Competitive Balance Sets Up New-Look Conference Finals
* Florida became the 15th different team to reach the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs since the League expanded to 31 (now 32) teams in 2017-18. They became the fifth team in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to win more than one series after entering as the lowest-ranked team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, joining the 2021 Canadiens (won three rounds, lost in SCF), 2017 Predators (won three rounds, lost in SCF), 2010 Canadiens (won two rounds, lost in CF) and 1989 Blackhawks (won two rounds, lost in CF).
* The remaining teams have a combined two Stanley Cup wins, with the last coming 17 years ago – Carolina won in 2006 and Dallas won in 1999. Florida (29th season) and Vegas (sixth season) are pursuing their first title. This is the fifth time in League history that the final four NHL teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have two or fewer combined championships – there was one previous Cup in the 2018 Conference Finals (TBL: 1) and two in the 2003 Conference Finals (NJD: 2), 1980 Semifinals (PHI: 2) and 1928 Semifinals (MTL: 1, MMR: 1).
* This marks the NHL’s southernmost Conference Finals/Semifinals and the first time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history that the final four teams are based in “Sun Belt” states. The closest instance before this year came in 2020 when three of the four clubs met those criteria (Tampa Bay, Dallas and Vegas) and set up the first-ever “Sun Belt” Stanley Cup Final, though it was played in Edmonton due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The only other instances of an “all Sun Belt” series in the round before the Final came in 2012 (Los Angeles vs. Phoenix) and 2017 (Anaheim vs. Nashville).
* Each of the remaining teams has played in its current location for less than 30 years: the Stars (from Minnesota) and Hurricanes (from Hartford) relocated to Dallas and Carolina in 1993-94 and 1997-98, respectively; the Panthers joined the NHL in 1993-94; the Golden Knights are the second-newest NHL franchise, joining in 2017-18.
* Only 14 of nearly one million brackets submitted in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Bracket Challenge presented by GEICO correctly predicted all 12 series winners. Separately, only 433 brackets correctly predicted all four teams that reached the Conference Finals (i.e., picked DAL, VGK, FLA and CAR to reach Conference Finals but did not correctly predict each series in the First Round).
The Road to the Stanley Cup Final
* Road teams are 41-32 overall this postseason, the most wins by visitors at this stage of a postseason (73 GP) in League history. Overall, the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the 13th in which road teams have combined for at least 41 wins and sit six shy of tying the NHL record set in 2012.
* Eight of 12 series-clinching wins have been claimed on the road, with only Dallas (R2 vs. SEA), Carolina (R2 vs. NJD), Vegas (R1 vs. WPG) and New Jersey (R1 vs. NYR) advancing with a home win so far. The last year with more than eight series-clinching wins by road teams was 2018 (10 of 15) and the single-postseason record stands at 11 (1999 and 2010).
* There have been four series-clinching overtime goals scored by the road team, tied for the second-most ever in one postseason (w/ 1993, 1997, 1998, 2012, 2014 and 2020, incl. one in SCQ) behind only 1999 (6).
More 2023 Playoff Trends
* A total of 73 games have been played, among the top-five highest totals through two best-of-seven rounds in League history and tied with 2022 for the second-most since the Wild Card format was introduced in 2014 (75 of a possible 84 games were played through two rounds that year).
* Each series through two rounds required five or more games, the sixth time that has happened in 36 seasons since 1987 when the best-of-seven format was adapted for every round (also 1991, 2002, 2010, 2016 and 2020). Four playoff years in that span have finished without any best-of-seven sweeps: 1991, 2002, 2016 and 2020.
* The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are averaging 6.4 goals-per-game, the highest rate at this stage of a postseason (73 GP) since 1995.
* For the second time in Stanley Cup Playoffs history, players posted four-goal performances on consecutive days – first Joe Pavelski in Game 1 for Dallas on May 2 followed by Leon Draisaitl in Game 1 for Edmonton on May 3. The only other such instance was from April 9-10, 1988 (John Tucker w/ BUF & Tony Hrkac w/ STL).
