2018–19 NHL season
The 2018–19 NHL season was the 102nd season of operation (101st season of play) of the National Hockey League. 31 teams competed in an 82-game regular season. The regular season began on October 3, 2018, and ended on April 6, 2019. The 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs began on April 10, 2019, and the Stanley Cup Finals concluded on June 12, 2019, with the St. Louis Blues winning their first Stanley Cup in the Finals over the Boston Bruins in seven games.
| 2018–19 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | October 3, 2018 – June 12, 2019 |
| Number of games | 82 |
| Number of teams | 31 |
| Draft | |
| Top draft pick | Rasmus Dahlin |
| Picked by | Buffalo Sabres |
| Regular season | |
| Presidents' Trophy | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Season MVP | Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) |
| Top scorer | Nikita Kucherov (Lightning) |
| Playoffs | |
| Eastern champions | Boston Bruins |
| Eastern runners-up | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Western champions | St. Louis Blues |
| Western runners-up | San Jose Sharks |
| Stanley Cup | |
| Stanley Cup champions | St. Louis Blues |
| Runners-up | Boston Bruins |
| Stanley Cup [[{{{finals_MVP_link}}}|MVP]] | Ryan O'Reilly (Blues) |
| NHL seasons | |
|
← 2017–18 |
2019–20 → |
Standings
Template:2018–19 NHL Eastern Conference standings
Template:2018–19 NHL Western Conference standings
Tie Breakers:
1. Fewer number of games played
2. Greater Regulation + OT Wins (ROW)
3. Greatest number of points earned in head-to-head play (If teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded.)
4. Greater Goal differential
Playoffs
Bracket
Statistics
Scoring leaders
The following players led the league in regular season points at the conclusion of games played on April 6, 2019.[1]
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts | +/– | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nikita Kucherov | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 41 | 87 | 128 | +24 | 62 |
| Connor McDavid | Edmonton Oilers | 78 | 41 | 75 | 116 | +3 | 20 |
| Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks | 81 | 44 | 66 | 110 | +2 | 22 |
| Leon Draisaitl | Edmonton Oilers | 82 | 50 | 55 | 105 | +2 | 52 |
| Brad Marchand | Boston Bruins | 79 | 36 | 64 | 100 | +15 | 96 |
| Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins | 79 | 35 | 65 | 100 | +18 | 36 |
| Nathan MacKinnon | Colorado Avalanche | 82 | 41 | 58 | 99 | +20 | 34 |
| Johnny Gaudreau | Calgary Flames | 82 | 36 | 63 | 99 | +18 | 24 |
| Steven Stamkos | Tampa Bay Lightning | 82 | 45 | 53 | 98 | +4 | 37 |
| Aleksander Barkov | Florida Panthers | 82 | 35 | 61 | 96 | –3 | 8 |
Leading goaltenders
The following goaltenders led the league in regular season goals against average at the conclusion of games played on April 6, 2019, while playing at least 1,800 minutes.[2]
| Player | Team | GP | TOI | W | L | OTL | GA | SO | SV% | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Binnington | St. Louis Blues | 32 | 1,876:25 | 24 | 5 | 1 | 59 | 5 | .927 | 1.89 |
| Ben Bishop | Dallas Stars | 46 | 2,637:18 | 27 | 15 | 2 | 87 | 7 | .934 | 1.98 |
| Robin Lehner | New York Islanders | 46 | 2,615:49 | 25 | 13 | 5 | 93 | 6 | .930 | 2.13 |
| Thomas Greiss | New York Islanders | 43 | 2,293:42 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 87 | 5 | .927 | 2.28 |
| Darcy Kuemper | Arizona Coyotes | 55 | 3,251:15 | 27 | 20 | 8 | 126 | 5 | .925 | 2.33 |
| Jaroslav Halak | Boston Bruins | 40 | 2,308:07 | 22 | 11 | 4 | 90 | 5 | .922 | 2.34 |
| Petr Mrazek | Carolina Hurricanes | 40 | 2,386:51 | 23 | 14 | 3 | 95 | 4 | .914 | 2.39 |
| Andrei Vasilevskiy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 53 | 3,203:45 | 39 | 10 | 4 | 128 | 6 | .925 | 2.40 |
| Pekka Rinne | Nashville Predators | 56 | 3,219:44 | 30 | 19 | 4 | 130 | 4 | .918 | 2.42 |
| Tuukka Rask | Boston Bruins | 46 | 2,635:09 | 27 | 13 | 5 | 109 | 4 | .912 | 2.48 |
NHL awards
The league's awards will be presented at the NHL Awards ceremony, to be held following the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs at a site to be determined. Finalists for voted awards are announced during the playoffs and winners are presented at the award ceremony. Voting will conclude immediately after the end of the regular season. The Presidents' Trophy, the Prince of Wales Trophy and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl are not presented at the awards ceremony. The Lester Patrick Trophy is announced during the summer and presented in the fall.
