When you hear people talk about nhl playoff leading scorers, everyone immediately shouts the same name: Gretzky. And look, they aren't wrong. Wayne Gretzky’s numbers in the postseason are basically a collection of typos that somehow became official league records. But honestly, if you're only looking at the total points on a Wikipedia page, you’re missing the real story of how playoff hockey has changed—and why some of the guys playing right now are doing things that might actually be more impressive than the 80s icons.
The playoffs are a different beast. The regular season is a marathon, sure, but the Stanley Cup playoffs are a series of high-speed car crashes where you’re expected to score goals while a 220-pound defenseman tries to cross-check you into the mezzanine. To be a top scorer here, you need more than just skill. You need a weird mix of luck, durability, and a teammate who can actually finish your passes when the pressure is suffocating.
The Mount Rushmore of Postseason Production
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Wayne Gretzky has 382 career playoff points. That is a stupid number. To put that in perspective, Mark Messier is in second place with 295. Think about that—the gap between first and second place is 87 points. In the world of NHL scoring, that’s an entire Hall of Fame career’s worth of production just as a "buffer."
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Gretzky wasn't just piling up empty calories, either. In 1985, he put up 47 points in a single playoff run. Forty-seven. Most players are happy to get 47 points in an 82-game regular season. Gretzky did it in 18 games. It’s kinda hard to wrap your head around that level of dominance unless you saw how much open ice existed back then.
But the list isn't just a 1980s Oilers reunion. While Jari Kurri (233 points) and Glenn Anderson (214 points) round out the top tier, we’ve seen a shift lately. Sidney Crosby recently cracked the 200-point club, sitting at 201 points in 180 games. He’s the modern gold standard for "heavy" playoff scoring—the kind where every inch of ice is earned through sheer force of will.
Why Today's nhl playoff leading scorers Are Different
There is a massive debate among hockey nerds about "era-adjusted" scoring. Basically, in the 80s, goalies stood about five feet tall and didn't believe in using their legs to block shots. Today, every netminder is a 6'4" robot with butterfly technique and pads that cover half the net.
This brings us to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
If you look at points-per-game (P/G), the conversation changes instantly. Gretzky sits at a career 1.84 P/G in the playoffs. Mario Lemieux is at 1.61. But look at these Edmonton kids.
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- Connor McDavid: 1.58 P/G (150 points in 96 games)
- Leon Draisaitl: 1.47 P/G (141 points in 96 games)
These two are currently sitting in the top five all-time for playoff scoring rate. In the 2024 playoffs, McDavid put up 42 points, nearly touching Gretzky’s "untouchable" 1985 record. Then in 2025, Draisaitl and McDavid both tied for the lead again with 33 points apiece. They are doing this in an era where teams play "trap" defense and shot-blocking is a religious experience. Honestly, what they’re doing might be harder than what the 80s Oilers did. Sorta.
The 2025 Playoff Breakdown
Last season's run was a perfect example of how the scoring leaderboard is shifting toward the new guard. While the Florida Panthers won the Cup (congrats to Sam Bennett for a monster 15-goal run), the raw point totals were dominated by the West.
- Leon Draisaitl (EDM): 33 points
- Connor McDavid (EDM): 33 points
- Evan Bouchard (EDM): 23 points
- Sam Reinhart (FLA): 23 points
- Matthew Tkachuk (FLA): 23 points
Bouchard is the name you really need to watch. He’s a defenseman putting up numbers that look like prime Brian Leetch or Paul Coffey. When a blueliner is consistently in the top five of nhl playoff leading scorers, the entire geometry of the game changes.
The "One-Hit Wonder" vs. The Consistent Greats
We often focus on the guys who have 200 career points, but some of the most legendary playoff performances came from players who just caught lightning in a bottle for two months.
Take someone like Frank Mahovlich or even more recently, someone like Evgeny Kuznetsov in 2018. Kuznetsov had 32 points that year to lead the Capitals to their first Cup. He hasn't come close to that since. Being a "leading scorer" for one spring can cement your legacy more than five years of 90-point regular seasons.
Then you have the "quiet" producers. Joe Pavelski finished his career with 143 playoff points. He was never the fastest or strongest, but he was the king of the "greasy" goal—deflections, rebounds, and just being annoying in front of the net. He’s a reminder that you don't need McDavid's speed to climb this list; you just need to be willing to get hit in the face with a puck occasionally.
Active Career Leaders (Total Points)
If you're tracking the current guys who might actually move up the all-time ranks, here is where things stand as we head into the 2026 stretch:
- Sidney Crosby: 201 points (The old guard still holding on)
- Nikita Kucherov: 171 points (Absolute power-play wizard)
- Brad Marchand: 158 points (Love him or hate him, he produces)
- Connor McDavid: 150 points (Rising like a rocket)
- Leon Draisaitl: 141 points (Right on McDavid's heels)
What It Takes to Top the Charts
If you want to be an nhl playoff leading scorer, you need three things that have nothing to do with your wrist shot.
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First, you need a long run. You can be the best player in the world, but if your team gets swept in the first round, you're only getting four games to put up numbers. To hit those 30+ point thresholds, your team generally has to make it to the Conference Finals or the Cup Final. This is why McDavid’s 2022 run (33 points in only 16 games) was actually scarier than his 2024 run (42 points in 25 games). His "production density" was off the charts.
Second, you need a power play that clicks. In the modern NHL, about 30-40% of the top scorers' points come on the man advantage. Teams like Tampa Bay and Edmonton have basically weaponized the power play to the point where you can't even breathe on their stars without giving up a goal.
Third, you need a "mule." Every great scorer has that one teammate who does the dirty work. Gretzky had Messier and Kurri. Lemieux had Jagr and Ron Francis. McDavid has Draisaitl (and vice versa). You rarely see a guy lead the playoffs in scoring while playing on an island.
The Future: Will Gretzky Ever Be Caught?
Probably not. Let’s be real.
To catch 382 points, McDavid would need to maintain his current insane pace for another 10 to 12 years of deep playoff runs. It’s physically impossible. The game is too fast, the hits are too hard, and the parity in the league is too high.
However, we are living in the second-best era for playoff scoring ever. After the "Dead Puck Era" of the late 90s and early 2000s, where leading scorers would finish with maybe 20 points, seeing guys regularly push for 35 or 40 is a treat for fans.
If you're looking to track the next generation of nhl playoff leading scorers, keep your eyes on Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard. They’re still early in their careers, but the scoring talent coming into the league right now is the highest it’s been since 1984.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Bettors
- Look at P/G, not just totals: If a player has 15 points but was eliminated in the second round, they are likely a better "per-game" value than a guy with 20 points who played in the Finals.
- Watch the Power Play efficiency: A team with a 30% PP is going to produce a leading scorer regardless of how "boring" their 5-on-5 play is.
- Check the Health Reports: Most playoff leading scorers are playing through torn labrums or broken toes by June. The "durability" factor is the most underrated stat in hockey.
To stay ahead of the curve, keep a close watch on the NHL's official Player Tracking Data. This is where you can see who is creating "Expected Goals" even if the points haven't shown up on the scoresheet yet. In the playoffs, the points usually follow the process.