2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs

− The 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 9, 2008, after the 2007–08 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the Stanley Cup.

The Finals ended on June 4, 2008, with the Detroit Red Wings defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two to win their eleventh championship and their fourth in eleven seasons. It was the first championship in the 16 year career of Red Wings winger Dallas Drake, who retired following the season. Red Wings winger Henrik Zetterberg was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff's Most Valuable Player.

Highlights
The San Jose Sharks were the media's favorite to win the cup going into the play-offs, having gone the entire month of March without a regulation loss and nearly finishing first overall during the regular season.

Milestones
In game one of the Western Conference Quarterfinals against the Minnesota Wild, captain Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche extended his record for playoff overtime goals to 8, with a goal 11:11 into overtime. Chris Chelios of the Detroit Red Wings appeared in his 248th career playoff game, passing Patrick Roy for most career playoff games of all-time.

In game two of the Western Conference Semifinals in San Jose, Dallas Stars' center Brad Richards tied an NHL record for most points in one period of a playoff game, when he recorded one goal and three assists in the third period.

In the Western Conference Semifinals against the Colorado Avalanche, Johan Franzen set a Detroit Red Wings record for most goals in a playoff series with 9, beating the previous record of 8 set by Gordie Howe in 1949. Franzen achieved this feat in only four games, while Howe achieved it in seven.

Game six of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Sharks and Stars was the eighth longest game in the history of the NHL, lasting 129:03. Stars' captain Brenden Morrow ended the game at 9:03 of the fourth overtime tapping in a power play goal. Goalies Marty Turco and Evgeni Nabokov set team records for saves in a game with 61 and 53 respectively. The final score was 2–1.

Nicklas Lidstrom became the first team captain born and trained in Europe whose team won the Stanley Cup. Charlie Gardiner (born in Scotland) and Johnny Gottselig (born in Russia) both won the Stanley Cup as captains of the Chicago Black Hawks (in 1934 and 1938, respectively), but they were both raised in Canada.

New interpretation of NHL rule
In game three of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, while on a 5-on-3 powerplay, the New York Rangers' Sean Avery tried to screen the New Jersey Devils' goaltender Martin Brodeur by waving his hands and stick while facing Brodeur. This prompted the NHL to issue an interpretation of the league's rules, stating that an unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be called on actions such as the one used by Avery.

Playoff seeds
After the 2007–08 NHL regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings were the Western Conference regular season champions and were also the Presidents' Trophy winners with the best record at 115 points. The Montreal Canadiens earned the Eastern Conference regular season crown with 104 points.

Eastern Conference

 * 1) Montreal Canadiens – Northeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 104 points
 * 2) Pittsburgh Penguins – Atlantic Division champions, 102 points
 * 3) Washington Capitals – Southeast Division champions, 94 points
 * 4) New Jersey Devils – 99 points
 * 5) New York Rangers – 97 points
 * 6) Philadelphia Flyers – 95 points
 * 7) Ottawa Senators – 94 points (43 wins)
 * 8) Boston Bruins – 94 points (41 wins)

Western Conference

 * 1) Detroit Red Wings – Central Division and Western Conference regular season champions; President's Trophy winners, 115 points
 * 2) San Jose Sharks – Pacific Division champions, 108 points
 * 3) Minnesota Wild – Northwest Division champions, 98 points
 * 4) Anaheim Ducks – 102 points
 * 5) Dallas Stars – 97 points
 * 6) Colorado Avalanche – 95 points
 * 7) Calgary Flames – 94 points
 * 8) Nashville Predators – 91 points

Playoff bracket
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage, which gives them a possible maximum of four games on their home ice, with the lower-seeded team getting a possible maximum of three. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points; thus, the Detroit Red Wings had home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, including in the Finals. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format. This means that the higher-seeded team will have home ice for Games 1 and 2, and if necessary, Games 5 and 7, while the lower-seeded team will have home ice for Games 3, 4, and, if necessary, Game 6.

