NHL Public Relations
April 14, 2023
* The penultimate day of the 2022-23 regular season saw five First Round matchups confirmed and two clubs clinch division titles.
* The Bruins concluded their historic campaign with Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman winning the William M. Jennings Trophy, while Connor McDavid and the Oilers head into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after finishing the season on lengthy streaks.
* The final division crown and two remaining First Round matchups will come down to game No. 1,312, with the Avalanche needing a win in any fashion to lock up first place in the Central.
* The NHL announced the dates for Games 1 and 2 of each 2023 First Round series. The complete First Round schedule will be available following Friday’s Colorado-Nashville matchup.
FIVE MORE 2023 FIRST ROUND MATCHUPS GET CONFIRMED THURSDAY
Five more First Round matchups in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs were locked in during Thursday’s 15-game slate, with the two that remain set to be finalized when the regular season comes to a close tonight.
* Bruins vs. Panthers: Boston will battle Florida in the second series between the franchises, following the 1996 Conference Quarterfinals when the Panthers beat the Bruins in five games en route to reaching the Stanley Cup Final. It will mark the first opening-round series between a No. 1-ranked team and the reigning Presidents’ Trophy winner (since the award was introduced in 1985-86).
* Hurricanes vs. Islanders: The 2023 First Round marks the second all-time postseason meeting between the two franchises following the 2019 Second Round, where the Hurricanes became the first team in 26 years – and ninth in NHL history – to sweep an opponent who had won its previous series via a four-game sweep. Their series-clinching victory came in front of the largest crowd in Hurricanes/Whalers history at the time (19,495) as the franchise started a postseason 5-0 at home for the first time.
* Devils vs. Rangers: New York and New Jersey are set to clash in the seventh all-time “Hudson River Rivalry” postseason series and first since the 2012 Conference Finals, when Martin Brodeur and the Devils eliminated Henrik Lundqvist and the Rangers in six games to send the franchise to their fifth Stanley Cup Final appearance.
* Golden Knights vs. Jets: Vegas and Winnipeg will face off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time after a bout in the 2018 Conference Finals. The Golden Knights fell to the Jets in Game 1 of that series but won the next four contests en route to a historic Stanley Cup Final berth in their inaugural season.
* Oilers vs. Kings: The First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs will pit Edmonton against Los Angeles for the second time in as many seasons, with the Oilers earning a seven-game triumph last year before reaching the Conference Finals. It will mark the ninth series between the franchises overall – Edmonton holds a 6-2 edge in the previous eight.
Stay tuned over the coming days for more #NHLStats on each 2023 First Round matchup.
HURRICANES, GOLDEN KNIGHTS CLINCH METROPOLITAN, PACIFIC DIVISION CROWN
Carolina (52-21-9, 113 points) and Vegas (51-22-9, 111 points) earned victories Thursday to clinch the No. 1 seed in the Metropolitan and Pacific Division, respectively:
* After sitting atop the Metropolitan for 129 days in 2022-23, the Hurricanes finished first in their division for a third consecutive season (2021-22: Metropolitan & 2020-21: Discover Central). Carolina became the third team to capture at least three consecutive division titles since the NHL realigned in 2013-14, joining Anaheim (4 from 2013-14 – 2016-17; PAC) and Washington (4 from 2015-16 – 2018-19; MET).
* With a win in their final regular-season game of 2022-23, the Golden Knights clinched their third Pacific Division title and will enter the postseason as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history. Vegas became the third franchise in NHL history with a least three division titles in its first six seasons, joining Edmonton (4; 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84 & 1984-85) and Boston (3; 1927-28, 1928-29 & 1929-30).
BRUINS’ RECORD-BREAKING CAMPAIGN CONCLUDES WITH JENNINGS TROPHY WIN
Boston (65-12-5, 135 points) bested Montreal to finish its NHL record-breaking regular season, with the Bruins tandem of Linus Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman winning the 2022-23 William M. Jennings Trophy.
* Boston became the first team in League history to feature both a 40-win and a 20-win goaltender, while Ullmark can become the sixth different netminder to outright lead the NHL in wins, goals-against average and save percentage. Click here to read more on the Bruins’ historic 2022-23 regular season in the latest #NHLStats Pack.
McDAVID, OILERS EXTEND STREAKS IN UNIQUE SEASON FINALE VERSUS KARLSSON
Connor McDavid (64-89—153 in 82 GP) concluded his historic regular season by assisting on Leon Draisaitl’s 32nd power-play goal of the campaign and helping the Oilers defeat the Sharks in a first-of-its-kind game against 100-point defenseman Erik Karlsson (25-76—101 in 82 GP). McDavid (10-19—29 in 16 GP) earned at least one point in each of Edmonton’s final 16 contests of 2022-23 and helped the club finish the campaign on a 15-game point streak and franchise record-tying nine-game winning streak.
* McDavid, who moved ahead of Phil Esposito (152 in 1970-71) for sole possession of the 15th-highest single-season point total in League history, became the 12th player with a season-ending point streak of 16-plus games. The Oilers joined the 2005-06 Devils (11-0-0), 1986-87 Canadiens (9-0-0) and 1954-55 Red Wings (9-0-0) as the League’s fourth team to conclude a campaign with nine or more consecutive wins – Detroit went on to win the Stanley Cup that year, while New Jersey and Montreal reached the Conference Semifinals and Conference Finals, respectively.
A NUMBER OF MILESTONES ACHIEVED IN BUSY #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
In the final games of the 2022-23 regular season, a number of milestones were achieved – all of which were featured in a 15-game edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates.
* After Dougie Hamilton tied the game and matched the Devils franchise record for goals by a defenseman in a season, Luke Hughes (1-1—2) netted his first NHL goal in overtime with help of his brother, Jack (0-2—2), to lift New Jersey (52-22-8, 112 points) to victory at Capital One Arena. The Devils established franchise records for wins and points in a season, eclipsing their previous bests of 51 wins in 2008-09 and 111 points in 2000-01, respectively.
* Brayden Point scored tally No. 50 and 51 to become the fifth player this season to reach the 50-goal mark, joining Connor McDavid, David Pastrnak, Mikko Rantanen and Leon Draisaitl. The 2022-23 campaign became the fifth in the past 30 years to feature five-plus 50-goal scorers. The others: 1992-93 (14), 1993-94 (9), 1995-96 (8) and 2005-06 (5).
QUICK CLICKS
* Gary Bettman voices support for public vote on Coyotes arena project in Tempe
* Craig Anderson stymies Senators to secure final win of 20-season NHL career
* Jonathan Toews scores in last game with Blackhawks in OT loss to Flyers
* WBD Sports delivers increased audiences for NHL coverage across all platforms this season
* 2023 NHL Awards and 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft event logos and broadcast details
CENTRAL DIVISION TITLE, PLAYOFF BRACKET WILL BE CONFIRMED IN FINALE
The Central Division title and two remaining matchups in the 2023 First Round will be finalized during Friday’s two-game regular season finale, which opens with the Sabres (41-33-7, 89 points) squaring off against the Blue Jackets (25-47-9, 59 points) and closes with the Avalanche (50-24-7, 107 points) taking on the Predators (42-31-8, 92 points).
* Colorado will clinch the No. 1 seed in the Central Division if it defeats Nashville in any fashion. The Avalanche can capture their third straight division title dating to 2020-21, when they earned a 5-1 win versus the Kings in their finale to lock up the No. 1 seed in the Honda West Division as well as the Presidents’ Trophy.
COURTESY NHLmedia.com
