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2014 Stanley Cup playoffs logo

Logo for the 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 2014 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 16, 2014.

For the first time since 1973, only one Canadian team qualified for the playoffs: the Montreal Canadiens.[1] The Detroit Red Wings increased their consecutive playoff appearance streak to 23 seasons, the longest current streak and the fourth longest streak in NHL history. The Dallas Stars ended the league's third longest active playoff appearance drought, qualifying for the postseason for the first time in six years.[2] For the third time in four years, all three California teams again made the playoffs. The Columbus Blue Jackets won their first franchise playoff game on April 19, 2014, and their first ever franchise playoff home game at Nationwide Arena on April 23, 2014, both against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Three Original Six teams reached the Conference Finals, the first time this has occurred since 1979.

The 2013–14 playoffs opening round featured leads changing hands more so than any other year. After the Anaheim Ducks rallied from a 4–2 deficit to defeat the Dallas Stars in game 6 of their opening round series on April 27, 2014, an NHL record was broken for most multi-goal comebacks by all teams in the opening round, with ten. In all four rounds combined in the previous year's playoffs, there were only eight such victories.[3] It also marked just the fourth time in NHL playoff history that a team who led a series 3–0 in a seven game series failed to advance, when the San Jose Sharks lost to the Los Angeles Kings in Game 7 of the opening round on April 30, 2014.[4]

On May 29, 2014, the New York Rangers became the first team to ever advance past the Conference Finals after playing two seven-game series in the opening two rounds.[5] The Rangers also became the first captainless team to reach the finals since the Chicago Black Hawks in 1973. On June 1, 2014, the Los Angeles Kings became the first team to ever reach the Stanley Cup Finals having played three consecutive seven-game series. Los Angeles played all three of their game sevens on the road. Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final marked the 93rd game of the 2014 playoffs, eclipsing the previous single-year record of 92 established in 1991.[6]

Playoff seeds[]

For more details on this topic, see Stanley Cup playoffs#Current format.

The NHL adopted a new league alignment for the 2013–14 season, as the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets were moved to the Eastern Conference and the Winnipeg Jets to the Western Conference. The 16-team Eastern Conference was then divided into two 8-team divisions (Metropolitan and Atlantic), while the 14-team Western Conference was divided into two 7-team divisions (Pacific and Central). As part of the realignment, the NHL also switched its former conference-based playoff structure to a divisional-based playoff structure. The top three teams from each division qualified for that conference's playoffs. The remaining two playoff spots in each conference were wild card teams, which were the top two clubs from each conference that failed to win a divisional playoff spot.

The following teams qualified for the playoffs:

Eastern Conference[]

Atlantic Division[]

  1. Boston Bruins, Atlantic Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 117 points
  2. Tampa Bay Lightning – 101 points
  3. Montreal Canadiens – 100 points

Metropolitan Division[]

  1. Pittsburgh Penguins, Metropolitan Division champions – 109 points
  2. New York Rangers,  – 96 points
  3. Philadelphia Flyers – 94 points

Wild Cards[]

  1. Columbus Blue Jackets – 93 points (38 ROWs)
  2. Detroit Red Wings – 93 points (34 ROWs)

Western Conference[]

Central Division[]

  1. Colorado Avalanche, Central Division champions – 112 points
  2. St. Louis Blues – 111 points
  3. Chicago Blackhawks – 107 points

Pacific Division[]

  1. Anaheim Ducks, Pacific Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions – 116 points
  2. San Jose Sharks – 111 points
  3. Los Angeles Kings – 100 points

Wild Cards[]

  1. Minnesota Wild – 98 points
  2. Dallas Stars – 91 points

Playoff bracket[]

  Conference Quarterfinals Conference Semifinals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
A1  Boston 4  
WC  Detroit 1  
  A1  Boston 3  
  A3  Montreal 4  
A2  Tampa Bay 0
A3  Montreal 4  
  A3  Montreal 2  
Eastern Conference
  M2  NY Rangers 4  
M1  Pittsburgh 4  
WC  Columbus 2  
  M1  Pittsburgh 3
  M2  NY Rangers 4  
M2  NY Rangers 4
M3  Philadelphia 3  
  M2  NY Rangers 1
  P3  Los Angeles 4
C1  Colorado 3  
WC  Minnesota 4  
  WC  Minnesota 2
  C3  Chicago 4  
C2  St. Louis 2
C3  Chicago 4  
  C3  Chicago 3
Western Conference
  P3  Los Angeles 4  
P1  Anaheim 4  
WC  Dallas 2  
  P1  Anaheim 3
  P3  Los Angeles 4  
P2  San Jose 3
P3  Los Angeles 4  


