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2008StanleyCupPlayoffs

Official logo for the 2008 NHL 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[]

Hhof stanley cup

The Stanley Cup

  1. Montreal CanadiensNortheast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 104 points
  2. Pittsburgh PenguinsAtlantic Division champions, 102 points
  3. Washington CapitalsSoutheast 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 WingsCentral Division and Western Conference regular season champions; President's Trophy winners, 115 points
  2. San Jose SharksPacific Division champions, 108 points
  3. Minnesota WildNorthwest 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[]

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Final
                                     
1  Montreal Canadiens 4  
8  Boston Bruins 3  
  1  Montreal Canadiens 1  
  6  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
2  Pittsburgh Penguins 4
7  Ottawa Senators 0  
  6  Philadelphia Flyers 1  
Eastern Conference
  2  Pittsburgh Penguins 4  
3  Washington Capitals 3  
6  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
  2  Pittsburgh Penguins 4
  5  New York Rangers 1  
4  New Jersey Devils 1
5  New York Rangers 4  
  E2  Pittsburgh Penguins 2
  W1  Detroit Red Wings 4
1  Detroit Red Wings 4  
8  Nashville Predators 2  
  1  Detroit Red Wings 4
  6  Colorado Avalanche 0  
2  San Jose Sharks 4
7  Calgary Flames 3  
  1  Detroit Red Wings 4
Western Conference
  5  Dallas Stars 2  
3  Minnesota Wild 2  
6  Colorado Avalanche 4  
  2  San Jose Sharks 2
  5  Dallas Stars 4  
4  Anaheim Ducks 2
5  Dallas Stars 4  

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.

Statistical leaders[]

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.

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Zetterberg, HenrikHenrik Zetterberg Detroit Red Wings 22 13 14 27 +16 16
Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 20 6 21 27 +7 12
Hossa, MarianMarian Hossa Pittsburgh Penguins 20 12 14 26 +8 12
Datsyuk, PavelPavel Datsyuk Detroit Red Wings 22 10 13 23 +13 6
Malkin, EvgeniEvgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 20 10 12 22 +3 24
Franzen, JohanJohan Franzen Detroit Red Wings 16 13 5 18 +13 14
Ribeiro, MikeMike Ribeiro Dallas Stars 18 3 14 17 0 16
Briere, DanielDaniel Briere Philadelphia Flyers 17 9 7 16 -3 20
Malone, RyanRyan Malone Pittsburgh Penguins 20 6 10 16 +4 25
Umberger, R. J.R. J. Umberger Philadelphia Flyers 17 10 5 15 +7 10
Morrow, BrendanBrendan Morrow Dallas Stars 18 9 6 15 0 22
Jagr, JaromirJaromir Jagr New York Rangers 10 5 10 15 +3 12
Richards, BradBrad Richards Dallas Stars 18 3 12 15 +1 8
Kronwall, NiklasNiklas Kronwall Detroit Red Wings 22 0 15 15 +16 18

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.

Player Team GP W L SA GA GAA Sv% SO TOI
Osgood, ChrisChris Osgood Detroit Red Wings 19 14 4 430 30 1.55 .930 3 1159:57
Fleury, Marc-AndreMarc-Andre Fleury Pittsburgh Penguins 20 14 6 610 41 1.97 .933 3 1251:10
Turco, MartyMarty Turco Dallas Stars 18 10 8 511 40 2.08 .922 1 1152:13
Nabokov, EvgeniEvgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks 13 6 7 333 31 2.18 .907 1 852:52
Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist New York Rangers 10 5 5 287 26 2.57 .909 1 608:04
Thomas, TimTim Thomas Boston Bruins 7 3 4 221 19 2.65 .914 0 430:06

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)

Conference Quarterfinals[]

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals[]

(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.

