Close Games and Overtime Dominated Conference Finals
* All four games in the Panthers-Hurricanes series were one-goal contests, as were three of six in the Western Conference Final between the Golden Knights and Stars. The seven total one-goal games in the round before the Stanley Cup Final were the most ever when the round is completed in 10 games or fewer.
* Overall, it was the 12th time the round before the Final featured at least seven one-goal games (regardless of how many total contests were played in the round). Three of those instances have come in the past four years (7 in 2020 & 9 in 2021).
* There were five overtime games in the 2023 Conference Finals (WCF: 3, ECF: 2), the sixth time the round before the Final has required as many and one shy of the record for the round (6 in 2002 CF & 5 in each of the 1994 CF, 1968 SF, 1943 SF & 1939 SF).
* For the first time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, both series in the round before the Stanley Cup Final required overtime in Games 1 and 2.
* Game 1 between the Panthers and Hurricanes required 139:47 of playing time before a winner was decided in the fourth overtime period courtesy of Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk. It was the sixth-longest game in NHL history.
* The Eastern Conference Final was tied or separated by one goal for 99% of total playing time (318:58 of 321:38).
* The 2023 Western Conference Final marked the fourth Conference Final/Semifinal series over the past 20 years to feature at least four games won by a team in come-from-behind fashion. The others: 2014 Conference Final between Los Angeles and Chicago (5 GP), 2017 Conference Final between Anaheim and Nashville (4 GP) and 2011 Conference Final between Boston and Tampa Bay (4 GP).
Overtime a Common Occurrence in 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* Overall, there have been 23 overtime games in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the ninth most in a single postseason in NHL history and five shy of the record.
* Road teams have won 15 overtime games in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs, one shy of the most OT wins by road teams in a single playoff year (16 in 2012 & 2017). The Panthers are a perfect 5-0 on the road in overtime this postseason – including a 2-0 mark in the Eastern Conference Final – and are one of three teams in League history to record five overtime wins on the road in one playoff year (excluding neutral site).
* Five of 14 series so far have been clinched via an overtime goal: three in the First Round (CAR, TOR & FLA) and two in the Second Round (CAR & FLA). That equals the total for the entire 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs (5 of 15 series) and is one shy of the most in a four-round playoff year in League history (6 in 1993 & 1999). In 2020, there were a total of seven series-clinching goals scored in overtime: two in the best-of-five Stanley Cup Qualifiers and five from the First Round onward.
* Thirteen of 14 series so far this year have seen at least one overtime game, with the possibility to add another in the Final. The only years the Stanley Cup Playoffs have seen 14 or more series with at least one overtime game were 2013 (15), 2021 (14) and 2014 (14).
More Trends in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs
* Road teams are 46-37 through the Conference Finals, tied with 1987 for the second-highest road win total in one playoff year behind 2012 (47).
* Nine of 14 series-clinching wins have been claimed on the road, the 12th year with as many and first since 2018 when 10 of 15 series were clinched by visitors. If the Cup is won on the road, 2023 would become the eighth year with 10 or more series-clinching wins on the road (11 in 1999 and 2010; 10 in 1980, 1982, 1998, 2009 & 2018).
* The Panthers take an active eight-game road winning streak into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, the second longest at any point in a playoff year behind a 10-0 run as visitors by the 2012 Kings (en route to winning their first championship in franchise history).
* The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are averaging 6.2 goals-per-game after the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs finished with an average of 6.3 goals per game. It has been 30 years since consecutive postseasons concluded with a League average of 6.0 G/GP or higher (previously a 15-season stretch from 1979 to 1993).
A First-Time Champion Will be Crowned in 2023
* For the sixth time in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44), both teams in the Stanley Cup Final are in search of the first championship in franchise history (also 2018 WSH vs. VGK, 2007 ANA vs. OTT, 1999 DAL vs. BUF, 1996 COL vs. FLA & 1991 MNS vs. PIT). The Panthers (4-0 L vs. COL in 1996) and Golden Knights (4-1 L vs. WSH in 2018) are each in the Final for the second time.
* Either the Golden Knights or Panthers will become the 21st active franchise to win the Stanley Cup.
* This will be the second Stanley Cup Final to feature two franchises that joined the League in the 1990s or later, following the 2007 showdown between the Senators (1992-93) and Ducks (1993-94).
* This is the second time in four seasons (and overall) that two “Sun Belt” teams will meet in the Stanley Cup Final, after the Lightning defeated the Stars in 2020 (a series played in Edmonton).
* The southernmost final-four in NHL history has also produced the southernmost Stanley Cup Final.
* Florida became the third team in the NHL’s expansion era (since 1967-68) to reach the Stanley Cup Final as the lowest-seeded team in the postseason, following Montreal in 2021 and Nashville in 2017.
* The Panthers became the third team in League history to eliminate three of the NHL’s top four teams in the same postseason, joining the 1969 Canadiens (QF vs. NYR, No. 3; SF vs. BOS, No. 2; SCF vs. STL, No. 4) and 1980 Islanders (QF vs. BOS, No. 4; SF vs. BUF, No. 2; SCF vs. PHI, No. 1). Florida will become the first team in NHL history to face four of the League’s top five teams from the regular-season standings in one playoff year.
* Florida is the fifth team to enter the Stanley Cup Final with at least 11 wins in its previous 12 contests, following Montreal in 1993, Chicago in 1992 as well as Edmonton in both 1987 and 1983.
Player Spotlight: Florida Panthers
* Matthew Tkachuk factored on all four game-winning goals in the Eastern Conference Final (3-1—4). The only other players in NHL history to record a point on all four game-winning tallies in the round before the Stanley Cup Final are Yvan Cournoyer (1-3—4 w/ MTL in 1976), Mike Bossy (4-0—4 w/ NYI in 1983), Ray Bourque (1-3—4 w/ BOS in 1988), Wayne Gretzky (2-2—4 w/ LAK in 1993) and Ondrej Palat (2-2—4 w/ TBL in 2022).
* Sergei Bobrovsky made 72 consecutive saves against the Hurricanes from Game 2 to 4. The only goaltender to have a longer save streak in the Conference Finals since 1998 (when real-time stats first were tracked) is Jean-Sebastien Giguere with Anaheim in 2003 (101 saves). Bobrovsky made a franchise-record 63 saves during Florida’s quadruple-overtime victory in Game 1 and concluded the Eastern Conference Final with 168 saves overall – the most on record in any four-game sweep, eclipsing the previous high of 165 set by Giguere during the 2003 Conference Quarterfinals.
Player Spotlight: Vegas Golden Knights
* Jonathan Marchessault (4-3—7 in 6 GP) scored in three straight games in the Conference Finals, his third goal streak of at least that length in his playoff career (following two previous runs w/ VGK). Marchessault had the most points among Golden Knights players against the Stars and scored the winning goal in Game 3. He also led Vegas in points during the 2018 Conference Finals against the Jets as he recorded 4-3—7 in five games, including the winning goal in Game 2, to help the Golden Knights secure their only previous berth in the Final.
* Adin Hill had more starts in the Conference Finals (4-2 in 6 GS) than he had in his entire playoff career before the series began (3 GS), posting a .939 save percentage along with two shutouts in a Vegas uniform (Game 3 and 6). By helping Vegas to a 3-0 series lead, Hill extended his winning streak to five games to equal the franchise playoff record last matched by teammate Laurent Brossoit earlier this postseason. They became the second teammates in NHL history to each have a five-game winning streak in the same playoff year, following the Flyers tandem of Phil Myre and Pete Peeters in 1980.
