June 28, 2022

The 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs opened with two weeks of “Mayhem” in the First Round, featured the “Battle of Alberta” in the Second Round, the second-highest scoring Conference Finals sweep in history and a Stanley Cup Final that saw the Colorado Avalanche dethrone the two-time defending champions to claim their first Cup in two decades. A few #NHLStats to tell the story of the highest-scoring playoffs since 1995:

7,000,000 –The average audience across North America that watched the 2022 Stanley Cup Final on ABC, ESPN+, CBC, Sportsnet and TVA Sports, with an average audience of three million throughout the entire 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

4,200,000 – The average audience that watched the Conference Finals across North America – up 30% from 2019. In the U.S. across ESPN and TNT, the Conference Finals were up 67% from last year and 19% from 2019. This was the most-watched Conference Finals since 2015 (including broadcast and cable) and the most-watched Conference Finals on cable since 2013.
 

1999 – Year that “All The Small Things” was released by blink-182, with the song becoming the in-game anthem of the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche.

562 – Goals scored in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the fifth most in a postseason that consisted of four or fewer rounds (i.e., excluding 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers).

101 – Average percentage of capacity for crowds at NHL arenas, with 1,655,687 fans attending the 89 postseason games in the first “normal” postseason since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

89 – Games played in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the most in a postseason that consisted of four or fewer rounds (i.e., excluding 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers) since 2016 (91).

69 – Points by Avalanche defensemen during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the second most in one postseason in NHL history behind the 1985 Oilers (77).

65 –Combined points by Connor McDavid (10-23—33) and Leon Draisaitl (7-25—32) in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Only two players in playoff history collected more points before the Final than McDavid: Wayne Gretzky (36 in 1985, 34 in 1983 w/ EDM) and Doug Gilmour (35 in 1993 w/ TOR).

54 – Wins by the home team in 2022, tied for the fourth most in NHL history in a single playoff year.

52 – Years since a defenseman age 23 or younger won the Conn Smythe Trophy, with Cale Makar becoming the first to do so since Bobby Orr in 1970.

45 – Goals scored in “The Battle of Alberta” as the Oilers (25) and Flames (20) combined for the most in a five-game series since 1988 and the fifth-highest total in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.

37 – Number of comeback wins this postseason (42% of 89 GP). Fourteen games saw the winning team trail in the third period and 10 were multi-goal rallies. Only three playoff years since 2000 have featured a higher percentage of comeback wins: 2010 (47% of 89 GP), 2006 (47% of 83 GP) and 2009 (43% of 87 GP).

27 – Years since a postseason averaged at least 6.3 goals-per-game, before 2022, with the last occurrence coming in 1995 (6.4 G/GP).

13 – Consecutive games involving the Hurricanes that were won by the home team, the longest such stretch in Stanley Cup Playoffs history (previous: 11 straight by 2013 Kings and 1962 Maple Leafs).

12 –Number of multi-point games for Connor McDavid in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, which trailed only Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux for the most ever inone postseason. He became the first player in Stanley Cup Playoffs history with nine multi-point outings through his first 10 games of a playoff year.

11 – Consecutive series wins by the Lightning, the third-longest stretch in Stanley Cup Playoffs history behind the Islanders (19; 1980-1984) and Canadiens (13; 1976-1980).

11 – Points in potential series-clinching games by Cale Makar, the most by a defenseman in one playoff year.

10 – Points while facing elimination this postseason by reigning Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox – an NHL record for a single postseason by a defenseman.

8 – Number of playoff years to include at least six Game 7s, with 2022 becoming the latest and finishing one shy of the most in a single postseason (7 in 1994, 2011 & 2014).

8 – Hat tricks in the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the most in 29 years and four back of the record for one playoff year. The only postseasons with more: 1988 (12), 1983 (12), 1985 (11), 1992 (11), 1993 (10) and 1981 (9).

7 – Number of players to score the series-clinching goal in both the Conference Finals/Semifinals and Stanley Cup Final in the same year, with Colorado’s Artturi Lehkonen joining that list in 2022.

6 – Number of No. 1-overall picks whose team advanced to the 2022 Conference Finals, marking the most ever in the final four of the Stanley Cup Playoffs (previously: 5 in 1977 and 1984). It was just the second time every team in the final four had at least one No. 1 pick (also 1980).

6 – Time, in minutes, it took Oilers forward Evander Kane to record a hat trick during Game 3 against the Flames. It was the seventh-fastest three goals in Stanley Cup Playoffs history.
 

6 – Number of series-clinching shutouts recorded by Andrei Vasilevskiy in his career, the most in Stanley Cup Playoffs history. His record-setting performance came in the Second Round against Florida.

5.6 – Time, in seconds, remaining in the third period of Game 6 when Avalanche forward Darren Helm scored the go-ahead goal against the Blues – the second-latest series-clinching goal in regulation in NHL history.

5 – Length of Leon Draisaitl’s streak of three-point games, the longest in Stanley Cup Playoffs history (no one before him had more than three in a row).

4 – Number of Stanley Cup champions since 1987 to never face a series deficit, with Colorado joining Los Angeles (2012), Detroit (2008) and Edmonton (1988).

4 – Number of losses by the Avalanche en route to their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. Only one champion suffered fewer losses since all rounds became best-of-seven in 1987: Edmonton (2 in 1988).
 

4 – Number of teams to win multiple series in one year after facing a multi-game deficit in each. The Rangers (3-1 vs. PIT, 2-0 vs. CAR) added to that list with their Second Round comeback against the Hurricanes and joined the 2011 Bruins (2-0 vs. MTL & VAN), 2009 Penguins (2-0 vs. WSH & DET) and 2003 Wild (3-1 vs. COL & VAN).

4 – The number of Stanley Cup Playoffs records set during the “Battle of Alberta,” with the Oilers and Flames establishing new benchmarks for: fastest four goals by both teams (1:11 in Game 5), fastest two goals from the start of a game (0:51 by CGY in Game 1), most assists by one player in a period (Leon Draisaitl: 4 in P2 of Game 3) and most points by a player in a five-game series (Draisaitl: 2-15—17).

3.8 – Time, in seconds, remaining in regulation when Lightning forward Ross Colton scored the go-ahead goal in Game 2 against the Panthers – one of seven times in Stanley Cup Playoffs history a player has broken a tie within the final four seconds of the third period.

2 – Number of teams to record 10 comeback wins in one postseason, with the 2022 Avalanche matching the single-postseason record set by the 2009 Penguins.

1 – The number of champions in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to register a comeback win in four series-clinching games of a single postseason, with Colorado doing so this year (Game 4 of R1, Game 6 of R2, Game 4 of CF & Game 6 of SCF).

1 – The number of teams in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to score two tying goals in the final five minutes of regulation when facing elimination, with St. Louis achieving the feat in their Game 5 victory against Colorado.

COURTESY NHLmedia.com