Playoff scoring - late in series (Games 5-7) vs early in series (Games 1-4)

[overpass]

Playoff scoring by game - i.e. by Game 1 of the series, Game 2, Game 3, etc.

As far as I can tell, this information isn't out there anywhere, so I compiled it for some of the top playoff scorers in NHL history.

And I'll look at it through the following lens. How much did these players score in Games 5, 6, and 7 over their careers? That is, after both teams have already played 4 games, both teams know each other well and have made adjustments, and it's time to win or lose the series? And how does that compare to their scoring rates in games 1-4, earlier in the series?

We're talking fewer games than one regular season here, often about half a season's worth of games, so I won't draw any conclusions if the scoring rates for games 1-4 and 5-7 are relatively close. But some players did score significantly more or less in games 5-7 than in the earlier games.

(I may have a few errors in a series where the player missed games. I've manually corrected those where I've seen them.)

Original Six

Oddly enough, many players I checked from this era had higher scoring rates in games 5-7. Almost like games 5-7 tended to be higher scoring in general, although I haven't checked that.

O6 - scored more late in series

Player	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Norm Ullman	27​	17​	14​	31​	1.15​	0.66​	74%​
George Armstrong	27​	5​	16​	21​	0.78​	0.47​	66%​
Red Kelly	45​	9​	25​	34​	0.76​	0.49​	55%​
Dave Keon	22​	14​	8​	22​	1.00​	0.66​	52%​
Frank Mahovlich	41​	20​	24​	44​	1.07​	0.77​	39%​
Maurice Richard	29​	23​	12​	35​	1.21​	0.88​	37%​
Doug Harvey	34​	4​	18​	22​	0.65​	0.49​	33%​
Gordie Howe	41​	21​	29​	50​	1.22​	0.95​	29%​

Norm Ullman had the biggest increase in scoring late in a series, going from scoring 0.66 points/game in games 1-4 to 1.15 points/game in games 5-7. Most of his high scoring late in a series was against Chicago in the mid-60s. For example, in 1963 against Chicago, he scored 9 points on 11 Detroit goals in games 5-6 combined.

1962-63 Semi-Finals Game 6, Chicago Black Hawks vs. Detroit Red Wings Box Score: April 7, 1963 | Hockey-Reference.com

Get the latest box score updates on the Chicago Black Hawks vs. Detroit Red Wings game played on April 7, 1963 on Hockey-Reference.com

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1962-63 Semi-Finals Game 6, Chicago Black Hawks vs. Detroit Red Wings Box Score: April 7, 1963 | Hockey-Reference.com

Get the latest box score updates on the Chicago Black Hawks vs. Detroit Red Wings game played on April 7, 1963 on Hockey-Reference.com

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Toronto linemates Armstrong and Keon had some high scoring games late in series in their 1962-1964 dynasty. For example, Keon scored a hat trick against Montreal in Game 7, 1964, and Armstrong had 2 assists. And in the clinching Game 5 against Montreal in 1963, Keon scored 2 goals and an assist, and Armstrong had 3 assists.

1963-64 Semi-Finals Game 7, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens Box Score: April 9, 1964 | Hockey-Reference.com

Get the latest box score updates on the Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens game played on April 9, 1964 on Hockey-Reference.com

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1962-63 Semi-Finals Game 5, Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs Box Score: April 4, 1963 | Hockey-Reference.com

Get the latest box score updates on the Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs game played on April 4, 1963 on Hockey-Reference.com

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Frank Mahovlich was particularly good late in the series in Montreal's 1971 and 1973 Cup runs. For example, he scored 6 points in games 5-7 against Boston in 1971, and 5 points in games 5-6 against Chicago in 1973.

Maurice Richard was remarkably consistent, scoring at least 1 goal in 18 of 29 games 5-7. But he ran up the score in the war years, with two 5 point games against Toronto in Game 5 of 1944 and Game 5 of 1945.

