2010 Stanley Cup playoffs

Last updated

2010 Stanley Cup playoffs
2010 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs logo.png
Tournament details
DatesApril 14–June 9, 2010
Teams16
Defending champions Pittsburgh Penguins
Final positions
Champions Chicago Blackhawks
Runner-up Philadelphia Flyers
Tournament statistics
Scoring leader(s) Daniel Briere (Flyers) (30 points)
MVP Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks)
  2009
2011  

The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 14, 2010, after the 2009–10 NHL regular season. [1] The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to win their fourth championship and their first since 1961. Blackhawks center and team captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.

Contents

The Washington Capitals made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Detroit Red Wings increased their postseason appearance streak to nineteen seasons, the longest active streak at the time.

This NHL post-season was noted for the unexpected playoff successes of two teams: the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens, who were the seventh and eighth seeds in their conference and were tied for points. The Flyers became the third NHL team to win a seven-game series after being down 3–0 (the others being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders). [2] The Flyers went on to play in the Stanley Cup Finals, losing to Chicago. Meanwhile, the Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team in NHL history to win a series against the first-seeded team after being down 3–1 in a series, when they beat the Washington Capitals in the first round. [3] After upsetting the defending Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, the Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team to compete in the Eastern Conference Final since the current playoff format was implemented in 1994. [4] Previously, only the eighth-seeded 2006 Edmonton Oilers had accomplished a similar feat, winning the 2006 Western Conference Final. As a result of the Canadiens having the eighth seed, the Flyers became the first seventh-seed to have home-ice advantage in the conference finals since the current playoff format was instituted. [5]

Playoff seeds

The Stanley Cup Hhof stanley cup.jpg
The Stanley Cup

The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs. The top three seeds in each conference were awarded to the division winners; while the five remaining spots were awarded to the highest finishers in their respective conferences.

The following teams qualified for the playoffs:

Eastern Conference

  1. Washington Capitals, Southeast Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions, President's Trophy winners – 121 points
  2. New Jersey Devils, Atlantic Division champions – 103 points
  3. Buffalo Sabres, Northeast Division champions – 100 points
  4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 101 points
  5. Ottawa Senators – 94 points
  6. Boston Bruins – 91 points
  7. Philadelphia Flyers – 88 points (41 wins)
  8. Montreal Canadiens – 88 points (39 wins)

Western Conference

  1. San Jose Sharks, Pacific Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions – 113 points
  2. Chicago Blackhawks, Central Division champions – 112 points
  3. Vancouver Canucks, Northwest Division champions – 103 points
  4. Phoenix Coyotes – 107 points
  5. Detroit Red Wings – 102 points
  6. Los Angeles Kings – 101 points
  7. Nashville Predators – 100 points
  8. Colorado Avalanche – 95 points

Playoff bracket

In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the three division winners seeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8.

The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
1 Washington 3
8 Montreal4
4 Pittsburgh 3
8 Montreal4
2 New Jersey 1
7 Philadelphia4
8 Montreal 1
Eastern Conference
7 Philadelphia4
3 Buffalo 2
6 Boston4
6 Boston 3
7 Philadelphia4
4 Pittsburgh4
5 Ottawa 2
E7 Philadelphia 2
W2 Chicago4
1 San Jose4
8 Colorado 2
1 San Jose4
5 Detroit 1
2 Chicago4
7 Nashville 2
1 San Jose 0
Western Conference
2 Chicago4
3 Vancouver4
6 Los Angeles 2
2 Chicago4
3 Vancouver 2
4 Phoenix 3
5 Detroit4

Conference quarterfinals

Eastern Conference quarterfinals

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

The Capitals playing the Canadiens in the 2010 playoffs Canadiens vs. Capitals - 2010 playoffs.jpg
The Capitals playing the Canadiens in the 2010 playoffs

The Washington Capitals entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winner, earning the NHL's best regular season record with 121 points. The Montreal Canadiens qualified for the playoffs as the eighth seed with 88 points, losing the tiebreaker over Philadelphia on total wins (41 to 39). This was the first and to date only playoff meeting between these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

Montreal's point difference in the series was the fifth largest point differential (33 points) for a lower-seeded team beating a higher-seeded team in playoff history. It was also the first time an eighth-seeded team came back against a number one seed after being down 3–1 in the series, and the only time until 2023 when the Florida Panthers did so against the Boston Bruins. [3] Montreal goaltender Jaroslav Halak made 45 saves and Tomas Plekanec won game one for the Canadiens with his goal 13:19 into the first overtime period. Washington forward Nicklas Backstrom scored the overtime winner in game two and completed a hat-trick with his goal 31 seconds into the first overtime period to give Washington a 6–5 win; Andrei Kostitsyn also scored a hat-trick during this game in a losing effort for the Canadiens. After a scoreless opening period in game three, the Capitals scored four times in the second period as they earned a 5–1 victory. Washington forward Alexander Ovechkin recorded three points as the Capitals won game four 6–3. Jaroslav Halak returned in game five for Montreal after sitting out the previous game and posted 37 saves as the Canadiens avoided elimination with a 2–1 win. Michael Cammalleri scored twice in the opening period of game six for Montreal and Jaroslav Halak made 53 saves as the Canadiens forced a seventh-game with a 4–1 victory. Montreal forward Dominic Moore scored the series-clinching goal late in the third period of game seven as the Canadiens hung on to a 2–1 decision.

April 15Montreal Canadiens3–2OTWashington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
Michael Cammalleri (1) – pp – 12:36First period15:33 – Joe Corvo (1)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
Scott Gomez (1) – 07:34Third period00:47 – Nicklas Backstrom (1)
Tomas Plekanec (1) – 13:19First overtime periodNo scoring
Jaroslav Halak 45 saves / 47 shotsGoalie stats Jose Theodore 35 saves / 38 shots
April 17Montreal Canadiens5–6OTWashington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
Brian Gionta (1) – 01:00
Andrei Kostitsyn (1) – 07:58
First period10:21 – Eric Fehr (1)
Andrei Kostitsyn (2) – 11:06
Andrei Kostitsyn (3) – pp – 17:44
Second period18:23 – Nicklas Backstrom (2)
Tomas Plekanec (2) – 14:54Third period02:56 – Alexander Ovechkin (1)
09:47 – Nicklas Backstrom (3)
18:39 – John Carlson (1)
No scoringFirst overtime period00:31 – Nicklas Backstrom (4)
Jaroslav Halak 31 saves / 37 shotsGoalie stats Jose Theodore 0 saves / 2 shots
Semyon Varlamov 19 saves / 22 shots
April 19Washington Capitals5–1Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Boyd Gordon (1) – sh – 01:06
Brooks Laich (1) – 04:42
Eric Fehr (2) – 08:33
Alexander Ovechkin (2) – 13:50
Second periodNo scoring
Matt Bradley (1) – 19:15Third period02:25 – ppTomas Plekanec (3)
Semyon Varlamov 26 saves / 27 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 10 saves / 13 shots
Carey Price 21 saves / 23 shots
April 21Washington Capitals6–3Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
Alexander Ovechkin (3) – pp – 08:10First period09:12 – Michael Cammalleri (2)
Mike Knuble (1) – sh – 19:53Second period15:42 – ppBrian Gionta (2)
Alexander Ovechkin (4) – 11:09
Jason Chimera (1) – 12:01
Mike Knuble (2) – en – 17:33
Nicklas Backstrom (5) – en – 19:49
Third period18:42 – Dominic Moore (1)
Semyon Varlamov 36 saves / 39 shotsGoalie stats Carey Price 32 saves / 36 shots
April 23Montreal Canadiens2–1Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
Michael Cammalleri (3) – 01:30
Travis Moen (1) – 07:01
First periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period03:52 – Alexander Ovechkin (5)
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
Jaroslav Halak 37 saves / 38 shotsGoalie stats Semyon Varlamov 26 saves / 28 shots
April 26Washington Capitals1–4Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoringFirst period07:30 – ppMichael Cammalleri (4)
09:09 – Michael Cammalleri (5)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
Eric Fehr (3) – 15:10Third period04:17 – Maxim Lapierre (1)
19:03 – enTomas Plekanec (4)
Semyon Varlamov 18 saves / 21 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 53 saves / 54 shots
April 28Montreal Canadiens2–1Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
Marc-Andre Bergeron (1) – pp – 19:30First periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
Dominic Moore (2) – 16:24Third period17:44 – Brooks Laich (2)
Jaroslav Halak 41 saves / 42 shotsGoalie stats Semyon Varlamov 14 saves / 16 shots
Montreal won series 4–3

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

The New Jersey Devils entered the playoffs as the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division with 103 points. The Philadelphia Flyers qualified as the seventh seed with 88 points, winning the tiebreaker over Montreal on total wins (41 to 39). This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the teams splitting the four previous series. They last met in the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals where Philadelphia won in five games. Philadelphia won five of the six games during this year's regular season series.

