2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs
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The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) began on April 12, 2017, after the 2016–17 regular season and concluded on June 11, 2017, with the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
defeating the
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
four games to two in the
Finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
to win the Stanley Cup for the second consecutive year. The
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
made the
playoffs The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eit ...
as the
Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...
winners for the second consecutive year with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Detroit Red Wings failed to make the playoffs for the first time since the 1989–90 season, ending the NHL's longest active playoff streak at 25 consecutive seasons; the streak was also tied for the third-longest streak in NHL history. The longest active playoff streak moved to the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
with eleven consecutive appearances. The
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
made the playoffs for the first time since 2006, ending a then-record-tying playoff drought for a team with ten years missed (the Florida Panthers also missed the playoffs between 2001 and 2011 inclusively. Buffalo set the record in
2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
missing eleven consecutive postseasons.). For the first time since 2006, both
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
teams, the Oilers and the
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
, qualified for the postseason in the same year. For the first time since
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, and the fourth time since 2002, all three Eastern Canadian teams (
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
,
Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
, and
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
) qualified for the playoffs. In all, five Canadian-based teams made the playoffs, matching 2004 and 2015, after a season in which none of the seven teams in Canada contended. Five
Original Six The Original Six () are the teams that comprised the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1942 and 1967. The six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leaf ...
teams made the playoffs, with only the previously mentioned Red Wings failing to make it. The first round saw eighteen overtime games, eclipsing the previous record of seventeen overtime games in the first round set in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
. There were 27 total overtime games in these playoffs, one short of the record set in
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. It was also the first time since 2001 that no first round series went the full seven games. For the eighth season in a row (and the twelfth time in the last fourteen seasons), a California-based team was in the Western Conference Final.


Playoff seeds

This was the fourth year in which the top three teams in each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference (for a total of eight playoff teams from each conference). The following teams qualified for the playoffs:


Eastern Conference


Atlantic Division

#
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
, Atlantic Division champions – 103 points #
Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
– 98 points #
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
– 95 points (42 )


Metropolitan Division

#
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
, Metropolitan Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions,
Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...
winners – 118 points #
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
– 111 points #
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
– 108 points


Wild cards

#
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
– 102 points #
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
– 95 points (39 )


Western Conference


Central Division

#
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
, Central Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions – 109 points #
Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
– 106 points #
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the ...
– 99 points


Pacific Division

# Anaheim Ducks, Pacific Division champions – 105 points #
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
– 103 points #
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
– 99 points


Wild cards

#
Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...
– 94 points (41 ) #
Nashville Predators The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
– 94 points (39 )


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 In team sports, the term home advantage – also called home ground, home field, home-field advantage, home court, home-court advantage, defender's advantage or home-ice advantage – describes the benefit that the home (sports), home team ...
played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team was at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division made the playoffs, along with two
wild cards ''Wild Cards'' is a series of science fiction superhero shared universe anthologies, mosaic novels, and solo novels. They are written by a collection of more than forty authors (referred to as the "Wild Cards Trust") and are edited by George ...
in each conference, for a total of eight teams from each conference. In the First Round, the lower seeded wild card in the conference played against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card played against the other division winner, and both wild cards were de facto #4 seeds. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home ice advantage was awarded to the team with the better seed; in the last two rounds, it was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record. ;Legend * A1, A2, A3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Atlantic Division, respectively * M1, M2, M3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the
Metropolitan Division The National Hockey League's Metropolitan Division (often referred to simply as the "Metro Division") was formed in 2013 as one of the two divisions in the Eastern Conference as part of a league realignment. It is also a successor of the original ...
, respectively * C1, C2, C3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Central Division, respectively * P1, P2, P3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Pacific Division, respectively * WC – Wild Card teams


