The Official NHL 2023-2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by bhurst99

I always thought playoff hockey is more defensive than regular season hockey. But the Winnipeg Jets were here to prove me wrong.

Let's find out!

Since the beginning of the "New NHL" Era:

05/06 - Regular Season GPG: 6.16, Postseason GPG: 5.65
06/07 - 5.90, 4.95
07/08 - 5.56, 5.36
08/09 - 5.82, 5.48
09/10 - 5.68, 5.98*
10/11 - 5.58, 5.61*
11/12 - 5.46, 4.84
12/13 - 5.44, 5.02
13/14 - 5.48, 5.59*
14/15 - 5.46, 5.03
15/16 - 5.42, 5.25
16/17 - 5.54, 5.16
17/18 - 5.94, 5.90
18/19 - 6.02, 5.57
19/20 - 6.04, 5.47
20/21 - 5.88, 5.48
21/22 - 6.28, 6.31*
22/23 - 6.36, 6.28

*Playoff games were higher scoring than regular season games

Now let's see whether Stanley Cup champions were offensively or defensively oriented:

05/06 Hurricanes - 3rd in regular season GF, 18th in regular season GA (Offensive)
06/07 Ducks - 6th GF, 7th GA (Balanced)
07/08 Red Wings - 3rd GF, 1st GA (Balanced)
08/09 Penguins - 5th GF, 18th GA (Offensive)
09/10 Blackhawks - 3rd GF, 5th GA (Balanced)
10/11 Bruins - 8th GF, 3rd GA (Balanced)
11/12 Kings - 29th GF, 2nd GA (Defensive)
12/13 Blackhawks - 2nd GF, 1st GA (Balanced)
13/14 Kings - 25th GF, 2nd GA (Defensive)
14/15 Blackhawks - 16th GF, 2nd GA (Defensive)
15/16 Penguins - 3rd GF, 7th GA (Balanced)
16/17 Penguins - 1st GF, 17th GA (Offensive)
17/18 Capitals - 9th GF, 15th GA (Offensive)
18/19 Blues - 15th GF, 6th GA (Defensive)
19/20 Lightning - 1st GF, 9th GA (Offensive)
20/21 Lightning - 8th GF, 6th GA (Balanced)
21/22 Avalanche - 3rd GF, 7th GA (Balanced)
22/23 Golden Knights - 14th GF, 11th GA (Balanced)

(For the record, the 23/24 Jets were 15th GF, 1st GA.)

So I was pretty wary (and weary) of all the Jets play "playoff style hockey" (ie, the right way) narratives during the regular season. Aside from the early 2010s LA Kings, has anyone really won that way? Is it a sign of a true Cup contender to win all a bunch of 2-1, 3-2 games in the regular season? Considering that defence-first teams tend to rely on superior goaltending and/or work ethic, I'd say no, that most true Cup contenders are those that can (to some degree) coast through the regular season and win games through sheer talent, but have the necessary discipline to lock down and win 2-1 and 3-2 games when necessary. The Avalanche and Oilers can go places where the Jets and Kings can't. (The 2012/14 Kings are obvious exceptions here, as they had the perfect personnel to play that style.)

[DrJones]

Also, are goalies pretty much fungible in today's NHL?

Hellebuyck vs Georgiev was about as big a mismatch as you can get, and the Avs annihilated the Jets, generating quality scoring chances at will. The Canucks are down to their 3rd string goalie, a decent but not elite prospect, and there's been no appreciable downgrade (so far) between Demko and DeSmith and Silovs. (The Canucks problems are all in the offensive zone.)

Are NHL goalies, once as important as NFL quarterbacks, now dime-a-dozen running backs instead? Have they turned into the relief pitchers of hockey? Good ones are still valuable, and you can't win if they're really bad, but you can win with baseline competence and well-timed hot streaks, because they're now a minor cog in the system? Would Hellebuyck or Demko or Vasilevksiy have a huge impact on say, the Leafs? Would any of them make Toronto Cup favourites? I'm pretty confident (healthy) Matt Murray or Holtby or Binnington or Kuemper or Adin Hill wouldn't.

[Kobalt]

If I remember right, fancy stats had the Avs made the Jets defense look like the Sharks. Prime Hasek wouldn't even saved them, Hellebuyck got no help. I don't even think Georgiev outplayed him. Their main issue was Adam Lowry was their best player.

Leafs' issues are the same as the Jets, they lack PMD that can generate offense, and they built it that way.

Pietrangelo was smart to get himself a NMC, otherwise he would've been shipped out during Vegas' musical chairs.

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kobalt

If I remember right, fancy stats had the Avs made the Jets defense look like the Sharks. Prime Hasek wouldn't even saved them, Hellebuyck got no help. I don't even think Georgiev outplayed him. Their main issue was Adam Lowry was their best player.

Prime Hasek might not beat these Avs, but holy hell would it have been fun to watch him try.

[Majingir]

Leafs should decline any penalty the Bruins get and bank it so that any penalty the Leafs get, they can negate it.

Entire specialty teams staff should be fired after this.

One of the all time worst special teams play in any series the last 40 years.

[Majingir]

Another 1st period the Leafs allow barely any shots.

Weird how they're better defensively when Matthews isn't there. Probably helps that guys (aka Marner) aren't doing stupid fancy plays and drop passes to literally nobody which just causes turnovers (I'm still bitter over the Habs series where they turned over the puck on a pointless drop pass to nobody and lost in OT seconds later)

[Majingir]

GAME 7!?

Here we go again!

[Kobalt]

Leafs winning without Matthews out there, they should've traded him to his hometown Coyotes when they had the chance.