The Flyers upset the Devils in five games. Philadelphia goaltender Brian Boucher made 23 saves in game one as the Flyers took the opening game 2–1. Devils forward Dainius Zubrus broke the tie in game two with just over four minutes remaining in the game as New Jersey evened the series with 5–3 victory. Daniel Carcillo scored the overtime winner for the Flyers in a 3–2 win in game three. Brian Boucher made 30 saves and Jeff Carter added two goals in game four as the Flyers pushed New Jersey to the brink of elimination with a 4–1 triumph. Philadelphia ended the series in game five with a 3–0 shutout; Boucher made 28 saves in the victory.

April 14Philadelphia Flyers2–1New Jersey Devils Prudential Center Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Chris Pronger (1) – pp – 09:25
Mike Richards (1) – 16:27
Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period17:17 – Travis Zajac (1)
Brian Boucher 23 saves / 24 shotsGoalie stats Martin Brodeur 12 saves / 14 shots
April 16Philadelphia Flyers3–5New Jersey Devils Prudential Center Recap  
Arron Asham (1) – 09:33
Claude Giroux (1) – pp – 15:30
First period02:45 – shZach Parise (1)
Chris Pronger (2) – pp – 18:48Second period03:44 – Colin White (1)
13:25 – ppAndy Greene (1)
No scoringThird period15:56 – Dainius Zubrus (1)
19:27 – enIlya Kovalchuk (1)
Brian Boucher 28 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Martin Brodeur 26 saves / 29 shots
April 18New Jersey Devils2–3OTPhiladelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Brian Rolston (1) – pp – 07:15First period08:49 – ppClaude Giroux (2)
Brian Rolston (2) – pp – 16:38Second period01:15 – Mike Richards (2)
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
No scoringFirst overtime period03:35 – Daniel Carcillo (1)
Martin Brodeur 31 saves / 34 shotsGoalie stats Brian Boucher 17 saves / 19 shots
April 20New Jersey Devils1–4Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Ilya Kovalchuk (2) – pp – 12:24First periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period09:08 – ppJeff Carter (1)
17:27 – Daniel Briere (1)
No scoringThird period04:10 – Daniel Carcillo (2)
09:28 – Jeff Carter (2)
Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 28 shotsGoalie stats Brian Boucher 30 saves / 31 shots
April 22Philadelphia Flyers3–0New Jersey Devils Prudential Center Recap  
Daniel Briere (2) – 03:16First periodNo scoring
Claude Giroux (3) – 11:48
Claude Giroux (4) – pp – 13:47
Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
Brian Boucher 28 saves / 28 shotsGoalie stats Martin Brodeur 17 saves / 20 shots
Philadelphia won series 4–1

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

The Buffalo Sabres entered the playoffs as the third overall seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Northeast Division title with 100 points. The Boston Bruins qualified as the sixth seed with 91 points. This was the eighth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Boston winning five of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1999 Eastern Conference semifinals where Buffalo won in six games. Boston won four of the six games during this year's regular season series.

The Bruins eliminated the Sabres in six games. Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller made 38 saves as the Sabres took the opening game of the series. Michael Ryder and Zdeno Chara each scored twice in game two as the Bruins overcame a one-goal deficit entering the third period, taking the game 5–3. Boston broke the tie in game three with a goal from Patrice Bergeron with just over seven minutes remaining in regulation time. Buffalo squandered a two-goal lead in third period of game four as the Bruins forced overtime; at 7:41 of the second overtime period Miroslav Satan scored the game-winning goal for Boston, giving them a 3–1 series lead. The Sabres extended the series in game five with a 4–1 victory; at the end of the game, five players were assessed penalties after an altercation including Boston captain Zdeno Chara who was given an instigator penalty. [6] As the penalty occurred in the final five minutes of the game Chara should have been suspended for game six, but the league rescinded the instigator penalty after the game, allowing Chara to avoid suspension. [7] Miroslav Satan scored the series-winning goal in game six as Boston held on to a 4–3 win.

April 15Boston Bruins1–2Buffalo Sabres HSBC Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst period04:52 –Thomas Vanek (1)
Mark Recchi (1) – pp – 09:30Second period14:10 – Craig Rivet (1)
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
Tuukka Rask 30 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Ryan Miller 38 saves / 39 shots
April 17Boston Bruins5–3Buffalo Sabres HSBC Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst period02:55 – Tyler Myers (1)
12:00 – Matt Ellis (1)
Michael Ryder (1) – 02:35
Zdeno Chara (1) – 09:54
Second period16:41 – Jason Pominville (1)
Michael Ryder (2) – 05:23
Zdeno Chara (2) – 07:23
Mark Recchi (2) – en – 19:40
Third periodNo scoring
Tuukka Rask 26 saves / 29 shotsGoalie stats Ryan Miller 26 saves / 30 shots
April 19Buffalo Sabres1–2Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
Mike Grier (1) – 06:57First period15:17 – Dennis Wideman (1)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period12:57 – Patrice Bergeron (1)
Ryan Miller 27 saves / 29 shotsGoalie stats Tuukka Rask 32 saves / 33 shots
April 21Buffalo Sabres2–32OTBoston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
Tim Kennedy (1) – 02:12First periodNo scoring
Steve Montador (1) – 06:59Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period02:07 – ppDavid Krejci (1)
06:40 – Patrice Bergeron (2)
No scoringSecond overtime period07:41 – ppMiroslav Satan (1)
Ryan Miller 36 saves / 39 shotsGoalie stats Tuukka Rask 35 saves / 37 shots
April 23Boston Bruins1–4Buffalo Sabres HSBC Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst period01:54 – Adam Mair (1)
18:54 – Jason Pominville (2)
No scoringSecond period09:22 – Mike Grier (2)
Johnny Boychuk (1) – pp – 19:30Third period18:17 – enTyler Ennis (1)
Tuukka Rask 29 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Ryan Miller 34 saves / 35 shots
April 26Buffalo Sabres3–4Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoringFirst period13:39 – David Krejci (2)
Patrick Kaleta (1) – 06:34Second period01:01 – ppMark Recchi (3)
Nathan Gerbe (1) – 07:40
Thomas Vanek (2) – 18:47
Third period07:18 – David Krejci (3)
14:49 – Miroslav Satan (2)
Ryan Miller 28 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Tuukka Rask 27 saves / 30 shots
Boston won series 4–2

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

Pittsburgh's Bill Guerin plays in-front of the Senators net April 16. Bill Guerin 2010-04-16 (cropped).JPG
Pittsburgh's Bill Guerin plays in-front of the Senators net April 16.