First Round


Eastern Conference First Round


(A1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (WC1) New York Rangers

The Montreal Canadiens finished first in the Atlantic Division earning 103 points. The New York Rangers finished as the Eastern Conference's first wild-card, earning 102 points. This was the sixteenth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning eight of the fifteen previous series. They last met in the 2014 Eastern Conference Final, in which New York won in six games. Montreal won all three games in this year's regular-season series. The Rangers eliminated the Canadiens in six games. In the first game of the series,
Tanner Glass Tanner Glass (born November 29, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger. Known as a physical player, he played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguin ...
and
Michael Grabner Michael-René Grabner (born 5 October 1987) is an Austrian professional ice hockey player who is currently an unrestricted free agent. Grabner grew up playing for the local team in Villach, EC VSV. He moved to North America at the age of 17 and ...
scored the only goals of the games as the Rangers won the game 2–0 on
Henrik Lundqvist Henrik Lundqvist (; born 2 March 1982) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played his entire 15-season career with the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Before winning the Vezina Trophy in 2012, he ...
's 31-save shutout. In game two, the Canadiens tied the game with 18 seconds left, then in overtime,
Alexander Radulov Alexander Valerievich Radulov (russian: Александр Валерьевич Радулов; born 5 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey player for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He had previously had two sep ...
pushed it past the Rangers' goaltender to give Montreal a 4–3 victory. Radulov continued his scoring into game three, getting a goal and an assist to help the Canadiens achieve a 3–1 victory. The Rangers ended a six-game home-losing streak after game four, winning 2–1 over the Canadiens to tie the series 2–2.
Mika Zibanejad Mika Zibanejad ( fa, میکا زیبانژاد; born 18 April 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Zibanejad was selected sixth overall in the 2011 ...
got the overtime-winner for the Rangers in game five after Chris Kreider deflected a pass off of Canadiens
defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
Alexei Emelin Alexei Vyacheslavovich Emelin (Russian: Алексей Вячеславович Емелин; born 25 April 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently playing for HC Spartak Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL ...
, landing towards the forward who put it past goaltender
Carey Price Carey Price (born August 16, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is considered to be one of the best goaltenders in the world by many colleagues, fans, ''The ...
in a 3–2 win.
Mats Zuccarello Mats André Zuccarello Aasen (born 1 September 1987) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey winger for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. Prior to joining the NHL ...
scored twice in game six as the Rangers eliminated the Canadiens in a 3–1 victory to advance to the second round.


(A2) Ottawa Senators vs. (A3) Boston Bruins

The Ottawa Senators finished second in the Atlantic Division, earning 98 points. The Boston Bruins earned 95 points in the regular season to finish third in the Atlantic. This was the first playoff meeting between the ''contemporary'' Ottawa franchise and Boston, and the first Boston-Ottawa series since the
1927 Stanley Cup Finals The 1927 Stanley Cup Finals was played by the Ottawa Senators and the Boston Bruins. It was the first time the Cup was solely contested by National Hockey League teams, owing to the demise of the Western Hockey League the previous year. It was wo ...
. Ottawa won all four games in this year's regular season series. The Senators eliminated the Bruins in six games. In the first game, the Senators gained a 1–0 lead into the third on
Bobby Ryan Robert Shane Ryan (né Stevenson; March 17, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted second overall ...
's goal in the second period, however, the Bruins scored twice in the final period with
Brad Marchand Brad Marchand ( ; born May 11, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Winger (ice hockey), left winger and alternate captain for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins selected Marchand in the third round, 71st o ...
having the final tally 2:33 before the game ended 2–1 for Boston. In game two, Ottawa came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period and won via
Dion Phaneuf Dion Phaneuf (born 10 April 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played for the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted ninth overal ...
whose goal in overtime helped tie the series 1–1 after a 4–3 conquest. In game three, Ottawa had a three-goal lead with Mike Hoffman scoring twice, but the Bruins came back with three goals in the third period. In overtime, Bruins forward
Riley Nash Riley Nash (born May 9, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was originally selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 21st over ...
took a roughing penalty and on the ensuing power play, Bobby Ryan tipped in a pass from
Kyle Turris Kyle Turris (born August 14, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was selected third overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He has also played with the Ottawa Senators, Oulun Kärpät, Nashville Pr ...
ending the game 4–3 for the Senators. Bobby Ryan scored the only goal in game four, at the 5:49 mark of the third period, allowing the Senators to achieve a 3–1 series lead. Boston came back from an early 2–0 deficit in game five and the game would go to overtime. In double-overtime, Bruins rookie Sean Kuraly scored his second goal of the game, completing the comeback in a 3–2 feat. In game six,
Clarke MacArthur Clarke MacArthur (born April 6, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. MacArthur played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was orig ...
scored the series-winning goal on the power play in overtime for Ottawa to advance to the second round.


