Most likely 'unlikely' occurrence in the playoffs

Most likely 'unlikely' occurrence in the playoffs this year


  • Total voters
    70

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,078
14,585
What's most likely to happen in these playoffs:

1. A Wildcard team wins the Stanley Cup

2. A team wins a series after being down 0-3

3. A team wins the cup with a 16-2 record - or better

4. A non top-100 current player in the NHL wins the Conn Smythe

5. A player scores more than 40 points in the playoffs (only Gretzky 3x, and Lemieux 1x have ever managed this)

6. A player scores 20 goals or more in the playoffs (record is 19)

For #4 - just use your judgement. For Toronto for example - Marner/Tavares/Matthews easily all top 100 players. Nylander? Maybe not. Kadri? Certainly not. Andersen? Probably yes (harder to rank goalie).

Feel free to rank in most to least likely, and predict which of these happen, and who does it if they do.
 

VinikToWinIt

Number 1 Bull****
Jun 15, 2014
6,901
5,939
South Florida
16-2 would be insane against playoff-caliber teams. Granted, so would 20 goals. But I can't see a team sweeping 2 teams and going 4-1 against the others.
 

Goose312

Registered User
May 15, 2015
1,328
350
3 seems impossible in the cap era. Tampa has been basically be best team in the cap era and already lost 1 game. 4 also seems pretty much impossible, best players will rise to the top over 4 full series. It doesn't seem like the year for 1 to happen but maybe Bob gets super hot and all the pieces in Columbus come together at the right time. 2 is pretty much random. Given how much scoring is up this year I'll go with one of the scoring options, and I picked goals because that would be more fun to see happen.
 

swissexpert

Registered User
Sep 21, 2009
2,715
969
Voted 40 points. With scoring going upwards this year, 40 in like 25 games seems possible but not very likely.
Wayne and Mario are the only players that ever did it.
No one has ever scored 20 post season goals.
Wild Card team winning the cup is probably the most likely scenario, 4 out of 16..
 
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Silky mitts

It’s yours boys and girls and babes let’s go!
Mar 9, 2004
4,660
3,658
I have an easier time seeing Tampa go 16-1 or San Jose 15-2 the rest of the way or Kucherov getting 40 points than anyone getting 20 goals.
 

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,078
14,585
3 seems impossible in the cap era. Tampa has been basically be best team in the cap era and already lost 1 game. 4 also seems pretty much impossible, best players will rise to the top over 4 full series. It doesn't seem like the year for 1 to happen but maybe Bob gets super hot and all the pieces in Columbus come together at the right time. 2 is pretty much random. Given how much scoring is up this year I'll go with one of the scoring options, and I picked goals because that would be more fun to see happen.

I think 4 is actually quite plausible. Justin Williams wasn't a top 100 player when he won was he? Claude Lemieux back in the day either.

Who are some of the starting goalies who could win a cup? Many of them may not fall under top 100 player. Halak for example. Mike Smith? Do either Winnipeg, San Jose or St-Louis have a goalie you'd call a top 100 player in the league? Maybe some of those goalies are top 100 - but definitely not all of them.

It wouldn't be an offensive forward winning without being top 100, that i agree with. I think the path is more with a goalie, or possibly some 2-way guy, or strong leader. Players like Tom Wilson, Justin Williams, Joe Thornton...or a goalie.
 

bobholly39

Registered User
Mar 10, 2013
22,078
14,585
Probably #4. What "Top 100" players are playing in the playoffs right now?

I don't mean top 100 all-time - I mean top 100 in current day NHL. Like McDavid #1, Kucherov#2, Crosby #3 and so on....all the way to 100.

So....a lot of them are in the playoffs.
 

Tasty Biscuits

with fancy sauce
Aug 8, 2011
12,157
3,414
Pittsburgh
I don't mean top 100 all-time - I mean top 100 in current day NHL. Like McDavid #1, Kucherov#2, Crosby #3 and so on....all the way to 100.

So....a lot of them are in the playoffs.

Oh okay. I wasn't sure how that could be quantified, unless you're just doing straight points, and then how would goalies factor in? Either way, eh, the wildcard thing is more cut and dry.
 

dangomon

Registered User
Nov 4, 2017
1,800
1,760
Kingston, ON
4 wildcard teams in the playoffs that have a chance to win, have to think thats the most likely. Even if they are the "worst" teams.
 

treple13

Registered User
Sep 1, 2013
2,818
1,504
I'd go with number four since there's quite a few goalies in the playoffs that are not Top 100 players and goalies are always in the Conn Smythe running.

But other than that, how many Top 100 players are in the playoffs. Assuming there is 70 let's say (non-playoff teams have 30), you have around 4-5 per team. Obviously the best teams will have more than that, but again, a goalie goes on a hot streak and they win is the easiest way.
 

danyhabsfan

Registered User
Feb 12, 2007
8,222
3,032
Montreal
Really surprised by the votes for the wildcard winning. I’d argue that it’s the most likely of all these things.

I went with 16-2. The league is so balanced that even Tampa (clear favorites) would have a hard time accomplishing it. As it stands they already have one loss


That's the question.

Most likely of these unlikely things to happen.
 

Lshap

Hardline Moderate
Jun 6, 2011
27,274
24,850
Montreal
Voted for 20 goals. In a season with so many career seasons, this would be the time for a scoring spike.
 

justafan22

Registered User
Jun 22, 2014
11,629
6,249
Option 3.

16-2 is really hard.

Only team in recent history to come close are the 2012 LA Kings. They ended up 16-4 after starting 11-1.
 

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