The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 101 points. The Ottawa Senators qualified as the fifth seed with 94 points. This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with the teams splitting the two previous series. They last met in the 2008 Eastern Conference quarterfinals where Pittsburgh won in four games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

The Penguins defeated the Senators in six games. Ottawa forward Jarkko Ruutu scored the game-winning goal in game one as the Senators took the opening game 5–4. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby had a goal and an assist as Pittsburgh evened the series with a 2–1 win. Evgeni Malkin broke the tie for the Penguins early in the second period of game three as they took the series lead with a 4–2 victory. Ottawa goaltender Brian Elliott was pulled in the second period of game four after allowing four goals; the Penguins won the game 7–4. Ottawa avoided elimination in game five thanks to a 56 save effort by Pascal Leclaire; Matt Carkner scored the game-winning goal at 7:06 of the third overtime period. Pittsburgh overcame a three-goal deficit in game six to force overtime, where Pascal Dupuis ended the series at 9:56 of the first overtime as the Penguins advanced past the opening round of the playoffs for the third straight year.

April 14Ottawa Senators5–4Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
Peter Regin (1) – 08:45
Chris Neil (1) – 14:08
First period03:03 – ppEvgeni Malkin (1)
Chris Kelly (1) – pp – 01:20
Erik Karlsson (1) – pp – 13:14
Second period10:22 – pp – Evgeni Malkin (2)
Jarkko Ruutu (1) – 09:40Third period05:16 – Craig Adams (1)
17:36 – Alex Goligoski (1)
Brian Elliott 17 saves / 21 shotsGoalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 21 saves / 26 shots
April 16Ottawa Senators1–2Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
Peter Regin (2) – 00:18First period08:45 – Sidney Crosby (1)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period15:48 – Kris Letang (1)
Brian Elliott 29 saves / 31 shotsGoalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 19 saves / 20 shots
April 18Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Ottawa Senators Scotiabank Place Recap  
Alexei Ponikarovsky (1) – 01:17First periodNo scoring
Evgeni Malkin (3) – 05:57
Sidney Crosby (2) – pp – 19:15
Second period01:53 – ppMike Fisher (1)
Bill Guerin (1) – 04:27Third period12:58 – ppMatt Cullen (1)
Marc-Andre Fleury 20 saves / 22 shotsGoalie stats Brian Elliott 20 saves / 24 shots
April 20Pittsburgh Penguins7–4Ottawa Senators Scotiabank Place Recap  
Evgeni Malkin (4) – pp – 11:50First periodNo scoring
Sidney Crosby (3) – 03:47
Matt Cooke (1) – 03:59
Sidney Crosby (4) –06:12
Maxime Talbot (1) – sh – 12:38
Chris Kunitz (1) – 18:11
Second period07:06 – Chris Neil (2)
10:59 – Daniel Alfredsson (1)
13:19 – ppMatt Cullen (2)
Jordan Staal (1) – pp – 12:27Third period07:37 – Jason Spezza (1)
Marc-Andre Fleury 26 saves / 30 shotsGoalie stats Brian Elliott 15 saves / 19 shots
Pascal Leclaire 20 saves / 23 shots
April 22Ottawa Senators4–33OTPittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
Mike Fisher (2) – pp – 10:25
Jarkko Ruutu (2) – 11:33
First period18:05 – ppKris Letang (2)
No scoringSecond period18:34 – Chris Kunitz (2)
Peter Regin (3) – 10:24Third period09:01 – Sidney Crosby (5)
Matt Carkner (1) – 07:06Third overtime periodNo scoring
Pascal Leclaire 56 saves / 59 shotsGoalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 40 saves / 44 shots
April 24Pittsburgh Penguins4–3OTOttawa Senators Scotiabank Place Recap  
No scoringFirst period05:19 – Matt Cullen (3)
Matt Cooke (2) – 10:56Second period01:51 – Chris Neil (3)
09:48 – Daniel Alfredsson (2)
Bill Guerin (2) – pp – 07:03
Matt Cooke (3) – 12:24
Third periodNo scoring
Pascal Dupuis (1) – 09:56First overtime periodNo scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 28 saves / 31 shotsGoalie stats Pascal Leclaire 39 saves / 43 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–2

Western Conference quarterfinals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche

The San Jose Sharks entered the playoffs as the Western Conference regular season champions with 113 points. The Colorado Avalanche qualified as the eighth seed with 95 points. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams with Colorado winning two of the previous three series. They last met in the 2004 Western Conference semifinals where San Jose won in six games. San Jose won this year's four-game regular season series earning five of eight points.

The Sharks eliminated the Avalanche in six games. Chris Stewart scored for the Avalanche in the final minute of game one as they took the opening game 2–1. Sharks forward Joe Pavelski tied game two in the final minute of regulation time before Devin Setoguchi scored the game-winner on the power-play 5:22 into the first overtime period; evening the series at one game each. Colorado goaltender Craig Anderson made 51 saves and Ryan O'Reilly was credited with scoring the overtime winner after San Jose defenceman Dan Boyle scored on his own goal as the Avalanche won game three 1–0. For the third consecutive time in the series overtime was required to solve game four as Joe Pavelski won the game for the Sharks with his goal 10:24 into the first overtime period. Evgeni Nabokov made 28 saves to earn a shutout as the Sharks easily won game five 5–0. After falling behind early in the third period of game six San Jose scored four unanswered goals to close out the series with a 5–2 victory.

April 14Colorado Avalanche2–1San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
John-Michael Liles (1) – pp – 12:38Second periodNo scoring
Chris Stewart (1) – 19:10Third period07:59 – Ryane Clowe (1)
Craig Anderson 25 saves / 26 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 28 saves / 30 shots
April 16Colorado Avalanche5–6OTSan Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
Kyle Cumiskey (1) – 01:10First period19:18 – ppManny Malhotra (1)
Chris Stewart (2) – 00:24
Milan Hejduk (1) – 04:08
Brandon Yip (1) – 17:30
Second period03:43 – Rob Blake (1)
07:10 – Devin Setoguchi (1)
19:45 – Scott Nichol (1)
Chris Stewart (3) – 05:34Third period19:28 – Joe Pavelski (1)
No scoringFirst overtime period05:22 – pp – Devin Setoguchi (2)
Craig Anderson 46 saves / 52 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 17 saves / 22 shots
April 18San Jose Sharks0–1OTColorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
No scoringFirst overtime period00:51 – Ryan O'Reilly (1)
Evgeni Nabokov 16 saves / 17 shotsGoalie stats Craig Anderson 51 saves / 51 shots
April 20San Jose Sharks2–1OTColorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
Dan Boyle (1) – pp – 01:12First periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period03:27 – ppPaul Stastny (1)
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
Joe Pavelski (2) – 10:24First overtime periodNo scoring
Evgeni Nabokov 33 saves / 34 shotsGoalie stats Craig Anderson 43 saves / 45 shots
April 22Colorado Avalanche0–5San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period08:25 – Logan Couture (1)
10:21 – ppJoe Pavelski (3)
15:30 – Dwight Helminen (1)
No scoringThird period10:37 – Logan Couture (2)
13:24 – ppPatrick Marleau (1)
Craig Anderson 29 saves / 33 shots
Peter Budaj 3 saves / 4 shots
Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 28 saves / 28 shots
April 24San Jose Sharks5–2Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
Joe Pavelski (4) – 00:47First periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period06:14 – Marek Svatos (1)
Dan Boyle (2) – 07:33
Joe Pavelski (5) – 09:02
Devin Setoguchi (3) – en – 19:08
Douglas Murray (1) – en – 19:29
Third period04:51 – Brandon Yip (2)
Evgeni Nabokov 16 saves / 18 shotsGoalie stats Craig Anderson 29 saves / 32 shots
San Jose won series 4–2

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Nashville Predators

The Chicago Blackhawks entered the playoffs as the second overall seed in the Western Conference after winning the Central Division title with 112 points. The Nashville Predators qualified as the seventh seed with 100 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Chicago won four of the six games during this year's regular season series.

