2011 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 13, 2011, after the conclusion of the 2010–11 NHL regular season. Game 1 of the Finals was held on June 1, while Game 7 was held on June 15. The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the Finals to capture their first Stanley Cup championship since 1972.

Playoff seeds
After the regular season, the standard 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Vancouver Canucks were the Western Conference regular season champions and the Presidents' Trophy winners with the best record in the NHL at 117 points. The Washington Capitals earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference with 107 points. This is the first time all three California-based teams (San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, and Anaheim Ducks) and all four Pacific coast teams (with the Vancouver Canucks) have made the playoffs in the same year.

Eastern Conference

 * 1) Washington Capitals – Southeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 107 points
 * 2) Philadelphia Flyers – Atlantic Division champions, 106 points (44 regulation + overtime wins)
 * 3) Boston Bruins – Northeast Division champions, 103 points
 * 4) Pittsburgh Penguins – 106 points (39 regulation + overtime wins)
 * 5) Tampa Bay Lightning – 103 points
 * 6) Montreal Canadiens – 96 points (41 regulation + overtime wins)
 * 7) Buffalo Sabres – 96 points (38 regulation + overtime wins)
 * 8) New York Rangers – 93 points

Western Conference

 * 1) Vancouver Canucks – Northwest Division and Western Conference regular season champions; Presidents' Trophy winners, 117 points
 * 2) San Jose Sharks – Pacific Division champions, 105 points
 * 3) Detroit Red Wings – Central Division champions, 104 points
 * 4) Anaheim Ducks – 99 points (43 regulation + overtime wins)
 * 5) Nashville Predators – 99 points (38 regulation + overtime wins, 4 points head-to-head vs. Phoenix, goal differential of +25)
 * 6) Phoenix Coyotes – 99 points (38 regulation + overtime wins, 4 points head-to-head vs. Nashville, goal differential of +5)
 * 7) Los Angeles Kings – 98 points
 * 8) Chicago Blackhawks – 97 points

With 95 points, the Dallas Stars tied a record set by the 2006–07 Colorado Avalanche for the team with the highest season point total that failed to make the playoffs.

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. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points. Thus, the Vancouver Canucks have home ice advantage in this year's Finals. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team plays at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the lower-seeded team is at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary).

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) New York Rangers
The Washington Capitals entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference regular season champions, earning 107 points. The New York Rangers qualified for the postseason as the eighth seed with 93 points. This was the sixth playoff series between the two franchises; Washington had won three of the previous five meetings between these teams. The two teams had previously met in the first round of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs, in which the Capitals defeated the Rangers in seven games. In the regular season series, the Rangers held a 3–1–0 record, winning the last three games by a combined score of 15–1, although the Rangers were only able to score eight goals in this series, losing it in five games.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Buffalo Sabres
The Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division with 106 points, winning the tiebreaker over the Pittsburgh Penguins on regulation + overtime wins (44 to 39). The Buffalo Sabres earned the seventh seed with 96 points, losing the tiebreaker to Montreal on regulation + overtime wins (38 to 41). This was the ninth meeting of these two teams in the postseason; Philadelphia had won five of the eight previous playoff series. Their previous matchup occurred during the 2006 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which ended with Buffalo defeating Philadelphia in six games.

The series started out with a 1–0 shutout victory for Buffalo Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller in Game 1, while Philadelphia came back to win Games 2 and 3. Miller got another 1–0 shutout victory in Game 4, to tie the series up 2–2. In Game 5, Buffalo was up 3–0 at the end of the first period, but Philadelphia scored three goals to send the game to overtime. However, Tyler Ennis of Buffalo would score the overtime winner. In Game 6, Buffalo looked in good position to win after being up 3–1 after the 1st period, but Philadelphia rallied back, winning the game 5–4 on Ville Leino's overtime winner. In Game 7, Philadelphia went up 4–0 about 2 minutes into the 3rd period on a goal by Ville Leino. Due to that, Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller was pulled for the first time in the series, and Philadelphia won the game by a score of 5–2, to win the series 4–3.

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Montreal Canadiens
The Boston Bruins entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Northeast Division with 103 points. The Montreal Canadiens earned the sixth seed with 96 points, winning the tiebreaker over Buffalo on regulation and overtime wins (41 to 38). This was the 33rd meeting of these teams in the postseason, which is the most frequent playoff series in NHL history. Montreal had a record of 24–8 against Boston in the 32 previous series played by the franchises, winning 18 straight between 1946 and 1987. Boston had only beaten Montreal en route to winning the championship once before, in 1929. The most recent meeting of these teams in the postseason was in 2009, which ended with Boston sweeping Montreal.

