Four rounds of #NHLStats as the Oilers search for their sixth Stanley Cup win in franchise history:
* Connor McDavid (29-46—75 in 49 GP) and Leon Draisaitl (31-46—77 in 49 GP) will enter Game 1 already as two of four players in NHL history with 75-plus points through their first 50 career playoff games – Wayne Gretzky (35-69—104) and Mario Lemieux (46-55—101) are the others. McDavid and Draisaitl both seek their first Stanley Cup after each recording 800+ regular-season points, a feat achieved by two active players – Alex Ovechkin had 1,122 points when he won in 2018 and Steven Stamkos had 832 points when he claimed his first Cup in 2020.
* Connor McDavid has had at least 10 points in a playoff series four times in his career, all over the five series he has played since 2022 (R1 & R2 in both 2022 & 2023). McDavid is one of 14 players in NHL history with a double-digit point total in at least four series, while he and Leon Draisaitl (3x) are among a group of six active players to do so at least three times (details below). Draisaitl has the highest single series point total among active players.
* The Oilers became the 20th team in NHL history – and 12th in the past 30 years – to reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs after facing a standings deficit of 10-plus points behind the lowest-ranked playoff team. Edmonton’s largest deficit was 10 points at U.S. Thanksgiving but they now own a fifth consecutive postseason berth.
* Edmonton was 3-9-1 before turning to Kris Knoblauch as head coach Nov. 12 and have made the playoffs after an in-season coaching change for the third time (also 2021-22 and 1980-81). Knoblauch can become the fifth coach in the expansion era (since 1967-68) to win the Stanley Cup in his first season as an NHL head coach (last done by Dan Bylsma, 2009 PIT), while the Oilers can become the third team in 12 seasons to win the Cup after an in-season coaching change (2019 STL & 2016 PIT have done so since 2012-13).
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OVERTIME: MORE NOTES AHEAD OF THE 2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
Records.NHL.com
Overall Postseason Appearances: 26
Consecutive Postseason Appearances: 5
Stanley Cup Wins: 5
Last Stanley Cup Win: 1990
Stanley Cup Final Appearances: 7
Last Stanley Cup Final Appearance: 2006
Download PDFs (all as of March 13, 2024)
* Stanley Cup Winners by Roster
* Stanley Cup Final Experience by Roster
* Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final Experience by Roster
* Most Regular-Season Games Played, Active Players Without a Stanley Cup Win
* Most Regular-Season Games Played Before First Stanley Cup Win, NHL History
* Most Regular-Season Games Played Without Stanley Cup Win, NHL History
* Information on Stanley Cup-Winning Rosters Since 1917-18
More #NHLStats
* Edmonton (16-0-0 from Dec. 21, 2023 to Jan. 27, 2024) is one of five teams in NHL history to record a win streak of at least 15 games. One of the other four won the Stanley Cup: the 1981-82 Islanders.
* The Oilers have been eliminated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion in each of the past two years, one of eight teams to have that happen since 2013-14. The only team in that span to have that happen and respond by winning the Cup themselves was the Capitals (L to PIT in 2016 & 2017, won Cup in 2018).
* Players in NHL history with 10-plus points in a series at least four times: Wayne Gretzky (21x), Mark Messier (8x), Denis Savard (7x), Mario Lemieux (6x), Joe Sakic (5x), Doug Gilmour (5x), Peter Stastny (5x), Connor McDavid (4x), Sidney Crosby (4x), Theo Fleury (4x), Ken Linseman (4x), Mike Bossy (4x), Phil Esposito (4x) and Jean Beliveau (4x).
* Active players with 10-plus points in a series at least three times: Connor McDavid (4x), Sidney Crosby (4x), Leon Draisaitl (3x), Nikita Kucherov (3x), Nathan MacKinnon (3x) and Evgeni Malkin (3x).
* Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the longest serving current Oilers player, can become the third player in NHL history to play his first 13-plus seasons with a franchise and then win his first Stanley Cup with them – he would join Steve Yzerman (1997 w/ DET, 14th season) and Alex Ovechkin (2018 w/ WSH, 13th season).