April 10 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 Boston Bruins Bell Centre Recap  
Sergei Kostitsyn 1 - 00:34
Andrei Kostitsyn 1 - 02:02
First period 08:34 - Shane Hnidy 1
Bryan Smolinski 1 - 05:16 Second period No scoring
Tom Kostopoulos 1 - 07:24 Third period No scoring
Carey Price 17 saves / 18 shots Goalie stats Tim Thomas 28 saves / 32 shots
April 12 Montreal Canadiens 3–2 OT Boston Bruins Bell Centre Recap  
Roman Hamrlik 1 - 18:30 First period No scoring
Sergei Kostitsyn 2 - 01:50 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 03:58 - Peter Schaefer 1
09:34, David Krejci 1
Alexei Kovalev 1 - pp - 02:30 First overtime period No scoring
Carey Price 37 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Tim Thomas 28 saves / 31 shots
April 13 Boston Bruins 2–1 OT Montreal Canadiens TD Banknorth Garden Recap  
Milan Lucic 1 - 06:30 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 04:26 - Tom Kostopoulos 2
No scoring Third period No scoring
Marc Savard 1 - 09:25 First overtime period No scoring
Tim Thomas 27 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 29 saves / 31 shots
April 15 Boston Bruins 0–1 Montreal Canadiens TD Banknorth Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 19:18 - pp - Patrice Brisebois 1
No scoring Third period No scoring
Tim Thomas 27 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 27 saves / 27 shots
April 17 Montreal Canadiens 1–5 Boston Bruins Bell Centre Recap  
Alexei Kovalev 2 - 09:47 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 07:45 - pp - Phil Kessel 1
No scoring Third period 03:31 - Glen Metropolit 1
05:49 - pp - Zdeno Chara 1
15:13 - sh - Marco Sturm 1
17:48 - Vladimir Sobotka 1
Carey Price 19 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Tim Thomas 31 saves / 32 shots
April 19 Boston Bruins 5–4 Montreal Canadiens TD Banknorth Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 09:44 - Christopher Higgins 1
Phil Kessel 2 - 01:54
Vladimir Sobotka 2 - 03:13
Second period 07:43 - Tomas Plekanec 1
Milan Lucic 2 - 12:13
Phil Kessel 3 - 15:45
Marco Sturm 2 - 17:23
Third period 10:04 - Francis Bouillon 1
15:56 - Christopher Higgins 2
Tim Thomas 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 31 saves / 36 shots
April 21 Montreal Canadiens 5–0 Boston Bruins Bell Centre Recap  
Mike Komisarek 1 - 03:31 First period No scoring
Mark Streit 1 - 10:45
Andrei Kostitsyn 2 - 15:13
Second period No scoring
Andrei Kostitsyn 3 - pp - 17:58
Sergei Kostitsyn 3 - 19:52
Third period No scoring
Carey Price 25 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Tim Thomas 30 saves / 35 shots
Montreal won series 4–3


(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).


April 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0 Ottawa Senators Mellon Arena Recap  
Gary Roberts 1 - 01:08
Petr Sykora 1 - 12:28
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Evgeni Malkin 1 - 13:58
Gary Roberts 2 - pp - 18:25
Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 26 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Martin Gerber 31 saves / 35 shots
April 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Ottawa Senators Mellon Arena Recap  
Sergei Gonchar 1 - pp - 16:10 First period No scoring
Petr Sykora 2 - pp - 05:22
Petr Sykora 3 - 10:52
Second period 11:25 - Shean Donovan 1
16:11 - pp - Cory Stillman 1
Ryan Malone 1 - pp - 18:58
Ryan Malone 2 - en - 19:53
Third period 08:51 - Cody Bass 1
Marc-Andre Fleury 27 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Martin Gerber 49 saves / 53 shots
April 14 Ottawa Senators 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Scotiabank Place Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Nick Foligno 1 - 01:11 Second period 05:39 - Max Talbot 1
No scoring Third period 00:12 - Sidney Crosby 1
01:30 - Jordan Staal 1
08:55 - pp - Marian Hossa 1
Martin Gerber 34 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 33 saves / 34 shots
April 16 Ottawa Senators 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Scotiabank Place Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Cory Stillman 2 - 10:31 Second period 01:40 - pp - Evgeni Malkin 2
15:28 - Jarkko Ruutu 1
No scoring Third period 19:52 - en - Sidney Crosby 2
Martin Gerber 31 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 21 saves / 22 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–0


(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.

April 11 Washington Capitals 5–4 Philadelphia Flyers Verizon Center Recap  
Donald Brashear 1 - 03:16
Dave Steckel 1 - 24:08
Mike Green 1 - 41:50
Mike Green 2 - pp - 46:26
Alexander Ovechkin 1 - 55:28
Scoring stats 08:17 - Vaclav Prospal 1
31:46 - Danny Briere 1
32:19 - Vaclav Prospal 2
35:22 - pp - Danny Briere 2
Cristobal Huet 22 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 18 saves / 22 shots
April 13 Washington Capitals 0–2 Philadelphia Flyers Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring Scoring stats 05:53 - R. J. Umberger 1
15:17 - Jeff Carter 1
Cristobal Huet 39 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 24 saves / 24 shots
April 15 Philadelphia Flyers 6–3 Washington Capitals Wachovia Center Recap  
Danny Briere 3 - 16:10
Scott Hartnell 1 - 18:26
Sami Kapanen 1 - 18:43
Danny Briere 4 - pp - 39:50
Mike Richards 1 - ps - 57:01
Mike Knuble 1 - en - 58:55
Scoring stats 17:21 - Eric Fehr 1
27:28 - pp - Mike Green 3
55:26 - Brooks Laich 1
Martin Biron 16 saves / 19 shots Goalie stats Cristobal Huet 27 saves / 32 shots
April 17 Philadelphia Flyers 4–3 2OT Washington Capitals Wachovia Center Recap  
Jeff Carter 2 - 00:42
Jeff Carter 3 - pp - 18:33
Danny Briere 5 - pp - 50:01
Mike Knuble 2 - 86:40
Scoring stats 02:41 - pp - Nicklas Backstrom 1
12:59 - pp - Alexander Semin 1
25:56 - Steve Eminger 1
Martin Biron 38 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Cristobal Huet 42 saves / 46 shots
April 19 Washington Capitals 3–2 Philadelphia Flyers Verizon Center Recap  
Nicklas Backstrom 2 - pp - 07:31
Sergei Fedorov 1 - 21:25
Alexander Semin 2 - pp - 54:33
Scoring stats 32:35 - pp - Vaclav Prospal 3
55:17 - Derian Hatcher 1
Cristobal Huet 30 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 23 saves / 26 shots
April 21 Philadelphia Flyers 2–4 Washington Capitals Wachovia Center Recap  
Mike Richards 2 - pp - 03:49
Danny Briere 6 - 21:18
Scoring stats 29:34 - Nicklas Backstrom 3
38:03 - Alexander Semin 3
42:46 - Alexander Ovechkin 2
50:41 - Alexander Ovechkin 3
Martin Biron 36 saves / 40 shots Goalie stats Cristobal Huet 33 saves / 35 shots
April 22 Washington Capitals 2–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers Verizon Center Recap  
Nicklas Backstrom 4 - pp - 05:42
Alexander Ovechkin 4 - 35:29
Scoring stats 15:38 - pp - Scottie Upshall 1
29:47 - Sami Kapanen 2
66:06 - pp - Joffrey Lupul 1
Cristobal Huet 31 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 39 saves / 41 shots
Philadelphia won series 4–3