Conference Quarterfinals[]

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals[]

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Detroit Red Wings[]

The Boston Bruins won the Presidents' Trophy for earning the league's best record, with 117 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned 93 points during the regular season, and entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's second wild card. This was the eighth playoff meeting for these Original Six teams, with Boston having won four of the seven previous series. They last met in the 1957 Stanley Cup Semifinals, which Boston won in five games. The Red Wings won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

The Bruins eliminated the Red Wings in five games. In Game 1, Pavel Datsyuk scored the only goal with 3:01 left in Detroit's 1–0 victory,[7] but Boston went on to win four straight contests to capture the series. Four different Bruins players scored goals in Boston's 4–1 win in Game 2.[8] Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask then stopped all 23 Detroit shots in a 3–0 victory in Game 3.[9] In Game 4, Boston overcame a two-goal, second-period deficit, scoring three unanswered goals – including Jarome Iginla's game-winner at 13:32 of overtime – to win 3–2.[10] The Bruins clinched the series with a 4–2 win in Game 5, as Torey Krug recorded two assists, and Rask made 31 saves on 33 shots.[11]

April 18 Detroit Red Wings 1–0 Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Pavel Datsyuk (1) – 16:59 Third period No scoring
Jimmy Howard 25 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 23 saves / 24 shots
April 20 Detroit Red Wings 1–4 Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 07:28 – Justin Florek (1)
10:35 – ppReilly Smith (1)
Luke Glendening (1) – 13:20 Second period 18:16 – Milan Lucic (1)
No scoring Third period 02:27 – ppZdeno Chara (1)
Jimmy Howard 25 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 34 saves / 35 shots
April 22 Boston Bruins 3–0 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Dougie Hamilton (1) – pp – 09:00
Jordan Caron (1) – 15:48
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Patrice Bergeron (1) – en – 18:01 Third period No scoring
Tuukka Rask 23 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Jimmy Howard 31 saves / 33 shots
April 24 Boston Bruins 3–2 OT Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 11:00 – ppNiklas Kronwall (1)
Torey Krug (1) – pp – 10:14 Second period 04:27 – Pavel Datsyuk (2)
Milan Lucic (2) – 01:15 Third period No scoring
Jarome Iginla (1) – 13:32 First overtime period No scoring
Tuukka Rask 35 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Jonas Gustavsson 37 saves / 40 shots
April 26 Detroit Red Wings 2–4 Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 03:27 – ppLoui Eriksson (1)
Pavel Datsyuk (3) – pp – 14:41 Second period 19:56 – ppZdeno Chara (2)
Henrik Zetterberg (1) – 16:08 Third period 04:27 – Milan Lucic (3)
19:44 – enJarome Iginla (2)
Jonas Gustavsson 29 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 31 saves / 33 shots
Boston won series 4–1


(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (A3) Montreal Canadiens[]

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished second overall in the Atlantic Division, earning 101 points. The Montreal Canadiens earned 100 points during the regular season, to finish third overall in the Atlantic Division. This was the second playoff meeting for these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which Tampa Bay swept Montreal out of the playoffs en route to their Stanley Cup victory. The Lightning won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

The Canadiens swept the Lightning, who were without their starting goalie Ben Bishop after he suffered an injury during the last few weeks of the regular season.[12] With Anders Lindback in the Tampa Bay net, Steven Stamkos of the Lightning scored at 13:27 of the third period to tie Game 1, 4–4, before Montreal's Dale Weise won it at 18:08 of overtime.[13] Rene Bourque scored two goals, and Carey Price stopped 26 out of 27 shots, in the Canadiens' 4–1 win in Game 2.[14] At 15:38 of the second period of Game 3, Tampa Bay's Ryan Callahan appeared to give his team a 2–1 lead, but his goal was waived off as the officials ruled that there was contact between Alexander Killorn and Price; Montreal's Brendan Gallagher then scored minutes later, and the Canadiens went on to win 3–2.[15] Max Pacioretty then scored a power play goal at 19:17 of the third period of Game 4 to give Montreal the 4–3 win and the series.[16]