(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Washington Capitals earned the
Presidents' Trophy The Presidents' Trophy (french: Trophée des présidents) is an award presented by the National Hockey League (NHL) to the team that finishes with the most points (i.e. best record) during the NHL regular season. If two teams are tied for the mo ...
for the second consecutive year as the NHL's best regular season team this time with 118 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs finished as the Eastern Conference's second wild-card, earning 95 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Washington won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. This became only the third playoff series in NHL history in which five games were decided in overtime (the first being the 1951 Stanley Cup Finals between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens and the second occurring in the 2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals between the Phoenix Coyotes and the Chicago Blackhawks). The Capitals defeated the Maple Leafs in six games. Although Toronto had a two-goal lead in the first ten minutes of the first game, Washington scored two goals, both from
Justin Williams Justin Craig Williams (born October 4, 1981) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey right winger. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes, Los Angeles Kings, and Washingto ...
, and won the game 3–2 in overtime from Tom Wilson's goal. In game two, rookie
Kasperi Kapanen Samu Kasperi Kapanen (born 23 July 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey right wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He made his Liiga debut playing with KalPa during the 2012–13 SM-liiga season. Kapanen was ...
scored twice including the game-winner in double-overtime leading the Maple Leafs to a 4–3 victory. Washington took two two-goal leads in game three; the first pick in the 2016 NHL Draft, Auston Matthews, helped soften the lead with his first playoff goal, but after the Capitals got a 3–1 lead, the Maple Leafs scored twice to tie the game. Then in overtime,
Tyler Bozak Tyler Bozak (born March 19, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who is currently a free agent. He most recently played for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bozak has also previously played for the Toronto M ...
tipped a shot past the Capitals' goaltender to give the Leafs a 2–1 series lead. Game four was the only game of the series not to go into overtime; Tom Wilson and
T. J. Oshie Timothy Leif "T. J." Oshie (born December 23, 1986) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2005 NHL ...
both scored two goals and Oshie's second goal proved to be the game-winner in a 5–4 victory after an attempted comeback by Toronto was thwarted. Game five featured the fourth overtime game of this series with Justin Williams scoring for Capitals in a 2–1, taking a 3–2 series lead in the process. In game six, the game went to overtime for the fifth time this series and at 6:31 of the first overtime period Marcus Johansson scored his second goal for the Capitals in a 2–1 victory and another trip to the second round.


(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M3) Columbus Blue Jackets

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division earning 111 points. The Columbus Blue Jackets earned 108 points to finish third in the Metropolitan. This was the second playoff meeting between these teams; they last met in the 2014 Eastern Conference First Round, which Pittsburgh won in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. The Penguins defeated the Blue Jackets in five games. Before game one began, Matt Murray, the starting goaltender for the Penguins, injured himself during warm-ups forcing Marc-Andre Fleury, who had been demoted to the backup for the season, to start the game; his team would win the game 3–1, making 31 saves in the process.
Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
got a goal and two assists in game two as the Penguins defeated the Blue Jackets 4–1 and took a 2–0 series lead. In game three,
Jake Guentzel Jake Guentzel (born October 6, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Penguins in the third round, 77th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Guent ...
scored a hat-trick, his third being the overtime-winner as the Penguins came back from a two-goal deficit and defeated the Blue Jackets 5–4 and take a 3–0 series lead. Columbus avoided a sweep in game four, scoring with five different players in a 5–4 victory; this was also the franchise's first playoff win in regulation. In game five,
Bryan Rust Bryan Peter Rust (born May 11, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rust was born in Pontiac, Michigan, but grew up in Troy, Michigan. He won back-to-back Sta ...
scored twice, including the series-winner, and Fleury made 49 saves in a 5–2 win for the Penguins to advance to the second round.


Western Conference First Round


(C1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators

The Chicago Blackhawks finished first in the Central Division earning 109 points. The Nashville Predators finished as the Western Conference's second wild-card, earning 94 points. This was the third playoff meeting between these teams with Chicago winning both previous series. They last met in the 2015 Western Conference First Round, which Chicago won in six games. Chicago won four of the five games in this year's regular season series. The Predators defeated the Blackhawks in a four-game sweep; this was the first time in NHL playoff history that an eighth-seeded team swept a playoff series against the top seed in their conference.
Viktor Arvidsson Johan Viktor Arvidsson (born 8 April 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round, 112th overall, at the 2014 NHL ...
scored the only goal in game one as the Predators shut out the Blackhawks, stopping all 29 shots they faced. The Blackhawks remained scoreless after game two, instead being outscored 5–0 with
Pekka Rinne Pekka Rinne (; born 3 November 1982) is a Finnish former professional hockey goaltender. Drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Rinne became their starting goaltender during the 2008–09 season and quickly established ...
not only stopping all 30 shots he faced, but also providing two assists. Chicago finally scored a goal in game three and they maintained a two-goal lead throughout the second period, but in the third period,
Filip Forsberg Carl Filip Anton Forsberg (; born 13 August 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Forsberg was selected by the Washington Capitals in the first ro ...
scored twice for Nashville to tie the game and send it to overtime. In overtime, Nashville forward
Kevin Fiala Kevin Fiala (born 22 July 1996) is a Swiss professional ice hockey left winger for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent one season with the Malmö Redhawks junior team, then joined HV71, splitting a season between ...
skated around Chicago goalie
Corey Crawford Corey Crawford (born December 31, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Crow" by teammates and fans, he played his entire professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), w ...
and put the puck past the Chicago netminder to complete the comeback in a 3–2 victory giving them their first 3–0 series lead. In game four,
Roman Josi Roman Josi (born 1 June 1990) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman and captain of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Josi was drafted 38th overall by the Predators in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In 2019–20, J ...
scored twice in a 4–1 victory and Rinne made 30 saves for the Predators, who swept a playoff opponent for the first time in franchise history.