In this series, the Boston Bruins dropped their first 2 games at home, but came back to hang on to a Game 3 victory in Montreal. In Game 4, Andrei Kostitsyn gave the Montreal Canadiens a 3–1 lead, which they couldn't take advantage of, falling 5–4 on an overtime goal by former Montreal Canadien Michael Ryder. Game 5 was sent into double overtime for Nathan Horton to win it 2–1 for Boston, but in Game 6, Montreal scored twice on 5-on-3 power plays and won it 2–1. Game 7 was also forced into overtime, where Nathan Horton again won the game 4–3 and sent the Boston to the second round of the playoffs. It can be said that the eventual Stanley Cup Champions were pushed the hardest in the 2011 playoffs by Montreal, with Boston taking 3 of their 4 wins in overtime and being the first team to win a postseason series despite being held scoreless on the power play.

On April 10, the scheduled date of the French-language Canadian federal election debate between party leaders was changed from April 14 to April 13 so it would not conflict with Game 1 of the series. Games 6 and 7 were played back-to-back due to a Lady Gaga concert, held on April 25 at the Bell Centre, and the requirement that the first round of the playoffs end by April 27.

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 106 points, losing the tiebreaker for the Atlantic Division title to the Philadelphia Flyers on regulation + overtime wins (39 to 44). The Tampa Bay Lightning earned 103 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the first playoff series between these two teams.

To start the series, Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury shut out Tampa Bay 3–0 in Game 1, with the Lightning responding with a 5–1 win. Unfortunately for the Lightning, they dropped Games 3 and 4 both in overtime, only to answer with a huge 8–2 victory in Pittsburgh, forcing a Game 6 at home that ended 4–2 in favor of the Tampa Bay Lightning. In Game 7, Lightning forward Sean Bergenheim scored about 5 minutes into the second period. The Lightning managed to hold on to that 1–0 lead, advancing to the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals.

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Chicago Blackhawks
The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the Western Conference regular season champions and Presidents' Trophy winners, earning 117 points. The Chicago Blackhawks qualified for the postseason as the eighth seed with 97 points. This was the third straight year that Vancouver has met Chicago in the playoffs. Chicago previously eliminated Vancouver in the second round in both 2009 and 2010; both of those series went to six games. After losing the first three games of the series, Chicago won the next three. This was the seventh time in NHL history that a team forced a seventh game after trailing 3–0 in a playoff series. However, Vancouver won the seventh game in overtime to avoid becoming the fourth team in NHL history to lose a series after taking a 3–0 series lead.

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings
The San Jose Sharks entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Western Conference after winning the Pacific Division with 105 points. The Los Angeles Kings earned the seventh seed with 98 points.This was the first meeting of these teams in the postseason.

The series started out with a bang in Game 1, with Dany Heatley scoring only 28 seconds into the game. That game was later on won by Joe Pavelski in overtime, but a good response by the Kings in Game 2 gave them a 4-0 shut out victory in San Jose. In Game 3, San Jose became the fifth team in NHL playoff history to win a game by after being faced with a 4–0 deficit, where Devin Setoguchi of San Jose scored the game winning goal in overtime, to make the final score 6-5. Still at home, Los Angeles lost Game 4 by a score of 6–3. In Game 5, at San Jose, Los Angeles would win by a score of 3–1. However, that would not be enough, as Joe Thornton of San Jose scored the game winning goal in overtime of Game 6 to eliminate Los Angeles from the playoffs, in a 4-2 series win.

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes
The Detroit Red Wings entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference after winning the Central Division with 104 points. This was Detroit's 20th straight appearance in the postseason. The Phoenix Coyotes earned the sixth seed with 99 points, losing tiebreakers to both the Anaheim Ducks and Nashville Predators. This was a rematch of the previous year's first round series, in which Detroit defeated Phoenix in seven games. The Red Wings had 13 different goal scorers in the series.

(4) Anaheim Ducks vs. (5) Nashville Predators
The Anaheim Ducks entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference with 99 points, winning tiebreakers over the Nashville Predators and the Phoenix Coyotes. The Nashville Predators also earned 99 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall. They lost the tiebreaker to Anaheim by having fewer games won in regulation and overtime (38 to 43). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. After making the playoffs for the sixth time in 12 seasons, Nashville moved on to the second round for the first time in franchise history.

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
This was the second playoff series between these two teams. Washington and Tampa Bay previously met in the first round of the 2003 playoffs, where Tampa Bay defeated Washington in six games. In the six-game regular season series between these teams, Washington won four games (including one win in a shootout). In Game 1, Sean Bergenheim, the player with the winning goal in Game 7 against Pittsburgh, opened the scoring for Tampa Bay, but goals from Alexander Semin and Eric Fehr put Washington up 2–1, only for Tampa Bay to regain the lead and win with Steven Stamkos's late 2nd period power play goal. Late in Game 2, Tampa Bay was up 2–1, when Alexander Ovechkin received a pass from behind the net to tie the game at 2, but in overtime, Tampa Bay forward Vincent Lecavalier put in his second goal of the game to win it for Tampa Bay. Game 3 was a hard fought game for Washington, after being up 3–2 to start the third period. However, Washington would ultimately lose Game 3 by a score of 4–3. Washington would then lose Game 4 by a score of 5–3, to fall to Tampa Bay in a 4–0 series sweep.