April 16 Montreal Canadiens 5–4 OT Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum Recap  
Tomas Plekanec (1) – 10:28 First period 10:09 – Nikita Kucherov (1)
Brian Gionta (1) – sh – 16:39 Second period 13:24 – Steven Stamkos (1)
Lars Eller (1) – 05:10
Thomas Vanek (1) – 11:30
Third period 07:11 – Alex Killorn (1)
13:27 – Steven Stamkos (2)
Dale Weise (1) – 18:08 First overtime period No scoring
Carey Price 21 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Anders Lindback 39 saves / 44 shots
April 18 Montreal Canadiens 4–1 Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Times Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
David Desharnais (1) – pp – 02:34
Rene Bourque (1) – 10:35
Second period No scoring
Brendan Gallagher (1) – 11:46
Rene Bourque (2) – 14:39
Third period 18:01 – ppTeddy Purcell (1)
Carey Price 26 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Anders Lindback 20 saves / 23 shots
Kristers Gudlevskis 2 saves / 3 shots
April 20 Tampa Bay Lightning 2–3 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 00:11 – Rene Bourque (3)
Ondrej Palat (1) – pp – 08:39 Second period 18:10 – Brendan Gallagher (2)
Matt Carle (1) – 11:36 Third period 05:43 – Tomas Plekanec (2)
Anders Lindback 28 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 27 saves / 29 shots
April 22 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–4 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 02:24 – Daniel Briere (1)
15:21 – Lars Eller (2)
Ondrej Palat (2) – sh – 04:32 Second period 05:42 – Brendan Gallagher (3)
Victor Hedman (1) – 03:29
Tyler Johnson (1) – 06:31
Third period 19:17 – ppMax Pacioretty (1)
Anders Lindback 17 saves / 20 shots
Kristers Gudlevskis 16 saves / 17 shots
Goalie stats Carey Price 20 saves / 23 shots
Montreal won series 4–0


(M1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (WC1) Columbus Blue Jackets[]

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished first overall in the Metropolitan Division, earning 109 points. The Columbus Blue Jackets earned 93 points during the regular season, and entered the playoffs as the Eastern Conference's first wild card, making the post-season for the first time since 2009, and only the second time in the franchise's history.[17] This was the first playoff meeting for these two teams. The Penguins won all five games in this year's regular season series.

The Blue Jackets recorded their first ever playoff victories in team history, but the Penguins still managed to win the series in six games. The first five games in the series featured comebacks, including 3–1 leads evaporating into 4–3 losses in the first four games. In Game 1, Pittsburgh scored three unanswered goals, including Brandon Sutter's game winner 8:18 in the third period, to overcome a two-goal deficit to win, 4–3.[18] Columbus then overcame a two-goal deficit in Game 2 after Pittsburgh built their lead with Brian Gibbons scoring his first two playoff goals, including a short-handed one. Matt Calvert then scored both a short-handed goal and then the game-winner 1:10 into double overtime to give the Blue Jackets their first playoff victory in franchise history.[19] Game 3 saw Brooks Orpik score his second ever playoff goal with less than 2 seconds remaining in the second period. The Blue Jackets would jump back up to a two goal lead at the start of the third period, thanks to Cam Atkinson’s first ever playoff goal. But the Penguins scored three goals within a span of 2:13 in the third period, including Jussi Jokinen's game-winner at 8:06, for another 4–3 win.[20] The Blue Jackets then overcame a three-goal deficit in Game 4 to record a fourth 4–3 contest in this series, with Brandon Dubinsky tying the game with 24 seconds left in regulation after Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury mishandled the puck from behind his own net, allowing Ryan Johansen to fling the puck to a wide open Dubinsky. Nick Foligno then scored the game winner at 2:49 into overtime, which gave the Blue Jackets their first home playoff victory in team history.[21] But Fleury rebounded in Game 5, making 23 saves out of 24 shots in Pittsburgh's 3–1 win. Columbus lost despite spectacular play by Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped 48 of 50 shots but did not receive the goal support needed to win.[22] In Game 6, Evgeni Malkin's second career playoff hat trick helped the Penguins build a 4–0 lead, but they had to withstand a late comeback attempt by the Blue Jackets, who scored three unanswered goals in a span of five minutes late in the third period, to hold on to the 4–3 victory.[23]