(C2) Minnesota Wild vs. (C3) St. Louis Blues

The Minnesota Wild finished second in the Central Division earning 106 points. The St. Louis Blues earned 99 points to finish third in the Central. This was the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous meeting was the 2015 Western Conference First Round, which Minnesota won in six games. St. Louis won three of the five games in this year's regular season series. The Blues defeated the Wild in five games. St. Louis won the first game of the series 2–1 17:48 into overtime from
Joel Edmundson Joel Edmundson (born June 28, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the St. Louis Blues and Carolina Hurricanes. Gr ...
's wrist shot after the Wild tied the game in the final minute of the game, Jake Allen made 51 saves in the process. In game two,
Jaden Schwartz Jaden Schwartz (born June 25, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schwartz was selected 14th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Entry Dra ...
scored the game-winner with 2:27 left in the third period, giving the Blues another 2–1 victory over the Wild. The Wild continued to score only one goal in each game this series, losing the game nevertheless, this time 3–1 as Allen made 40 saves and the Blues took a 3–0 series lead.
Devan Dubnyk Devan Dubnyk (born May 4, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round, 14th overall, of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft ...
kept the Wild alive in the series, stopping all 28 shots he faced in a 2–0 victory in game four. In game five, the Blues took a 3–1 lead in the third period only to see the Wild tie it up in the last ten minutes. However, in overtime,
Magnus Paajarvi Magnus, meaning "Great" in Latin, was used as cognomen of Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus in the first century BC. The best-known use of the name during the Roman Empire is for the fourth-century Western Roman Emperor Magnus Maximus. The name gained wid ...
ended the game for St. Louis, defeating the Wild 4–3 to advance to the second round.


(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (WC1) Calgary Flames

The Anaheim Ducks finished first in the Pacific Division for the fifth consecutive year, this time earning 105 points. The Calgary Flames finished as the Western Conference's first wild-card, earning 94 points. This was the third playoff meeting between these teams with Anaheim winning both previous series. They last met in the 2015 Western Conference Second Round which Anaheim won in five games. Anaheim won four of the five games in this year's regular season series. Anaheim has also won 25 straight regular-season home games against Calgary. The Ducks defeated the Flames in a four-game sweep. In game one, both
Ryan Getzlaf Ryan Getzlaf (born May 10, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Getzlaf played his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. A first-round selection, 19th overall, at the 200 ...
and
Jakob Silfverberg Jakob Erik Silfverberg (born 13 October 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger and an alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career On 27 June 2009, Silfverberg was drafted by the Ottawa ...
had a goal and an assist, the latter of whom had the game-winning goal in a 3–2 victory for the Ducks. Anaheim continued their home-dominance over Calgary defeating the Flames 3–2 with a goal and an assist by Getzlaf again. The Flames had a lead of 4–1 in game three, forcing Ducks goaltender John Gibson to be replaced by
Jonathan Bernier Jonathan Bernier (born August 7, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the first round, 11th overall, of the 2006 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angel ...
. The Ducks came back in this game, scoring three times, in what would become the fourth overtime game of this night.
Corey Perry Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
then threw the puck towards the net and it bounced off both Calgary goaltender
Brian Elliott Brian Elliott (born April 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the ninth round, 291st overall, of the 2003 NHL Entry ...
and
defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the latter a reference to ...
Michael Stone and into the net, to give the Ducks a 3–0 series lead. In game four, Gibson stopped 36 shots by the Flames, but allowed only one goal as the Ducks ended the series with a 3–1 win.


