The NHL's Top 10 Active Leaders in Career Playoff Goals, Points, Wins, Shutouts & More
First things first: Jaromir Jagr and Marian Hossa, both of whom are still considered "active" NHL players, were not included in this exercise.
Jagr's NHL tenure effectively came to an end in Calgary this season, and he returned to his native Czech Republic to close out his superlative career. If he had been included, the 46-year-old mullet aficionado would easily rank first among active players in career playoff goals (75) and points (201). Hossa, meanwhile, hasn't retired but appears unlikely to suit up in the NHL again after sitting out this season due to side effects of medication to treat a skin disorder. If he had been included, the 39-year-old would rank sixth among active players in career playoff goals (47) and fourth in points (149).
OK, that's enough about old guys who aren't included. Let's take a look at who is included among the NHL's top 10 active leaders in playoff goals, points, points by defensemen, goalie wins and shutouts.
(Note: Statistics are through games played April 13, 2018.)
Top 10 active players: CAREER PLAYOFF POINTS | GP | Points |
1. Sidney Crosby, Pit | 150 | 167 |
2. Evgeni Malkin, Pit | 151 | 158 |
T-3. Patrick Kane, Chi | 127 | 123 |
T-3. Joe Thornton, SJ | 160 | 123 |
T-5. Patrick Marleau, Tor | 178 | 120 |
T-5. Henrik Zetterberg, Det | 137 | 120 |
7. Ryan Getzlaf, Ana | 122 | 118 |
8. Jonathan Toews, Chi | 128 | 110 |
9. Justin Williams, Car | 140 | 94 |
10. Chris Kunitz, TB | 162 | 92 |
Notable:
– Crosby and Malkin sit 1-2 in playoff points among active NHL players, with a big cushion over everybody else. They're both on the cusp of the top 20 all-time and could move up into the top five before all is said and done.
– Marleau is listed with Toronto, but all of his playoff points (so far) come from his 19-season stint in San Jose.
– Four of the 10 players listed above (Kane, Zetterberg, Toews, Williams) didn't qualify for the playoffs this year. Here are the next highest-scoring active NHLers who made it into the post-season: Washington's Alex Ovechkin (98 playoff GP, 90 points), Anaheim's Corey Perry (115 playoff GP, 89 points), San Jose's Joe Pavelski (112 playoff GP, 85 points), Boston's David Krejci (97 playoff GP, 79 points) and Philadelphia's Valtteri Filppula (154 playoff GP, 79 points).
– Top 5 all-time leaders: Wayne Gretzky holds the NHL record with 382 playoff points, followed by Mark Messier (295), Jari Kurri (233), Glenn Anderson (214) and Jagr (201).
Top 10 active players: CAREER PLAYOFF GOALS | GP | Goals |
1. Patrick Marleau, Tor | 178 | 68 |
2. Sidney Crosby, Pit | 150 | 60 |
3. Evgeni Malkin, Pit | 151 | 59 |
4. Henrik Zetterberg, Det | 137 | 57 |
5. Patrick Kane, Chi | 127 | 50 |
6. Alex Ovechkin, Wsh | 98 | 46 |
7. Joe Pavelski, SJ | 112 | 42 |
8. Jonathan Toews, Chi | 128 | 40 |
9. Jeff Carter, LA | 118 | 39 |
10. Ryan Getzlaf, Ana | 122 | 37 |
Notable:
– Marleau has nearly a 10-goal bulge over second- and third-place Crosby and Malkin, albeit in about 30 more playoff games.
– Ovechkin, the only player with fewer than 100 playoff games to crack the top 10, comes in sixth.
– Three of the 10 players listed above (Zetterberg, Kane, Toews) didn't qualify for the playoffs this year. Here are the three next highest goal-scoring NHLers who made it into the post-season: Perry (115 playoff GP, 36 goals), Minnesota's Zach Parise (96 playoff GP, 34 goals) and Boston's Brian Gionta (112 playoff GP, 32 goals).
– Top 5 all-time leaders: Gretzky holds the NHL record with 122 playoff goals, followed by Messier (109), Kurri (106), Brett Hull (103) and Anderson (93).