Gordie Howe, like his teammate Norm Ullman, had some high scoring games late in the series against Chicago in the mid-60s. And he also had several other big games late in series earlier in his career, including 1953 against Boston when he scored 4 points in games 5-6 combined, 1954 against Toronto when he scored 2 G 1 A in Game 7, 1955 against Montreal when he scored 4 goals across games 5-7.

O6 - scored less late in series

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Stan Mikita	39​	12​	21​	33​	0.85​	1.01​	-16%​
Ted Kennedy	18​	7​	5​	12​	0.67​	0.80​	-17%​
Ted Lindsay	37​	10​	13​	23​	0.62​	0.76​	-18%​
Dickie Moore	35​	7​	16​	23​	0.66​	0.87​	-24%​

No huge drops from this era but a few players who did score a bit less late in series.

Ted Lindsay, from the age of 19-23 (1945-1949), scored 18 points in 32 Games 1-4 and only 1 point in 13 Games 5-7. From 1950-on he was close to a point per game both early and late in series.

Ted Kennedy also struggled to score late in series early in his career, with 2 points in 6 games 5-7 as a teenager in 1944 and 1945.

Moore did quite well late in series from 1955 to 1959, with 19 points in 13 games 5-7. But before 1955 he had only 1 point in 10 such games, and after 1960 he had only 3 points in 12 such games.

Mikita was the opposite of Moore. He started and ended well, but right in the middle of his career, from 1965-1971, he had 4 goals and 10 points in 19 playoff games 5-7.

And then a few players who scored relatively consistently both early and late in series.

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Alex Delvecchio	33​	12​	19​	31​	0.94​	0.83​	13%​
Bobby Hull	33​	15​	24​	39​	1.18​	1.05​	13%​
Henri Richard	46​	14​	21​	35​	0.76​	0.70​	9%​
Bernie Geoffrion	31​	14​	12​	26​	0.84​	0.91​	-8%​
Pierre Pilote	26​	1​	16​	17​	0.65​	0.73​	-11%​
Jean Beliveau	38​	15​	22​	37​	0.97​	1.12​	-13%​

Dynasty era (70s and 80s)

From this era, it was more common for players to drop off in scoring in games 5-7. Part of this is likely because there were 5 game series in the first round for much of this time, often against weaker teams, so those games largely end up in the game 1-4 bucket. Even so, the only players I found who increased their scoring late in series were three dynasty Oilers and Serge Savard. On the other hand, the 3 great Islanders, Lafleur, and Cournoyer all dropped off late in series.

Dynasty era - scored more late in series

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Jari Kurri	45​	26​	40​	66​	1.47​	1.08​	36%​
Serge Savard	24​	5​	10​	15​	0.63​	0.50​	25%​
Mark Messier	55​	34​	42​	76​	1.38​	1.21​	14%​
Glenn Anderson	58​	24​	36​	60​	1.03​	0.92​	12%​

Highlights for Jari Kurri include:
1984 - 3 points in the clinching Game 5, finals, against the Islanders
1985 - 7 goals and 9 points in games 5-6 against Chicago. 4 points in the clinching game 5, finals, against PHI.
1988 - 3 goals and 6 points in series-ending Game 5s against Winnipeg and Detroit.
1993 - only 7 points in 16 games 1-4, 10 points in 8 games 5-7.

Glenn Anderson
1987 - 9 points in 5 games 5-7
1990 - Multi-point games in each series-ending win vs Winnipeg, Chicago, and Boston

Mark Messier
1984 - 6 points in 3 games 5-7 vs CGY
1989 - 5 points in 3 games 5-7 vs LAK
1992 - 6 points in 3 games 5-7 vs NJD
1994 - 3 g, 1 a in game 6 vs NJD. You may have heard about this one.
1997 - 2 g, 1 a in series-winning Game 5 vs FLA.

