A Running Document of Notes for All Teams as They Clinch a Berth in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs
#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 NY Rangers became the fourth and fifth teams to clinch a spot in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs by defeating Montreal and Ottawa, respectively.
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: AustonMatthews (2017: 4-1—5 in 6 GP) and SteveThomas (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.
#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.
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 HarryHowell (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 PatMaroon 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 Patrickentered the net in Game 2 of the 1928 Final to help New York claim a win en route to its first championship.
#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 MattCullen 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.
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.
#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, NoelAcciari, 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.
