Percentage of faceoffs in the playoffs: Three Habs players lead the category

Mathis Therrien
Percentage of faceoffs in the playoffs: Three Habs players lead the category
Credit: Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images

The Montreal Canadiens are just one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Playoffs semifinals.

The Habs lead their second-round series 3-2, having pushed the Buffalo Sabres to the brink, with Game 6 at the Bell Centre tonight starting at 8 p.m.

The Habs' run could continue as early as tonight for several reasons.

Obviously, Jakub Dobes's heroics top the list, along with the team's remarkable depth, as offensive contributions are coming from everyone.

However, one factor often overlooked when discussing the Canadiens' recent playoff success is their faceoff success rate.

Martin St-Louis's squad has been very successful at the faceoff in this spring tournament, which has greatly helped the team secure victories.

The Habs rank third in the NHL in the playoffs with a 56.1% success rate, behind the Ottawa Senators (58.5%) and the Boston Bruins (56.2%).

(Credit: NHL.com)

That's already an impressive ranking for the Habs, but it gets even better when you look at the individual statistics of the Habs' players.

Among players who have taken part in at least 125 faceoffs during this postseason, the Habs have three in the top 5, including the top two.

Indeed, the Habs dominate this category with three players at the top of the rankings: Phillip Danault at 61.9%, Jake Evans at 59.5%, and Nick Suzuki at 56.2%.

These are excellent numbers for the Canadiens' centers, and they're a very important and telling indicator of the team's success.

Winning faceoffs allows a team to control the outcome of a set play, and to either escape a defensive situation or set up an offensive play.

What's even more impressive is that Kirby Dach, the Habs' fourth-line center, sits at 55.8%, not far behind his captain.

The Canadiens' four main centers all have a faceoff win percentage above 55%.

That's excellent and impressive.

All four will need to continue dominating to help the Habs go as far as possible in the 2026 playoffs.


In a Nutshell

– Ah, those famous hockey players.

– Obviously.

– Very interesting.

– A must-read.

facebook icon Share twitter icon Tweet linkedin icon Share
Copied!