Dynasty era - scored less late in series

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Phil Esposito	28​	9​	16​	25​	0.89​	1.10​	-19%​
Bobby Clarke	30​	5​	17​	22​	0.73​	0.92​	-20%​
Jean Ratelle	30​	6​	14​	20​	0.67​	0.84​	-21%​
Gilbert Perreault	17​	6​	10​	16​	0.94​	1.19​	-21%​
Brad Park	38​	8​	16​	24​	0.63​	0.82​	-23%​
Bryan Trottier	50​	11​	22​	33​	0.66​	0.87​	-24%​
Mike Bossy	26​	13​	12​	25​	0.96​	1.31​	-27%​
Yvan Cournoyer	35​	12​	11​	23​	0.66​	0.93​	-29%​
Denis Potvin	40​	10​	16​	26​	0.65​	0.96​	-32%​
Guy Lafleur	25​	6​	12​	18​	0.72​	1.13​	-36%​

Most of the big stars of this era scored at a lower rate in games 5-7 than in games 1-4. So we may need to grade on a curve.

Guy Lafleur
- Scored 3 points in the one Game 7 of his career, 1979 BOS. But in games 5 and 6 he scored only 5 goals and 15 points in 24 GP
- Most of his games 5-6 struggles were early or late in his career. 3 points in 9 games before 1975, 0 points in 3 games after 1979,

Yvan Cournoyer
- Kind of the opposite of Mahovlich in 1971 and 1973. He lit it up in games 1-4 (18-18-36 in 24 GP), not so much in games 5-7 (7-4-11 in 13 GP)

Denis Potvin
- Most of his dropoff late was in the dynasty years. 76 points in 63 games 1-4, 9 points in 15 games 5-7. But the Islanders were so good in games 1-4 (50-13) that it didn't matter. And they still went 10-5 in games 5 and 6 and never went to a Game 7.
Mike Bossy
- Not a bad scoring rate to be just under a point/game in games 5-7, but he set a high bar with 1.31 points/game in games 1-4.
- Struggled in the two seasons before the dynasty against Toronto and Rangers.

Bryan Trottier
- Just over a point/game in the dynasty (14 P in 13 GP, games 5-7)
- only 4 points in 10 GP before 1980
- only 9 points in 15 GP from 1984-1988 while still with the Islanders
- 6 points in 12 GP (games 5-7) with Pittsburgh was actually an increase on his playoff scoring rate there.

Bobby Clarke
- Oddly enough, only 3 points in 10 GP (games 5-7) in 1974 and 1975, when the Flyers won.
- Maybe he played more of a defensive role? Esposito, Ratelle, and Perreault all went scoreless in these same games against him.

Phil Esposito
- Scoreless in two game sevens (1965 vs Montreal and 1971 vs Montreal)
- Really disappeared when in Chicago. 2 G 1 A in 9 GP (games 5-7) from 1965-1967.

Not much change

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Peter Stastny	26​	10​	20​	30​	1.15​	1.12​	3%​
Larry Robinson	54​	6​	29​	35​	0.65​	0.63​	3%​
Bobby Orr	15​	7​	12​	19​	1.27​	1.24​	2%​
Paul Coffey	42​	10​	31​	41​	0.98​	1.02​	-4%​
Ray Bourque	52​	7​	43​	50​	0.96​	1.02​	-6%​
Wayne Gretzky	47​	26​	56​	82​	1.74​	1.86​	-6%​
Jacques Lemaire	33​	12​	18​	30​	0.91​	0.97​	-7%​

1990s - first lockout

1990s to first lockout - scored more late in series.

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Claude Lemieux	65​	27​	31​	58​	0.89​	0.59​	51%​
Mario Lemieux	33​	28​	37​	65​	1.97​	1.45​	36%​
Trevor Linden	44​	15​	27​	42​	0.95​	0.71​	34%​
Esa Tikkanen	48​	28​	13​	41​	0.85​	0.66​	30%​
Luc Robitaille	43​	17​	23​	40​	0.93​	0.75​	24%​
Brett Hull	56​	32​	27​	59​	1.05​	0.90​	17%​

Mario Lemieux is ahead of even Gretzky as a game 5-7 scorer for his career, reaching almost 2 points/game. He was held scoreless in only 3 of 33 such games, while Gretzky was scoreless in 11 of 47.