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins
This was sixth playoff series between these two teams. It was a rematch of the second-round series that was played the previous year, in which Philadelphia defeated Boston in seven games. Boston won the first three games of the 2010 series; however, Philadelphia rallied to win the final four games, and became the third team in NHL history to win a series by coming back from a 3–0 series deficit. However, in the 2011 series, Philadelphia was not able to repeat that feat, as Boston swept Philadelphia out of the playoffs to move to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 1992. This series featured some goaltending trouble for Philadelphia; Boston outscored Philadelphia 20–7 in four games. Brian Boucher started the first three games, but was pulled in all three: he was removed from Games 1 and 3 due to performance, and he was briefly removed from Game 2 due to injury. In all, Philadelphia started three different goaltenders in the 11 games that they played in the 2011 playoffs; six of those games featured a change of goalie.

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (5) Nashville Predators
This was the first playoff series between these two teams. It was also the first time that the Nashville Predators played in the second round of the playoffs. Vancouver and Nashville had split the four-game regular season series between them. Vancouver won this series in six games to advance to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1994. Each game in this series was decided by just a single goal (with the exception of an empty net goal scored by Vancouver in Game 4).

(2) San Jose Sharks vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings
This was the fifth playoff series between these two teams. This was a rematch of the second-round series that took place the previous year, in which San Jose defeated Detroit in five games. After losing the first three games, Detroit won the next three, to force a seventh game. This was the eighth time this feat had been achieved in NHL history, the third time in the last two seasons, and the second time in the 2011 playoffs. Chicago had accomplished the same feat against Vancouver in the Quarterfinals, ultimately losing that series. Since the New York Islanders twice forced a game seven after being down 3–0 during the 1975 Stanley Cup playoffs, there had been 112 consecutive failed attempts to repeat that feat prior to the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, after which it has happened in three of the seven possible series. San Jose won the seventh game by a score of 3–2 to avoid becoming the fourth team in NHL history to lose a series after taking a 3–0 series lead. It allowed them their second consecutive trip to the Conference Finals. Six of the games were decided by only one goal; the only exception was a 3–1 win for Detroit in game six, in which Darren Helm of Detroit scored an empty net goal.

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (5) Tampa Bay Lightning
This was the first playoff series between these teams. Boston won three of the four games that were played in the regular season. Bruins rookie Tyler Seguin scored a goal and an assist in his first career playoff game in Game 1. In Game 2 he tied the NHL record for points by a teenager in a single playoff period with four points, two goals and two assists (held by Trevor Linden). The 1–0 Game 7 Boston victory featured remarkable discipline from both teams, as no penalties were called during the game. This was the first time this has happened in the playoffs in over twenty years. Nathan Horton recorded his second Game 7 winning goal in this year's playoffs. His first was scored against Montreal in round one.

(1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (2) San Jose Sharks
This was the first playoff series between these teams. Vancouver won three of the four games that were played in the regular season; their only loss to San Jose came in a shootout. Both Vancouver and San Jose played in a series during the 2011 playoffs (Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively) where each took a 3–0 series lead, only to see the opposing team win the next three games to force a seventh game. However, both won their respective seventh games to advance to the next round of the playoffs. San Jose, facing elimination in game five, held a 2–1 lead near the end of the game, until Ryan Kesler forced overtime by scoring with only 13.2 seconds left in the third period after a controversial icing call. After a scoreless first overtime, Kevin Bieksa would score the series-winning goal 10:18 into the second overtime, to send Vancouver to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1994. The Canucks had previously won the Western Conference Finals on May 24, 1994, 17 years to the day before this year's Conference Finals win. Both games went to double overtime.

Stanley Cup Finals

 * Note: All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04).

As the Presidents' Trophy winners, the Vancouver Canucks earned home ice advantage over the Boston Bruins in the Finals. This was the first playoff series between Vancouver and Boston. Vancouver and Boston met only once in the 2010–11 regular season, on February 26. Boston won that game by a score of 3–1. This was Vancouver's third appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals; in both of their previous appearances, they lost to a team from New York. In 1982, they were swept by the Islanders. In 1994, they lost to the Rangers in seven games. This was Boston's first appearance in the Finals since their five-game loss to the Edmonton Oilers in 1990. Boston last won the Stanley Cup in 1972, when they defeated the New York Rangers in six games.

In a back-and-forth series, the Bruins triumphed in seven games. This series was marked by home team dominance, as the Canucks and Bruins each won their first three games at home. All of Vancouver's wins were close affairs at Rogers Arena: two 1–0 wins in Games 1 and 5, and a 3–2 overtime victory in Game 2. In Boston, the Bruins buried the Canucks in an avalanche of goals, winning Games 3, 4, and 6 by scores of 8–1, 4–0, and 5–2 respectively. In the seventh and deciding game, the Bruins defeated the Canucks 4–0.

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, and all the tied skaters are shown.

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. 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)