Skaters
These are the top ten skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, all of the tied skaters are shown. GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes

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 is bolded.  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) 

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) Boston Bruins
Going into the playoffs, expectations were high for the Montreal Canadiens, since they had won all eight games against the Boston Bruins during the 2007–08 season and the last three games of the previous season. Additionally, Montreal ended the regular season going 8–1–1 while Boston had a mediocre finish with 4–2–4. One potential disadvantage for Montreal was the inexperience of their young goaltenders: Carey Price, age 20, had only played 41 NHL games, and Jaroslav Halak, age 23, had only played 16 NHL games. Neither Price nor Halák had any NHL playoff experience. However, Boston's Tim Thomas had only played 165 career NHL games, and he also had no NHL playoff experience.

A strong performance in Game 1 reinforced the idea of a quick win for Montreal. The Bruins also lost Game 2 but demonstrated strong play throughout the game, culminating in two third period goals to take the game into overtime, where they quickly lost.

Boston won Game 3 in overtime, ending the 13-game winning streak that Montreal had accumulated against the Bruins. The tight competition continued into Game 4, with Canadiens goaltender Carey Price notching his first playoff shutout in a 1–0 win.

After two periods in Game 5, with the score 1–1, the game looked as though it would be another close battle. However, a mishandling of the puck by Carey Price early in the third period resulted in a goal for Glen Metropolit; this ended up being a turning point in the game; Boston followed up with three more goals in the period to win 5–1. The Bruins also won Game 6 in a high scoring match to tie the series at 3–3.

In Game 7, Montreal rebounded from the lackluster performances of its previous games and won with a dominant and convincing 5–0 win, resulting in Price's second career playoff shutout.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Ottawa Senators
The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the playoffs as the second overall seed in the Eastern Conference, having clinched the Atlantic Division title with 102 points. Meanwhile, the Senators limped into the playoffs as the seventh seed, with key players out with injuries, including captain Daniel Alfredsson who missed the first two games.

The Penguins dominated the Senators in Game 1, winning by a score of 4-0. The Penguins then held on for a 5-3 win in Game 2, taking a 2-0 series advantage. The Senators were hoping to gain momentum when the series shifted to Ottawa for Games 3 and 4, but the Penguins would not relent. Sidney Crosby's goal in the opening seconds of the third period of Game 3 broke a 1-1 tie, and Pittsburgh eventually won 4-1, and then completed the series sweep in Game 4 with a 3-1 win. Sidney Crosby led the Penguins with 8 points (2 goals and 6 assists).

(3) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
The Washington Capitals made a late season surge that helped them clinch first place in the Southeast Division, and third overall spot in the Eastern Conference while the Philadelphia Flyers returned to the playoffs after finishing last in the league the previous season.

The Capitals were victorious in Game 1 thanks to the game winning goal being scored by Alexander Ovechkin, but the Flyers won three straight games to take a 3-1 lead in the series, including 4-3 Game 4 victory in double overtime thanks to Mike Knuble. But Washington was able to win the next two games to force a Game 7. Joffrey Lupul scored a power play goal in overtime of Game 7 to advance the Philadelphia Flyers to the next playoff round.

(4) New Jersey Devils vs. (5) New York Rangers
Tension was high in this series, as the Rangers won 7 of the 8 games against the Devils during the regular season. The New York Rangers mostly dominated the New Jersey Devils in the opening round, becoming the first team to win on New Jersey's home ice three times in a playoff series. The Devils' only win was an overtime victory in Game 3 with a goal by John Madden. In Game 3, the Rangers' Sean Avery tried to screen New Jersey's goaltender Martin Brodeur by waving his hands and stick while facing Brodeur. This prompted the NHL to issue an interpretation of the league's rules, stating that an unsportsmanlike conduct minor penalty will be called on actions such as the one used by Avery. The Rangers won the next two games, each by a score of 5-3 to move on to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (8) Nashville Predators
The Detroit Red Wings began the playoffs as the President's Trophy winners as the highest seed in the NHL, while the Nashville Predators had battled for a playoff spot, clinching a spot in the final days of the regular season. It was the second-ever playoff matchup between the two teams, with the Red Wings winning the first in 2004 in six games.