Top 10 active defensemen: CAREER PLAYOFF POINTS | GP | Points |
1. Duncan Keith, Chi | 126 | 81 |
2. Kris Letang, Pit | 118 | 69 |
3. Zdeno Chara, Bos | 148 | 60 |
4. Brent Seabrook, Chi | 123 | 59 |
5. Drew Doughty, LA | 82 | 51 |
6. P.K. Subban, Nsh | 78 | 50 |
7. Niklas Kronwall, Det | 109 | 47 |
8. Paul Martin, SJ | 116 | 46 |
9. Ryan McDonagh, TB | 97 | 42 |
10. Brent Burns, SJ | 65 | 40 |
Notable:
– It's amazing that Letang's second-place total doesn't include a single point from Pittsburgh's run to the Stanley Cup last year, as he missed the entire 2017 playoffs due to a neck injury. If the Penguins make a charge at a third straight Cup this spring, Letang has a chance to leapfrog Keith for top spot.
– Doughty, Subban and Burns appear poised to climb the list in the coming seasons.
– Three of the 10 defensemen listed above (Keith, Seabrook, Kronwall) didn't qualify for the playoffs this year. Here are the three next highest-scoring defensemen who made it into the post-season: Anaheim's Francois Beauchemin (98 playoff GP, 39 points), Washington's John Carlson (77 playoff GP, 38 points) and Tampa Bay's Victor Hedman (66 playoff GP, 37 points).
– Top 5 all-time leaders: Paul Coffey holds the NHL defenseman record with 196 playoff points, followed by Nicklas Lidstrom (183), Ray Bourque (180), Denis Potvin (164) and Al MacInnis (160).
Top 10 active goalies: CAREER PLAYOFF WINS | GP | Wins |
1. Marc-Andre Fleury, Veg | 117 | 64 |
2. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR | 128 | 61 |
3. Corey Crawford, Chi | 87 | 48 |
4. Jonathan Quick, LA | 83 | 46 |
5. Pekka Rinne, Nsh | 71 | 37 |
6. Antti Niemi, Mtl | 67 | 36 |
7. Roberto Luongo, Fla | 70 | 34 |
8. Tuukka Rask, Bos | 54 | 31 |
9. Braden Holtby, Wsh | 59 | 29 |
10. Ryan Miller, Ana | 56 | 28 |
Notable:
– Fleury has won 62 playoff games with Pittsburgh, two (and counting) with Vegas.
– Four of the 10 goalies listed above (Lundqvist, Crawford, Niemi, Luongo) didn't qualify for the playoffs this year. Here are the next four goalies with the most playoff wins who made it into the post-season: Pittsburgh's Matt Murray (34 playoff GP, 23 wins), Toronto's Frederik Andersen (35 playoff GP, 19 wins), San Jose's Martin Jones (33 playoff GP, 17 wins) and Philadelphia's Brian Elliott (43 playoff GP, 16 wins).
– Top 5 all-time leaders: Patrick Roy holds the NHL record with 151 playoff wins, followed by Martin Brodeur (113), Grant Fuhr (92), Billy Smith (88) and Ed Belfour (88).
Top 10 active goalies: CAREER PLAYOFF SHUTOUTS | GP | Shutouts |
1. Marc-Andre Fleury, Veg | 117 | 11 |
2. Henrik Lundqvist, NYR | 128 | 10 |
3. Jonathan Quick, LA | 83 | 9 |
T-4. Martin Jones, SJ | 33 | 5 |
T-4. Matt Murray, Pit | 34 | 5 |
T-4. Ben Bishop, Dal | 36 | 5 |
T-4. Tuukka Rask, Bos | 54 | 5 |
T-4. Carey Price, Mtl | 60 | 5 |
T-4. Roberto Luongo, Fla | 70 | 5 |
T-4. Corey Crawford, Chi | 87 | 5 |
Notable:
– It's Fleury, Lundqvist and Quick, and then everybody else. Murray and Jones, with five clean sheets apiece, appear to have the most upward mobility.
– Five of the 10 goalies listed above (Lundqvist, Bishop, Price, Luongo, Crawford) didn't qualify for the playoffs this year. Here are the next five goalies with the most playoff shutouts who made it into the post-season: Holtby (59 playoff GP, four shutouts), Miller (56 playoff GP, three shutouts), Rinne (71 playoff GP, three shutouts), Philadelphia's Michal Neuvirth (13 playoff GP, two shutouts) and Andersen (35 playoff GP, two shutouts).
– Top 5 all-time leaders: Brodeur holds the NHL record with 24 playoff shutouts, followed by Roy (23), Curtis Joseph (16), Chris Osgood (15) and Clint Benedict (15).