If you look at Gretzky's Edmonton years only, he had 45 points in 22 games 5-7, slightly ahead of Lemieux in points/game.

Mario had 22 points in 18 career Game 1s, he was a bit of a slow starter. And he also scored only 6 points in 6 Game 7s.

5 G and 3 A in his first career game 5, vs PHI in 1989. Other highlights include:
- 1991 vs BOS, 4 points in Game 5 and then 3 points in Game 6
- 1991 vs MNS, 4 points in series-ending Game 6
- 1992 vs WSH, 5 points on 6 PIT goals in Game 6 and then 2 points on 3 PIT goals in Game 7 to win the series.
- 1996 vs NYR, 3 G 1 A in the series-winning Game 5.

It's interesting that three non-star forwards who were known for stepping it up in the playoffs also stepped it up late in series. Claude Lemieux, Trevor Linden, and Esa Tikkanen.

Claude Lemieux
- Lemieux is known for his contributions to Cup winners in 1986, 1995, and 1996, but he also stepped up in other playoffs as well
- 1992 vs NYR, he had 3 points in game 6 and a goal in game 7
- 1994 vs Boston, 3 points in the series-winning game 6
- 1994 vs NYR, 4 points in games 5-7 on 7 NJD goals
- 1997 vs Chicago, 6 points in games 5-6
- 1997 vs Edmonton, 2 points in series-winning game 5, both points on 3rd period go-ahead goals
- 1999 vs Detroit - 3 points in games 5-6

Trevor Linden
- Linden is one of the all-time Game 7 scorers, with 6 goals and 12 points in 9 game 7s
- As a 19 year old rookie, he had a goal and an assist against the great 1989 Flames in Game 7, both game-tying goals
- 1991 vs LAK, 4 assists in games 5-6 in a losing effort
- 1992 vs WIN, 2 goals and 5 points in games 5-7 as Vancouver came back from 3-1 down to win the series
- 1994 vs TOR, 2 assists in the series-winning Game 5, on the game-tying goal and the OT series winner.
- 1994 vs NYR, scored both VAN goals in Game 7
- 1996 vs COL, hat trick in game 5
- 2003 vs STL, 1 G 1 A in game 7
- 2007 vs DAL, almost 20 years after 1989 he once again scored a goal and an assist in Game 7, this time in a win.

Esa Tikkanen
- 1988 vs WIN, 3 points in the series-winning Game 5
- 1990 vs WIN, 5 points in games 5-7
- 1991 vs CGY, 3 G 1 A in game 7, including the series-winning OT goal
- 1991 vs LAK, 2 goals in the series winning Game 6, including the tying goal in the third period
- 1992 vs LAK, 3 goals in Game 5
- 1995 vs VAN, 2 G 2 A in Game 6
- 1996 vs COL, 1 G 1 A in Game 6, a point on both VAN goals in a one-goal loss.

1990s to first lockout - scored less late in series

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Nicklas Lidstrom	72​	9​	35​	44​	0.61​	0.73​	-16%​
Pierre Turgeon	27​	3​	18​	21​	0.78​	0.93​	-16%​
Chris Pronger	50​	6​	23​	29​	0.58​	0.75​	-22%​
Peter Forsberg	47​	15​	29​	44​	0.94​	1.22​	-23%​

No huge drops from this era.

Turgeon really struggled late in series early in his career, during his "Tin Man" era in Buffalo. Only 1 assist in 7 games 5-7 from 1988-1991, after scoring 24 points in 16 GP from games 1-4.

