The 2012 Kelly Cup Playoffs of the ECHL started on April 2, 2012 following the end of the 2011–12 ECHL regular season.[1] The playoff format remains unchanged from that of the 2011 postseason. 15 teams qualified for the playoffs, being the top seven teams from the Western Conference and the top eight teams from the Eastern Conference.[2]
In the Eastern Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winners will be seeded first, second and third and will play the eighth-place finisher, the seventh-place finisher and the sixth-place finisher, respectively, while the fourth-place finisher and the fifth-place finisher will meet. The conference semifinals will have the winner of the first-place and eighth-place matchup will meet the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place game while the winner of the second-place and seventh-place game will face the winner of the third-place and sixth-place matchup.
In the Western Conference, postseason berths will be awarded to the first-place team in each division and the next five teams in the conference, based on points. The division winner with the best record in the conference will receive a bye in the first round. The other division winner will be seeded second and meet the team that finishes seventh in the conference in the first round. The other first round matchups will be the third-place finisher in the conference against the sixth-place finisher in the conference and the fourth-place finisher in the conference against the fifth-place finisher in the conference. The conference semifinals will have the first-place finisher meeting the winner of the fourth-place and fifth-place matchup and the winner of the second-place finisher and seventh-place finisher against the winner of the third-place finisher against the sixth-place finisher.
The first round in each Conference will be a best of five series with each subsequent round being a best of seven series.[2]
After the regular season, 15 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Alaska Aces were the Western Conference regular season champions and the Brabham Cup winners with the best record at 97 points, making them the first team in league history to win the Brabham Cup in consecutive seasons.[3] The Elmira Jackals earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference and finished the season with 95 points.
This was the second playoff meeting between the two franchises; Elmira defeated Florida 4-2 in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals. During the regular season, Elmira defeated Florida 4-2, going 2-1 both in Elmira and in Florida.[7] Florida's John Muse was injured in the second period of Game 2, resulting in Pat Nagle coming in for the third period to secure the shutout.[8] Nagle would be Florida's goalie throughout the rest of the series.
This was the fifth postseason meeting between the two franchises. Idaho had won three of the prior series (semifinals in 2004 and 2007, and quarterfinals in 2011); Las Vegas' sole historical victory was in the 2006 semifinals. During the regular season, Las Vegas was 7-1-4 against Idaho (1 overtime loss and 3 shootout losses, with 1 win in shootout).[9]
Note: Home team is listed first.
This was Kalamazoo's second consecutive Conference Final, and Florida's fourth in the past nine seasons. Their previous meeting was in 2011, where Kalamazoo beat Florida 3-1 in the first round. During the regular season, Florida beat Kalamazoo 3-2, with one loss in overtime and one win and one loss in shootout.[10] The series marked the return of John Muse from his lower-body injury (suffered in Game 3 against Elmira in the Conference Semifinals[8]) in a 7-0 shutout at home for Game 3.[11]
This was the third playoff meeting between the two franchises; Alaska won in the 2006 West Division Finals, 4-2, and 2009 National Conference finals 4-0, while Las Vegas won the 2008 National Conference Semifinals 4-1, giving Alaska a historical 9-6 lead. It was the second consecutive Conference Final for Alaska, and their sixth in eight seasons, and the third Final for Las Vegas in five seasons. During the regular season, Las Vegas beat Alaska 5-4, with Alaska winning a game in shootout, and Las Vegas winning two shootout games.[12]
This is the first playoff meeting between the two franchises, and the first time either has played the other since 2005. They have met 5 times during the regular season (once in 2003, twice in 2004, and twice in 2005), with Florida leading the series 4-1; Las Vegas's sole victory prior to Game 1 was a shutout at Florida in 2005. Game 1 was only the second time Florida played at the Orleans Arena.[13] Florida's 7-2 victory in Game 2 marks the largest margin of defeat for Las Vegas during the 2012 Kelly Cup playoffs, and ties for the most points scored by a team in any game during the postseason (Florida also scored 7 points on Kalamazoo twice). The 3-game stand for Games 3, 4, and 5 were billed as pitting the Everblades 8-0 postseason home record against Las Vegas' 7-1 postseason away record.[14] Game 3 marked the first home victory in a Kelly Cup final for Florida,[15] and Game 5 saw the Everblades win the cup in front of a standing-room-only crowd.[16]
GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes
GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (in minutes)