Top 5 Road Teams in NHL Playoff History: The LA Kings Shake-Up the NHL

The Los Angeles Kings' unlikely playoff run this year has brought up many intriguing questions not only about the team itself, but also about the league as a whole.  Is this a total fluke, the team riding the success of an incredibly hot, young goaltender in Jonathan Quick? Or is this a sign of a maturing NHL, one whose talent spans the nation and brings back the glory days of hockey in the US?

To be honest, I have no idea. However, what I do know is that the playoffs have been incredibly entertaining thus far and as a consequence the NHL’s ratings are once again through the roof. 

With the Kings' two road victories in last year’s first-round series, along with the seven consecutive road wins this year, the Kings' became only the second NHL team in history to win nine consecutive road victories in the playoffs.  This is made all the more incredible by the fact that the first three road wins this year were against the Vancouver Canucks—who were widely considered the best team in hockey.

In order to get more perspective on these strange events and the effect they many have on the game, this article will take a look at the top five NHL road playoff teams in history.

 

5. 2004 Calgary Flames

The Flames are one of only three teams to win 10 road games during a single playoff year (the 1995 and 2000 New Jersey Devils are the other two).  They rode behind the goal-tending of Miikka Kiprusoff who had five shutouts, a 92.8 save percentage and 1.85 goals against average throughout their run to the Stanley Cup Finals.  Not an all-time great team, as they failed to win the finals and definitely benefited from the lament of an upcoming lockout.

This season marked an incredible playoff run where they defeated the best of the NHL including the Canucks, Red Wings and Sharks on their way to the finals.  



 

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