Forsberg set a really high bar in games 1-4, so scoring under a point per game in games 5-7 is a bit disappointing. Some series where you'd like to have seen more from him late include:

1996 vs CHI and DET - 1 point in 4 GP (2 game 5 and 2 game 6)
1998 vs EDM - 0 points in 3 losses, games 5-7
2001 vs LAK - 1 point in games 5-7
2002 vs DET - 0 points in games 6,7
2006 vs BUF - 0 points in games 5-6

And these players were all about the same whether early or late in series.

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Ron Francis	50​	18​	28​	46​	0.92​	0.80​	15%​
Jeremy Roenick	42​	20​	14​	34​	0.81​	0.79​	3%​
Theo Fleury	25​	11​	15​	26​	1.04​	1.02​	2%​
Steve Yzerman	45​	12​	31​	43​	0.96​	0.94​	2%​
Joe Sakic	52​	27​	30​	57​	1.10​	1.09​	0%​
Scott Stevens	71​	6​	30​	36​	0.51​	0.51​	0%​
Mike Modano	53​	13​	30​	43​	0.81​	0.84​	-3%​
Brendan Shanahan	45​	15​	16​	31​	0.69​	0.74​	-7%​
Jaromir Jagr	58​	24​	29​	53​	0.91​	0.99​	-7%​
Sergei Fedorov	51​	13​	32​	45​	0.88​	0.99​	-11%​
Doug Gilmour	59​	13​	43​	56​	0.95​	1.07​	-12%​
Al MacInnis	49​	13​	27​	40​	0.82​	0.94​	-13%​
Adam Oates	43​	14​	23​	37​	0.86​	0.99​	-13%​

2005 - present

I'm posting this during the 2024 playoffs so totals for McDavid and Draisaitl will change.

2005-2024 - scored more late in series

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Duncan Keith	44​	8​	29​	37​	0.84​	0.50​	67%​
Jonathan Toews	41​	18​	27​	45​	1.10​	0.77​	42%​
Patrick Kane	43​	24​	28​	52​	1.21​	0.86​	41%​
Henrik Zetterberg	43​	18​	27​	45​	1.05​	0.80​	31%​
Daniel Briere	35​	13​	26​	39​	1.11​	0.87​	29%​

Yes, the Chicago big three of Keith, Toews, and Kane were the best late-series scorers of their generation.

Zetterberg and Briere are both known for their playoff performances, and they also stepped it up later in the series in particular.

Keith
2010 - 6 points in 6 GP (games 5-7)
2011 - 2 G 2 A in Game 5 vs Vancouver
2013 - 7 points in 7 GP (games 5-7)
2014 - 1 G 3 A in series-winning Game 6 vs STL
2015 - 1 G 2 A in series-winning Game 6 vs NSH
2015 - 5 assists in games 6-7 vs ANA as Chicago came back from down 3-2

Toews
2009 - 2 G 1A in series-winning Game 6 against VAN, including the GWG
2010 - 9 points in 6 GP (games 5-7), at least one point in each game, and closed out NSH in game 6 with 3 P and the GWG
2013 - 11 points in 7 GP (games 5-7)
2015 - 5 G, 8 points in 6 GP (games 5-7)

Kane
2009 - Hat trick in Game 6 to close out Vancouver
2010 - 10 points in 6 GP (games 5-7), including 3 points and the Cup-winning OT goal in Game 6 vs PHI
2013 - Hat trick in Game 5 with an OT goal to send home LAK, the defending champs
2013 - 2 goals in Game 5 of the Cup final vs BOS
2015 - 8 points in 3 series-winning games (Game 6 vs NSH, Game 7 vs ANA, Game 6 vs TBL)

Zetterberg
2007 - 3 points in Game 5 against CGY and then Game 5 against SJS
2008 - 4 points in games 5-6 of the Cup final.
2009 - 6 points in games 5-7 against ANA
2010 - 3 assists in Game 7 against PHX
2013 - 7 points in Games 5-7 against ANA, including an OT goal in game 6.