The Blackhawks defeated the Predators in six games. Nashville scored four times in the third period of game one to earn their franchise's first-ever road playoff victory; they had lost all of their ten previous playoff road games. Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi made 23 saves in a 2–0 shutout in game two, as Chicago evened the series. After trading goals in the opening period of game three, the Predators struck three times in the final 40 minutes including a penalty shot goal by Martin Erat. Antti Niemi earned his second shutout of the series in game four as Chicago took the game 3–0. The Blackhawks tied game five late in the third period on a short-handed goal by Patrick Kane and Marian Hossa ended the game 4:07 into overtime, ten seconds after he finished serving a major penalty for boarding. Chicago captain Jonathan Toews capped the scoring in the first period of game six; that saw the teams exchange seven goals. The Blackhawks held on to win the series-clinching game 5–3.

April 16Nashville Predators4–1Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period09:43 – Patrick Kane (1)
J.P. Dumont (1) – 01:31
J.P. Dumont (2) – 10:31
Jerred Smithson (1) – en – 19:12
Martin Erat (1) – en – 19:46
Third periodNo scoring
Pekka Rinne 25 saves / 26 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 22 saves / 24 shots
April 18Nashville Predators0–2Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period08:44 – ppDave Bolland (1)
No scoringThird period04:18 – Patrick Kane (2)
Pekka Rinne 31 saves / 33 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 23 saves / 23 shots
April 20Chicago Blackhawks1–4Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Tomas Kopecky (1) – pp – 17:35First period13:00 – Joel Ward (1)
No scoringSecond period04:00 – David Legwand (1)
09:52 – Shea Weber (1)
No scoringThird period14:25 – psMartin Erat (2)
Antti Niemi 31 saves / 35 shotsGoalie stats Pekka Rinne 26 saves / 27 shots
April 22Chicago Blackhawks3–0Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Patrick Sharp (1) – pp – 10:57First periodNo scoring
Jonathan Toews (1) – 12:55
Patrick Sharp (2) – 16:17
Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
Antti Niemi 33 saves / 33 shotsGoalie stats Pekka Rinne 27 saves / 30 shots
April 24Nashville Predators4–5OTChicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
David Legwand (2) – 06:23First period09:57 – Andrew Ladd (1)
14:53 – Niklas Hjalmarsson (1)
Joel Ward (2) – sh – 17:31Second period16:24 – Tomas Kopecky (2)
Martin Erat (3) – 01:34
Martin Erat (4) – 11:39
Third period19:46 – shPatrick Kane (3)
No scoringFirst overtime period04:07 – Marian Hossa (1)
Pekka Rinne 27 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 17 saves / 21 shots
April 26Chicago Blackhawks5–3Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Duncan Keith (1) – 06:38
Patrick Kane (4) – 09:54
Patrick Sharp (3) – 12:03
Jonathan Toews (2) – pp – 19:29
First period08:50 – Shea Weber (2)
15:44 – ppJason Arnott (1)
19:05 – Jason Arnott (2)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
John Madden (1) – en – 19:52Third periodNo scoring
Antti Niemi 25 saves / 28 shotsGoalie stats Pekka Rinne 27 saves / 31 shots
Chicago won series 4–2

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the third overall seed in the Western Conference after winning the Northwest Division title with 103 points. The Los Angeles Kings qualified as the sixth seed with 101 points, earning their first playoff berth since 2002. This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Los Angeles winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the 1993 Smythe Division finals where Los Angeles won in six games. Vancouver won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.

The Canucks eliminated the Kings in six games. Mikael Samuelsson scored twice for the Canucks in game one including the overtime winner 8:52 into the first overtime period as Vancouver took the opening game 3–2. The Kings evened the series in game two when Anze Kopitar scored the game-winning goal in the first overtime period at 7:28. Los Angeles chased Vancouver starter Roberto Luongo from game three after he allowed four goals against on sixteen shots, the Kings held on to win 5–3. Vancouver forward Henrik Sedin broke the tie in game four with 2:52 remaining in regulation time as the Canucks evened the series with a 6–4 victory. Mikael Samuelsson extended his goal scoring streak to five games as the Canucks easily won game five 7–2. Canucks goaltender Roberto Luongo made 30 saves in game six and Daniel Sedin scored the series-winner for Vancouver late in the third period of a 4–2 win.

April 15Los Angeles Kings2–3OTVancouver Canucks General Motors Place Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Jarret Stoll (1) – pp – 00:54
Fredrik Modin (1) – pp – 13:06
Second period03:09 – ppMikael Samuelsson (1)
08:31 – Daniel Sedin (1)
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
No scoringFirst overtime period08:52 – Mikael Samuelsson (2)
Jonathan Quick 41 saves / 44 shotsGoalie stats Roberto Luongo 25 saves / 27 shots
April 17Los Angeles Kings3–2OTVancouver Canucks General Motors Place Recap  
No scoringFirst period07:33 – ppSteve Bernier (1)
09:49 – Mikael Samuelsson (3)
Fredrik Modin (2) – pp – 10:58
Wayne Simmonds (1) – 11:33
Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird periodNo scoring
Anze Kopitar (1) – pp – 07:28First overtime periodNo scoring
Jonathan Quick 24 saves / 26 shotsGoalie stats Roberto Luongo 29 saves / 32 shots
April 19Vancouver Canucks3–5Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Mason Raymond (1) – 02:09First period11:00 – ppDrew Doughty (1)
Mikael Samuelsson (4) – 14:53Second period04:06 – ppMichal Handzus (1)
12:18 – pp – Michal Handzus (2)
13:21 – Brad Richardson (1)
Daniel Sedin (2) – 04:18Third period09:21 – Ryan Smyth (1)
Roberto Luongo 12 saves / 16 shots
Andrew Raycroft 6 saves / 7 shots
Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 25 saves / 28 shots
April 21Vancouver Canucks6–4Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period13:26 – ppDrew Doughty (2)
Christian Ehrhoff (1) – pp – 03:36
Pavol Demitra (1) – 15:35
Second period05:56 – ppDustin Brown (1)
17:09 – Anze Kopitar (2)
Mikael Samuelsson (5) – 07:29
Sami Salo (1) – pp – 12:16
Henrik Sedin (1) – 17:08
Ryan Kesler (1) – en – 19:43
Third period13:18 – Wayne Simmonds (2)
Roberto Luongo 22 saves / 26 shotsGoalie stats Jonathan Quick 31 saves / 36 shots
April 23Los Angeles Kings2–7Vancouver Canucks General Motors Place Recap  
Michal Handzus (3) – pp – 14:24First period08:50 – Steve Bernier (2)
17:32 – Alexander Edler (1)
No scoringSecond period08:26 – Daniel Sedin (3)
13:31 – Mikael Samuelsson (6)
Fredrik Modin (3) – 05:02Third period04:38 – Pavol Demitra (2)
06:31 – pp – Mikael Samuelsson (7)
09:50 – Steve Bernier (3)
Jonathan Quick 21 saves / 26 shots
Erik Ersberg 2 saves / 4 shots
Goalie stats Roberto Luongo 24 saves / 26 shots
April 25Vancouver Canucks4–2Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period10:08 – Alexander Frolov (1)
Steve Bernier (4) – pp – 08:38Second period15:57 – Drew Doughty (3)
Kevin Bieksa (1) – 01:57
Daniel Sedin (4) – 17:57
Alexandre Burrows (1) – en – 18:53
Third periodNo scoring
Roberto Luongo 30 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Jonathan Quick 18 saves / 21 shots
Vancouver won series 4–2

(4) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

The Phoenix Coyotes entered the playoffs as the fourth seed in the Western Conference with 107 points. The Detroit Red Wings qualified as the fifth seed with 102 points. This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with Detroit winning both previous series. They last met in the 1998 Western Conference quarterfinals where Detroit won in six games. Detroit won this year's four-game regular season series earning six of eight points.