(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.

April 9 New Jersey Devils 1–4 New York Rangers Prudential Center Recap  
Paul Martin 1 - pp - 34:14 Scoring stats 21:45 - Brendan Shanahan 1
47:23 - sh - Ryan Callahan 1
57:07 - Sean Avery 1
59:55 - en - Nigel Dawes 1
Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 26 saves / 27 shots
April 11 New Jersey Devils 1–2 New York Rangers Prudential Center Recap  
John Madden 1 - 58:37 Scoring stats 44:26 - Jaromir Jagr 1
44:49 - Sean Avery 2
Martin Brodeur 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 26 saves / 27 shots
April 13 New York Rangers 3–4 OT New Jersey Devils Madison Square Garden Recap  
Brandon Dubinsky 1 - 12:17
Sean Avery 3 - pp - 26:50
Brandon Dubinsky 2 - pp - 40:55
Scoring stats 03:01 - Sergei Brylin 1
32:56 - pp - Patrik Elias 1
35:19 - pp - Zach Parise 1
66:01 - John Madden 2
Henrik Lundqvist 29 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 27 saves / 30 shots
April 16 New York Rangers 5–3 New Jersey Devils Madison Square Garden Recap  
Scott Gomez 1 - pp - 12:37
Martin Straka 1 - 22:53
Chris Drury 1 - 32:39
Marc Staal 1 - 56:47
Scott Gomez 2 - en - 59:47
Scoring stats 20:31 - Patrik Elias 2
26:58 - pp - Patrik Elias 3
44:37 - Mike Mottau 1
Henrik Lundqvist 28 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Martin Brodeur 34 saves / 38 shots
April 18 New Jersey Devils 3–5 New York Rangers Prudential Center Recap  
Brian Gionta 1 - 4:40
Bryce Salvador 1 - 29:26
Patrik Elias 4 - pp - 33:50
Scoring stats 4:58 - Michal Rozsival 1
6:38 - pp - Jaromir Jagr 2
18:01 - Scott Gomez 3
25:35 - Chris Drury 2
59:00 - en - Brandon Dubinsky 3
Martin Brodeur 18 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 23 saves / 26 shots
New York won series 4–1


Western Conference Quarterfinals[]

(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.


April 10 Detroit Red Wings 3–1 Nashville Predators Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Johan Franzen 1 - 05:58
Henrik Zetterberg 1 - 46:54
Henrik Zetterberg 2 - en - 59:41
Scoring stats 37:47 - Jordin Tootoo 1
Dominik Hasek 19 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Dan Ellis 37 saves / 39 shots
April 12 Detroit Red Wings 4–2 Nashville Predators Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Darren McCarty 1 - 02:26
Nicklas Lidstrom 1 - pp - 20:39
Kris Draper 1 - 25:00
Tomas Holmstrom 1 - 50:03
Scoring stats 22:19 - pp - Alexander Radulov 1
23:20 - Jordin Tootoo 2
Dominik Hasek 25 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Dan Ellis 34 saves / 38 shots
April 14 Nashville Predators 5–3 Detroit Red Wings Sommet Center Recap  
Alexander Radulov 2 - 32:53
David Legwand 1 - 35:01
Ryan Suter 1 - 56:03
Jason Arnott 1 - 56:12
Martin Erat 1 - en - 59:39
Scoring stats 08:56 - Kris Draper 2
29:12 - pp - Jiri Hudler 1
40:40 - Pavel Datsyuk 1
Dan Ellis 23 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Dominik Hasek 24 saves / 28 shots
April 16 Nashville Predators 3–2 Detroit Red Wings Sommet Center Recap  
Dan Hamhuis 1 - pp - 5:18
Shea Weber 1 - 5:50
Greg de Vries 1 - 26:35
Scoring stats 26:24 - pp - Pavel Datsyuk 2
43:23 - Pavel Datsyuk 3
Dan Ellis 39 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Dominik Hasek 11 saves / 14 shots
Chris Osgood 13 saves / 13 shots
April 18 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 OT Nashville Predators Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Valtteri Filppula 1 - 04:20
John Franzen 2 - 61:48
Scoring stats 19:16 - Radek Bonk 1
Chris Osgood 20 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Dan Ellis 52 saves / 54 shots
April 20 Nashville Predators 0–3 Detroit Red Wings Sommet Center Recap  
No scoring Scoring stats 33:44 - sh - Nicklas Lidstrom 2
43:52 - Jiri Hudler 2
43:52 - en - Brian Rafalski 1
Dan Ellis 40 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 20 saves / 20 shots
Detroit won series 4–2


