It is almost hard to believe the NHL lockout of 2004-05 occurred nearly twenty years ago. When hockey returned to North American rinks, fans witnessed a new era led by Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and Connor McDavid. At the same time, some franchises like the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Tampa Bay Lightning have all found success, both in the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs.
How good have these teams been over 19 years? Let’s examine some of the best and worst team statistics of the salary cap era, which began on Oct. 5, 2005.
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Shootout Wins – New York Rangers (91)
The NHL adopted the shootout following the lockout of 2024-05, ending tie hockey games. Since its inception, the New York Rangers have climbed the charts to become the winningest team in the one-on-one skills competition with a league-leading 91 wins. However, their rivals, the New York Islanders, are second with 90, followed by the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres with 89.
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Regular Season Power Play – Washington Capitals (20.7%)
The Washington Capitals have employed Alex Ovechkin since 2005-06. He guided the team to their only Stanley Cup title in 2018 while chasing down Wayne Gretzky’s goal record of 894. Considering he’s tallied 853 thus far, it’s unsurprising that he owns the NHL record with 312 power-play goals while giving the Capitals the best overall man-advantage statistics of the salary cap era with a 20.7% success rate.
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Regular Season Losses – Arizona Coyotes (680)
The Arizona Coyotes may be gone now that the franchise was sold and relocated to Salt Lake City, but they will still have the stigma of being the least successful team of the salary cap era with 680 losses. The Coyotes were one of six teams to compile more than 600 losses in the past 19 seasons, including the Columbus Blue Jackets (680), Buffalo Sabres (651), Edmonton Oilers (651), Ottawa Senators (622), and Islanders (603).
Playoff Losses – New York Rangers (91)
The Rangers last won the Stanley Cup in 1994, ending a 54-year curse. Since then, the franchise has only returned to the Final once, in 2014. In the salary cap era, the Blueshirts have compiled the most playoff losses with 91, while only missing the postseason four times in the past 19 seasons.
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Playoff Games – Boston Bruins & Pittsburgh Penguins (190)
Like the Rangers, the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011, ending a 39-year championship drought in Beantown. They have only missed the playoffs four times since 2005-06 and have played in the Final in 2011, 2013, and 2019, with two of those series going to Game 7. Meanwhile, the Penguins had a 16-year playoff streak snapped in 2023 and have played in the Stanley Cup Final four times: 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Regular Season Goals Against – Toronto Maple Leafs (4,527)
The Toronto Maple Leafs have scored the fourth-most goals in the salary cap era with 4,512, but keeping the puck out of their net has been their downfall on many nights. Even though their goal differential (minus-15) isn’t as bad as other teams, they lead the NHL in goals against 4,527, slightly ahead of the Oilers with 4,516.
Regular Season Goals Scored – Pittsburgh Penguins (4,636)
Sidney Crosby has amassed 1,596 points, and Evgeni Malkin has scored 1,296. The duo made the Penguins the most offensively gifted team in the NHL. Thanks to 4,636 goals scored, they are tops in the category, ahead of the Lightning (4,580), Capitals (4,530), and Maple Leafs (4,512), the only teams with at least 4,500 lamplighters.
Regular Season Wins – Boston Bruins (840)
In 2022-23, the Bruins set NHL records for wins and points in a single season with 65 and 135, respectively. Over the past 19 years, Boston has averaged 44 wins and had five campaigns with 50 or more. Furthermore, they have 11 seasons of 44 wins or more, vaulting them to the top of the wins category. They are one of two teams, the other being the Capitals, to win the Presidents’ Trophy on three occasions since 2006.
Playoff Victories – Pittsburgh Penguins (104)
The Penguins became the first team since the NHL lockout to win the Stanley Cup three times. After missing out on a championship in 2008, they won in 2009 and back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017, the first team to win consecutive titles since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998. However, the Lightning did duplicate their feat with wins in 2020 and 2021, but Pittsburgh remains the most successful team of the salary cap era.
Stanley Cup Final Appearances – Tampa Bay Lightning & Pittsburgh Penguins (4)
The Lightning top our list of best and worst team statistics of the NHL salary cap era for advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in three consecutive seasons: 2020, 2021, and 2022, a feat unmatched since the Islanders run of five straight from 1980 to 1984. Even though Tampa Bay came up short of the league’s first three-peat in four decades, they tied the Penguins for most Final appearances, having previously lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015.
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