The Red Wings defeated the Coyotes in seven games. Phoenix went three for four on the power-play in game one as they took the opening game by a final score of 3–2. Red Wings forward Henrik Zetterberg scored a hat trick in game two as Detroit evened the series with a 7–4 win. Petr Prucha scored the game-winning goal for the Coyotes in game three as Phoenix took the game with a 4–2 victory. Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard made 29 saves to shut out the Coyotes in game four as the Red Wings tied the series with a 3–0 win. The Red Wings broke the tie in game five just past the midway mark of the third period with two goals scored 70 seconds apart and held on to win 4–1. Phoenix forced a seventh game with a dominant special teams performance in game six recording three power-play goals in the victory. After a scoreless first period in game seven, the Red Wings scored four times in the second period en route to a 6–1 win.

April 14Detroit Red Wings2–3Phoenix Coyotes Jobing.com Arena Recap  
Tomas Holmstrom (1) – 12:17
Nicklas Lidstrom (1) – pp – 16:27
First period14:13 – ppKeith Yandle (1)
No scoringSecond period06:15 – ppWojtek Wolski (1)
No scoringThird period02:19 – ppDerek Morris (1)
Jimmy Howard 32 saves / 35 shotsGoalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 38 saves / 40 shots
April 16Detroit Red Wings7–4Phoenix Coyotes Jobing.com Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst period10:23 – Keith Yandle (2)
Henrik Zetterberg (1) – pp – 06:27
Pavel Datsyuk (1) – 08:20
Valtteri Filppula (1) – 10:25
Second period07:05 – Wojtek Wolski (2)
09:09 – Matthew Lombardi (1)
Justin Abdelkader (1) – 02:32
Henrik Zetterberg (2) – 13:54
Valtteri Filppula (2) – pp – 17:54
Henrik Zetterberg (3) – en – 19:12
Third period09:24 – Shane Doan (1)
Jimmy Howard 27 saves / 31 shotsGoalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 32 saves / 38 shots
April 18Phoenix Coyotes4–2Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Sami Lepisto (1) – pp – 00:29First period14:42 – Valtteri Filppula (3)
Wojtek Wolski (3) – 19:28Second periodNo scoring
Petr Prucha (1) – 08:16
Radim Vrbata (1) – 11:38
Third period09:59 – Johan Franzen (1)
Ilya Bryzgalov 29 saves / 31 shotsGoalie stats Jimmy Howard 29 saves / 33 shots
April 20Phoenix Coyotes0–3Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period15:33 – ppHenrik Zetterberg (4)
No scoringThird period15:53 – Pavel Datsyuk (2)
16:18 – Henrik Zetterberg (5)
Ilya Bryzgalov 32 saves / 35 shotsGoalie stats Jimmy Howard 29 saves / 29 shots
April 23Detroit Red Wings4–1Phoenix Coyotes Jobing.com Arena Recap  
Drew Miller (1) – 17:04First periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period09:45 – Ed Jovanovski (1)
Tomas Holmstrom (2) – 11:09
Pavel Datsyuk (3) – 12:19
Henrik Zetterberg (6) – en – 19:04
Third periodNo scoring
Jimmy Howard 30 saves / 31 shotsGoalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 25 saves / 28 shots
April 25Phoenix Coyotes5–2Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Lauri Korpikoski (1) – sh – 04:10First periodNo scoring
Mathieu Schneider (1) – pp – 02:27
Radim Vrbata (2) – pp – 10:09
Wojtek Wolski (4) – 14:01
Second period02:51 – Brad Stuart (1)
Taylor Pyatt (1) – pp – 05:25Third period16:29 – Darren Helm (1)
Ilya Bryzgalov 31 saves / 33 shotsGoalie stats Jimmy Howard 24 saves / 29 shots
April 27Detroit Red Wings6–1Phoenix Coyotes Jobing.com Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Pavel Datsyuk (4) – pp – 02:01
Pavel Datsyuk (5) – 03:42
Nicklas Lidstrom (2) – pp – 13:52
Brad Stuart (2) – 19:55
Second period08:23 – Vernon Fiddler (1)
Todd Bertuzzi (1) – 06:35
Nicklas Lidstrom (3) – pp – 12:14
Third periodNo scoring
Jimmy Howard 32 saves / 33 shotsGoalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 44 saves / 50 shots
Detroit won series 4–3

Conference semifinals

Eastern Conference semifinals

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with Montreal winning the previous series. They last met in the 1998 Eastern Conference quarterfinals where Montreal won in six games. Pittsburgh won three of the four games during this year's four-game regular season series.

The Canadiens defeated the Penguins in seven games. Pittsburgh scored four times on the power-play in game one as they took the opening game 6–3. Michael Cammalleri scored twice for Montreal in game two and Jaroslav Halak made 38 saves as the Canadiens evened the series with a 3–1 win. Pittsburgh forward Evgeni Malkin's fifth goal of the playoffs broke a scoreless tie in the third period of game three as the Penguins earned a 2–0 victory; Marc-Andre Fleury made 18 saves to shut-out the Canadiens. Jaroslav Halak made 33 saves for Montreal in game four as Montreal won the game 3–2. In game five, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves in a 2–1 victory. Montreal forward Maxim Lapierre scored the game-winning goal in game six as the Canadiens won their fourth consecutive elimination game of the playoffs. Montreal's Brian Gionta scored twice on the power-play in game seven as the Canadiens eliminated the defending Stanley Cup champions with a 5–2 win. Game seven was the last game ever to be played at Mellon Arena, the Penguins' home rink since the start of the franchise. Incidentally, the Canadiens were the winners of the first game played against the Penguins at Mellon Arena in 1967. [8] The Penguins moved into the Consol Energy Center starting the next season.

April 30Montreal Canadiens3–6Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
P. K. Subban (1) – 04:30First period08:38 – ppSergei Gonchar (1)
13:27 – ppJordan Staal (2)
Michael Cammalleri (6) – 15:27Second period02:34 – ppKris Letang (3)
18:36 – Craig Adams (2)
Brian Gionta (3) – pp – 12:29Third period02:59 – ppAlex Goligoski (2)
19:11 – enBill Guerin (3)
Jaroslav Halak 15 saves / 20 shots
Carey Price 3 saves / 3 shots
Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 28 saves / 31 shots
May 2Montreal Canadiens3–1Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
Brian Gionta (4) – 15:48First period04:38 – Matt Cooke (4)
Michael Cammalleri (7) – pp – 07:29Second periodNo scoring
Michael Cammalleri (8) – 17:06Third periodNo scoring
Jaroslav Halak 38 saves / 39 shotsGoalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 18 saves / 21 shots
May 4Pittsburgh Penguins2–0Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
Evgeni Malkin (5) – pp – 01:16
Pascal Dupuis (2) – en – 19:45
Third periodNo scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 18 saves / 18 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 23 saves / 24 shots
May 6Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
Maxime Talbot (2) – 03:27
Chris Kunitz (3) – pp – 05:18
First period02:34 – Tom Pyatt (1)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period02:07 – Maxim Lapierre (2)
03:40 – Brian Gionta (5)
Marc-Andre Fleury 22 saves / 25 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 33 saves / 35 shots
May 8Montreal Canadiens1–2Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst period18:18 – ppKris Letang (4)
No scoringSecond period09:50 – Sergei Gonchar (2)
Michael Cammalleri (9) – pp – 19:29Third periodNo scoring
Jaroslav Halak 23 saves / 25 shotsGoalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 32 saves / 33 shots
May 10Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
Sidney Crosby (6) – 07:22First period01:13 – Michael Cammalleri (10)
Kris Letang (5) – pp – 05:21Second period10:45 – Michael Cammalleri (11)
13:15 – Jaroslav Spacek (1)
Bill Guerin (4) – 18:36Third period11:03 – Maxim Lapierre (3)
Marc-Andre Fleury 21 saves / 25 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 34 saves / 37 shots
May 12Montreal Canadiens5–2Pittsburgh Penguins Mellon Arena Recap  
Brian Gionta (6) – pp – 00:32
Dominic Moore (3) – 14:23
First periodNo scoring
Michael Cammalleri (12) – 03:32
Travis Moen (2) – sh – 05:14
Second period08:36 – Chris Kunitz (4)
16:30 – Jordan Staal (3)
Brian Gionta (7) – pp – 10:00Third periodNo scoring
Jaroslav Halak 37 saves / 39 shotsGoalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 9 saves / 13 shots
Brent Johnson 6 saves / 7 shots
Montreal won series 4–3

(6) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams, with the teams splitting the four previous series. They last met in the 1978 Stanley Cup Semifinals where Boston won in five games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series, including a 2–1 overtime win by Boston at the 2010 NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on New Year's Day.

