8th beating 1st, 7th beating 2nd

[Megahab]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of all the 8th seeds in a conference to have beaten the 1st seed in the NHL playoffs? And possibly 7th seeds that have beat 2nd seeds as well, although I think that has happenned a lot more often. I feel like a 7th has beaten a 2nd in most of the last 10 years or so.

Click to read more...

 

[goalsversusthreshold*]

We've only used a conference seeding system since 93-94, so it wouldn't be too card to look this up yourself.

I know that the only time the President's Trophy winner has lost in the first round is the Sharks against the Blues, the Oilers against the Red Wings, the Ducks against the Sharks, and the Canadiens against the Capitals.

 

[Megahab]

We've only used a conference seeding system since 93-94, so it wouldn't be too card to look this up yourself.

I know that the only time the President's Trophy winner has lost in the first round since then is the Sharks against the Red Wings, the Sharks against the Blues, the Oilers against the Red Wings, the Ducks against the Sharks, and the Canadiens against the Capitals.

You're right, it wouldn't take too long to go through each year and find those upsets. I will try to post it here later.

And just want to correct you on one thing, when the Sharks beat the Wings in 1994, the Wings weren't the President's Trophy winners that year. NYR won.

 

[Megahab]

I decided to just list all of the first round upsets in the playoffs since 1994. Yes, I have a lot of time on my hands.

President's Trophy Winners losing in the 1st round are in bold.

By upsets, I just mean the lower seed won the series. In some of these cases, the team with the most points in the regular season was the lower seed due to facing a division winner.

Since 1994, in 45 of the 128 first-round series, the lower seed has won.

In 9 of the 16 playoffs, a #1 seed has lost in the first round. So 9 of 32 #1 seeds have been eliminated in round 1.

In 12 of the 16 playoffs, a #2 seed has lost in the first round. 15 of the 32 #2 seeds have been eliminated in round 1.

1994
8) SJS def 1) DET 4-3
7) VAN def 2) CAL 4-3
7) WAS def. 2) PIT 4-2

1995
8) NYR def 1) QUE 4-2
7) SJS def 2) CAL 4-3
6) VAN def 3) STL 4-3
5) NJD def 4) BOS 4-1

1996
5) STL def 4) TOR 4-2

1997
7) EDM def 2) DAL 4-3
5) NYR def 4) FLR 4-1

1998
8) OTT def 1) NJD 4-2
7) MTL def 2) PIT 4-2
7) EDM def 2) COL 4-3
6) BUF def 3) PHI 4-1

1999
8) PIT def 1) NJD 4-3
7) BUF def 2) OTT 4-0
6) BOS def 3) CAR 4-2
5) STL def 4) PHX 4-3

2000
8) SJS def 1) STL 4-3
7) PIT def 2) WAS 4-1

2001
7) TOR def 2) OTT 4-0
7) LAK def 2) DET 4-2
6) PIT def 3) WAS 4-2
5) BUF def 4) PHI 4-2

2002
8) MTL def 1) BOS 4-2
7) OTT def 2) PHI 4-1

2003
7) ANA def 2) DET 4-0
6) MIN def 3) COL 4-3

2004
7) MTL def 2) BOS 4-3
6) CAL def 3) VAN 4-3

2006
8) EDM def 1) DET 4-2
7) COL def 2) DAL 4-1
6) ANA def 3) CAL 4-3
5) SJS def 4) NAS 4-1

2007
6) NYR def 3) ATL 4-0
5) SJS def 4) NAS 4-1

2008
6) PHI def 3) WAS 4-3
6) COL def 3) MIN 4-2
5) DAL def 4) ANA 4-2

2009
8) ANA def 1) SJS 4-2
6) CAR def 3) NJD 4-3

2010
8) MTL def 1) WAS 4-3
7) PHI def 2) NJD 4-1
6) BOS def 3) BUF 4-2
5) DET def 4) PHX 4-3

 

[Megahab]

Only in 1996, 2007, and 2008 have the top 2 seeds in each conference advanced past the first round.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

It really is strange that the #2 seed has managed just a 17-15 record against the #7 seed. According to your list, the #4 seed is just as likely to win as the #1 seed, another oddity.

 

[kdb209]

I decided to just list all of the first round upsets in the playoffs since 1994. Yes, I have a lot of time on my hands.

President's Trophy Winners losing in the 1st round are in bold.

By upsets, I just mean the lower seed won the series. In some of these cases, the team with the most points in the regular season was the lower seed due to facing a division winner.

Since 1994, in 45 of the 128 first-round series, the lower seed has won.

In 9 of the 16 playoffs, a #1 seed has lost in the first round. So 9 of 32 #1 seeds have been eliminated in round 1.

