Does a Strong Regular-Season Finish Translate into Playoff Success?

July 21, 2009 By: admin Category: NHL

Does a Strong Regular-Season Finish Translate into Playoff Success?,

The seedings for the Stanley Cup playoffs often don�??t reflect which teams are at their best when the postseason begins. So, does a team that finishes strong in the regular season likely to succeed in the playoffs.

That seems logical, and it doesn�??t surprise that San Jose and Detroit were two of the top three clubs in team points over the last three weeks of the season.

Most Team Points over Final 3 Weeks of Regular Season
(March 9-April 6)

Team. . . . . . Record. . . .Tm Points
SJ. . . . . . . . .10-2-2 . . . . . .22
Was. . . . . . . .11-2-0. . . . . . 22
Det. . . . . . . .10-3-1. . . . . . 21
Ana. . . . . . . . 9-2-1. . . . . . .19
Mon. . . . . . . .9-3-1. . . . . . .19
Pit. . . . . . . . .9-3-1. . . . . . .19
Edm. . . . . . . .9-4-1. . . . . . .19

The Washington Capitals also were among the best teams over the final three weeks, when they secured the Southeast Division title and earned a No. 3 seed. The young Caps weren�??t able to sustain their winning ways in the first round, though, and their season ended Tuesday night with an overtime loss in Game 7.

So, is there a link between late-regular season and postseason performance? Maybe not. The Anaheim Ducks, the defending Stanley Cup champions, finished strong and looked poised to defend their title. Only problem is they ran into the Dallas Stars, who closed 4-5-2 and had the weakest finish of the 16 playoff teams.

Fewest Team Points over Final 3 Weeks of Regular Season
(March 9-April 6)

Team. . . . . .Record. . . .Tm Points
NYI. . . . . . . .3-7-2. . . . . . . 8
Atl. . . . . . . . 4-8-0. . . . . . . 8
Clm. . . . . . . .4-8-1. . . . . . . 9
Van. . . . . . . .5-9-0. . . . . . 10
Pho. . . . . . . .4-7-2. . . . . . 10
Dal. . . . . . . . 4-5-2. . . . . . 10

Other than the Stars, no NHL team on this list played postseason hockey. Despite a weak wrap-up to the season, Dallas put away the Ducks in six games on Sunday.

Still, two other slow finishers, Ottawa (11 points) and New Jersey (13), have gone home for the summer. And six of the eight clubs still in the hunt ranked among the top 10 clubs in team points over the final three weeks of the regular season.

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