The playoffs mostly become a defensive, clutch and grab grind fest. Super passionate hockey, I do love it, but high end offensive skill tends to get neutered, and it's all about gutting out wins and getting garbage goals.
A huge exception, though, is McDavid and MacKinnon. These guys are still utterly dominant in the playoffs, flying around the ice, breaking down defences like crazy, scoring and setting up amazing goals at an unreal rate. They're my top 2 playoff performers.
- McDavid, past 3 seasons combined: 63 points (19 goals) in 32 GP, and +15. f***ing unreal
- MacKinnon, past 5 seasons combined: 80 points (35 goals) in 57 GP, and +43. f***ing unreal too
Of course there are others who step it up a bunch too, but the way these guys just absolutely dominate even in the playoffs, and have their skill shine through like crazy under super tight checking, I find that so impressive.
Draisaitl, Makar and Kucherov also deserve mentions as guys who are able to frequently have their elite skill shine through in the playoffs. All have elite numbers, though for me the eye test isn’t quite as impressive with them as with McDavid/MacKinnon - they’re all amazing, but just not quite the same level of “too good for the opposition to contain” vibes as Mc/Mac.