(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.

April 9 San Jose Sharks 2–3 Calgary Flames HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
Ryane Clowe 1 - 06:06
Ryane Clowe 2 - 59:03
Scoring stats 02:47 - Stephane Yelle 1
05:17 - pp - Dion Phaneuf 1
36:21 - Stephane Yelle 2
Evgeni Nabokov 20 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Miikka Kiprusoff 37 saves / 39 shots
April 10 San Jose Sharks 2–0 Calgary Flames HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
Joe Pavelski 1 - 24:56
Torrey Mitchell 1 - pp - 38:09
Scoring stats No scoring
Evgeni Nabokov 21 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Miikka Kiprusoff 41 saves / 43 shots
April 13 Calgary Flames 4–3 San Jose Sharks Pengrowth Saddledome Recap  
Jarome Iginla 1 - pp - 13:22
Daymond Langkow 1 - pp - 30:14
Dion Phaneuf 2 - 41:18
Owen Nolan 1 - 56:15
Scoring stats 01:31 - pp - Ryane Clowe 3
03:19 - Patrick Marleau 1
03:33 - Douglas Murray 1
Miikka Kiprusoff 2 saves / 5 shots
Curtis Joseph 22 saves / 22 shots
Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 21 saves / 25 shots
April 15 Calgary Flames 2–3 San Jose Sharks Pengrowth Saddledome Recap  
Jarome Iginla 2 - 03:19
Dion Phaneuf 3 - 38:29
Scoring stats 30:56 - pp - Ryane Clowe 4
55:06 - Jonathan Cheechoo 1
59:50 - Joe Thornton 1
Miikka Kiprusoff 29 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 8 saves / 10 shots
April 17 San Jose Sharks 4–3 Calgary Flames HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
Joe Pavelski 2 - pp - 33:32
Patrick Marleau 2 - 38:07
Jonathan Cheechoo 2 - 44:52
Jonathan Cheechoo 3 - 48:23
Scoring stats 24:03 - pp - Jarome Iginla 3
49:06 - pp - Daymond Langkow 2
58:43 - David Moss 1
Evgeni Nabokov 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Miikka Kiprusoff 22 saves / 26 shots
April 20 Calgary Flames 2–0 San Jose Sharks Pengrowth Saddledome Recap  
Owen Nolan 2 - 11:33
Daymond Langkow 2 - 39:03
Scoring stats No scoring
Miikka Kiprusoff 21 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 23 saves / 25 shots
April 22 San Jose Sharks 5–3 Calgary Flames HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
Joe Thornton 2 - pp - 10:57
Jeremy Roenick 1 - 26:04
Jeremy Roenick 2 - pp - 29:04
Joe Pavelski 3 - 34:01
Devin Setoguchi 2 - 34:53
Scoring stats 12:23 - pp - Jarome Iginla 4
23:33 - Owen Nolan 3
45:18 - Wayne Primeau 1
Evgeni Nabokov 19 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Miikka Kiprusoff 26 saves / 30 shots
Curtis Joseph 10 saves / 11 shots
San Jose won series 4–3


(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.