Philadelphia became the third NHL team to come back from a 3–0 deficit to win a series, joining the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders as the only teams to accomplish this feat (the 2014 Los Angeles Kings became the fourth team to do this in 2014). [2] Bruins forward Marc Savard ended game one with his goal 13:52 into the first overtime period, giving Boston a 5–4 victory. Milan Lucic broke the tie late in the third period of game two to give the Bruins a 3–2 win. Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask made 34 saves in a 4–1 Bruins win during game three. In game four, Bruins forward Mark Recchi tied the game in the final minute of the third period, however the Bruins came up short in overtime as Simon Gagne extended the series with a goal 14:40 into the first overtime period in a 5–4 Flyers victory. Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton made 23 saves in a 4–0 split shutout for the Flyers in game five; Boucher was injured in the second period and did not return to the game. The Flyers forced a seventh game with a 2–1 victory in game six. In game seven, Philadelphia came back from a 3–0 goal deficit to win by a score of 4–3. [9]

May 1Philadelphia Flyers4–5OTBoston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoringFirst period02:39 – Steve Begin (1)
12:54 – Patrice Bergeron (3)
Ryan Parent (1) – 07:38
Chris Pronger (3) – pp – 15:48
Second period11:43 – ppMiroslav Satan (3)
Mike Richards (3) – pp – 12:37
Daniel Briere (3) – 16:38
Third period07:25 – David Krejci (4)
No scoringFirst overtime period13:52 – Marc Savard (1)
Brian Boucher 41 saves / 46 shotsGoalie stats Tuukka Rask 32 saves / 36 shots
May 3Philadelphia Flyers2–3Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
Mike Richards (4) – 17:06First period05:12 – Johnny Boychuk (2)
Daniel Briere (4) – 19:35Second period09:31 – Miroslav Satan (4)
No scoringThird period17:03 – Milan Lucic (1)
Brian Boucher 24 saves / 27 shotsGoalie stats Tuukka Rask 24 saves / 26 shots
May 5Boston Bruins4–1Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Blake Wheeler (1) – 04:11
Miroslav Satan (5) – 05:45
First period02:32 – Arron Asham (2)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
Mark Recchi (4) – pp – 02:30
Patrice Bergeron (4) – en – 18:08
Third periodNo scoring
Tuukka Rask 34 saves / 35 shotsGoalie stats Brian Boucher 16 saves / 19 shots
Johan Backlund 0 saves / 0 shots
May 7Boston Bruins4–5OTPhiladelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Mark Recchi (5) – 15:37First period19:06 – Daniel Briere (5)
Michael Ryder (3) – 10:56Second period04:28 – Chris Pronger (4)
08:35 – Claude Giroux (5)
Milan Lucic (2) – pp – 03:49
Mark Recchi (6) – 19:28
Third period14:20 – Ville Leino (1)
No scoringFirst overtime period14:40 – Simon Gagne (1)
Tuukka Rask 29 saves / 34 shotsGoalie stats Brian Boucher 33 saves / 37 shots
May 10Philadelphia Flyers4–0Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
Ville Leino (2) – 06:41First periodNo scoring
Scott Hartnell (1) – 11:16
Simon Gagne (2) – pp – 17:53
Second periodNo scoring
Simon Gagne (3) – 06:48Third periodNo scoring
Brian Boucher 9 saves / 9 shots
Michael Leighton 14 saves / 14 shots
Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 27 saves / 31 shots
May 12Boston Bruins1–2Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period06:58 – Mike Richards (5)
No scoringSecond period16:20 – ppDaniel Briere (6)
Milan Lucic (3) – 19:00Third periodNo scoring
Tuukka Rask 25 saves / 27 shotsGoalie stats Michael Leighton 30 saves / 31 shots
May 14Philadelphia Flyers4–3Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
James van Riemsdyk (1) – 17:12First period05:27 – ppMichael Ryder (4)
09:02 – ppMilan Lucic (4)
14:10 – Milan Lucic (5)
Scott Hartnell (2) – 02:49
Daniel Briere (7) – 08:39
Second periodNo scoring
Simon Gagne (4) – pp – 12:52Third periodNo scoring
Michael Leighton 22 saves / 25 shotsGoalie stats Tuukka Rask 23 saves / 27 shots
Philadelphia won series 4–3

Western Conference semifinals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Detroit winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the 2007 Western Conference semifinals where Detroit won in six games. Detroit won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.

The Sharks eliminated the Red Wings in five games. San Jose scored three times in less than 90 seconds in the first period of game one, as they held on late to a 4–3 victory. After trading goals in the first period of game two, Detroit took the lead in the second period before San Jose came back in the third period, getting the game-winning goal from Joe Thornton at 12:37. The Sharks forced overtime in game three after coming back from a two-goal deficit in the third period, Patrick Marleau scored the overtime-winner for San Jose at 7:07 of the first overtime period. Detroit forward Johan Franzen scored a natural hat trick in the first period of game four and he scored again in the third period to cap off a four goal, six point night as the Red Wings extended the series with a 7–1 victory. No other player would score four times in a playoff game again until Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored four goals for the Ottawa Senators in a 6–5 overtime victory in game two of the 2017 Eastern Conference Second Round series against the New York Rangers. San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov made 33 saves in the series-clinching win during game five.

April 29Detroit Red Wings3–4San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
Daniel Cleary (1) – 11:40First period09:05 – ppJoe Pavelski (5)
10:01 – Dany Heatley (1)
10:24 – Devin Setoguchi (4)
Johan Franzen (2) – 04:45Second periodNo scoring
Brian Rafalski (1) – 02:57Third period00:50 – pp – Joe Pavelski (6)
Jimmy Howard 23 saves / 27 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 20 saves / 23 shots
May 2Detroit Red Wings3–4San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
Pavel Datsyuk (6) – 06:51
Tomas Holmstrom (3) – pp – 13:17
First period09:01 – ppJoe Pavelski (8)
10:32 – Ryane Clowe (2)
Nicklas Lidstrom (4) – 02:00Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period04:40 – pp – Joe Pavelski (9)
12:37 – Joe Thornton (1)
Jimmy Howard 41 saves / 45 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 28 saves / 31 shots
May 4San Jose Sharks4–3OTDetroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Devin Setoguchi (5) – 19:56First period13:33 – Tomas Holmstrom (4)
18:37 – Daniel Cleary (2)
No scoringSecond period01:42 – Henrik Zetterberg (7)
Joe Thornton (2) – 06:42
Logan Couture (3) – 13:17
Third periodNo scoring
Patrick Marleau (2) – 07:07First overtime periodNo scoring
Evgeni Nabokov 32 saves / 35 shotsGoalie stats Jimmy Howard 29 saves / 33 shots
May 6San Jose Sharks1–7Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
No scoringFirst period05:40 – ppTodd Bertuzzi (2)
07:50 – Johan Franzen (3)
10:43 – Johan Franzen (4)
11:16 – Johan Franzen (5)
18:50 – Valtteri Filppula (4)
Dany Heatley (2) – pp – 19:11Second period03:05 – ppBrian Rafalski (2)
No scoringThird period07:33 – pp – Johan Franzen (6)
Evgeni Nabokov 4 saves / 9 shots
Thomas Greiss 26 saves / 28 shots
Goalie stats Jimmy Howard 28 saves / 29 shots
May 8Detroit Red Wings1–2San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Brian Rafalski (3) – 02:40Second period04:54 – ppJoe Thornton (3)
No scoringThird period06:59 – Patrick Marleau (3)
Jimmy Howard 30 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 33 saves / 34 shots
San Jose won series 4–1

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

This was the fourth playoff meeting between these two teams, with Chicago winning two of the three previous series. They last met in the previous year's Western Conference semifinals where Chicago won in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

The Blackhawks defeated the Canucks in six games for the second consecutive year in the second round. Five different Vancouver players scored in game one and Roberto Luongo made 36 saves in the opening game victory. Kris Versteeg's first goal of the playoffs broke the tie in game two with 1:30 remaining in regulation time as the Blackhawks evened the series with a 4–2 win. Chicago forward Dustin Byfuglien scored a hat trick in game three as the Blackhawks won 5–2. In game four Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews recorded a hat trick of his own (scoring all three goals on the power-play) as Chicago broke the game open in the second period and won by a final score of 7–4. Kevin Bieksa scored twice for the Canucks in game five as Vancouver avoided elimination with a 4–1 victory. After a scoreless opening period in game six the Blackhawks struck three times in the second period and held on to win the game 5–1, earning their second consecutive trip to the Western Conference Final.