| Award | Recipient(s) | Runner(s)-up/Finalists |
|---|---|---|
| Stanley Cup | St. Louis Blues | Boston Bruins |
| Presidents' Trophy (Best regular-season record) |
Tampa Bay Lightning | Calgary Flames Boston Bruins |
| Prince of Wales Trophy (Eastern Conference champion) |
Boston Bruins | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Clarence S. Campbell Bowl (Western Conference champion) |
St. Louis Blues | San Jose Sharks |
| Art Ross Trophy (Player with most points) |
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) | Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers) |
| Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy (Perseverance, Sportsmanship, and Dedication) |
Robin Lehner (New York Islanders) | Nick Foligno (Columbus Blue Jackets) Joe Thornton (San Jose Sharks)[3] |
| Calder Memorial Trophy (Best first-year player) |
Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks) | Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues) Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)[4] |
| Conn Smythe Trophy (Most valuable player, playoffs) |
Ryan O' Reilly (St. Louis Blues) | N/A |
| Frank J. Selke Trophy (Defensive forward) |
Ryan O'Reilly (St. Louis Blues) | Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins) Mark Stone (Ottawa Senators/Vegas Golden Knights)[5] |
| Hart Memorial Trophy (Most valuable player, regular season) |
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) | Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)[6] |
| Jack Adams Award (Best coach) |
Barry Trotz (New York Islanders) | Craig Berube (St. Louis Blues) Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning)[7] |
| James Norris Memorial Trophy (Best defenseman) |
Mark Giordano (Calgary Flames) | Brent Burns (San Jose Sharks) Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)[8] |
| King Clancy Memorial Trophy (Leadership and humanitarian contribution) |
Jason Zucker (Minnesota Wild) | Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Arizona Coyotes) Henrik Lundqvist (New York Rangers)[9] |
| Lady Byng Memorial Trophy (Sportsmanship and excellence) |
Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers) | Sean Monahan (Calgary Flames) Ryan O'Reilly (St. Louis Blues)[10] |
| Ted Lindsay Award (Outstanding player) |
Nikita Kucherov (Tampa Bay Lightning) | Patrick Kane (Chicago Blackhawks) Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)[11] |
| Mark Messier Leadership Award (Leadership and community activities) |
Wayne Simmonds (Philadelphia Flyers/Nashville Predators) | Mark Giordano (Calgary Flames) Justin Williams (Carolina Hurricanes)[12] |
| Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy (Top goal-scorer) |
Alexander Ovechkin (Washington Capitals) | Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers) |
| NHL General Manager of the Year Award (Top general manager) |
Don Sweeney (Boston Bruins) | Doug Armstrong (St. Louis Blues) Don Waddell (Carolina Hurricanes)[13] |
| Vezina Trophy (Best goaltender) |
Andrei Vasilevskiy (Tampa Bay Lightning) | Ben Bishop (Dallas Stars) Robin Lehner (New York Islanders)[14] |
| William M. Jennings Trophy (Goaltender(s) of team with fewest goals against) |
Robin Lehner and Thomas Greiss (New York Islanders) | Ben Bishop and Anton Khudobin (Dallas Stars) |
| Lester Patrick Trophy (Service to ice hockey in U.S.) |
N/A |
All-Star teams
Milestones
First games
The following is a list of notable players who played their first NHL game during the 2018–19 season, listed with their first team.
| Player | Team | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| Rasmus Dahlin | Buffalo Sabres | First overall pick in the 2018 Draft |
| Elias Pettersson | Vancouver Canucks | 2018–19 Calder Memorial Trophy winner |
Last games
| Player | Team | Notability |
|---|---|---|
| Roberto Luongo[15] | Florida Panthers | William M. Jennings Trophy winner, 489 career games won, over 1,000 career games played, two-time NHL All-Star Team selection, six-time NHL All-Star |
| Brooks Orpik[16] | Washington Capitals | Over 1,000 career games played. |
| Tomas Plekanec[17] | Montreal Canadiens | Over 1,000 career games played. |
2018–19 NHL Season Media
The 2019 NHL Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium saw the NHL return to Indiana for their sixth game hosting and the first in over 50 years.
References
- ↑ "Player Stats: 2018–19 Regular season: All Skaters– Total Points". National Hockey League.
- ↑ "Player Stats: 2018–19 Regular season: Leading Goalies". National Hockey League.
- ↑ "Masterton Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Calder Trophy finalists revealed". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 27, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ↑ "Selke Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ↑ "Hart Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
- ↑ "Jack Adams Award finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 26, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ↑ "Norris Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ↑ "King Clancy finalists reveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 23, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
- ↑ "Lady Byng finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 18, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ↑ "Kane, Kucherov, McDavid finalists for Ted Lindsay Award". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 25, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
- ↑ "Messier NHL Leadership Award finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 24, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
- ↑ "NHL General Manager of the Year finalists unveiled". May 16, 2019. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
- ↑ "Vezina Trophy finalists unveiled". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- ↑ Kreiser, John (June 26, 2019). "Luongo announces retirement after 19 NHL seasons". nhl.com. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
- ↑ "Capitals' Brooks Orpik retiring from NHL". 25 June 2019.
- ↑ "Plekanec: 'I always wanted to retire as a Montreal Canadien'". Montreal Canadiens. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2018.