Everyone remembers Patrick Roy in 2001, Brad Richards in 2004, Evgeni Malkin in 2009, and Victor Hedman in 2021. Heck they even remember Reggie Leach in 1976 and Jean-Sebastien Giguere in 2003, the only two players to win the Conn Smythe on losing teams. The playoff runs that are often forgotten though are those that end in the semi-final–specifically the third round. The NHL has had at least three rounds of hockey every year since 1967, but in 1975, they added a preliminary round, creating a four-round playoffs. What are the stories of the great performances of players in the runs that went far, but not all the way? You might be surprised to hear what kind of incredible performances weren’t enough to get teams to the Stanley Cup Finals.
This list will specifically cover goaltenders and largely consist of netminders who made it to the third round, or semi-finals of the playoffs, though there are some exceptions for longer two-round runs. It also only looks at playoff runs from 1975 onward, when the four-round system (albeit different than today’s system) was introduced.
Before getting into the main top 10, we’ll start off with some honourable mentions:
Pat Riggin, 1981 – Calgary Flames
Pat Riggin helped lead the Flames to their first ever run past the first round in what was their first year in Calgary. The Flames swept the Black Hawks 3-0 in the preliminary round and then upset the Philadelphia Flyers in quarterfinals in a a 7-game series. Riggin and Reggie Lemelin both played games, but Riggin was the starter. Riggin saved an astonishing 47 out of 48 shots in game three of the quarterfinal against the Flyers and in the semi-final against the Minnesota North Stars, Riggin saved 33 of 34 shots to keep the Flames alive in game five. The Flames ended up losing the series in six games to the North Stars.
Patrick Roy, 1997 – Colorado Avalanche
While Roy had three Conn Smythe trophies and was legendary in those playoff runs, he was also very strong even when he didn’t win. In 1997, the Avalanche bested the Blackhawks and Oilers before facing a much fiercer foe in the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Final. Although they lost, Roy tied for the playoff lead with three shutouts when the Cup was awarded and his sparkling .932 save percentage was tied for first with fellow Conference Finalist Mike Richter.
10. Braden Holtby, 2015 – Washington Capitals
2014-15 was the start of the full-time starter Braden Holtby era in Washington. He played a staggering 73 games during the regular season and finished 4th in Vezina voting. The Capitals were slated to face an equally strong team, the New York Islanders in round one and expected a close fight.
After a rough first game, Holtby sat on the bench for the Capitals in game two in favour of backup Phillip Grubauer, which wasn’t a good start. Amidst fears that he was being overworked for the playoffs, the fear only grew stronger after his slow start. The Capitals offense performed much better in game two, but Grubauer did not perform well, prompting another change despite the victory. Holtby was back in net for game three, now in New York and bounced back in a big way. Holtby and Islanders goaltender Jaroslav Halak both shut the door in game three to start, with the Islanders finally breaking past Holtby for a goal midway through the second period. Capitals centreman Nicklas Backstrom answered back in the third period and the game went to overtime, tied 1-1. It didn’t last long though, as Islanders star John Tavares scored just 15 seconds into the first overtime, to give the Islanders the win and a 2-1 series lead.
Although Holtby had been the better netminder, he had lost both his games whereas the Capitals had found victory with Grubauer, despite his poor play. Still, the Capitals decided to stick with Holtby after his strong game and he was back in for game four. The two teams traded first period goals, but Halak and Holtby were perfect after that, all the way to overtime, again tied 1-1. This time, however, it was the Capitals who were successful, with Backstrom as the hero, scoring halfway into the overtime frame. Game five was an easy win for the Capitals. After letting in the first goal, Holtby stopped the rest and his teammates outplayed the Islanders for a 5-1 win and 3-2 series lead.
Having gained momentum, some thought the Capitals would win the series in six games, but Halak and the Islanders had other ideas. Another goaltending battle ensued that night in New York as both netminders made save after save. Both let in one first period goal, but it was a goal in the middle of the third period that gave the Islanders the edge they needed, and they sealed the game with an empty netter. Though he had lost, Holtby had kept the Capitals in the game and saved 35 of 37 shots and they wisely chose to go with him again for game seven.
Like many of the prior games, both netminders came to play in this game and both kept the game scoreless until late in the 2nd period, when Washington finally cracked Halak. The Islanders answered back early in the final frame, but Evgeny Kuznetsov reinstated the lead with a goal with under ten minutes remaining. Holtby and the Capitals held on for a tight seven-game first round victory.
