Best Playoff Performances Post 2000

[NVious]

If you had to make a top 10 or 20 or 50 list (however many you want), how would you rank single playoff season (doesn't have to be to the cup necessarily) performances for post 2000 players?

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[RoyIsALegend]

Easy one for me.

Peter Forsberg having his spleen removed in 2001, missing the entire regular season of 2001-02, then returning for the playoffs and scoring 27 points in 20 games to lead all playoff scorers despite not even making it to the SCF.

 

[nbwingsfan]

1. Giguere - that was unbelievable what he did
2. Malkin
3. McDavid
4. Thomas
5. Zetterberg

 

[Kingfan1967]

top 3 for me
2012 J Quick SA% .946 GAA% 1.41 - 16-4 - Cup and Conn Smyth (best SA%, best GAA%, fewest losses)
2003 JS Giguere SA% .945 GAA% 1.62 - 15-6 -no cup but won the Conn Smyth (one of the few times the losing team won the Smyth)
2010 Tim Thomas SA% .940 GAA% 1.98 - 16-9 Cup and Conn Smyth

 

[super6646]

Brady Skjei 2016-17

Single-handedly lead New York to victory against Montreal and would've ensured a 5 game thumping of the Sens if not for the incompetence of AV and Marc Staal

 

[Letsdothis]

McDavid 2022 was ridiculous. Better than 2024.

 

[Il Stugotz]

My submission:
2015 Duncan Keith
GP: 23 ATOI: 31:07 G: 3 A: 18 P: 21 +16

 

[Sasha Orlov]

McDavid 2024
McDavid 2022
Draisaitl 2022

The rest

 

[TT1]

Cam Ward 05-06, without him they're out in the 1st round

 

[Rebels57]

Not that ALL-TIME BEST, but my submission:

Daniel Briere for Philadelphia in the 2010 Playoffs

12 Goals, 30 Points, in 23 games with 4 GWG...and scoring in 2010 isn't what it is today.

So many clutch moments from him that run to the Finals.

 

[dalewood12]

Halak in 2010.

 

[Horvat1C]

Erik Karlsson in 2017
McDavid in 2022
Draisaitl in 2022
Keith in 2015
Kucherov in 2021

 

[Khelandros]

 

[CallMeShaft]

McDavid's recent performance comes to mind instantly. Point scoring in seemingly every playoff game for that stretch too.

But I gotta be a homer and mention how amazing Keith was in 2015. Best Hawks player in any of those cup runs. Best performance of his career. And he did it in honor of a friend (who had worked for the team) that committed suicide a few months before the playoffs.

 

[Esq]

My submission:
2015 Duncan Keith
GP: 23 ATOI: 31:07 G: 3 A: 18 P: 21 +16

This is it for me. Heavy, heavy minutes.

 

[Three On Zero]

Giguere
Thomas
Malkin
McDavid
Keith

 

[HFpapi]

03 Ducks might be the least talented team to ever make the finals. 03 Red Wings might be the most talented team to ever lose in the 1st round.

It's disgusting what Giguere did, inflated pads or not.

Knocked off the top two cup contenders in the west in Detroit/Dallas making literally 60+ saves some nights and then allowed 1 single goal in a 4 game sweep of the Wild in the WCF for the cherry on top.

A poor finals performance is the only thing keeping this from being the GOAT playoff run in history and he might have the title anyways if they won game 7.

 

[GhostfaceWu]

Mcdavid broke the assist record this last year there's no way it isn't top three and his 2022 was even better.

 

[SimpleJack]

My submission:
2015 Duncan Keith
GP: 23 ATOI: 31:07 G: 3 A: 18 P: 21 +16

And to top it all off he scores the game winning, Cup clinching goal in game 6 of the SCF.

 

[Sexy Necksy Garland]

Post January 1st 2000.

Scott Stevens, 1999-2000 Conn Smythe playoffs.

 

[OysterForever]

Compared to his regular season appearances, has one hell of a playoff run Ville Leino

Flyers fans will never forget

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Geno in 2008-09.

What he did to the Hurricanes should be considered criminal.

And he did that with 4th line wingers mostly.

 

[Kevin27NYI]

Geno in 2008-09.

What he did to the Hurricanes should be considered criminal.

And he did that with 4th line wingers mostly.

I remember Kesler owning the Preds one year. I’d imagine it was the cup run.

 

[bobholly39]

The standouts, that I remember. In chronological order:

Roy/Sakic 2001
Giguere 2003
Pronger 2006
Crosby/Zetterberg 2008
Malin/Crosby 2009
Toews/Kane/Halak 2010
Thomas 2011
Quick 2012
Keith 2015
Crosby/Karlsson 2017
Ovechkin/Kuznetsov 2018
Kucherov/Point/Hedman 2020
Price/Kucherov/Vasi 2021
Makar/McDavid/Draisaitl 2022
McDavid 2024

There you go - that's my top 28.

Crosby has 3 runs, McDavid/Kucherov with 2 runs each. Everyone else with 1.

If I had to rank the absolute top - I'd have Giguere/Malkin/McDavid (24) at top.

If we expand it to 2 round performances, Ovechkin 2009 and Crosby 2018 make the cut too. Possibly McDrai in 2023 as well.

 

[kook10]

HM: Lecavalier's pure guttiness in the 2004 finals always stuck with me. That guy could dig deep to find what it takes.