The Red Wings won each of the first two games at home 3-1 and 4-2 respectively, but when the series shifted to Nashville for Games 3 and 4, the Predators battled back to tie the series at two games apiece. Jason Arnott scored the winning goal in Game 3, with Greg de Vries scoring the winner in Game 4. The turning point in the series came when Red Wings starting goaltender Dominik Hasek was replaced by Chris Osgood in the middle of Game 4. Osgood was then named the starter for the remainder of the series. Detroit won Game 5 thanks to an overtime goal from Johan Franzen, and then shut out the Predators 3-0 in Game 6 in Nashville to take the series in six games, advancing to the second round.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Calgary Flames
San Jose came into the series as Stanley Cup favorites and the hottest team in the NHL, while the Flames were considered the underdogs. Calgary won Game 1 in San Jose, thanks to two goals by Stephane Yelle and two assists from Jarome Iginla, before San Jose goaltender Evgeni Nabokov recorded a shutout in Game 2 to help the Sharks tie the series. The Flames then rallied from a three-goal deficit to earn a Game 3 victory thanks to backup goaltender Curtis Joseph's strong performance in relief of Miikka Kiprusoff, and appeared to be on their way to a Game 4 win as well, but the Sharks scored two goals late in the third period to win the game and tie the series. San Jose jumped again to a three-goal lead and held off a Calgary comeback in Game 5, but Miikka Kiprusoff recorded his own shutout in Game 6 to force a deciding Game 7 as the Flames won, 2-0. Unfortunately for the Flames, veteran Jeremy Roenick had something to prove in these playoffs and exploded in game 7, scoring 2 goals to go along with 2 assists as the Sharks won 5-3; Roenick was named the game's first Star. Curtis Joseph made his second appearance in the series, once again relieving Kiprusoff. Jarome Iginla and the Flames failed to get past the first round for the third time in three years after playing in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004.

(3) Minnesota Wild vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
The first three games of the conference quarterfinals series between the Minnesota Wild and the Colorado Avalanche each ended with 3–2 scores in overtime, with the Avalanche taking the first game and the Wild winning the next two. But five different Colorado players scored goals in Game 4 to give them the win. Then Wojtek Wolski and Paul Stastny scored less than 80 seconds apart in the third period of Game 5 to win it for the Avs. Colorado then captured the series in Game 6, aided by Jose Theodore's 34 saves out of 35 shots.

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
The defending Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks came into the 2008 playoffs finishing second in the Pacific Division behind the San Jose Sharks, and they were slotted as the fourth seed in the West facing the fifth seeded Dallas Stars in the opening round. Despite winning five of eight games against the Ducks during the regular season, the Stars had lost their last two matchups and only collected six total points in the month of March (out of a possible 22 points). Consequently, the defending champions were heavy favorites against the Stars, who had not made it out of the first round in over five years.

Dallas stunned the undisciplined Ducks, posting a 4–0 shutout in Game 1, with all four goals coming on the powerplay. Anaheim went into in Game 2 with a much more focused attack but could only manage a 2–2 tie after two periods. Dallas then took control of the series, getting three goals in the third period.

The series shifted to Dallas with the Stars having a 2–0 series lead. In Game 3, the Ducks avoided a 3–0 deficit by taking control early in the game and jumping out to a 4–0 lead, with two goals coming from Ducks captain Chris Pronger. Anaheim won the game, 4–2. Anaheim's leading goal scorer in the regular season, Corey Perry, returned from injury in Game 4. However, the Ducks could not keep up with the Stars' home-ice advantage, and scored their only goal of the game with eight seconds left. Dallas won the game 3–1 and took a commanding 3–1 series lead.