The Capitals were to face the President’s Trophy-winning New York Rangers in second round and although a competitive series was expected, most expected the Rangers to take the series. Another goaltending battle was expected, this time with Swedish goaltending legend, Henrik Lundqvist on the opposing side. Game one went very similarly to many of the games in round one, with a close game, but it was clear that the Rangers had stronger defense than the Islanders, limiting the shots more. Russian superstar Alex Ovechkin gave the Capitals the lead and they held it until late in the third when Jesper Fast of the Rangers tied the game, only to have the Capitals win the game with a goal by Joel Ward just two seconds before the end of the third period.
Game two of the series was the first one in a long time where Holtby looked average. He didn’t look bad, per se, but when he was competing against Lundqvist, excellence was necessary. The Capitals lost the game 3-2 and went to Washington with the series tied. Game three was extraordinarily tight-checked game and a sole goal by Jay Beagle was all the Capitals and Holtby needed to win, as he secured a 30-save shutout. Game four was more of the same, with both goalies playing very well and the teams play very safe hockey. The Rangers opened the scoring in the second period, but Andre Burakovsky scored back-to-back goals to steal the lead, which incited some rough stuff early in the third period. Both goalies were strong, but Holtby was the better one and his team took a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Capitals fans may want to forget the following three games, as they came so aggravatingly close to winning each game, falling just short. In game five, the game was a 0-0 tie until the third, when both teams scored a goal, leading to OT. In overtime, Ryan McDonagh was the hero for the Rangers. Holtby had 41 saves on 43 shots. Game six was the highest-scoring game of the series, and unfortunately, Holtby’s weakest. Four goals were let in on 28 shots and although the Capitals drastically out-shot the Rangers, Lundqvist was incredible, keeping them alive in the game. Game seven went back to the old formula, with tight defense keeping good chances to a minimum. Both goalies played very well and went to overtime tied 1-1. Midway through the first overtime, Derek Stepan was the legendary game 7 overtime hero for the Rangers and broke the hearts of Holtby the rest of the Capitals, sending them home.
Although Holtby only played in two rounds of these playoffs, I chose to include him here because of both his incredible .944 save percentage and reasonably large sample of games, at 13 games. His save percentage was far above any goaltender who made the Conference Finals that year. Holtby would finally win his Cup three years later in 2018.
9. Mike Smith, 2012 – Phoenix Coyotes
Since moving to the state of Arizona, the Coyotes have only had one decent playoff run, and they have Mike Smith to thank for it. The Coyotes, called the Phoenix Coyotes in 2012, had a good, but not inspiring regular season, finishing first in a well-balanced Pacific Division that didn’t have any powerhouse teams. Despite finishing first in their division, they had to face the Chicago Blackhawks in round one, who had won the 2010 Stanley Cup and were eager for more. Many predicted that Phoenix may take a game or two, but that the playoff experience of the Chicago team would overcome Coyotes, a franchise not overly familiar with playoff success. The one potential chance that the Coyotes had was Mike Smith, who had just had the season of his career, finishing 4th in Vezina voting.
Game one was at home for Phoenix and although Jonathan Toews gave the Blackhawks a 1-0 lead in the first, it was the Coyotes that surprised many and took the victory thanks to an overtime goal by Martin Hanzal. Chicago significantly outshot the Coyotes, but Smith stood tall, stopping 43 of 45 shots. Game two was another close bout between the two teams, but with time, the Blackhawks came out on top, again with the Hawks vastly outshooting the Coyotes, 50 to 33 in another overtime win. Although Smith and his team didn’t win, he was crucial to keeping the game close. The Coyotes mitigated the shots of the Blackhawks somewhat in Chicago for game three and as a result, came out with a win, though only barely, in another OT victory. Smith had another excellent game, stopping 35 of 37 shots and was helped by an unlikely hero in defenseman Rusty Klesla, who had a three-point night. Maintaining the theme, the Coyotes took another overtime win in game four to push the series to its brink, leading 3-1. Smith continued to play incredible hockey, having allowed more than 2 goals only once, despite many shots on net.
In game five, the Hawks dramatically outplayed Phoenix, literally doubling their shot count 38 to 19. Smith and Chicago netminder Corey Crawford both played very strong games, but it was Chicago who came out with the win in the end–another overtime win. Five straight overtime games were ended abruptly when Smith decided to slam the door shut in game six and the Coyotes actually supported him with some offense. Despite again being massively outshot (39 to 20), the Coyotes won game six by a 4-0 score, highlighting one of the biggest differences in the first round series: goaltending. While Crawford had had a strong game five and some other decent games, he had also been quite shaky in some games against Phoenix, making games closer than expected, especially when combined with Smith’s stellar play. All in all, Smith stopped 229 of 241 shots in the series for a .950 save percentage.
