Rangers won six consecutive Game 7s from 2012 to 2015 – tied for the NHL record – and contested seven in total over that span (nearly half of the 15 they’ve played in their 95-year history). While general manager Chris Drury was not with the club during that timeframe, he certainly has Game 7 experience – he notched five of his 89 career playoff points in winner-take-all showdowns (2-3—5 in 9 GP), including two decisive tallies in Game 7s for Colorado (2001 CSF and 2002 CQF, both vs. LAK). A Stanley Cup winner in 2001, Drury also has four career playoff overtime goals, including one of the nine-fastest in NHL history.
10. The Rangers won the Stanley Cup three times through their first 14 seasons (1928, 1933 & 1940) but then waited 54 years for another championship. In 1994, captain Mark Messier led a group featuring five future Hockey Hall of Famers to a seven-game triumph against Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Final after guaranteeing a win in Game 6 of the Conference Finals against New Jersey (with NYR facing a 3-2 series deficit). At the time, New York’s 54 years between Cup wins was the longest drought by a franchise in NHL history. Another memorable Stanley Cup Playoffs moment involving the Rangers came in the club’s second season when 44-year-old coach/manager Lester Patrick entered the net in Game 2 of the 1928 Final to help New York claim a win en route to its first championship.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Rangers’ clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#NHLStats about the Carolina Hurricanes, who are headed to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a fourth straight season, ninth time since relocating to Carolina in 1997-98 and 17th time in franchise history. Carolina became the third team to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating Buffalo on April 7.
1. The Hurricanes have reached the playoffs in four straight seasons for the first time in Carolina and second time in franchise history (7 straight as Hartford Whalers, from 1986 to 1992).
2. Sebastian Aho (14-21—35 in 34 GP) ranks among the top five in franchise history for career playoff goals (t-4th), assists (3rd) and points (4th). Aho, who has the second-highest playoff points-per-game rate in club history (1.03), enters 2022 three points shy of tying his head coach Rod Brind’Amour (18-20—38 in 72 GP) for third place on the franchise playoff points list.
3. Frederik Andersen is 27-23 in 53 career playoff appearances (2.55 GAA, .916 SV%, 3 SO), with 11 of those victories coming in 2015 when he helped the Ducks reach Game 7 of the Western Conference Final (where they fell to Teuvo Teravainen, then with Chicago). He has played in 10 playoff series to date, earning two clinching wins (2015 R1 at WPG & 2015 R2 vs. CGY).
4. Jaccob Slavin (2-17—19 in 31 GP) is the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff assists among defensemen and needs one point to match Dave Babych (7-13—20 in 31 GP) for the most in club history among blueliners. Slavin’s next playoff assist will place him ahead of Cory Stillman and Matt Cullen for sole possession of fifth place in franchise history among all skaters. In the 2019 First Round, Slavin posted nine assists – a club record for a defenseman in one playoff series and tied for the most in a single round by an NHL blueliner over the past 36 years.
5. Andrei Svechnikov(9-11—20 in 26 GP) can become the first player in franchise history to skate in the postseason in each of his first four NHL campaigns. Scott Young (1988–1990) is the only other player to reach the playoffs with the Hurricanes/Whalers in each of his first three NHL seasons.
6. Jordan Staal is one of five players on the Hurricanes’ active roster who have skated in the Stanley Cup Final (13 GP; also, Ian Cole: 12 GP; Teuvo Teravainen: 6 GP; Derek Stepan: 5 GP; and Jesperi Kotkaniemi: 3 GP). Staal made his Final debut with the Penguins in 2008 at age 19 and won a championship with them one year later; Teravainen (2015 CHI) and Cole (2016 PIT & 2017 PIT) also won the Cup.
7. Jordan Staal can become the sixth player in NHL history to go 13-plus years between Stanley Cup wins – only Chris Chelios (1986 MTL & 2002 DET), Mark Recchi (1991 PIT & 2006 CAR), Bill Guerin (1995 NJD & 2009 PIT), Craig Ludwig (1986 MTL & 1999 DAL) and Brian Skrudland (1986 MTL & 1999 DAL) have done so.
8. Jesperi Kotkaniemi had 5-3—8 in 19 games with Montreal during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, including the overtime winner in Game 6 of the First Round. At age 20 years, 327 days, Kotkaniemi became the fourth-youngest player in NHL history to score in overtime when facing elimination, behind Tyler Seguin (20 years, 82 days; Game 6 of 2012 CQF), Dale Hunter (20 years, 255 days; Game 4 of 1981 PRLM) and Claude Lemieux (20 years, 287 days; Game 7 of 1986 DF) – Lemieux scored his against the Whalers in the club’s second all-time trip to the postseason.
9. Carolina edged Edmonton in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final to capture its first Stanley Cup. Rod Brind’Amour, who wore the “C” for the Hurricanes from 2005-06 to 2008-09, can become the fourth individual in League history to captain a franchise to a Cup and then win a championship with that club as head coach – he would join Toe Blake of the Canadiens (captain: 2; head coach: 8), Hap Day of the Maple Leafs (captain: 1; head coach: 5) and Cooney Weiland of the Bruins (captain: 1; head coach: 1).
10. The New England Whalers, a founding franchise of the WHA, won playoff series against the Ottawa Nationals, Cleveland Crusaders and Winnipeg Jets to claim the inaugural Avco World Trophy in 1972-73 Larry Pleau, who later served as head coach and general manager of the Whalers in the NHL, scored a hat trick in the championship-clinching win on May 6, 1973.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Hurricanes clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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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.
* CLICK HERE for NHL.com’s breakdown of the Avalanche clinch, including MVP, unsung hero and memorable moment of the season.
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#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.