April 16 Columbus Blue Jackets 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Jack Johnson (1) – 06:20
Mark Letestu (1) – pp – 17:58
First period 17:13 – Jussi Jokinen (1)
Derek MacKenzie (1) – sh – 00:43 Second period 01:34 – ppBeau Bennett (1)
02:19 – ppMatt Niskanen (1)
No scoring Third period 08:18 – Brandon Sutter (1)
Sergei Bobrovsky 28 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 31 saves / 34 shots
April 19 Columbus Blue Jackets 4–3 2OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Ryan Johansen (1) – pp – 05:07 First period 03:30 – Brian Gibbons (1)
04:24 – sh – Brian Gibbons (2)
17:52 – ppMatt Niskanen (2)
Matt Calvert (1) – sh – 07:31 Second period No scoring
Jack Johnson (2) – pp – 13:59 Third period No scoring
Matt Calvert (2) – 01:10 Second overtime period No scoring
Sergei Bobrovsky 39 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 41 saves / 45 shots
April 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 01:38 – Boone Jenner (1)
03:18 – Jack Johnson (3)
Brooks Orpik (1) – 19:58 Second period No scoring
Brandon Sutter (2) – 05:53
Lee Stempniak (1) – 07:03
Jussi Jokinen (2) – 08:06
Third period 01:04 – Cam Atkinson (1)
Marc-Andre Fleury 17 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Sergei Bobrovsky 37 saves / 41 shots
April 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 OT Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena Recap  
Craig Adams (1) – sh – 06:09
Chris Kunitz (1) – pp – 10:37
James Neal (1) – 11:10
First period 16:39 – ppBoone Jenner (2)
No scoring Second period 14:20 – ppRyan Johansen (2)
No scoring Third period 19:36 – Brandon Dubinsky (1)
No scoring First overtime period 02:49 – Nick Foligno (1)
Marc-Andre Fleury 42 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Sergei Bobrovsky 22 saves / 25 shots
April 26 Columbus Blue Jackets 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Boone Jenner (3) – pp – 12:55 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 07:42 – ppChris Kunitz (2)
No scoring Third period 06:16 – Jussi Jokinen (3)
18:59 – enKris Letang (1)
Sergei Bobrovsky 48 saves / 50 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 23 saves / 24 shots
April 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Columbus Blue Jackets Nationwide Arena Recap  
Evgeni Malkin (1) – 09:11
Evgeni Malkin (2) – pp – 13:13
First period No scoring
Brandon Sutter (3) – 00:34
Evgeni Malkin (3) – 15:22
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 10:21 – shFedor Tyutin (1)
13:54 – ppArtem Anisimov (1)
15:13 – Nick Foligno (2)
Marc-Andre Fleury 24 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Sergei Bobrovsky 24 saves / 28 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–2


(M2) New York Rangers vs. (M3) Philadelphia Flyers[]

The New York Rangers finished second overall in the Metropolitan Division, earning 96 points. The Philadelphia Flyers earned 94 points during the regular season, to finish third overall in the Metropolitan Division. This was the eleventh playoff meeting for these rivals, with Philadelphia having won six of the ten previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1997 Eastern Conference Finals, which Philadelphia won in five games. Each team won two games in this year's four-game regular season series.

The Rangers eliminated the Flyers in seven games. New York scored two power play goals, and Brad Richards recorded a goal and 2 assists, in a 4–1 victory in Game 1.[24] The Flyers overcame a two-goal deficit, scoring 4 unanswered goals from 4 different players to win Game 2, 4–2.[25] In Game 3, Daniel Girardi and Martin St. Louis each had a goal and an assist as they led the Rangers to another 4–1 win.[26] Steve Mason then replaced Ray Emery as the starting goalie for the Flyers in Game 4. Mason went on to make 37 saves out of 38 shots, and Jakub Voracek scored the game-winning goal on a power play in the second period, as Philadelphia won, 2–1.[27] However, Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist made 23 saves out of 25 shots en route to a 4–2 Rangers win in Game 5.[28] Back at home in Game 6, Wayne Simmonds recorded a hat-trick, leading Philadelphia to a 5–2 win.[29] Game 7 was played the next night, where the Rangers jumped to a 2–0 lead in the second period, and with Henrik Lundqvist stopping 26 out of 27 shots, the Rangers hung on for a 2–1 win.[30] The Rangers became the only NHL team to remain undefeated in a home game 7 with a 6–0 franchise record.[31]