April 9 Minnesota Wild 2–3 OT Colorado Avalanche Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Mikko Koivu 1 - 53:02
Todd Fedoruk 1 - 56:13
Scoring stats 21:29 - Kurt Sauer 1
33:08 - pp - Ryan Smyth 1
71:11 - Joe Sakic 1
Niklas Backstrom 19 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Jose Theodore 28 saves / 30 shots
April 11 Minnesota Wild 3–2 OT Colorado Avalanche Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Pavol Demitra 1 - pp - 41:37
Mikko Koivu 2 - 58:09
Keith Carney 1 - 61:14
Scoring stats 17:06 - Peter Forsberg 1
59:16 - Milan Hejduk 1
Niklas Backstrom 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Jose Theodore 28 saves / 31 shots
April 14 Colorado Avalanche 2–3 OT Minnesota Wild Pepsi Center Recap  
Andrew Brunette 1 - 15:19
Joe Sakic 2 - 54:56
Scoring stats 27:13 - Mikko Koivu 3
31:32 - sh - Brian Rolston 1
71:58 - Pierre-Marc Bouchard 1
Jose Theodore 36 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Niklas Backstrom 44 saves / 46 shots
April 15 Colorado Avalanche 5–1 Minnesota Wild Pepsi Center Recap  
Andrew Brunette 2 - 4:01
Wojtek Wolski 1 - 5:37
Tyler Arnason 1 - 11:08
Ruslan Salei 1 - pp - 27:42
Milan Hejduk 2 - pp - 36:44
Scoring stats 43:11 - sh - Mikko Koivu 4
Jose Theodore 24 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Niklas Backstrom 24 saves / 29 shots
Josh Harding 11 saves / 11 shots
April 17 Minnesota Wild 2–3 Colorado Avalanche Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Pierre-Marc Bouchard 2 - pp - 19:20
Brian Rolston 2 - 59:57
Scoring stats 12:24 - pp - Andrew Brunette 3
45:06 - pp - Wojtek Wolski 2
46:25 - Paul Stastny 1
Niklas Backstrom 14 saves / 17 shots Goalie stats Jose Theodore 38 saves / 40 shots
April 19 Colorado Avalanche 2–1 Minnesota Wild Pepsi Center Recap  
Ben Guite 1 - sh - 8:02
Ryan Smyth 2 - 32:30
Scoring stats 20:36 - Aaron Voros 1
Jose Theodore 34 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Niklas Backstrom 28 saves / 30 shots
Colorado won series 4–2


(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.

April 10 Anaheim Ducks 0–4 Dallas Stars Honda Center Recap  
No scoring Scoring stats 11:25 - pp - Steve Ott 1
17:34 - pp - Loui Eriksson 1
23:58 - pp - Jere Lehtinen 1
37:22 - pp - Brenden Morrow 1
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 33 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 23 saves / 23 shots
April 12 Anaheim Ducks 2–5 Dallas Stars Honda Center Recap  
Teemu Selanne 1 - pp - 23:41
Travis Moen 1 - 36:19
Scoring stats 06:28 - Mike Ribeiro 1
21:28 - pp - Jere Lehtinen 2
45:47 - pp - Mike Modano 1
46:42 - Brad Richards 1
54:36 - Loui Eriksson 2
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 25 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 20 saves / 22 shots
April 15 Dallas Stars 2–4 Anaheim Ducks American Airlines Center Recap  
Brenden Morrow 2 - pp - 45:43
Brenden Morrow 3 - pp - 47:22
Scoring stats 6:39 - Todd Marchant 1
10:09 - Ryan Getzlaf 1
14:31 - pp - Chris Pronger 1
25:34 - pp - Chris Pronger 2
Marty Turco 11 saves / 15 shots Goalie stats Jean-Sebastien Giguere 31 saves / 33 shots
April 17 Dallas Stars 3–1 Anaheim Ducks American Airlines Center Recap  
Joel Lundqvist 1 - 16:39
Stu Barnes 1 - 49:01
Steve Ott 2 - 57:17
Scoring stats 59:52 - Mathieu Schneider 1
Marty Turco 28 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Jean-Sebastien Giguere 17 saves / 20 shots
April 18 Anaheim Ducks 5–2 Dallas Stars Honda Center Recap  
Corey Perry 1 - 8:25
Ryan Getzlaf 2 - pp - 31:03
Teemu Selanne 2 - pp - 40:48
Sean O'Donnell 1 - 52:05
Todd Marchant 2 - en - 58:36
Scoring stats 18:27 - Mattias Norstrom 1
44:41 - Mike Ribeiro 2
Jean-Sebastien Giguere 40 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 27 saves / 31 shots
April 20 Dallas Stars 4–1 Anaheim Ducks American Airlines Center Recap  
Stephane Robidas 1 - pp - 41:18
Stu Barnes 2 - 42:10
Loui Eriksson 3 - 57:42
Mike Modano 2 - pp - en - 59:56
Scoring stats 22:11 - Corey Perry 2
Marty Turco 17 saves / 18 shots Goalie stats Jean-Sebastien Giguere 22 saves / 25 shots
Dallas won series 4–2


Conference Semifinals[]

Eastern Conference Semifinals[]

(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.

