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Even as a casual hockey fan, with a team who is a downright embarrassment (lookin’ at you, Philadelphia Flyers), I can’t help but be enthralled by the NHL‘s Stanley Cup Playoff playoffs.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are unlike any other major sport in the US.
They’re wildly unpredictable. Momentum seems to change at the drop of a hat, and a hot goalie can carry a team the entire way through a cup run.
Take, for instance, the Boston Bruins.
This season, the Bruins won a league-record 65 games en route to a 135-point season. But weeks later, Boston found itself bounced from the postseason after just the first round thanks to the Florida Panthers.
It was an upset of absolute historic proportions.
However, even that couldn’t match the history that’s been made just days into the second round.
On Tuesday night, Dallas Stars forward Joe Pavelski scored four goals again the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken went on to win the game 5-4 in overtime.
Teams w/ player scoring 4+ goals in playoff game were 36-3 before Stars lost to Kraken despite Pavelski's 4 goals. Other teams to lose:
Islanders to Capitals 4/26/93 (Ray Ferraro)
Blackhawks to Maple Leafs 4/10/86 (Denis Savard)
Maple Leafs to Flyers 4/17/77 (Lanny McDonald)— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 3, 2023
Josh Dubow of the Associated Press revealed it was just the fourth time in league history that a player scored four goals in a playoff game only for their team to lose.
That stat did not hold up for very long.
In fact, it barely lasted 24 hours.
One night later, Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl put four past the Vegas Golden Knights only to see the Golden Knights walk out with a 5-4 victory.
Leon Draisaitl in danger of joining this list of players to lose playoff game despite scoring 4+ goals https://t.co/2BbWO0f9Lb
— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 4, 2023
The NHL began in November of 1917. The league is over 100 years old. In the previous 105 years, only three teams had a player scored four times in a playoff game and lost.
Now it’s happened two times in as many nights.
The 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs are officially breaking hockey. Anybody who isn’t watching is missing out, and there’s still plenty more madness to come.