* There have been 18 overtime games, among the top 10 for the most ever at this stage of a postseason (73 GP; tied 10th) and outpaced by only 2017 (25), 2021 (23), 2001 (23), 1993 (23), 2013 (22), 2012 (21), 2011 (20), 2014 (19) and 2003 (19).
* Five of 12 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 and 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.
Unsung Heroes
* Hurricanes forward Jordan Martinook (3-7—10 in 5 GP) played the role of unsung hero in the Second Round, matching the franchise record for points in one series. Martinook, who posted the second-most points in one series by a player who was held to zero points in the previous round, enters the Conference Finals on an active five-game assist streak (tied for the franchise record). He and Jesper Fast, who scored the series-clinching goal in overtime, also have active five-game point streaks.
* Panthers forward Nick Cousins had two playoff goals in 37 career playoff games entering the Second Round but matched that total across five games against Toronto, scoring both the first and last goals of the series. He put Florida ahead 1-0 in Game 1 (4-2 W) and later notched Florida’s third straight series-clinching goal in overtime dating to last year.
* Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill entered the crease at 11:44 of the first period in Game 3 versus Edmonton, in place of an injured Laurent Brossoit, and logged every minute the rest of the series. Hill, who had a .934 save percentage in five total appearances in the Second Round, earned his first career playoff win (via his relief effort in Game 3) and later made 38 saves in Game 6 – the most by a Vegas goaltender in a series-clinching win.
* Stars defenseman Thomas Harley collected seven points against Seattle (1-6—7 in 7 GP), tied for the most among all NHL defensemen in the Second Round. That is more points than Harley had in 47 career NHL games entering this round (1-5—6, regular season and playoffs). Harley was selected 18th overall by Dallas in the 2019 NHL Draft and played one game in the ‘bubble’ in Edmonton during the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers (vs. COL).
Stars Being Stars
* Stars forward Joe Pavelski became the oldest player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to score four goals in a game, set a franchise record for goals in one series (8), tied the NHL benchmark for goals in an entire playoff year at age 38 or older (doing so in just one round) and became the 25th different player in League history to score three game-winning goals in one series while also climbing into a tie for sixth place in playoff history (17 GWG). Pavelski, who also moved up the League’s career playoff power-play goals list, has now played in 176 career playoff games in pursuit of his first Stanley Cup.
* Hurricanes defensemen Jaccob Slavin and Brent Burns each scored a tying goal in Game 5 against New Jersey as Carolina blueliners combined for six goals in the Second Round – the most in one series by defensemen in franchise history. Slavin enters the Conference Finals on a four-game point streak, tied with Frantisek Kaberle (4 GP in 2006) for the longest by a defenseman in Hurricanes/Whalers history.
* Panthers teammates Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe have been the driving force behind the club’s longest postseason run in 27 years.Bobrovsky set a franchise record for consecutive playoff wins by a goaltender (6) – to help Florida set a club playoff record on a team level – and then posted a Panthers record 50 saves in the series-clinching victory. Tkachuk paced the club in assists and points (tied) in the Second Round (0-5—5 in 5 GP) and has 5-11—16 in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs (12 GP), already a franchise record for assists in one postseason and one shy of the most playoff points by a Panthers player in one year. Verhaeghe led the club with three goals against Toronto – the team that drafted him a decade ago – to become the outright franchise leader in career playoff goals (13).
* Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault became the ninth player in League history to score three goals in a period during a potential series-clinching game. Marchessault, selected by Vegas from Florida in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, has played in every Golden Knights playoff game and is the franchise leader in career goals in both the regular-season and playoffs.
* Oilers teammates Leon Draisaitl (6-1—7 in 6 GP) and Connor McDavid (5-5—10 in 6 GP) combined for 11 goals and 17 points in the Second Round. Draisaitl (13-5—18 in 12 GP) was just six goals and three power-play tallies from tying the NHL records for most in a postseason, while McDavid (8-12—20 in 12 GP) had 20 points during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs to lead all players through two rounds and reach a combined total of 173 this season.