Game 5 returned to Anaheim—where the Stars had already won the first two games of the series—as the Ducks attempted to avoid elimination. The Stars kept it close, but the Ducks took control late in the game, getting their first contributions of the series from Perry. The Ducks won 5–2 to send the series back to Dallas. In Dallas, the Ducks struck first, getting another goal from Perry, but the Stars scored four goals in the third period with defenseman Stephane Robidas scoring a goal and then setting up Stu Barnes for the game winner just one minute later to give the Stars the series win.

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers won four consecutive games to eliminate the Eastern Conference top seeded Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens took Game 1 with Tom Kostopoulos's goal in overtime, but then had a hard time getting past Flyers goaltender Martin Biron for the rest of the series. Montreal goaltender Carey Price started to struggle with the Flyers, and was replaced by Jaroslav Halak late in Game 3. Price regained his starting job in Game 5, and the Canadians jumped to a 3–1 lead early in the second period, but the Flyers scored three consecutive goals en route to a 6–4 series clinching victory.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) New York Rangers
The semifinal matchup, between two Atlantic Division rivals, began on April 25. After overcoming a 3–0 deficit midway through the second period, the Penguins took the lead with 1:41 remaining, and held on to win the game 5–4. In Game Two Penguins' goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 26 shots to achieve his second shutout of the playoffs; the Penguins won the game 2–0 to take a 2–0 lead in the series. Game Three shifted the series to New York, where the Rangers were undefeated against the Penguins during the regular season. Martin Straka scored his second goal of the series to tie the game at one, in the first period. But in late in the second Evgeni Malkin netted his second game-winning goal of the series to give the Penguins a 3–0 lead in the series. Facing elimination in Game Four, Rangers' goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 29 shots that he faced, and Jaromir Jagr scored twice as New York shutout the Penguins, 3–0. Game Five was played in Pittsburgh, after falling to a 2–0 deficit the Rangers battled back to tie the game, which was forced into overtime. Pittsburgh's Marian Hossa, scored his fourth goal of the series, at the 7:10 mark of the first overtime, to win the series for the Penguins. The Penguins went on to play another division rival, the Philadelphia Flyers, for the Eastern Conference championship.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Colorado Avalanche
The Red Wings and Avalanche met for the sixth time in the playoffs, with the winner of the series later winning the Stanley Cup 3 times. Once bitter rivals, this series proved to be no contest as the Red Wings scored 21 total goals in four games to sweep the Avalanche, the first ever sweep in the two teams playoff matchups against each other. Detroit's Johan Franzen scored 9 goals, including two hat tricks, breaking the franchise record for goals in a playoff series, and also scoring as many goals as the entire Avalanche team. Meanwhile, Colorado was depleted with several key players out with injuries, including Peter Forsberg (who played 1 game in the series), Ryan Smyth, Paul Stastny, and Wojtek Wolski.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Dallas Stars
Dallas opened the series having not lost in regulation to the Sharks in San Jose since 2006, however, as in the Anaheim series, the Stars were seeded lower than the Sharks, who had home ice advantage.

Game 1 went to overtime after a late goal by Jonathan Cheechoo which tied the game, but Dallas captain Brenden Morrow scored in overtime to finish the game at 3–2. In Game 2, defenceman Sergei Zubov returned from a hernia injury that had kept him out since January. Stars' center Brad Richards keyed a four goal outburst in the third period for Dallas, scoring a goal and three assists to lead The Stars to a 5–2 win. The Stars became only the fifth team in NHL history to win games 1 and 2 on the road in back to back series in the playoffs. In Game 3 in Dallas, the Stars won again in overtime on a rare goal from defenceman Mattias Norstrom.