(P2) Edmonton Oilers vs. (P3) San Jose Sharks

The Edmonton Oilers finished second in the Pacific Division with 103 points. The San Jose Sharks earned 99 points in the regular season to finish third in the Pacific. Edmonton started a playoff series at home for the first time since the 1991 Campbell Conference Final. This was the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous series was the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals, which Edmonton won in six games. Edmonton won three of the five games in this year's regular season series. The Oilers defeated the Sharks in six games. In Edmonton's first playoff game since 2006, the Oilers took a 2–0 lead in the first period, but the Sharks scored three goals over the second, third, and first overtime period winning the game 3–2 from
Melker Karlsson Melker Karlsson (born 18 July 1990), nicknamed The Melkman, is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He previously played for the San Jose Sharks of the National ...
's goal. The Oilers scored two shorthanded goals in game two as they blanked San Jose 2–0. The shutout streak continued in game three, as
Zack Kassian Zack Adam Kassian (born January 24, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). During his junior career, he won a Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires in 2010. Selected 13t ...
scored the only goal for the Oilers and
Cam Talbot Cameron Talbot (born July 5, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He had also played for the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Philadelp ...
stopped 23 shots.
Logan Couture Logan Couture (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Sharks ninth overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, where he established ...
and Joe Pavelski scored two goals each and Martin Jones stopped all 23 shots as the Sharks blanked the Oilers 7–0 in game four to tie the series at two. The Sharks gained a 3–1 lead over the Oilers in game five, but both
Mark Letestu Mark Letestu (born February 4, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in eleven seasons of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. Pl ...
and
Oscar Klefbom Oscar Erik Anders Klefbom (born 20 July 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is injured and is generally considered to have finished his playing career, but he has ...
scored to tie the game and send it to overtime.
David Desharnais David Kevin Denis Desharnais (born September 14, 1986) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL). NHL Entry Draft, Undrafted, he originally s ...
would end it at 18:15 of overtime to give the Oilers a 4–3 triumph and a 3–2 series lead. In game six, the Oilers scored twice in the second period, both on breakaways, and closed out the series with a 3–1 win.


Second Round


Eastern Conference Second Round


(A2) Ottawa Senators vs. (WC1) New York Rangers

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams; their only previous series was in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which New York won in seven games. This was the second time under the current playoff format and the second year in a row in which a wild-card team had more points than its opponent during the regular season but did not have home ice advantage; the other time was the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders in last year's Eastern Conference Second Round. Ottawa won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. The Senators defeated the Rangers in six games. In the first game, goaltender Craig Anderson made 34 saves in a 2–1 victory for the Senators. The Rangers had leads of 3–1, 4–2, and 5–3 in game two only to have the Senators tie up the game on Jean-Gabriel Pageau's hat-trick goal with 1:02 remaining. In double-overtime, Pageau's fourth goal of the game gave the Senators a 6–5 win and a 2–0 series lead. In doing this, he became the first player to score four goals in a playoff game since Johan Franzen scored four goals for the Detroit Red Wings in game four of their 2010 second round series against the
San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
.
Mats Zuccarello Mats André Zuccarello Aasen (born 1 September 1987) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey winger for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the New York Rangers and Dallas Stars. Prior to joining the NHL ...
had a goal and an assist in game three as the Rangers won the affair 4–1. The Rangers defeated the Senators 4–1 again in game four, tying the series 2–2; Oscar Lindberg scored twice in the victory. The Rangers got an early two-goal lead in game five, but the Senators came back scoring three goals in return. The Rangers regained the lead, but former Ranger
Derick Brassard Derick Brassard (born September 22, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. He previously played in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Pit ...
tied the game in the final minutes to send it to overtime.
Kyle Turris Kyle Turris (born August 14, 1989) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He was selected third overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Phoenix Coyotes. He has also played with the Ottawa Senators, Oulun Kärpät, Nashville Pr ...
ended the game 6:28 into overtime to give the Senators a 5–4 victory and a 3–2 series lead. In game six,
Erik Karlsson Erik Sven Gunnar Karlsson (; born 31 May 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Karlsson was drafted in the first round, 15th overall, by the Otta ...
netted the series-winning goal and added an assist for the Senators who advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time in ten years after a 4–2 victory.