The opponent for Phoenix in the second round was the Nashville Predators, who looked to be just as, if not more, deadly than the Blackhawks. Although not recent Cup winners, the Predators had finished with a slightly stronger record than the Blackhawks and had just beaten a very capable Detroit Red Wings team by a series score of 4-1 in the first round. The odds were once again stacked against Smith and the Coyotes.
Game 1 took the Coyotes to familiar territory–overtime. Veteran Ray Whitney was the hero this time, but Smith was also once again dominant in the goaltending battle over Finnish goaltending legend Pekka Rinne. Game two was uncharacteristically high scoring with the Coyotes taking a commanding 2-0 series lead with a 5-3 win. Smith was only average in this game, but still played better than Rinne. Rinne finally stepped up in game three and although Smith played very well, Rinne played even better, shutting out the Coyotes for a 2-0 win. Smith and the Coyotes turned the tables on the Predators in game four, however, securing a shutout win of their own, with a 1-0 decision to take a 3-1 series lead. Smith stopped all 25 shots for his second shutout of the playoffs. In classic Mike Smith fashion, game five was a game in which the Predators outshot the Coyotes, but couldn’t beat Smith. Smith was beaten only once on 33 shots while Phoenix beat Rinne twice, despite only producing 17 shots on goal. That was enough for a huge 4-1 series win and upset over a second strong opponent for the Coyotes, shocking the world and giving them their first ever deep playoff run.
It was clear to any fan watching that Coyotes fans had been waiting a long time for playoff success. The stands were regularly filled with excited fans who participated in a “white out”, many wearing white, creating a memorable image for any who saw the games.
The Western Conference Final was different from the first two rounds in that it featured two teams that were both surprise underdogs that were both being propelled by incredible goaltending. The run of the Jonathan Quick, the goaltender of the Los Angeles Kings at the time, has gone down in history to be one of the greatest playoff runs by a goaltender of all-time and he was facing another amazing run by Mike Smith. The Kings were the 8th seed in the western conference going into the playoffs, but many fans felt this was due to underperformance and that they were a better team than that, which they proved in the playoffs.
Game one did not disappoint. Although both teams had excellent defense and goaltending, game one featured many shots from both sides, but especially from the Kings, who threw 47 shots against Smith in three periods. Smith performed admirably, stopping 44 of them, but now had to contend with another great performance on the other side of the rink. Quick stopped 25 of 27 shots and with an added empty netter, the Kings took home a 4-2 victory to take a 1-0 series lead. Game two, which, like game one, also took place in Arizona, was perhaps one of the most upsetting losses for the Coyotes, who once again were drastically outshot, but this time, Smith finally appeared to be wearing down, saving only 36 of 40 shots. Quick stonewalled Phoenix for a shutout and for salt in the wound, Kings forward Jeff Carter scored a natural hat-trick capping an overall miserable experience for the Coyotes.
Smith was back in form in game three, but so was Quick. Smith had an impressive .929 save percentage but couldn’t compete with Quick, who saved 18 of 19 shots for a .947 save percentage. The Kings had a commanding 3-0 that is almost impossible to come back from. The Coyotes looked dead in the water. They simply could not beat Jonathan Quick more than the Kings could beat Smith. Coyotes captain Shane Doan and Smith changed that story in game four. Doan scored a powerplay goal late in the first period and again midway through the second to give the Coyotes a 2-0 lead. Smith was a stalwart in net; unbeatable, and secured his third shutout of the playoffs to keep Phoenix alive.
The teams were headed back to Glendale, Arizona for game five and after a surprisingly goal-heavy first two periods, both Smith and Quick locked things down. The game again went to overtime after a scoreless third period and this one went long into the period until finally, nearing the end of the first overtime, Dustin Penner of the Kings beat Smith on the 51st shot of the game for the Kings, securing their spot in the Stanley Cup final. Quick had stopped 38 of 41 shots and Smith had stopped 47 of 51 shots. The goaltending battle was over and Quick had won, but although his story would go on to be legendary as he won the 2012 Conn Smythe trophy, Mike Smith’s story should not be forgotten. All in all, Smith played in 16 games, had 9 wins and a stunning .944 save percentage. He was astoundingly reliable and steady and almost never had a bad game during his 2012 playoff run.
8. Mike Palmateer, 1978 – Toronto Maple Leafs
Sometimes, it’s not the legendary, well-known names that have incredible hot streaks. Mike Palmateer is a name oft-forgotten by many fans of today, but ask fans from the late 70s, especially fans from Toronto, and they’ll regale you with tales of Palmateer’s heroics.
