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Has it ever happened? When was the last time? Will stellar seasons from the Bruins and Connor McDavid translate to postseason success? #NHLStats provides answers to some of the water cooler questions that will be floating around leading into the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Q: How Important is Home Ice Advantage in a Seven-Game Series?
A: It isn’t a guaranteed series victory, that’s for sure. Over the last 10 postseasons, the lower seed has defeated the higher-ranked seed in 45.3% of all seven-game series (41.3% in the opening round).
Did You Know?
Only three of the last 10 Stanley Cup champions secured the Cup-clinching win in their home arena: Tampa Bay (2021), Chicago (2015) and Los Angeles (2013).
Q: Wild Card races went down to the final three days of the 2022-23 season, but how likely is it for a Wild Card team to advance past the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs?
A: In the seven postseasons with Wild Card teams in the format, those Wild Card teams have an all-time series record of 10-18 in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 2018-19, all four Wild Card teams advanced past the opening round, including the Blue Jackets, who became the first team to sweep the Presidents’ Trophy winner in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They did so against Tampa Bay, who matched the single-season record for wins in a season (62) that campaign – a record the Bruins surpassed this year.
Q: Does the regular-season head-to-head series matter in the playoffs?
A: It sure does. Over the past 10 seasons, a team who has won the season series vs. an opponent has a 71-51 series record when facing that same opponent in the ensuing Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Q: The Bruins set a new NHL record with 65 wins in 2022-23, making them one of four teams in NHL history to reach the 60-win mark in a single season. Did any of the other three win the Stanley Cup?
A: The first team to ever reach 60 wins in a season was the 1976-77 Canadiens (60-8-12, 132 points). Not only did they go on to win the Stanley Cup that same year, they had a 12-2 record in the postseason with four-game sweeps over the Blues in the Quarterfinals and the Bruins in the Final.
The two more recent 60-win teams did not fare quite as well, with the 1995-96 Red Wings (62-13-7, 131 points) bounced by the eventual Cup-winning Avalanche in the Conference Finals and the 2018-19 Lightning (62-16-4, 128 points) falling in a shocking sweep to the Blue Jackets in Round 1 – the first time a Presidents’ Trophy winner was swept in the opening round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Q: How often does the team that wins the Presidents’ Trophy and/or finishes first in the overall League standings go on to win the Stanley Cup?
A: Since the first season of expansion in 1967-68, the team that finished No. 1 in the overall NHL standings has gone on to win the Stanley Cup 35% of the time (19 of 54). However, it has only happened four times since 1999-2000: Avalanche in 2001, Red Wings in 2002 & 2008 and Blackhawks in 2013. The Bruins will also look to become the first Presidents’ Trophy winner to advance to the Conference Finals in eight years (Rangers in 2014-15).
Q: Connor McDavid became the sixth different player in NHL history to record 150+ points in a single regular season (17 instances overall). How many of them went on to win the Stanley Cup?
A: Wayne Gretzky is the only player to post 150+ points in a season and go on to win the Stanley Cup that same year. He did so on three different occasions: 1983-84, 1984-85 and 1986-87.
Q: The NHL had 11 100-point players in 2022-23, the most in a single season in 27 years (12 in 1995-96). When was the last time a player had a 100-point regular season and went on to capture the Stanley Cup?
A: It has been 14 years since a player recorded 100 points in the regular season and went on to help their team win the Stanley Cup in the same year. Both of those players are still active: Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby each did so with Pittsburgh in 2008-09. Only two other players have done so since the start of the 2000s (Eric Staal in 2005-06 w/ CAR & Joe Sakic in 2000-01 w/ COL).
Q: Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak both reached 60 goals in 2022-23, the first time there were multiple 60-goal scorers in the same season in 27 years (2 in 1995-96). How many times has a 60-goal scorer gone on to win the Stanley Cup in the same season?
A: There have been 10 instances of a player scoring 60+ goals in the regular season and winning the Stanley Cup that same year, with Wayne Gretzky (1986-87) the most recent to do so. Representing the Oilers, Gretzky (also 1983-84 and 1984-85) and Jari Kurri (1984-85) make up four of the 10 entries, while Phil Esposito (1971-72), who was the first to ever do it, is the lone Bruins player on the list.
Q: How many players scored 50+ goals in a season and went on to win the Stanley Cup? The NHL had five 50-goal scorers in 2022-23 for the first time in 17 years (5 in 2005-06).
A: There have been 25 instances in NHL history of a player scoring 50 goals in a season and then helping his team hoist the Stanley Cup in the same year. Former longtime Avalanche captain Joe Sakic holds the two most recent occasions, doing so in Colorado’s Stanley Cup-winning years of 1995-96 and 2000-01.
Q: What could Connor McDavid have in common with Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur?
A: Connor McDavid led the NHL in regular-season and playoff points in 2021-22, when he became the first player to do so since Evgeni Malkin in 2008-09. After finishing first in regular-season points in 2022-23, McDavid can join Guy Lafleur (1976-77 to 1977-78 w/ MTL) and Wayne Gretzky (1982-83 to 1984-85 w/ EDM) as the only players in NHL history to lead the League in points during the regular season AND playoffs in consecutive seasons.
Q: What about players to lead the NHL in goals in the regular-season and postseason in the same campaign?
A: There have been 16 occurrences of a player leading the NHL in goals in both the regular-season and postseason in the same campaign, with Alex Ovechkin (2017-18) the most recent to accomplish the feat. Only three other players have done so since the start of the 1980s: Mike Bossy (1980-81 w/ NYI), Pavel Bure (1993-94 w/ VAN) and Jarome Iginla (2003-04 w/ CGY).
Q: But wait, McDavid finished first in goals and points in the regular season, what if he finishes first in both categories during the playoffs?
A: Now we would be entering rarified air. The only players to lead the NHL in goals and points in the regular-season and playoffs in the same season are: Guy Lafleur (1977-78 w/ MTL), Phil Esposito (1971-72 w/ BOS), Jean Beliveau (1955-56 w/ MTL), Gordie Drillon (1937-38 w/ TOR), Nels Stewart (1925-26 w/ MMR) and Newsy Lalonde (1918-19 w/ MTL).
Q: Does a Strong Regular-Season Power Play Translate to Postseason Success?
A: Each of the last six Stanley Cup winners had a top-10 power play during the regular season, with five of the six ranking among the top five of the sixteen playoff teams in the ensuing postseason run. The last two Stanley Cup winners saw significant upticks in power-play percentage in the playoffs vs. their regular season total: Colorado in 2022 (24.0% in reg. season vs. 32.8% in playoffs) and Tampa Bay in 2021 (22.2% in reg. season vs. 32.4% in playoffs).
The Oilers (32.4%) are one of four teams in NHL history to finish a season with a power-play percentage of 30% or higher, joining the 1977-78 Canadiens (31.9%), 1977-78 Islanders (31.4%) and 1978-79 Islanders (31.2%). Of that group, only the 1977-78 Canadiens went on to win the Stanley Cup (25.9% in 1978 SCP).
DYK? Postseason Playoff Opportunities
Since 2012-13, seven of the last 10 seasons have had equal or more power plays per 60 minutes in the playoffs than in the regular season, averaging 6.2 per 60 minutes in the playoffs and 6.0 in the regular season over that span.