May 1Vancouver Canucks5–1Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Christian Ehrhoff (2) – 13:51
Mason Raymond (2) – 19:49
First periodNo scoring
Henrik Sedin (2) – 00:32
Kyle Wellwood (1) – pp – 10:59
Michael Grabner (1) – 16:21
Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period02:07 – ppPatrick Kane (5)
Roberto Luongo 36 saves / 37 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 20 saves / 25 shots
Cristobal Huet 3 saves / 3 shots
May 3Vancouver Canucks2–4Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Mason Raymond (3) – 01:22
Mikael Samuelsson (8) – pp – 05:02
First period07:40 – Brent Seabrook (1)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period06:49 – shPatrick Sharp (4)
18:30 – Kris Versteeg (1)
19:12 – enPatrick Kane (6)
Roberto Luongo 30 saves / 33 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 24 saves / 26 shots
May 5Chicago Blackhawks5–2Vancouver Canucks General Motors Place Recap  
Kris Versteeg (2) – 05:19
Dustin Byfuglien (1) – pp – 16:47
First periodNo scoring
Dustin Byfuglien (2) – pp – 11:24Second period09:07 – Jannik Hansen (1)
19:06 – Alexandre Burrows (2)
Marian Hossa (2) – 07:45
Dustin Byfuglien (3) – 13:58
Third periodNo scoring
Antti Niemi 31 saves / 33 shotsGoalie stats Roberto Luongo 30 saves / 35 shots
May 7Chicago Blackhawks7–4Vancouver Canucks General Motors Place Recap  
Brent Seabrook (2) – 00:18
Jonathan Toews (3) – pp – 09:23
First period01:34 – Kyle Wellwood (2)
14:36 – ppDaniel Sedin (5)
Jonathan Toews (4) – pp – 00:27
Patrick Sharp (5) – pp – 12:47
Jonathan Toews (5) – pp – 15:22
Second period18:16 – ppAlexander Edler (2)
Tomas Kopecky (3) – 06:59
Dave Bolland (2) – en – 19:23
Third period14:37 – Henrik Sedin (3)
Antti Niemi 26 saves / 30 shotsGoalie stats Roberto Luongo 27 saves / 33 shots
May 9Vancouver Canucks4–1Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Christian Ehrhoff (3) – 00:59
Kevin Bieksa (2) – 14:24
First periodNo scoring
Kevin Bieksa (3) – pp – 13:00Second periodNo scoring
Alexandre Burrows (3) – en – 19:15Third period12:51 – Jonathan Toews (6)
Roberto Luongo 29 saves / 30 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 20 saves / 23 shots
May 11Chicago Blackhawks5–1Vancouver Canucks General Motors Place Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Troy Brouwer (1) – 02:00
Kris Versteeg (3) – 02:36
Dave Bolland (3) – sh – 19:15
Second periodNo scoring
Patrick Kane (7) – 08:17
Dustin Byfuglien (4) – 08:42
Third period03:44 – Shane O'Brien (1)
Antti Niemi 29 saves / 30 shotsGoalie stats Roberto Luongo 30 saves / 35 shots
Chicago won series 4–2

Conference finals

Eastern Conference final

(7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams with Montreal winning three of the five previous series. They last met in the 2008 Eastern Conference semifinals which Philadelphia won in five games. This was Philadelphia's ninth appearance in the conference finals. They last went to the conference finals in 2008, which they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. This was Montreal's sixth Conference finals appearance. They last went to the conference finals in 1993; which they won in five games over the New York Islanders. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. Since adopting a conference based playoff seeding format in the 1993–94 NHL season this was the first Conference Final contested by the seventh and eighth seeds.

The Flyers defeated the Canadiens in five games. Michael Leighton made 28 saves in game one to earn a shutout as Philadelphia took the opener 6–0. The Flyers scored twice on the power-play in game two and Leighton shutout the Canadiens again in a 3–0 win. After being shutout in the first two games of the series Montreal scored five times in game three to earn a victory. In game four, Michael Leighton earned his third shutout of the series as the Flyers took a 3–1 series lead with another 3–0 win. Flyers forward Jeff Carter scored the series-winning goal in the second period of game five and added an empty net goal in the third period to seal the game as Philadelphia advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1997.

May 16Montreal Canadiens0–6Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period03:55 – ppBraydon Coburn (1)
No scoringSecond period00:30 – James van Riemsdyk (2)
04:23 – Daniel Briere (8)
09:53 – ppSimon Gagne (5)
No scoringThird period12:13 – Scott Hartnell (3)
13:26 – Claude Giroux (6)
Jaroslav Halak 10 saves / 14 shots
Carey Price 9 saves / 11 shots
Goalie stats Michael Leighton 28 saves / 28 shots
May 18Montreal Canadiens0–3Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period04:16 – ppDaniel Briere (9)
No scoringSecond period15:49 – ppSimon Gagne (6)
No scoringThird period10:24 – Ville Leino (3)
Jaroslav Halak 20 saves / 23 shotsGoalie stats Michael Leighton 30 saves / 30 shots
May 20Philadelphia Flyers1–5Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoringFirst period07:05 – Michael Cammalleri (13)
16:52 – Tom Pyatt (2)
Simon Gagne (7) – 08:22Second periodNo scoring
No scoringThird period02:00 – Brian Gionta (8)
11:33 – Dominic Moore (4)
19:29 – ppMarc-Andre Bergeron (2)
Michael Leighton 33 saves / 38 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 25 saves / 26 shots
May 22Philadelphia Flyers3–0Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Claude Giroux (7) – 05:41
Ville Leino (4) – 14:53
Second periodNo scoring
Claude Giroux (8) – en – 18:47Third periodNo scoring
Michael Leighton 17 saves / 17 shotsGoalie stats Jaroslav Halak 22 saves / 24 shots
May 24Montreal Canadiens2–4Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Brian Gionta (9) – 00:59First period04:25 – shMike Richards (6)
No scoringSecond period03:07 – Arron Asham (3)
04:31 – Jeff Carter (3)
Scott Gomez (2) – 06:53Third period19:37 – en – Jeff Carter (4)
Jaroslav Halak 22 saves / 25 shotsGoalie stats Michael Leighton 25 saves / 27 shots
Philadelphia won series 4–1

Western Conference final

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was San Jose's second appearance in the conference finals. They last went to the conference finals in 2004, which they lost to the Calgary Flames in six games. This was Chicago's ninth Conference finals appearance. They last went to the conference finals in the previous year; which they lost in five games to the Detroit Red Wings. Chicago won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.

The Blackhawks swept the Sharks in four games. Blackhawks goaltender Antti Niemi made 44 saves in game one as Chicago took the opening game 2–1. Chicago had a three-goal lead halfway through the second period of game two and held on to win the game by a final score of 4–2. The Sharks came back to tie the game in the third period of game three thanks to Patrick Marleau’s second goal of the game, however San Jose came up short in overtime as Dustin Byfuglien ended the game at 12:24 of the first overtime period, giving Chicago a 3–0 series lead. Chicago trailed by two goals near the halfway mark of the second period before scoring four unanswered goals to complete the sweep in game four and they advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in eighteen years.

