Top-3 Playoff Performances since 2005?

[The Panther]

Title self-explanatory.

For the poll, I'll include all the Conn Smythe winners, plus a handful of other notable ones. Of course, feel free to go off the board in your comments / replies.

(By the way, I'm not even considering any players who didn't get to the Cup Final.)

Click to read more...

 

[CokenoPepsi]

McDavid, McDavid, Keith

 

[Matsun]

I voted Malkin, Mcdavid, Makar. I don't really think Makar was top 3 but I was really inpressed by him and wanted him to get atleast 1 vote. I guess Quick wouöd be my actuall 3rd.

 

[bobholly39]

McDavid 24 and Malkin 09 for sure.

Didn't vote #3 yet. You left off Price 2021, and Crosby 2008, both contenders. Also - Bobrsovky was better in 2023 than 2024 I think

 

[daver]

McDavid 24 and Malkin 09 for sure.

Didn't vote #3 yet. You left off Price 2021, and Crosby 2008, both contenders. Also - Bobrsovky was better in 2023 than 2024 I think

Who do you like between the two?

Both players were arguably behind a teammate in Conn Smythe evaluation well into the playoffs (McDavid after Round 2, Malkin after Round 3).

Malkin - more goals, his team won, less team/offensive support outside of Crosby notably after Gonchar injury in Round 2, he and Crosby teamed up for the arguably the most dominant 2-player Cup winning performance in NHL history

McDavid - more points (although in higher scoring era and includes some unimportant points), sets playoff assist record took control of team mid-way through 3rd round after Draisaitl has an injury/starts underperforming,

 

[The Panther]

McDavid 24 and Malkin 09 for sure.

Didn't vote #3 yet. You left off Price 2021, and Crosby 2008, both contenders. Also - Bobrsovky was better in 2023 than 2024 I think

I just realized that if I add anyone now, it'll be out of order, so it's weird. Crosby in 2008 I considered, but it didn't strike me as one many people would choose (was he better than, say, Hossa?), and I don't think many would choose Bobrovsky '23 either (I could be wrong).

Price in 2021 is a great one, though -- I should have included that. Whoops.

 

[Voight]

Went with Thomas 2011, Keith 2015 and McDavid 2024.

Was hard for me to leave off 09 Malkin, 12 Quick and 20 or 21 Kucherov.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Malkin 09 is one of the most overrated runs on these boards. He feasted on mismatches from injuries but never looked dominant to me. Crosby looked better than Malkin in 09 until he was shadowed by Zetterberg.

I picked 08 Zetterberg, 19 ROR, 20 Kucherov. They looked absolutely dominant on these runs. Their teams would not have won without them.

 

[buffalowing88]

Pronger
Malkin
'24 McDavid

Although I honestly thought 07 Pronger deserved a nod if available. His suspensions/penalties hurt him but when he did play he was more dominant than Niedermayer.

 

[Gorskyontario]

McDavid 2024
Malkin 2009
Pronger 2006 or 2010
(no order)

Keith had 3 great runs as well. Hedman also has to be up there.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

I picked Pronger, Keith, and Makar. I would have had Barkov as an option for the 2024 Cup winner, and Doughty for 2014, but I’m not sure how close they are my top 3.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Karlsson 2017 should be an option.

 

[JackSlater]

I went with McDavid, Malkin, and Keith, but Pronger was right there.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

I voted for Pronger 2006, Keith 2015, and McDavid 2024. Malkin 2009 would have been 4th.

 

[McPoyle]

McDavid 24, Malkin 09, Thomas 11.

 

[jigglysquishy]

There have been five playoffs where a guy has just plain wow'd be at that top tier level (Cup finals only)

Pronger 06
Malkin 09
Keith 15
Makar 22
McDavid 24

 

[K Fleur]

Malkin 09, McDavid 24, with Zetterberg 08 and Makar 2022 fighting for 3rd.

No time for Pronger, and Quick is the only goalie run listed that I’d think about.

 

[Michael Farkas]

The 2012 Quick performance got a vote from me. It's criminally underrated for my tastes, especially given the alternatives...

 

[MadLuke]

Not sure what it mean and an agnostic comments, but Lidstrom did not show up in that list.

Yes he turned 35 during lock-out, but he is a 4 time Norris winners post 2005 with 2 stanley cup finals, in 2007 played over 30 minutes a night during the conference final run leading his team in points.

Could be a loaded team we do not think, could be injury-age by the time it is 2009, but are we underrating him ? When we think about Justin Williams or Alfredsson run before any of his ?

Or does his post 2005 career quite overrated by the voting bodies of the time...

 

[Plural]

Geno and McDavid are "easy" picks. I chose Bruins goalie as my 3rd pick, but I'm not sure if it's the correct from the list. I'll stick with it, but be more than happy to have my mind change.

 

[Felidae]

I don't think Bobrovsky 2024 should be here. If anyone from that Panthers run belongs on the list it's Barkov

Also, Bobrovsky and Tkachuk's 2023 run was better too.

That being said, none of them are true candidates for top 3 PO runs this century, so ig it doesn't really matter.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Thomas was out of his mind in 2011

 

[Michael Farkas]

20% of games giving up 4 or more (rescued by the 16th highest offensive output in playoff history to that point, and highest since the '92 Penguins)
or
0% of games giving up 4 or more

Reliable goaltending, only one bad goal in the entire playoff or extremely inconsistent goaltending, and tons of bad goals.

2012 Quick happening within 12 months of the (needlessly long) 2011 playoffs, but getting so much less recognition is a failure of the American education system haha

 

[Gorskyontario]

Karlsson 2017 should be an option.

He's probably not even top 100 performances since 2005/06

 

[The Panther]

Karlsson 2017 should be an option.

As outlined in my first post, the player has to make the Finals.