Best Playoff Performances Post 2000

[nowhereman]

Not Voting McDavid as the best individual playoff performance and perhaps the best of all time here is just
McDavids playoff run made Geno look pedestrian.

Let's be real here and stop blowing smoke.

Oh please, give the McDavid nut-hugging a rest. Malkin was only .18 PPG off of McDavid's rate but did so with bottom six linemates in a lower scoring era and against better teams/goaltenders. There was nothing "pedestrian" about that run.

 

[Jericho111091]

I'd say either Quick 2012 or Forsberg 2002

 

[cowboy82nd]

If Geno had the king of linemates most of these names have had that are being thrown out in this thread, he would have set a playoff mark no one currently playing would touch. Simple as that.

Or maybe Geno wouldn't set the playoff mark due to his better linemates stealing some of his points?

 

[orby]

McDavid 2024
Quick 2012
Malkin 2009

 

[Honour Over Glory]

Or maybe Geno wouldn't set the playoff mark due to his better linemates stealing some of his points?

Lol that's not how that works.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Or maybe Geno wouldn't set the playoff mark due to his better linemates stealing some of his points?

This has got to be one of the weirder takes. Having superior linemates will HURT your point totals because they'll steal points?

 

[Nogatco Rd]

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Vasilevskiy with an unbreakable record.. 18 wins in a playoff run

 

[nowhereman]

Or maybe Geno wouldn't set the playoff mark due to his better linemates stealing some of his points?

Well, this is certainly a take.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Tim Thomas

 

[Ghost of Murph]

Skater: Malkin 2009

Goalie: Thomas 2011

What could have been: Drai 2023 before taking a cheap shot

 

[brentashton]

Stone coming off a season long stint on the LTIR has to be right up there. Dude’s a machine.






/s

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

As an objective third party who isn't a Ducks fan, J.S. Giguere's performance in 2003 remains the craziest playoff performance I have ever seen. That team had no business being where it did, and the number of absolutely eye popping ridiculous saves he made was just astounding. I have to drop a "AINEC" here. There have been excellent performances before and since then, but that was just a whole different level.

 

[NOTENOUGHRYJOTHINGS]

Came to post this also.


How about Makar scoring 29 points in 20 games. Unbelievable as a defenseman, but probably still to recent to cement a place in history.

But Crosby was amazing during that run in '08.

It's a shame Makar did it in 2022 and before his performance got a chance to settle into our minds we had Bouchard put up arguably the best playoff run by a defenseman since skating was invented.

 

[Avs2022]

It's a shame Makar did it in 2022 and before his performance got a chance to settle into our minds we had Bouchard put up arguably the best playoff run by a defenseman since skating was invented.

Agreed. I'm ashamed i mentioned Makar now.

 

[RebuildinVan]

2011 Tim Thomas might be the most frustrated Ive ever been with another teams player

 

[The Panther]

There was a thread for this topic on the History forum back in 2019 (Best playoff performance individually since 2000?). The clear winners then, by 71 people voting, were:
47% -- Malkin 2009
27% -- Giguere 2003
11% -- Thomas, 2011

Nobody else received more than 1 vote, except for Jonathan Quick, who got five votes (7%).

It's a little surprising to me that Thomas received as few votes as he did, but I guess the counter-argument to him is that Boston's defence was so strong that even an average goalie would have a chance to win (of course, you can say the same for any goalie on a great club). I think Giguere being a bit lower is correct, just because he wasn't that great in the Finals (he was lights-out in every round prior).

If we did this vote again today, I'd be pretty sure that Kucherov '20 and '21, Vasilevskiy '21, Makar '22, and McDavid '24 would get some love.