(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins

This was the tenth playoff meeting between these teams and the second consecutive in the second round. Pittsburgh has won eight of the nine previous series including last year's confrontation which ended in six games. These teams split their four-game regular season series. The Penguins defeated the Capitals in seven games after they gave up a 3–1 series lead. In the final eight minutes of game one,
Nick Bonino Nicholas Lawrence Bonino (born April 20, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey center and an alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Anaheim Ducks, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsbu ...
scored the game-winning goal as the Penguins once led 2–0 only to have Washington score twice to tie the game, then with 8:24 left in the third period Bonino gave the Penguins a 3–2 lead and thus the victory.
Phil Kessel Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Peng ...
and
Jake Guentzel Jake Guentzel (born October 6, 1994) is an American professional ice hockey left wing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was drafted by the Penguins in the third round, 77th overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Guent ...
both scored twice for the Penguins in a 6–2 victory, gaining a 2–0 series lead as a result. The Capitals got an early 1–0 lead in game three, then a goal by
Evgeny Kuznetsov Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov (russian: Евгений Евгеньевич Кузнецов; born 19 May 1992) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He ...
put them up by two goals, however, in the final two minutes of the game, the Penguins tied the score 2–2. In overtime,
Trevor Daley Trevor Daley (born October 9, 1983) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Florida Everblades of the ECHL and also serves as a hockey operations advisor for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played ...
of the Penguins was penalized for holding and on the ensuing power play,
Kevin Shattenkirk Kevin Michael Shattenkirk (born January 29, 1989) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, St. Louis Blues, W ...
scored to give the Capitals a 3–2 victory. Pittsburgh lead 2–0 in game four only to have Washington tie the game, however, 2:49 after
Nate Schmidt Nathan Thomas Schmidt (born July 16, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Washington Capitals, Vegas Golden Knights and Vancouver Canucks. As ...
tied the game for Washington,
Justin Schultz Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schultz was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, and grew up in the nearby City of West Kelowna. He ha ...
on the power play gave the Penguins a 3–2 lead and the victory. Washington scored three times in the third period of game five after being down one goal to win 4–2. Andre Burakovsky scored twice in game six, forcing a seventh game in Washington's 5–2 triumph. In game seven, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 29 shots and
Bryan Rust Bryan Peter Rust (born May 11, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey right winger for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Rust was born in Pontiac, Michigan, but grew up in Troy, Michigan. He won back-to-back Sta ...
scored the series-winning goal to defeat the Capitals 2–0 and advance to the Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.


Western Conference Second Round


(C3) St. Louis Blues vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators

This was the first playoff meeting between these teams. Nashville won three of the five games in this year's regular season series. The Predators defeated the Blues in six games. The first game of the series had Nashville gain a 3–1 lead, St. Louis then scored twice in the third period to tie the game, but with 5:05 left in the third period, Vernon Fiddler gave the Predators 4–3 lead as well a 1–0 series lead. During the game,
Kevin Fiala Kevin Fiala (born 22 July 1996) is a Swiss professional ice hockey left winger for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He spent one season with the Malmö Redhawks junior team, then joined HV71, splitting a season between ...
fractured his left leg after being checked by
Robert Bortuzzo Robert Bortuzzo (born March 18, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bortuzzo was drafted 78th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Growi ...
; Fiala would require a stretcher to get off the ice. In game two,
Vladimir Tarasenko Vladimir Andreyevich Tarasenko (russian: Влади́мир Андре́евич Тарасе́нко; born 13 December 1991) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hock ...
scored twice including the game-winner, tying the series 1–1 in a 3–2 triumph. The Predators continued their home-winning streak dating back to last year's first round winning game three, by a final score of 3–1 with Colton Sissons assisting twice, increasing the streak to seven home games. Nashville won their eighth consecutive playoff home game after game four, defeating the Blues 2–1 and
Pekka Rinne Pekka Rinne (; born 3 November 1982) is a Finnish former professional hockey goaltender. Drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Rinne became their starting goaltender during the 2008–09 season and quickly established ...
making 32 saves.
Jaden Schwartz Jaden Schwartz (born June 25, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schwartz was selected 14th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Entry Dra ...
broke a 1–1 tie in the third period of the fifth game and maintained the 2–1 lead to a victory. In game six,
Ryan Johansen Ryan Johansen (born July 31, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up, he played minor hockey in the Greater Vancouver area until joining ...
scored the series-winning goal in a 3–1 victory as the Predators moved onto the Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history after nineteen years in the league. This left the Columbus Blue Jackets as the only team that has never made it to the Conference Finals, after the Winnipeg Jets beat the Predators in the 2018 Western Conference Second Round to make it to the Conference Finals.