Briere
Especially good in games 6-7. 16 GP, 11 G, 12 A, 23 P for his career in these games.
2007 - 4 assists in games 5-6 against NYR, then 2 assists against Ottawa in a losing effort in Game 5
2008 - 4 points in games 5-7 against WSH, including an assist on the series-winning OT goal
2010 - 11 goals in 7 GP (games 5-7), including 5 points on 7 PHI goals in games 5-6 in the Finals.
2011 - 4 G, 1 A in games 5-7 against BUF
2014 - 1 G 1 A in game 7 against BOS

2005-2024 - scored less late in series

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Alex Ovechkin	52​	22​	20​	42​	0.81​	1.00​	-19%​
Sidney Crosby	52​	12​	36​	48​	0.92​	1.20​	-23%​
Brad Marchand	50​	16​	20​	36​	0.72​	0.95​	-24%​
Joe Thornton	58​	9​	22​	31​	0.53​	0.80​	-33%​
Nikita Kucherov	43​	10​	25​	35​	0.81​	1.27​	-36%​
Ryan Getzlaf	37​	7​	17​	24​	0.65​	1.09​	-41%​
Victor Hedman	48​	7​	10​	17​	0.35​	0.85​	-59%​

While Ovechkin and Crosby were the regular season scorers of their generation, and maintained a high level of scoring in playoff games 1-4, they couldn't match Toews and Kane when it came to scoring late in the series.

Ovechkin
2010 vs MTL - 8 points in the first 4 games, 2 points in the last 3 games
2013 vs NYR - 0 points in games 5-7
2017 - in 2 series, 7 points in 8 GP (games 1-4), 1 point in 5 GP (games 5-7)

Crosby
2009 vs DET - 0 points in games 5-7
2012 vs PHI - 0 points in games 5-6 after 8 points in games 1-4
2014 vs NYR - 0 points in games 5-7
2022 vs NYR - 1 point in games 5-6 after 9 points in games 1-4

TBL teammates Kucherov and Hedman have led a near-dynasty for TBL, but they've both struggled to score late in series.

Kucherov
- 0 points in 6 career Game 7s
- For 2020, 2021, and 2022 playoffs combined, was almost 1.5 points/game in games 1-4 (21-54-75 in 51 GP), and only 2 goals and 18 points in 20 games 5-7

Hedman
2015 - Games 1-4, 1-12-13 in 16 GP. Games 5-7, only one assist in 10 GP
2018 - Games 1-4, 1-9-10 in 12 GP. Games 5-7, only one assist in 5 GP
2021 - Games 1-4, 2-13-15 in 16 GP. Games 5-7, only 3 assists in 7 GP
2022 - Games 1-4, 2-14-16 in 16 GP. Games 5-7, only 1 G 2 A in 7 GP

Getzlaf and Marchand have both been strong playoff performers overall, but dropped off quite a bit late in series.

Getzlaf
- From 2011-2017, he scored 19-40-59 in 44 games 1-4! And then only 2-10-12 in 21 games 5-7.
2011 - 0 points in games 5-6 vs NSH
2013 - 2 points in games 5-7 vs DET
2014 - 2 points in games 5-7 vs LAK
2016 - 0 points in games 6-7 vs NSH

Marchand
- Several series where he started really hot and then his scoring dried up late
2014 - 0 points in games 5-7 vs MTL, after 5 assists in games 1-4
2018 - 0 points in Game 5 vs TBL, after 8 points in first 4
2022 - 2 points in games 5-7 vs CAR, after 9 points in first 4
2024 - 0 points in games 5-7 vs TOR, after 8 points in first 4

And we all know Joe Thornton struggled to score in the playoffs, but did you know he barely scored half a point per game in games 5/6/7 for his career? But to be fair, much of that was from late in his career (0 points in 10 games 5-7 from 2019-2021) or early (2 points in 11 games 5-7 from 1998-2004). In his prime in San Jose, from 2006-2016, he scored 29 points in 37 games 5-7, a slightly lower rate than games 1-4 but not a huge drop.

