In this post, we’ll take a look at the playoff performance of the teams ousted in the first round of the 21/22 playoffs. The postseason gives us incredibly small sample sizes, where puck luck and ho and cold streaks can really have an impact. We’ll walk through the performance of the ousted teams to see where things went wrong.
Dallas Stars (WC1)
The Stars drew a a tough matchup in round 1, facing one of the regular season’s best 5v5 teams in the Calgary Flames. It showed in this series, as the Flames were dominant at 5v5 particularly later in the series. Jake Oettinger’s incredible performance in the Stars net nearly stole the series. If the Stars’ offense hadn’t had such a tough time burying their own chances, it may have worked.
Los Angeles Kings (PAC3)
The upstart Kings faced the Edmonton Oilers in the first round as their rebuild turned the corner into the postseason. With a banged up blueline, the Kings weren’t able to contain the world’s best player and lost the battle at 5v5 and on special teams.
Nashville Predators (WC2)
The Colorado Avalanche are considered a Stanley Cup favorite for a reason and they made quick work of the Predators in round 1. Losing Juuse Saros to injury at the end of the regular season certainly didn’t help, but the Predators lost the battle in every key area and were thoroughly outclassed in this series.
Minnesota Wild (CEN2)
The Wild were the stronger team at 5v5 in their first round series with the St Louis Blues and they came out relatively even in goaltending/finishing. Special teams was their demise, as they weren’t able to slow the Blues powerplay.
Washington Capitals (WC2)
The Capitals gave the President’s Trophy winning Florida Panthers a scare in the first round, but couldn’t hold on to complete the upset. They lost the possession battle at 5v5 after game 1 and their special teams kept them in the series, with both the powerplay and penalty kill providing strong results. Ultimately, the Panthers offense broke through the Capitals’ goaltending to win the series.
Toronto Maple Leafs (ATL2)
The Maple Leafs drew the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. It was a battle of heavyweights, with the 5v5 battle a saw-off both in terms of possession and goaltending/finishing. The Lightning had a small edge on special teams, which may have been the difference in the series.
Boston Bruins (WC1)
The Bruins were one of the best 5v5 teams in the regular season and that trend continued into their first round series with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bruins got into an early 0-2 hole in the series due to poor goaltending, despite being the much better team at 5v5. A goaltending change and strong special teams helped them even the series at 2. It was too little, too late, as the Hurricanes closed the gap in play late in the series and held on to eliminate the Bruins.
Pittsburgh Penguins (MET3)
The Penguins were the dominant team in their first round series with the New York Rangers, particularly at 5v5. Ultimately, injuries were likely the Penguins demise. Down to their third string goaltender after game 1, they lost the goaltending/finishing battle despite Igor Shesterkin looking average in the Rangers net. Sidney Crosby also missed game 5 and 6 after starting the series looking like he would take the Penguins on one more run with the current core and the Rangers were able to eek out the series in game 7 overtime.