(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (P2) Edmonton Oilers

This was the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous series was in the 2006 Western Conference Final, which Edmonton won in five games. Edmonton won three of the five games in this year's regular season series. The Ducks defeated the Oilers in seven games. In the first game,
Mark Letestu Mark Letestu (born February 4, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward. He played in eleven seasons of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. Pl ...
scored twice and
Leon Draisaitl Leon Tim Draisaitl (; born 27 October 1995) is a German professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Draisaitl grew up playing hockey in Germany until he was selected second ove ...
had a goal and three assists as the Oilers, who once gained a 3–1 lead in the third period only to see the Ducks tie the game in less than three minutes, scored twice in the final five minutes to achieve a 5–3 lead and thus the victory. Goalie
Cam Talbot Cameron Talbot (born July 5, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He had also played for the New York Rangers, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Philadelp ...
stopped 39 shots and former-Duck
Patrick Maroon Patrick Maroon (born April 23, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed the "Big Rig", Maroon has previously played for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers ...
scored the game-winning goal in game two for the Oilers' 2–1 victory. Anaheim took an early 3–0 lead in game three only to see the Oilers tie the game. The Ducks took the lead back in the second period with Chris Wagner's goal, then
Jakob Silfverberg Jakob Erik Silfverberg (born 13 October 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger and an alternate captain for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Playing career On 27 June 2009, Silfverberg was drafted by the Ottawa ...
scored his second of the game and
Ryan Kesler Ryan James Kesler (born August 31, 1984) is an American former professional ice hockey center. Selected in the first round, 23rd overall, by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Kesler spent the first ten years of his National Hoc ...
provided an insurance goal to close out the game 6–3. In game four,
Ryan Getzlaf Ryan Getzlaf (born May 10, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Getzlaf played his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. A first-round selection, 19th overall, at the 200 ...
scored twice to take the lead for the Ducks after being down 2–0 in the game, then in 45 seconds into overtime, Silfverberg scored to give the Ducks the victory and the series tie. The Oilers gained a 3–0 lead in game five, but with 3:16 left in the game, the Ducks scored three times to tie the game becoming the first team to score three goals in that span of time left to tie the game. The comeback was complete at 6:57 of double-overtime when
Corey Perry Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
gave Ducks a 4–3 victory and a 3–2 series lead. The Oilers scored five times in the first period of game six and Draisaitl had a hat trick along with two assists to defeat the Ducks 7–1 and force a seventh game. In game seven,
Nick Ritchie Nicholas Ritchie (born December 5, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ritchie was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round, tenth ov ...
's goal proved to be the series-winner as the Ducks were able to win a series via seventh game for the first time since 2006 and advance to the Conference Finals with a 2–1 victory.


Conference Finals


Eastern Conference Final


(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (A2) Ottawa Senators

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these teams with Pittsburgh winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 2013 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which Pittsburgh won in five games. This was the second consecutive Conference Finals appearance for Pittsburgh who defeated the
Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
last year in seven games. Ottawa last went to the Conference Finals in 2007; they defeated the
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
in five games. Ottawa won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. The Penguins defeated the Senators in seven games. In game one, the Senators held onto a one-goal lead until
Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...
tied the game in the third period, but in overtime,
Bobby Ryan Robert Shane Ryan (né Stevenson; March 17, 1987) is an American former professional ice hockey winger. He played for the Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted second overall ...
scored to give Ottawa a 2–1 victory. The second game remained scoreless until
Phil Kessel Philip Joseph Kessel Jr. (born October 2, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Boston Bruins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Peng ...
scored with 6:55 left in the game to give the Penguins a 1–0 lead and the victory; Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves in the process. In the first period of game three, the Senators scored four times including three in a span of 2:18 leading them into a 5–1 victory. In his first playoff game since his injury before the first game of the playoffs, goaltender Matt Murray made 24 saves and stopped a comeback from Ottawa in a 3–2 victory for Pittsburgh. Murray stopped all 26 shots and the Penguins routed the Senators 7–0 in game five to take a 3–2 series lead. Craig Anderson made 45 saves in game six, forcing a seventh game in a 2–1 victory. In game seven,
Chris Kunitz Christopher Kunitz (born September 26, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Anaheim Ducks (where he won his first Stanley Cup in 2007), Atlanta Thrashers, the ...
of the Penguins and Mark Stone of the Senators started the scoring 20 seconds apart in the second period. After both
Justin Schultz Justin Schultz (born July 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schultz was born in Kelowna, British Columbia, and grew up in the nearby City of West Kelowna. He ha ...
and
Ryan Dzingel Ryan Michael Dzingel (born March 9, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward with the Chicago Wolves in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has pre ...
made the game 2–2, the match headed into overtime. In double-overtime, Kunitz scored his second of the game to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Finals for the second consecutive year.