In 12 of the 16 playoffs, a #2 seed has lost in the first round. 15 of the 32 #2 seeds have been eliminated in round 1.

1994
8) SJS def 1) DET 4-3
7) VAN def 2) CAL 4-3
7) WAS def. 2) PIT 4-2

1995
8) NYR def 1) QUE 4-2
7) SJS def 2) CAL 4-3
6) VAN def 3) STL 4-3
5) NJD def 4) BOS 4-1

1996
5) STL def 4) TOR 4-2

1997
7) EDM def 2) DAL 4-3
5) NYR def 4) FLR 4-1

1998
8) OTT def 1) NJD 4-2
7) MTL def 2) PIT 4-2
7) EDM def 2) COL 4-3
6) BUF def 3) PHI 4-1

1999
8) PIT def 1) NJD 4-3
7) BUF def 2) OTT 4-0
6) BOS def 3) CAR 4-2
5) STL def 4) PHX 4-3

2000
8) SJS def 1) STL 4-3
7) PIT def 2) WAS 4-1

2001
7) TOR def 2) OTT 4-0
7) LAK def 2) DET 4-2
6) PIT def 3) WAS 4-2
5) BUF def 4) PHI 4-2

2002
8) MTL def 1) BOS 4-2
7) OTT def 2) PHI 4-1

2003
7) ANA def 2) DET 4-0
6) MIN def 3) COL 4-3

2004
7) MTL def 2) BOS 4-3
6) CAL def 3) VAN 4-3

2006
8) EDM def 1) DET 4-2
7) COL def 2) DAL 4-1
6) ANA def 3) CAL 4-3
5) SJS def 4) NAS 4-1

2007
6) NYR def 3) ATL 4-0
5) SJS def 4) NAS 4-1

2008
6) PHI def 3) WAS 4-3
6) COL def 3) MIN 4-2
5) DAL def 4) ANA 4-2

2009
8) ANA def 1) SJS 4-2
6) CAR def 3) NJD 4-3

2010
8) MTL def 1) WAS 4-3
7) PHI def 2) NJD 4-1
6) BOS def 3) BUF 4-2
5) DET def 4) PHX 4-3

And just for comparison (and to show how much better the NHL playoffs are), here are the first round upsets in the NBA over that same period (ignoring #4 vs #5):

1994:
8) Denver def 1) Seattle 3-2

1995:
6) Houston def 3) Utah 3-2

1996:
6) Atlanta def 3) Indiana 3-2

1997:
none

1998:
7) New York def 2) Miami 3-2

1999:
8) New York def 1) Miami 3-2
6) Philadelphia def 3) Orlando 3-2

2000:
none

2001:
6) Charlotte def 3) Miami 3-0

2002:
none

2003:
6) Boston def 3) Indiana 4-2

2004:
none

2005:
6) Indiana def 3) Boston 4-3

2006:
6) LAC def 3) Denver 4-1

2007:
6) New Jersey def 3) Toronto
8) Golden State def 1) Dallas

2008:
none

2009:
6) Dallas def 3) San Antonio 4-1

2010:
7) San Antonio def 2) Dallas 4-2

So, in 16 years the NHL has had 9 #8-vs-#1, 15 #7-vs-#2, and 12 #6-vs-#3 upsets.

The NBA, in 17 years, has had only 3 #8-vs-#1, 2 #7-vs-#2, and 9 #6-vs-#3 upsets.

 

[Megahab]

Ya, I'm a big fan of both sports, but NHL playoffs are so much better than the NBA playoffs. At least the first two rounds for sure. I don't know how any fan of both sports can argue against that.

 

[goalsversusthreshold*]

That has a lot to do with hockey having a lot more luck involved, to be honest.

 

[DaveG]

That has a lot to do with hockey having a lot more luck involved, to be honest.

I wouldn't say that's as much luck as it is that goaltending in hockey is the ultimate "x-factor" in sports. On one hand you could have a goalie playing lights out like Ward last year or Halak this year outright carrying teams to the conference finals with a bit of help with timely scoring. On the other hand, a goalie playing like Nabakov did against Chicago is going to spell an untimely exit, especially if the other teams goalie is on top of his game. Eventually the better teams will advance, but for those first and sometimes second round series goaltending makes all the difference.

 

[tony d]

Thanks for sharing this. 1996 was the year with the fewest upsets. Yet it can be argued that that wasn't much of an upset as Toronto was floundering heading into the playoffs that year.

 

[Jumptheshark]

Does anyone know where I can find a list of all the 8th seeds in a conference to have beaten the 1st seed in the NHL playoffs? And possibly 7th seeds that have beat 2nd seeds as well, although I think that has happenned a lot more often. I feel like a 7th has beaten a 2nd in most of the last 10 years or so.

Oilers came 8th the year they went to the cup