May 16Chicago Blackhawks2–1San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
No scoringFirst period11:19 – ppJason Demers (1)
Patrick Sharp (6) – 07:44Second periodNo scoring
Dustin Byfuglien (5) – 13:15Third periodNo scoring
Antti Niemi 44 saves / 45 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 38 saves / 40 shots
May 18Chicago Blackhawks4–2San Jose Sharks HP Pavilion Recap  
Andrew Ladd (2) – 12:48First periodNo scoring
Dustin Byfuglien (6) – 06:59
Jonathan Toews (7) – pp – 08:29
Second period11:08 – ppPatrick Marleau (4)
Troy Brouwer (2) – 06:18Third period15:32 – Patrick Marleau (5)
Antti Niemi 20 saves / 22 shotsGoalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 23 saves / 27 shots
May 21San Jose Sharks2–3OTChicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
Patrick Marleau (6) – pp – 03:58Second period06:59 – ppPatrick Sharp (7)
Patrick Marleau (7) – 15:37Third period13:05 – Dave Bolland (4)
No scoringFirst overtime period12:24 – Dustin Byfuglien (7)
Evgeni Nabokov 35 saves / 38 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 44 saves / 46 shots
May 23San Jose Sharks2–4Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Logan Couture (4) – 11:08First periodNo scoring
Patrick Marleau (8) – sh – 07:35Second period13:15 – Brent Seabrook (3)
18:38 – Dave Bolland (5)
No scoringThird period14:05 – ppDustin Byfuglien (8)
19:18 – enKris Versteeg (4)
Evgeni Nabokov 23 saves / 26 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 16 saves / 18 shots
Chicago won series 4–0

Stanley Cup Finals

This was the second playoff series between these two teams and the first since 1971 when the Blackhawks swept the Flyers in four games in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals. Philadelphia won the only meeting between these teams in the regular season. Prior to the 2010 Finals, both teams had previously lost in their last five consecutive Finals appearances (Chicago in 1962, 1965, 1971, 1973, and 1992; and Philadelphia in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, and 1997). Having lost in the 2010 Finals, the Flyers became the third team in NHL history to lose in six consecutive Finals appearances, after the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. It also was the first time since the Flyers themselves lost in 1987 that a team in the city of Philadelphia lost a championship in a non-presidential inauguration year (Phillies in 1993 and 2009 World Series, Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, Flyers in 1997, and 76ers in 2001 NBA Finals). [10] This was the first Stanley Cup won in overtime since the New Jersey Devils in 2000.

May 29Philadelphia Flyers5–6Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Ville Leino (5) – 06:38
Scott Hartnell (4) – pp – 16:37
Daniel Briere (10) – 19:33
First period07:46 – Troy Brouwer (3)
11:50 – shDave Bolland (6)
Blair Betts (1) – 07:20
Arron Asham (4) – 18:49
Second period01:11 – Patrick Sharp (8)
09:31 – Kris Versteeg (5)
15:18 – Troy Brouwer (4)
No scoringThird period08:25 – Tomas Kopecky (4)
Michael Leighton 15 saves / 20 shots
Brian Boucher 11 saves / 12 shots
Goalie stats Antti Niemi 27 saves / 32 shots
May 31Philadelphia Flyers1–2Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoringFirst periodNo scoring
No scoringSecond period17:09 – Marian Hossa (3)
17:37 – Ben Eager (1)
Simon Gagne (8) – pp – 05:20Third periodNo scoring
Michael Leighton 24 saves / 26 shotsGoalie stats Antti Niemi 32 saves / 33 shots
June 2Chicago Blackhawks3–4OTPhiladelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period14:58 – ppDaniel Briere (11)
Duncan Keith (2) – 02:49
Brent Sopel (1) – 17:52
Second period09:55 – ppScott Hartnell (5)
Patrick Kane (8) – 02:50Third period03:10 – Ville Leino (6)
No scoringFirst overtime period05:59 – Claude Giroux (9)
Antti Niemi 28 saves / 32 shotsGoalie stats Michael Leighton 24 saves / 27 shots
June 4Chicago Blackhawks3–5Philadelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Patrick Sharp (9) – 18:32First period04:35 – ppMike Richards (7)
14:48 – Matt Carle (1)
19:23 – Claude Giroux (10)
No scoringSecond periodNo scoring
Dave Bolland (7) – pp – 12:01
Brian Campbell (1) – 15:50
Third period06:43 – Ville Leino (7)
19:35 – enJeff Carter (5)
Antti Niemi 26 saves / 30 shotsGoalie stats Michael Leighton 31 saves / 34 shots
June 6Philadelphia Flyers4–7Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoringFirst period12:17 – ppBrent Seabrook (4)
15:26 – Dave Bolland (8)
18:15 – Kris Versteeg (6)
Scott Hartnell (6) – 00:32
Kimmo Timonen (1) – 04:38
Second period03:13 – Patrick Kane (9)
15:45 – ppDustin Byfuglien (9)
James van Riemsdyk (3) – 06:36
Simon Gagne (9) – 17:24
Third period16:08 – Patrick Sharp (10)
17:55 – en – Dustin Byfuglien (10)
Michael Leighton 10 saves / 13 shots
Brian Boucher 11 saves / 14 shots
Goalie stats Antti Niemi 23 saves / 27 shots
June 9Chicago Blackhawks4–3OTPhiladelphia Flyers Wachovia Center Recap  
Dustin Byfuglien (11) – pp – 16:49First period19:33 – ppScott Hartnell (7)
Patrick Sharp (11) – 09:58
Andrew Ladd (3) – 17:43
Second period08:00 – Daniel Briere (12)
No scoringThird period16:01 – Scott Hartnell (8)
Patrick Kane (10) – 04:06First overtime periodNo scoring
Antti Niemi 21 saves / 24 shotsGoalie stats Michael Leighton 37 saves / 41 shots
Chicago won series 4–2

Player statistics

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, goals take precedence. [11]

PlayerTeamGPGAPts+/–
Daniel Briere Philadelphia Flyers23121830+9
Jonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks2272229-1
Patrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks22101828-2
Mike Richards Philadelphia Flyers2371623-1
Patrick Sharp Chicago Blackhawks22111122+10
Claude Giroux Philadelphia Flyers23101121+7
Ville Leino Philadelphia Flyers1971421+10
Michael Cammalleri Montreal Canadiens1913619-6
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins1361319+6
Johan Franzen Detroit Red Wings1261218+8

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus

Goaltending

This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded. [12] [13]

PlayerTeamGPWLSAGAGAASV%SOTOI
Michael Leighton Philadelphia Flyers1383371312.46.9163757:13
Brian Boucher Philadelphia Flyers1266298272.47.9091655:37
Jaroslav Halak Montreal Canadiens1899562432.55.92301,013:24
Evgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks1587407382.56.9071889:51
Tuukka Rask Boston Bruins1376409362.61.9120829:03
Antti Niemi Chicago Blackhawks22166645582.63.91021,321:51
Jimmy Howard Detroit Red Wings1257387332.75.9151720:26

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 (minutes:seconds)

Television

National Canadian English-language coverage of the first three rounds of the playoffs were split between CBC and TSN. CBC held exclusive rights to the Stanley Cup Finals. French-language telecasts were broadcast on RDS and RDS2.

In the United States, national coverage was split between NBC and Versus. During the first and second round, excluding games exclusively broadcast on NBC, the regional rights holders of each participating U.S. team produced local telecasts of their respective games. Not all first and second round games were nationally televised, while the conference finals were exclusively broadcast on either NBC or Versus. NBC then aired the first two and final two games of the Stanley Cup Finals, while Versus broadcast games three and four.

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Preceded by Stanley Cup playoffs
2010
Succeeded by