Top 10 NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Performers In The Last 10 Years: McDavid, Makar And More

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs are where legends are made, and players always bring their best in the post-season. This list will take a look at some of the best individual playoff performances over the last ten years, from 2016-2025.

The criteria used to rank the players were key statistics recorded during the run, along with each player’s impact on the team’s run as they chased the Stanley Cup.

Here are our top 10 playoff performers of the last decade. 

42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) in 25 games, 1.680 points per game

Connor McDavid wound up winning the Conn Smythe, becoming the sixth player all-time to win the award while playing on the losing team. The first time since Jean-Sebastien Giguere of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, who won the Conn Smythe in 2003.

To put this run into perspective, the only two players with more points in a single playoff run were Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux. McDavid was an absolute beast, always keeping fans on the edge of their seats. He finished third on the team in goals with eight, first on the team with 34 assists and first on the team in points with 42. 

29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 20 games 

Cale Makar showed why he would go No. 1 in a 2017 redraft with the run that he went on in 2022. He became the first player to win the Hobey Baker, Norris Trophy, and Conn Smythe in his career. He also became the third defenseman to win the Conn Smythe at age 23 or younger, after Bobby Orr of the 1970 Boston Bruins and Serge Savard of the 1969 Montreal Canadiens.

He became the third player in NHL history to win the Norris and Conn Smythe in the same season, after Orr in 1970 and 1972 and Nicklas Lidstrom of the Detroit Red Wings in 2002. When you’re in the same conversation as the likes of Bobby Orr, Nicklas Lidstrom, and Serge Savard, you’re in a strong group.

1.90 goals-against average, .937 save percentage in 23 games

When you win the Conn Smythe trophy as a goaltender, you deserve a ton of recognition, and that’s exactly what Andrei Vasilevskiy did in 2021 with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Vasilevskiy became the first goalie to win the Conn Smythe trophy since Jonathan Quick did in 2012.

The Lightning gave up the 13th-fewest goals, 45, whilst playing the most playoff games, 23. He had five shutouts in the playoff run that resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. He strikes fear into the opponent’s mind. It is fitting that the final game of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final between two future Hall of Fame goalies in Carey Price and Vasilevskiy ended 1-0. 

2.28 goals against average, .924 save percentage in 22 games

Price willed the Canadiens on one of the best Cinderella runs in recent history. The Canadiens were counted out in just about every series as they squeaked into the playoffs.

But Price was the thorn in the side of just about every team, and it felt like he was unbeatable. He was one of the reasons why the Canadiens completed the 3-1 series comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The only goalie to outperform Price was Vasilevskiy.

27 points (15 goals, 12 assists), six power-play goals in 24 games

Alex Ovechkin simply wasn’t going to be denied in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. He led all playoff skaters with 15 goals, and six of those came on the power play, which is where he does most of his damage. Arguably, his signature playoff moment during the run was off-ice, when he was seen swimming in the fountains.

But on ice, he exorcised his demons, eliminating the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round 2 and scoring a big goal in Game 3 to give the Capitals a 2-1 series lead. Ovechkin led the Washington Capitals in goals with 15 and has his name littered throughout league and Capitals history books. It just makes sense that the first Stanley Cup in Capitals history was on the back of Ovechkin. 

24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 20 games, three overtime-winners

Matthew Tkachuk had a fantastic run as the Florida Panthers were defeated in 5 games by the Vegas Golden Knights. It was Tkachuk’s clutch abilities in Games 1 and 4 in the Eastern Conference Final that propelled the Panthers to the Stanley Cup Final.

As a result of this performance, Tkachuk now holds the all-time Panthers record for most overtime game-winning goals in a single playoff run with three.

Tkachuk led the Panthers in goals, assists and points, showcasing how he can step up when the lights are brightest. He certainly had Panthers fans on the edge of their seats every time he stepped on the ice. 

33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 23 games, 1.435 points per game

Brayden Point etched his name into NHL playoff overtime lore by scoring the overtime winner in the fifth overtime period. He did most of his damage while the game was 5-on-5, scoring a playoff-leading 10 even-strength goals, and finished with a career high in 14 goals en route to a Stanley Cup victory.

Point led playoff scoring in goals with 14 and was one point behind his teammate Nikita Kucherov for the lead. Point was fantastic in the faceoff dot as well, winning 57.7 percent of his draws, and that remains his playoff career-high. 

27 points (eight goals, 19 assists) in 24 games, nine power play points 

Sidney Crosby had a fantastic run to capture his third Stanley Cup and win back-to-back Cups. It was very rare to see Crosby not be on the scoresheet during the Penguins’ run, and he had eight instances of multi-point nights.

While he didn’t put up a wicked amount of goals, it was his playmaking that stole the show for the Penguins. He had three assists in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators, which helped set up the Penguins’ series-clinching win in Game 6.

There was no play more important to the Penguins than when Crosby set up Chris Kunitz in double overtime of Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final against the Ottawa Senators to send the Penguins to the Stanley Cup final.

Crosby finished third on the team in goals with eight, first on the team in assists with 19, and first on the team in points with 27. His nine power play points ranked third on the team. 

Combined for 56 points

Mike Sullivan did wonders when he put Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel on one line together, and it was soon the birth of one of the league’s most lethal playoff lines in recent memory, named the “HBK line,” where they provided immense pressure with their speed and tenacious forecheck to wear down opponents.

The HBK line played an instrumental role in the 2016 Pittsburgh Penguins’ Stanley Cup win. Hagelin was acquired in mid-January 2016, and the trade paid off in dividends. 

21 points (13 goals, eight assists) in 25 games, 11 even-strength goals

Jake Guentzel, who was 22 years old at the time of the 2017 Stanley Cup run the Pittsburgh Penguins went on, burst onto the scene and contributed in a big way. 13 goals led the way among all playoff skaters, and many of those were passes from Sidney Crosby.

Guentzel and Crosby were stapled to a line together and created magic every time those two players stepped foot on the ice. Guentzel also led playoff skaters with five game-winning goals and earned first star with a two-goal effort in Game 2 in the Stanley Cup Final against the Nashville Predators. This paved the way for Guentzel’s future playoff runs.

Michael Pagnani is an intern at The Hockey News.

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