Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Meeting for the 5th time in the last six years in the playoffs, the Bruins would overcome the Wings in five games to avenge losing the previous three series. The return of the Kraut Line from war service saw them score half the Bruins goals in the series and Frank Brimsek out dueled Wings goalie Harry Lumley.
Game 1 saw the home town Bruins jump out to a 2-0 first period lead on a Shorthanded goal by defenseman Pat Egan and rookie Bill Shill. Harry Watson responded for the Wings in the second but Brimsek shut the door and Bep Guidolin sealed a 3-1 win for the Bruins.
Game 2 featured shutout play by Wings goalie Lumley. Pat Lundy opened the scoring at 7:32 of the first period on a breakaway. However, he crashed into the crossbar after scoring, separated his shoulder and was lost for the rest of the playoffs. Jim Conacher scored nearly six minutes after Lundy and and Watson's second of the series late in the third period led the Wings to a 3-0 win, tying the series 1-1.
Game 4 was a very clean game with only one penalty in which the Kraut Line continued to produce on first period goals by Dumart and Bobby Bauer. After a scoreless second period, Bep Guidolin's 2nd of the series saw the Bruins up 3-0. Fern Gauthier responded but a goal by the Bruins Terry Reardon sank any hopes of a comeback. The Bruins outshot the Wings 35-19, won 4-1 and took a 3-1 stranglehold on the series.
Game 5 saw the series back in the Boston Garden where first period goals by Bauer and Guidolin put the Bruins up 2-0. Gauthier responded in the second period but Reardon tallied early in the third. The Wings mounted a furious comeback with a goal by Adam Brown and then Ed Bruneteau tied it up in the last minute, sending the game into overtime. The Bruins survived a penalty in OT by Egan and Don Gallinger was the hero with the winner at 9:51 on a solo rush that began behind the Bruins net and ended when he split the Wings defense and fired a shot home.
Having last met in the 1943 semi-finals where the Bruins defeated the Habs 4 games to 1, the 1946 series would see three games go to overtime. The Canadiens won two of the OT games and defeated the Bruins 4 games to 1. Brothers Terry Reardon (Boston) and Ken Reardon (Montreal) faced each other in the series.
Game 1 saw a scoreless first period yield to an early second period Power play goal by Butch Bouchard of the Canadiens. Bob Fillion made it 2-0 before the Bruins scored a pair by Bep Guidolin and Woody Dumart. Tied going into the third, the Bruins Jack Crawford scored his only goal of the playoffs with less than 6 minutes left. An accurate pass from Maurice Richard to Murph Chamberlain tied the game with less than four minutes in the period, sending the game into overtime. The Bruins line of Kenny Smith, Bill Cowley and Terry Reardon had stopped the Habs "Punch Line" from scoring all game. In OT, Cowley had a breakaway that was stopped by Bill Durnan. At 9:08, Frank Brimsek kicked out a point shot by Butch Bouchard. Maurice Richard scored on the rebound, his 5th of the playoffs.
Game 2 saw the Habs Toe Blake barely play, having hurt his back in Game 1. The teams traded first period goals by Pat Egan and Elmer Lach. As in game 1, the Bruins took the lead on a goal by Bobby Bauer in the second but the Habs again tied it up on Butch Bouchard's long point shot. Jimmy Peters was the OT hero as his backhand shot deflected off Terry Reardon and into the net. Montreal held a 2-0 series lead going to Boston.
Game 3 again saw Montreal pull the game out in the third period. After the Bruins Guidolin and Terry Reardon tallied, the Habs responded with goals by Elmer Lach and Glen Harmon, it was 2-2 at the end of the second. Third period goals by Ken Mosdell and Dutch Hiller and stout goaltending by the Habs Bill Durnan led Montreal to a 4-3 win and a 3-0 stranglehold on the series.
Game 4 saw Dit Clapper take to the ice for the first time in the series while Art Ross manned the bench. After a scoreless first period in which the Bruins were badly outshot (it took 18 minutes to record their first shot on net), the Bruins Murray Henderson broke the ice in the second, responded to by Richard. In the third, Don Gallinger put the Bruins up at 3:01 but Richard responded again a minute later, sending the game into overtime. Terry Reardon's 4th of the playoffs at 15:13 won it for the Bruins, despite being outshot 39-20. The teams travelled back to Montreal with the Habs having a 3-1 series lead.
Game 5 saw the Kraut Line finally break out with the first goal of the series for Milt Schmidt. Bobby Bauer and Bill Cowley also scored but the Habs responded with Fillion, Lach and Mosdell. Tied 3-3 going into the third, the Habs again demonstrated a strong final frame and once Toe Blake scored the winner, his first of the series, at 11:06 (playing with an injured back), Chamberlain and Hiller piled on and Montreal took the Cup in 5 games.