With the Stars leading the Sharks 3–0 in the series, San Jose fought off elimination with third period goals from Patrick Marleau and Milan Michalek in Game 4. San Jose came back home for Game 5. Dallas took a two goal lead into the third period, however, the Sharks tied the game with goals by Michalek and Brian Campbell. Overtime was needed for the third time in five games, but just 1:05 into the first overtime, San Jose center Joe Pavelski converted a turnover to keep the Sharks alive in the playoffs down 3–2. Brenden Morrow had two goals disallowed in the game for illegally kicking the puck into the net and bunting one in with his hand.

In Game 6, Stars right wing Antti Miettinen opened the scoring in the second period off a rebound from Mike Modano. Minutes into the third period, San Jose winger Ryane Clowe tied the game on an odd shot from the halfboards. Replay showed the puck appeared to have been played with an illegal hand pass. Stars goaltender Marty Turco protested, but no official review took place, and the goal was allowed to stand. The game required overtime for the fourth time in the series. The game played on until the early hours of the morning and featured a fantastic goaltending duel between Turco and Sharks' goalie Evgeni Nabokov, each trading spectacular saves throughout all four overtimes. Just past the 9:00 mark of the fourth overtime, with Brian Campbell in the Sharks' penalty box for tripping, Brenden Morrow tipped home a pass from defenceman Stephane Robidas to end the eighth longest game in NHL history and win the series for the Stars 4–2. Goaltenders Turco and Nabokov set team records for saves in a game with 61 and 53 respectively.

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (6) Philadelphia Flyers
The Eastern Conference finals between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers began on May 9. Game One was tied with seven seconds remaining in the first period when Evgeni Malkin scored to give the Penguins a 3–2 lead. Malkin scored the first shorthanded goal of his career in the second to give the Penguins a 4–2 win and a 1–0 series lead. With less than a minute left in the second period, of Game Two, Mike Richards scored his third goal of the series to tie the game at two. But Maxime Talbot and Jordan Staal added goals for the Penguins to give them their second consecutive 4–2 victory. The series shifted to Philadelphia for Game Three, where the Penguins struggled in the regular season. R. J. Umberger scored half-way through the first period to pull the Flyers within one goal, but the Flyers failed to score again. After getting two more goals in the third the Penguins won the game 4–1, to gain a 3–0 series lead. Facing elimination in Game Four, the Flyers jumped out to a 3–0 lead in the first period. Penguins' Jordan Staal scored twice in the third period, but Joffery Lupul tallied his second goal of the game to win the game for the Flyers, 4–2. With the series returning to Pittsburgh, the Penguins won their eighth consecutive home game to win the Prince of Wales Trophy, by a final score of 6–0.

Western Conference Finals
The Red Wings and Stars met in the playoffs for the first time since the 1998 Western Conference Finals. Detroit took a 1-0 series lead in Game 1, winning 4-1, with Red Wings winger Johan Franzen scored his league leading 12th playoff goal. The Red Wings won Game 2 by a 2-1 margin; rookie Darren Helm scored his first career playoff goal. A scrum followed the game, originating when Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood's stick struck Stars center Mike Ribeiro, who retaliated with a two handed slash to Osgood's chest; no suspensions were given.

The Red Wings dominated the Stars in Game 3 in Dallas, winning 5-2. Center Pavel Datsyuk recorded a hat trick for the Red Wings, while Osgood stopped 16 shots for the win. But the Stars would avoid elimination in Game 4, winning 3-1. Back in Detroit for Game 5, Stars goaltender Marty Turco stopped 38 shots as the Stars won, 2-1. It was Turco's first ever win at Joe Louis Arena at the professional level. But the Red Wings would return to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2002, winning Game 6 by a score of 4-1.

Stanley Cup Final
The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was won by the Detroit Red Wings over the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. The series was broadcast in Canada by CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. In Quebec, RDS televised the series. In the United States, Versus televised Games 1 and 2, while NBC broadcast the remainder. In the United Kingdom, all games were shown on Five (channel).