April 24 Montreal Canadiens 4–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers Bell Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 13:15 - R. J. Umberger 2
16:49 - Jim Dowd 1
Andrei Kostitsyn 4 - 09:44
Alexei Kovalev 3 - sh - 16:53
Second period No scoring
Alexei Kovalev 4 - pp - 19:31 Third period 00:19 - pp - Joffrey Lupul 2
Tom Kostopoulos 3 - 00:48 First overtime period No scoring
Carey Price 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 30 saves / 34 shots
April 26 Montreal Canadiens 2–4 Philadelphia Flyers Bell Centre Recap  
Saku Koivu 1 - pp - 16:18 First period 05:53 - R. J. Umberger 3
08:39 - pp - Jeff Carter 4
No scoring Second period 13:33 - Danny Briere 7
Andrei Markov 1 - 01:26 Third period 17:39 - R. J. Umberger 4
Carey Price 19 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 34 saves / 36 shots
April 28 Philadelphia Flyers 3–2 Montreal Canadiens Wachovia Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Scottie Upshall 2 - 07:04
Mike Richards 3 - sh - 15:12
R. J. Umberger 5 - 18:19
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 07:29 - pp - Tomas Plekanec 2
08:41 - pp - Saku Koivu 2
Martin Biron 32 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 9 saves / 12 shots
Jaroslav Halak 2 saves / 2 shots
April 30 Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 Montreal Canadiens Wachovia Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
R. J. Umberger 6 - pp - 07:47 Second period No scoring
Scott Hartnell 2 - 06:47
Danny Briere 8 - pp - 16:22
R. J. Umberger 7 - en - 19:58
Third period 12:59 - Tomas Plekanec 3
13:36 - Saku Koivu 3
Martin Biron 36 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Jaroslav Halak 22 saves / 25 shots
May 3 Montreal Canadiens 4–6 Philadelphia Flyers Bell Centre Recap  
Tomas Plekanec 4 - pp - 04:29
Alexei Kovalev 5 - 11:28
First period 10:20 - R. J. Umberger 8
Christopher Higgins 3 - 08:15 Second period 14:02 - Mike Richards 4
15:44 - R. J. Umberger 9
17:00 - Scott Hartnell 3
Andrei Kostitsyn 5 - 02:13 Third period 16:56 - Scottie Upshall 3
19:10 - en - Mike Knuble 3
Carey Price 31 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 31 saves / 35 shots
Philadelphia won series 4–1


(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.

April 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 New York Rangers Mellon Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 13:40 - pp - Martin Straka 2
Jarkko Ruutu 2 - 08:13
Pascal Dupuis 1 - 08:27
Second period 01:52 - Chris Drury 3
03:37 - Sean Avery 4
Marian Hossa 2 - 04:40
Petr Sykora 4 - 05:00
Evgeni Malkin 3 - pp - 18:19
Third period 10:04 - Scott Gomez 4
Marc-Andre Fleury 20 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 21 saves / 26 shots
April 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–0 New York Rangers Mellon Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Jordan Staal 2 - pp - 13:55 Second period No scoring
Adam Hall 1 - en - 19:43 Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 26 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 30 saves / 31 shots
April 29 New York Rangers 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Madison Square Garden Recap  
Martin Straka 3 - 14:32 First period 01:02 - Marian Hossa 3
16:17 - Georges Laraque 1
17:41 - pp - Evgeni Malkin 4
Ryan Callahan 2 - 12:07
Jaromir Jagr 3 - 13:11
Second period 17:53 - pp - Evgeni Malkin 5
No scoring Third period 02:30 - Ryan Malone 3
Henrik Lundqvist 12 saves / 17 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 36 saves / 39 shots
May 1 New York Rangers 3–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Jaromir Jagr 4 - 12:45 Second period No scoring
Brandon Dubinsky 4 - pp - 00:44
Jaromir Jagr 5 - pp - en - 19:46
Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 20 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 20 saves / 22 shots
May 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 OT New York Rangers Mellon Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Marian Hossa 4 - pp - 08:45
Evgeni Malkin 6 - 12:40
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period Lauri Korpikoski 1 - 02:03
Nigel Dawes 2 - 03:25
Marian Hossa 5 - 07:10 overtime period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 20 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 37 saves / 40 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–1


Western Conference Semifinals[]

(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.

April 24 Detroit Red Wings 4–3 Colorado Avalanche Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Henrik Zetterberg 3 - 09:46
Daniel Cleary 1 - 13:48
Johan Franzen 3 - pp - 17:23
First period 08:53 - Paul Stastny 2
Johan Franzen 4 - 01:13 Second period 05:17 - John-Michael Liles 1
16:29 - Milan Hejduk 3
No scoring Third period No scoring
Chris Osgood 18 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Jose Theodore 12 saves / 16 shots
Peter Budaj 20 saves / 20 shots
April 26 Detroit Red Wings 5–1 Colorado Avalanche Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Johan Franzen 5 - pp - 04:22 First period No scoring
Johan Franzen 6 - pp - 04:04
Valtteri Filppula 2 - 05:42
Henrik Zetterberg 4 - 10:11
Second period No scoring
Johan Franzen 7 - sh - 08:47 Third period 02:38 - Ian Laperriere 1
Chris Osgood 19 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Jose Theodore 16 saves / 20 shots
Peter Budaj 19 saves / 20 shots
April 29 Colorado Avalanche 3–4 Detroit Red Wings Pepsi Center Recap  
Cody McLeod 1 - 05:17 First period 12:14 - pp - Pavel Datsyuk 4
13:12 - Johan Franzen 8
Andrew Brunette 4 - pp - 08:08 Second period 06:36 - Pavel Datsyuk 5
12:24 - pp - Henrik Zetterberg 4
Andrew Brunette 5 - pp - 05:19 Third period No scoring
Jose Theodore 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 30 saves / 33 shots
May 1 Colorado Avalanche 2–8 Detroit Red Wings Pepsi Center Recap  
Tyler Arnason 2 - pp - 06:51 First period 04:33 - Mikael Samuelsson 1
18:34 - Tomas Holmstrom 2
19:21 - Johan Franzen 9
No scoring Second period 02:15 - pp - Henrik Zetterberg 5
05:45 - Henrik Zetterberg 6
11:37 - sh - Johan Franzen 10
17:15 - pp - Johan Franzen 11
John-Michael Liles 2 - pp - 10:26 Third period 08:02 - Mikael Samuelsson 2
Jose Theodore 12 saves / 15 shots
Peter Budaj 20 saves / 25 shots
Goalie stats Chris Osgood 29 saves / 31 shots
Detroit won series 4–0


