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The first round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs wrapped up Monday night, and Wisconsin was the talk of the league. The Badgers led all NCAA programs with 11 participants in the playoffs this year. The next closest team was Boston College with eight players.
Former Badgers made the most of their opportunities as well, registering 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points between them. Brian Elliott was also solid between the pipes, posting a .919 save percentage and 1.90 goals against average.
The 26 points combined between the Badger skaters were 10 points more than the next highest NCAA program. Minnesota checked in with 16 points, followed by Notre Dame with 11 and Boston University with nine.
Joe Pavelski was the top Badger in the first round, registering four goals and four assists for eight points in San Jose's four game sweep of the Vancouver Canucks. Pavelski leads all former NCAA skaters in playoff points, despite playing just four games to this point.
Additionally, while players like Ryan Suter and Ryan McDonagh weren't big-time point-producers in the first round, each player played a significant role. Suter and McDonagh were logging huge minutes, with Suter setting the Wild franchise record for time-on-ice in game one vs Chicago with a ridiculous 41 minutes played.
McDonagh was in charge of shutting down Alex Ovechkin, and succeeded, holding the Russian superstar to just one goal overall, and no points in the final five games of the seven-game series.
Unfortunately, five of the 11 former Badgers were eliminated in the first round. Obviously, the good news is that six players will continue playing on in the semifinals. Even better news is that none of the six remaining Badgers will play against each other in the semifinals.
After upsetting Anaheim in the first round, Brendan Smith and Detroit will take on top seeded Chicago, while Pavelski will try to help San Jose advance past the Los Angeles Kings. Adam Burish is also a member of that Sharks club with Pavelski, but is expected to miss the second round with an undisclosed injury.
Over in the East, Ryan McDonagh and Derek Stepan look to lead the Rangers past the Boston Bruins, while Kyle Turris and the Ottawa Senators will match up against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Wisconsin Badgers Playoff Statistics
| Player | Team | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Rene Bourque | Montreal | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Kyle Turris | Ottawa | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Ryan McDonagh | New York Rangers | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Derek Stepan | New York Rangers | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Jake Gardiner | Toronto | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Tom Gilbert | Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Suter | Minnesota | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brendan Smith | Detroit | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Joe Pavelski | San Jose | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Adam Burish | San Jose | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wisconsin Badgers Playoff Goalie Statistics
| Player | Team | Save Percentage | Goals Against Average |
| Brian Elliott | St. Louis | .919 | 1.90 |
NCAA Teams' NHL Playoff Statistics
| Team | Players (non-goalie) | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Wisconsin | 10 | 13 | 13 | 26 |
| Minnesota | 5 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| Notre Dame | 3 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Boston University | 5 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| Vermont | 3 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| Michigan State | 4 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| North Dakota | 6 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Miami | 3 | 1 | 7 | 8 |
| Boston College | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 |
| Michigan | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Ohio State | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Denver | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Cornell | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Ferris State | 1 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Providence | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Maine | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Minnesota State | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Dartmouth | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| St. Cloud State | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Canisius | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Norwich | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| UMass | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Colorado College | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| St. Lawrence | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Princeton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Harvard | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota Duluth | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bowling Green | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Alaska Anchorage | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lake Superior State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
NCAA Goalies' NHL Playoff Statistics
| Player | School | Team | Save Percentage | Goals Against |
| Jonathan Quick | UMass | L.A. Kings | .944 | 1.58 |
| Brian Elliott | Wisconsin | St. Louis | .919 | 1.90 |
| Jimmy Howard | Maine | Detroit | .911 | 2.65 |
| Cory Schneider | Boston College | Vancouver | .880 | 4.62 |