Offensive numbers - 06-14-10
It's been five years since the NHL hit the big reset button the Playstation of life and staged a lockout which wiped out the 2004-05 season. That's five seasons of the "New" NHL with new rules which were supposed to promote offense.
How well has this experiment worked? The 2010 postseason saw an average of 6.46 goals per game. That was nearly a whole goal more than the 2009 average of 5.48. And the last time the NHL saw an average over 6.00 was the 1995 postseason - the unofficial beginning of the "dead puck" era when the trapping Devils won their first Stanley Cup title - when the average was 6.36.
Take a look at the numbers of the last five postseasons and compares them to the previous five seasons prior to the lockout:
Post-Lockout
| Postseason Year |
Games Played |
Total Goals |
Average Goals Per Game |
| 2010 | 89 | 575 | 6.46 |
| 2009 | 87 | 477 | 5.48 |
| 2008 | 85 | 456 | 5.36 |
| 2007 | 81 | 469 | 4.95 |
| 2006 | 83 | 469 | 5.65 |
Pre-Lockout
| Postseason Year |
Games Played |
Total Goals |
Average Goals Per Game |
| 2004 | 89 | 392 | 4.40 |
| 2003 | 89 | 419 | 4.71 |
| 2002 | 90 | 429 | 4.77 |
| 2001 | 86 | 413 | 4.80 |
| 2000 | 83 | 388 | 4.67 |
And for the sake of comparison, here are the 10 leading scorers from the five postseasons after and before the lockout:
Post-Lockout:
| Player, Teams |
Games Played |
Goals- Assists- Points |
Points Per Game |
| 1. Henrik Zetterberg, Red Wings |
81 | 43-43-86 | 1.06 |
| 2. Daniel Briere, Sabres/Flyers |
80 | 33-51-84 | 1.05 |
| 3. Sidney Crosby, Penguins |
62 | 30-52-82 | 1.32 |
| 4. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins |
62 | 29-44-73 | 1.18 |
| 5. Johan Franzen, Red Wings |
75 | 35-34-69 | 0.92 |
| 6. Chris Pronger, Oilers/Ducks/Flyers |
85 | 16-53-69 | 0.81 |
| 7. Pavel Datsyuk, Red Wings |
73 | 25-39-64 | 0.88 |
| 8. Nicklas Lidstrom, Red Wings |
79 | 16-43-59 | 0.75 |
| 9. Marian Hossa, Thrashers/Penguins/Red Wings/Blackhawks |
69 | 21-36-57 | 0.83 |
| 10.Brian Rafalski, Devils/Red Wings |
72 | 13-41-54 | 0.75 |
Pre-Lockout:
| Player, Teams |
Games Played |
Goals- Assists- Points |
Points Per Game |
| 1. Joe Sakic, Avalanche |
77 | 37-38-75 | 0.97 |
| 2. Peter Forsberg, Avalanche |
65 | 26-49-75 | 1.15 |
| 3. Patrik Elias Devils |
83 | 26-41-67 | 0.81 |
| 4. Brett Hull, Stars/Red Wings |
72 | 26-29-55 | 0.76 |
| 5. Petr Sykora, Devils/Mighty Ducks |
73 | 23-30-53 | 0.73 |
| 6. Milan Hejduk, Avalanche |
74 | 22-27-49 | 0.66 |
| 7. Mike Modano, Stars |
49 | 19-29-48 | 0.98 |
| 8. Alexander Mogilny, Devils/Maple Leafs |
87 | 24-23-47 | 0.54 |
| 9. Alex Tanguay, Avalanche |
74 | 16-28-44 | 0.59 |
| 10. Brian Rafalski, Devils |
82 | 14-29-43 | 0.52 |
(Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)