(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.

April 25 San Jose Sharks 2–3 OT Dallas Stars HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Milan Michalek 1 - 04:50 Second period 06:06 - pp - Mike Modano 3
09:09 - Brenden Morrow 4
Jonathan Cheechoo 4 - 16:58 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 04:39 - Brenden Morrow 5
Evgeni Nabokov 15 saves / 18 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 25 saves / 27 shots
April 27 San Jose Sharks 2–5 Dallas Stars HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
Joe Pavelski 4 - pp - 10:13 First period 15:37 - Mike Ribeiro 3
Milan Michalek 2 - 14:54 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 00:32 - Brad Richards 2
03:39 - pp - Mike Modano 4
13:55 - Niklas Hagman 1
18:45 - en - Niklas Hagman 2
Evgeni Nabokov 20 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 26 saves / 28 shots
April 29 Dallas Stars 2–1 OT San Jose Sharks American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period 19:25 - sh - Patrick Marleau 3
No scoring Second period No scoring
Sergei Zubov 1 - pp - 00:47 Third period No scoring
Mattias Norstrom 2 - 04:37 First overtime period No scoring
Marty Turco 19 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 27 saves / 29 shots
April 30 Dallas Stars 1–2 San Jose Sharks American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Jere Lehtinen 3 - 05:25 Second period 09:19 - sh - Patrick Marleau 4
No scoring Third period 03:26 - pp - Milan Michalek 3
Marty Turco 22 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 17 saves / 18 shots
May 2 San Jose Sharks 3–2 OT Dallas Stars HP Pavilion at San Jose Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 06:14 - pp - Jere Lehtinen 4
19:04 - Brenden Morrow 6
Milan Michalek 4 - 06:20
Brian Campbell 1 - 11:07
Third period No scoring
Joe Pavelski 5 - 01:05 First overtime period No scoring
Evgeni Nabokov 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 19 saves / 22 shots
May 4 Dallas Stars 2–1 4OT San Jose Sharks American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Antti Miettinen 1 - 04:49 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 01:39 - Ryan Clowe 5
Brenden Morrow 7 - pp - 09:03 Fourth overtime period No scoring
Marty Turco 61 saves / 62 shots Goalie stats Evgeni Nabokov 53 saves / 55 shots
Dallas won series 4–2


Conference Finals[]

Eastern Conference Finals[]

(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.

May 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers Mellon Arena Recap  
Petr Sykora 5 - 06:19
Sidney Crosby 3 - 14:11
Evgeni Malkin 7 - 19:53
First period 08:30 - Mike Richards 5
12:50 - Mike Richards 6
Evgeni Malkin 8 - sh - 04:50 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 25 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 17 saves / 21 shots
May 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Philadelphia Flyers Mellon Arena Recap  
Sidney Crosby 4 - pp - 10:48 First period No scoring
Marian Hossa 6 - pp - 13:43 Second period 05:46 - pp -Jeff Carter 5
19:36 - sh - Mike Richards 7
Maxime Talbot 2 - 08:51
Jordan Staal 3 - en - 19:31
Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 30 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 34 saves / 37 shots
May 13 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Wachovia Center Recap  
R. J. Umberger 10 - 10:59 First period 05:03 - pp - Ryan Whitney 1
07:41 - Marian Hossa 7
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 09:58 - Ryan Malone 4
19:06 - en - Marian Hossa 8
Martin Biron 21 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 17 saves / 18 shots
May 15 Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Wachovia Center Recap  
Joffrey Lupul 4 - 08:27
Danny Briere 9 - pp - 11:48
Jeff Carter 6 - pp - 18:50
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Joffrey Lupul 5 - en - 19:27 Third period 03:16 - Jordan Staal 4
14:11 - Jordan Staal 5
Martin Biron 36 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 30 saves / 33 shots
May 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–0 Philadelphia Flyers Mellon Arena Recap  
Ryan Malone 5 - pp - 02:30
Evgeni Malkin 9 - 09:50
First period No scoring
Marian Hossa 9 - 08:24
Ryan Malone 6 - pp - 11:42
Jordan Staal 6 - 19:02
Second period No scoring
Pascal Dupuis 2 - 04:03 Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 21 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Martin Biron 19 saves / 25 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–1


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.