Western Conference Final


(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (WC2) Nashville Predators

This was the second consecutive playoff meeting and the third overall between these teams with Nashville winning both previous series, including a seven-game win in last year's first round. This was Anaheim's fifth Conference Finals appearance. They last made the Conference Finals in 2015 where they were defeated in seven games by the
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
. This was Nashville's first Conference Finals appearance in their 19-year history. Anaheim won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. The Predators defeated the Ducks in six games. The first game of the series went into overtime, and at 9:24 James Neal put the puck past the Ducks goaltender to take game one, 3–2. In game two, the Ducks rallied from an early-two-goal deficit to defeat the Predators 5–3 and
Ryan Getzlaf Ryan Getzlaf (born May 10, 1985) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. Getzlaf played his entire NHL career with the Anaheim Ducks and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer. A first-round selection, 19th overall, at the 200 ...
assisted thrice in the victory. Nashville kept their home playoff win streak alive in game three, winning 2–1; after a pair of goals were disallowed due to goaltender interference,
Roman Josi Roman Josi (born 1 June 1990) is a Swiss professional ice hockey defenceman and captain of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). Josi was drafted 38th overall by the Predators in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. In 2019–20, J ...
scored for the Predators with 2:43 left in the game. Although Nashville tied the game after being down by two goals in game four, Anaheim won the game on
Corey Perry Corey Perry (born May 16, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played the first 14 years of his career with the Anaheim Ducks. He then played for the Dallas Stars ...
's goal 10:25 into overtime, tying the series 2–2 in a 3–2 victory.
Pekka Rinne Pekka Rinne (; born 3 November 1982) is a Finnish former professional hockey goaltender. Drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Rinne became their starting goaltender during the 2008–09 season and quickly established ...
made 32 saves in game five for the Predators as Nashville took a 3–2 series lead in a 3–1 victory. In game six, Colton Sissons' hat trick goal was the series-winning goal in a 6–3 victory, putting the Nashville Predators in the Finals for the first time in their 19-year history.


Stanley Cup Finals

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Pittsburgh made their second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearance and their sixth overall; they won in the previous year defeating the San Jose Sharks in six games. Nashville made their first Finals appearance in their franchise's history. These teams split their two-game regular season series.


Player statistics


Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.


Goaltenders

This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on
goals against average Goals against average (GAA) also known as "average goals against" or "AGA" is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending ...
and the top five goaltenders based on
save percentage Save percentage (often known by such symbols as SV%, SVS%, SVP, PCT) is a statistic in various goal-scoring sports that track saves as a statistic. In ice hockey and lacrosse, it is a statistic that represents the percentage of shots on goal ...
, with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.


Television

This marked the sixth postseason under NBC Sports' current 10-year contract for American television rights to the NHL. All national coverage of games aired on either NBCSN, the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
broadcast network, NHL Network,
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
, or
CNBC CNBC (formerly Consumer News and Business Channel) is an American basic cable business news channel. It provides business news programming on weekdays from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eastern Time, while broadcasting talk sho ...
. During the first round, excluding games exclusively broadcast on NBC, the regional rightsholders of each participating U.S. team produced local telecasts of their respective games; NBCUniversal held exclusive rights to all games from the second round onward. Unlike past seasons, the national broadcasts were no longer blacked out on television in the markets of participating teams, and could co-exist with the local broadcasts (however, NBC-provided streaming was still restricted in Boston and Pittsburgh). For first-round games involving Chicago, San Jose and Washington—teams whose regional rights are held by the co-owned
NBC Sports Regional Networks NBC Sports Regional Networks is the collective name for a group of regional sports networks in the United States that are primarily owned and operated by the NBCUniversal division of the cable television company Comcast. The networks were origina ...
—the national broadcasts shared the same video as the local broadcasts but overdubbed with national commentators. This was done so NBC would not have to bring additional equipment to these games to produce an entirely separate telecast for the national audience. In Canada, for the third postseason under Rogers Media's current 12-year contract, coverage was broadcast by Sportsnet and CBC under the ''
Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television has aired National Hockey League (NHL) broadcasts under the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') brand that is primarily associated with its Saturday night NHL broadcasts throughout its hi ...
'' brand, and streamed on Sportsnet Now, CBCSports.ca (for games televised by CBC), or the subscription service Rogers NHL GameCentre Live. French-language coverage was on
TVA Sports TVA Sports is a Canadian French-language sports specialty channel owned by the Groupe TVA, a publicly traded subsidiary of Quebecor Media. The channel is a general-interest sports network, and the first major competitor to RDS, the only other ...
. Rogers agreed not to schedule games on CBC for the first four Sunday nights of the playoffs, so that the network could broadcast '' Canada: The Story of Us'', a documentary series it had commissioned as part of programming commemorating the 150th anniversary of Canadian confederation.


References


External links


2017 Stanley Cup playoffs
{{DEFAULTSORT:2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs Stanley Cup playoffs
play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...