It’s been about three weeks since the trade deadline, and it’s about three more weeks until the end of the regular season. The teams have made their final lineup additions and things have had time to settle now, so how have some playoff teams been trending since the trade deadline?
While how you end your regular season doesn’t always indicate post-season success or failure ahead, there’s no question you’d prefer to start off on a high note.
So what are we seeing that’s grabbing our attention and leaving us to wonder what it means for the post-season? Here are some notable stats and trends around the league since the March 3 trade deadline.
TRENDING OFFENCES AND DEFENCES
Last season, the Florida Panthers became the first team to average more than four goals per game (4.11) since the 1995-96 Pittsburgh Penguins. And there’s a chance another team could average over four a game in 2022-23.
If it’s going to be anyone, it’ll be the Edmonton Oilers, who are averaging 3.93 goals per game and hold a wide lead on the No. 2 Boston Bruins (3.76). The Oilers have been trending up since the trade deadline, too, scoring 4.60 goals per game with an 8-2-0 record since March 3.
They might be hitting their stride again at just the right time.
Last year, four of the top five teams in average goals per game after the trade deadline won at least one playoff round — the Toronto Maple Leafs were the only one that didn’t (they lost to Tampa, which was also a top five team in this category).
Here, then, are the top five teams by goals per game since March 3.