(1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (5) Dallas Stars[]

May 8 Detroit Red Wings 4–1 Dallas Stars Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Brian Rafalski 2 - pp - 04:28
Johan Franzen 12 - pp - 15:34
First period No scoring
Tomas Holmstrom 3 - pp - 06:40
Valtteri Filppula 3 - 15:37
Second period 18:53 - Brenden Morrow 8
No scoring Third period No scoring
Chris Osgood 20 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 27 saves / 31 shots
May 10 Detroit Red Wings 2–1 Dallas Stars Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Darren Helm 1 - 05:56
Henrik Zetterberg 8 - pp - 15:13
First period 10:41 - pp - Stephane Robidas 2
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Chris Osgood 17 saves / 18 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 32 saves / 34 shots
May 12 Dallas Stars 2–5 Detroit Red Wings American Airlines Center Recap  
Nicklas Grossman 1 - 15:13 First period 09:27 - Pavel Datsyuk 6
15:50 - Pavel Datsyuk 7
Brad Richards 3 - 03:47 Second period 11:54 - Jiri Hudler 3
No scoring Third period 01:38 - sh - Henrik Zetterberg 9
17:19 - Pavel Datsyuk 8
Marty Turco 16 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 16 saves / 18 shots
May 14 Dallas Stars 3–1 Detroit Red Wings American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Loui Eriksson 4 - 19:37 Second period No scoring
Mike Modano 5 - pp - 05:35
Brenden Morrow 9 - 14:34
Third period 00:49 - Henrik Zetterberg 10
Marty Turco 33 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 19 saves / 22 shots
May 17 Detroit Red Wings 1–2 Dallas Stars Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Jiri Hudler 4 - pp - 15:30 First period 09:20 - Trevor Daley 1
No scoring Second period 06:04 - Joel Lundqvist 2
No scoring Third period No scoring
Chris Osgood 19 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Marty Turco 38 saves / 39 shots
May 19 Dallas Stars 1–4 Detroit Red Wings American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period 03:45 - Kris Draper 3
11:41 - pp - Pavel Datsyuk 9
16:17 - Dallas Drake 1
No scoring Second period 03:11 - sh - Henrik Zetterberg 11
02:07 - pp - Stephane Robidas 3 Third period No scoring
Marty Turco 25 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 28 saves / 29 shots
Detroit won series 4–2


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).

(W1) Detroit Red Wings vs. (E2) Pittsburgh Penguins[]

May 24 Detroit Red Wings 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Joe Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Mikael Samuelsson 3 - 13:01 Second period No scoring
Mikael Samuelsson 4 - 02:16
Daniel Cleary 2 - sh - 17:18
Henrik Zetterberg 12 - pp - 19:47
Third period No scoring
Chris Osgood 19 saves / 19 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 32 saves / 36 shots
May 26 Detroit Red Wings 3–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Brad Stuart 1 - 06:55
Tomas Holmstrom 4 - 11:18
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Valtteri Filppula 4 - 08:48 Third period No scoring
Chris Osgood 22 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 31 saves / 34 shots
May 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Detroit Red Wings Mellon Arena Recap  
Sidney Crosby 5 - 17:25 First period No scoring
Sidney Crosby 6 - pp - 02:34 Second period 14:48 - pp - Johan Franzen 13
Adam Hall 2 - 07:18 Third period 13:37 - Mikael Samuelsson 5
Marc-Andre Fleury 32 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 21 saves / 24 shots
May 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Detroit Red Wings Mellon Arena Recap  
Marian Hossa 10 - pp - 02:51 First period 07:06 - Nicklas Lidstrom 3
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 02:26 - Jiri Hudler 5
Marc-Andre Fleury 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 22 saves / 23 shots
June 2 Detroit Red Wings 3–4 3OT Pittsburgh Penguins Joe Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 08:37 - Marian Hossa 11
14:41 - Adam Hall 3
Darren Helm 2 - 02:54 Second period No scoring
Pavel Datsyuk 10 - pp - 06:43
Brian Rafalski 3 - 09:23
Third period 19:25 - Maxime Talbot 3
No scoring Third overtime period 9:57 - pp - Petr Sykora 6
Chris Osgood 28 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 55 saves / 58 shots
June 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Detroit Red Wings Mellon Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 05:03 - pp - Brian Rafalski 4
Evgeni Malkin 10 - pp - 15:26 Second period 08:07 - Valtteri Filppula 5
Sergei Gonchar 2 - pp - 18:33 Third period 07:36 - Henrik Zetterberg 13
Marc-Andre Fleury 27 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Chris Osgood 20 saves / 22 shots
Detroit won series 4–2




Preceded by
2007 Stanley Cup playoffs
Stanley Cup playoffs
2008
Succeeded by
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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