Palmateer was 24-years old by the end of the 1977-78 season and was just a sophomore, though a highly touted one, who had been a surprisingly good rookie for the Maple Leafs the year prior. He continued his strong play in 1977-78, playing the lion’s share of the games and helped the Leafs edge into the playoffs. The Leafs weren’t good enough to get a bye past the preliminary round, so they had to play a best-of-three to secure their spot in the quarter-finals. They faced a much weaker team in the Los Angeles Kings and it wasn’t much a competitive series, as they out-scored them 11-3 in the two games that were required to sweep the Kings. Palmateer played okay in game one, but was helped by strong scoring from his Leafs teammates, particularly, a hat-trick by Leafs centreman, George Ferguson, who was bouncing back after a poor regular season. Game two was an odd one with only 40 shots combined by the two teams, but Palmateer stoned the Kings with a shutout, stopping all 21 shots he faced.
With the expected dominant preliminary round one over, the Leafs turned to face their next opponent, the quickly-improving New York Islanders. Although the Islanders had yet to have post-season success in the form of a Cup, they had become a dominant regular season team and were also post-season threats. They finished first in the Patrick Division with 48 wins. Though the Leafs were good, many fans felt the Islanders were too strong for the Leafs to handle.
Game one was in New York and went about as expected. Palmateer was lit up by the Isles in the 1st period with three goals and although he improved as the game went on, the Leafs couldn’t outscore the poor first period and they fell by a score of 4-1. Game two was where the legend began. Both teams trade a goal apiece in the first and third periods and were tied going into overtime. It was early in the overtime that Mike Bossy, legendary Islanders sniper, scored the winning goal. Despite his goal, the story of the game was goaltending from both ends. Glenn “Chico” Resch and Palmateer had both played outstanding games and kept the game unusually tight for a late 70s hockey game.
Down 2-0 in the series, Toronto needed an answer immediately, especially now that they were playing at home in Toronto for the next two games. A tight checking game ensued and although the Leafs could only score two goals, Palmateer stopped all 19 shots he faced to keep the Leafs in the series. Game four came down to goaltending. After a scoreless first period, the Leafs scored two goals in the second period and after New York answered back with one more, the Leafs sealed the deal with a final goal in the third period. Palmateer played like a superstar, stopping 31 of 32 shots.
The Leafs had to return to Long Island in an attempt to finally secure a victory for the road team, but it was not to be. Resch bounced back in a huge way, stopping 29 of 30 shots and although Palmateer was almost as good, it wasn’t enough to beat the Islanders on that day. With the threat of elimination looming, the Leafs headed back to Maple Leaf Gardens to play game six and came out with force, scoring four straight goals on just seven shots in the first period, forcing the Islanders to pull Resch in favour of a young Billy Smith. The Leafs added a fifth goal in the second period against Smith, but he would close the door beyond that. The Islanders scored two third period goals, but couldn’t beat Palmateer enough, even with 37 shots on goal, giving the Leafs the victory.
Game seven was a classic game seven. Both teams played smart and careful hockey, not wanting to lose their season’s efforts. Denis Potvin scored for the Islanders in the first, but he was answered by Leafs defenseman Ian Turnbull in the second. The game went into overtime, where just over four minutes into extra time, Leafs star winger Lanny McDonald scored to end the thrilling series and send the Leafs to the Semi-finals.
Unfortunately for the Palmateer and the Leafs, they had to face perhaps the greatest dynasty in NHL history in order to make the finals–the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens were the defending back-to-back Cup winners and were looking to cruise to another Cup victory. They had dominated the regular season with 59 wins and 129 points, making even the Islanders look like easy opponents by comparison.
Game one was a hard-fought battle by the Leafs, but it was clear that the Canadiens were a step above the Islanders. The Leafs struggled to get any sort of sustained pressure, but still managed three goals on 15 shots. The Canadiens, by contrast, had 36 shots on Palmateer, five of which went past him into the net. Game two was a closer game, with the Leafs clawing back to tie the game at 2-2 partway through the second before Montreal took the lead again. Palmateer played better, but was still struggling more against the elite players of the Canadiens. Game three was similar to game one, but the score was more lopsided. The Canadiens scored 6 goals on Palmateer after pummeling him with 39 shots and the Leafs could only beat Dryden once, even with 24 shots. Game four was a much tighter game and Palmateer bounced back in a big way. He stopped 27 of 29 shots, but Dryden was equal and better to the task, stopping all 29 shots he faced.
The Canadiens would go on to win their third straight Cup in 1978 and although many players on that late 70s Canadiens dynasty are remember as legends, perhaps, we should take a moment now and then to remember the historic run of Mike Palmateer and the Leafs in the playoffs of 1978.
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