The Anaheim Ducks are the first team to enter the second round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs following a four-game sweep of the Winnipeg Jets. Here are the six best stats from the Ducks in Round 1.
1. Ducks Led for Just 38:26
The Anaheim Ducks led for just 38:26 total in the first round. That’s the least amount of time a team has lead for in a four-game sweep in NHL history. They were also the first team to ever come from behind to win in the third period in three straight games. Only the 1943 Bruins ever came back in three games of any complete series when entering the third period down at all. The 1943 Bruins won Games 1, 3, & 5.
The Ducks led the Jets for 38:26, the least amount of time any team has ever led during a four-game sweep, according to Elias.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) April 23, 2015
Not only that, but the Ducks are the first team to ever win four straight postseason games via comeback. Their Game 4 win wasn’t a third period comeback, but the Jets did hold the lead very briefly in the first period when Bryan Little opened the scoring on a power play goal.
#ComebackKids: Ducks are the first team to win four straight postseason games via comeback (trailing at any point in game) since NJ (2012).
— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) April 23, 2015
These are pretty notable records considering that the Ducks set a NHL record by winning 18 times during the regular season in games where they trailed at some point during the third period.
2. Rakell’s OT Goal
With an OT goal in Game 3, Rickard Rakell became the youngest player in Ducks history to score an overtime goal in the playoffs. He was 21 years and 350 days old when he beat Ondrej Pavelec to win the game.
Watch Rakell’s goal:
3. Jakob Silfverberg Scores Late
Jakob Silfverberg scored a game-winner with just 21 seconds left in Game 2. That’s the latest go-ahead goal scored in Ducks playoff history. Silfverberg’s goal beat out a Sandis Ozolinsh goal scored with 1:06 left in regulation in a game that would clinch the series against Dallas in 2003.
Also noteworthy is that this was the second game-winner scored inside the last minute of regulation in the 2015 playoffs. That only happened once total in the 2014 playoffs.
Silfverberg’s tally was 2nd GWG in last minute of regulation in 2015 #StanleyCup Playoffs (CGY-Russell). There was only 1 such goal in 2014.
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 19, 2015
4. Corey Perry’s Multi-goal Night
In Game 1, Corey Perry scored a pair of third period goals to lead the Ducks rally. He was the first player to score a game tying and game-winning goal in the third period of a playoff game since J.P. Dumont did it for the Predators in 2010 against Chicago.
Perry also grabbed a pair of assists that night, giving him his first ever four-point playoff game and the first four-point playoff game for the Ducks since Andy McDonald did it in 2007 on a night where he grabbed a hat trick.
5. Kesler’s Third Period Magnificence
Ryan Kesler has scored 15 career playoff goals. 10 of those were third period goals, including all three that he scored in the series against Winnipeg. Those goals included a game-tying goal in Game 3 with 2:14 left in the game and Game 4’s game-winning goal.
6. 13% of Brackets are Batting 100%
The NHL PR Twitter account noted after the conclusion of Anaheim’s opening round sweep that 78% of the over 800,000 entrants into the NHL.com Bracket Challenge picked Anaheim. Only 13% predicted that the Ducks would sweep the series.
More From This Series
Thanks to the NHL and team PR Twitter accounts, as well as Elias Sports Bureau for some of the statistics.
Dustin Nelson writes about news and the Minnesota Wild for The Hockey Writers.