2002 vs MTL - 6 points in games 1-4, 0 points in games 5-6
2007 vs DET - 5 points in games 1-4, 0 points in games 5-6
2008 vs CGY - 5 points in games 1-4, 2 points in games 5-7
2011 vs VAN - 6 points in games 1-3, 0 points in games 4-5
2014 vs LAK - 3 points in games 1-4, 0 points in games 5-7 (blowing a 3-0 series lead)

On the other hand,
2016 - 10 points in 8 games 5-7

2005-2024 - not much difference

Games 5-7	5-7 GP	5-7 G	5-7 A	5-7 P	5-7 P/GP	1-4 P/GP	Difference 5-7
Evgeni Malkin	49​	15​	34​	49​	1.00​	1.02​	-2%​
Nathan MacKinnon	25​	11​	20​	31​	1.24​	1.32​	-6%​
Connor McDavid	17​	10​	15​	25​	1.47​	1.61​	-9%​
Leon Draisaitl	17​	11​	15​	26​	1.53​	1.70​	-10%​

All great scorers early in the series or late.

Click to read more...

 

[Hockey Outsider]

This is great research. One of the biggest surprises - Ted Kennedy's scoring decreased quite a bit. That's surprising given his stellar reputation as a playoff performer. (I've often called him, and this is a bit of an exaggeration, the Mark Messier of his era).

It was also surprising to see Forsberg's drop-off (-23%). Unexpected for someone who has such a strong reputation. But, as you said, it's partly because he set the bar so high during games 1-4. (On the other hand - look at how good Sakic's numbers in games 5-7).

Kane scoring at a 99 point (per 82 games) late in a series also looks really good. (All three stars for the Blackhawks dynasty look great by this metric).

 

[ScottyMascotty]

I decided to try it with my team's all-time leaders in playoff points. Here is what I found:


In Florida only:

1-4 Games​	1-4 GP​	1-4 G​	1-4 A​	1-4 P​	1-4 PPG​
Aleksander Barkov​	52​	13​	32​	45​	0,87​
Matthew Tkachuk​	32​	13​	22​	35​	1,09​
Sam Reinhart​	40​	14​	11​	25​	0,63​
Carter Verhaeghe​	44​	18​	13​	31​	0,70​
Sam Bennett​	38​	10​	17​	27​	0,71​

5-7 Games​	5-7 GP​	5-7 G​	5-7 A​	5-7 P​	5-7 PPG​	PPG Diff​	PPG Diff %​
Aleksander Barkov​	19​	6​	9​	15​	0,79​	-0,08​	-9%​
Matthew Tkachuk​	12​	4​	4​	8​	0,67​	-0,42​	-39%​
Sam Reinhart​	15​	7​	1​	8​	0,53​	-0,10​	-16%​
Carter Verhaeghe​	17​	8​	14​	22​	1,29​	+0,59​	+84%​
Sam Bennett​	16​	4​	9​	13​	0,81​	+0,10​	+14%​

Full career playoffs:

1-4 Games​	1-4 GP​	1-4 G​	1-4 A​	1-4 P​	1-4 PPG​
Matthew Tkachuk​	54​	19​	28​	47​	0,87​
Carter Verhaeghe​	50​	18​	15​	33​	0,66​
Sam Bennett​	62​	21​	23​	44​	0,71​

5-7 Games​	5-7 GP​	5-7 G​	5-7 A​	5-7 P​	5-7 PPG​	PPG Diff​	PPG Diff %​
Matthew Tkachuk​	17​	5​	6​	11​	0,65​	-0,22​	-25%​
Carter Verhaeghe​	19​	8​	14​	22​	1,16​	+0,50​	+76%​
Sam Bennett​	22​	4​	11​	15​	0,68​	-0,03​	-4%​