April 17 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Andrew MacDonald (1) – 07:28 First period 10:53 – Mats Zuccarello (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 08:22 – ppBrad Richards (1)
09:09 – ppDerek Stepan (1)
15:52 – Carl Hagelin (1)
Ray Emery 32 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 14 saves / 15 shots
April 20 Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Jakub Voracek (1) – 14:14 First period 04:08 – Martin St. Louis (1)
08:22 – ppBenoit Pouliot (1)
Jason Akeson (1) – pp – 05:45
Luke Schenn (1) – 11:18
Second period No scoring
Wayne Simmonds (1) – en – 19:34 Third period No scoring
Ray Emery 31 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 21 saves / 24 shots
April 22 New York Rangers 4–1 Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center Recap  
Derek Stepan (2) – 03:54
Martin St. Louis (2) – 10:24
First period 17:18 – Mark Streit (1)
Daniel Girardi (1) – 05:17 Second period No scoring
Daniel Carcillo (1) – 10:53 Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 31 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Ray Emery 16 saves / 20 shots
Steve Mason 3 saves / 3 shots
April 25 New York Rangers 1–2 Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center Recap  
Dominic Moore (1) – 04:38 First period 08:55 – Matt Read (1)
No scoring Second period 07:22 – ppJakub Voracek (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Steve Mason 37 saves / 38 shots
April 27 Philadelphia Flyers 2–4 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 11:53 – Marc Staal (1)
Vincent Lecavalier (1) – pp – 19:27 Second period 08:07 – Brad Richards (2)
16:20 – Dominic Moore (2)
Claude Giroux (1) – 18:31 Third period 19:45 – enBrian Boyle (1)
Steve Mason 18 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 24 saves / 26 shots
April 29 New York Rangers 2–5 Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center Recap  
No scoring First period 07:08 – ppWayne Simmonds (2)
No scoring Second period 01:32 – Wayne Simmonds (3)
14:17 – Erik Gustafsson (1)
15:19 – pp – Wayne Simmonds (4)
Carl Hagelin (2) – 13:26
Mats Zuccarello (2) – 19:03
Third period 15:49 – enClaude Giroux (2)
Henrik Lundqvist 19 saves / 23 shots
Cam Talbot 5 saves / 5 shots
Goalie stats Steve Mason 34 saves / 36 shots
April 30 Philadelphia Flyers 1–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 03:06 – Daniel Carcillo (2)
11:46 – Benoit Pouliot (2)
Jason Akeson (2) – 04:32 Third period No scoring
Steve Mason 31 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 26 saves / 27 shots
New York won series 4–3


Western Conference Quarterfinals[]

(C1) Colorado Avalanche vs. (WC1) Minnesota Wild[]

The Colorado Avalanche finished first overall in the Central Division, earning 112 points. The Minnesota Wild earned 98 points during the regular season, and enter the playoffs as the Western Conference's first wild card. This was the third playoff meeting for these two teams; the Wild earned a seven-game series victory in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Avalanche earned a six-game series victory in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Avalanche won four of the five games in this year's regular season series.

The Wild defeated the Avalanche in seven games. The home team had won the first six games in the series before Minnesota won Game 7 on the road. Throughout the series, Colorado head coach Patrick Roy used his strategy of pulling goalie Semyon Varlamov for an extra attacker earlier than usual when trailing late in the third period.[32] In Game 1 trailing by a goal, Roy pulled Varlamov with 3:01 remaining in regulation. Paul Stastny then tied the game with 13.4 seconds remaining and then scored the game-winner 7:27 into overtime to give the Avalanche a 5–4 win.[33] Gabriel Landeskog then scored two goals in Game 2 to lead Colorado to a 4–2 victory.[34] In Game 3, Mikael Granlund scored the only goal 5:08 into overtime in Minnesota's 1–0 victory.[35] The Wild then only allowed 12 Colorado shots in a 2–1 win in Game 4, even after Roy pulled Varlamov for the extra attacker with less than three minutes left.[36] In Game 5 (after Roy pulled Varlamov with 2:22 left in the third period), Colorado's P.A. Parenteau's game-tying goal with 1:14 remaining was met with controversy as the Avalanche appeared to have been offside on the play, but it was never called.[37] Nathan MacKinnon then scored 3:27 into overtime to give the Avalanche a 4–3 win.[38] Zach Parise scored two goals in Game 6, including the game-winner 13:31 into the third period that broke a 2–2 tie. This time, Roy's tactic of pulling Varlamov early backfired as the Wild scored two empty net goals to win, 5–2.[39] In Game 7, Minnesota's Jared Spurgeon tied the game, 4–4, at 17:33 in the third period, and Nino Niederreiter scored the series-winning goal 5:02 into overtime to give the Wild a 5–4 win.[40]

April 17 Minnesota Wild 4–5 OT Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
Charlie Coyle (1) – 15:20 First period 13:14 – Gabriel Landeskog (1)
Ryan Suter (1) – pp – 11:05
Erik Haula (1) – 16:08
Kyle Brodziak (1) – 18:12
Second period 14:12 – Ryan O'Reilly (1)
No scoring Third period 07:13 – Jamie McGinn (1)
19:46 – Paul Stastny (1)
No scoring First overtime period 07:27 – Paul Stastny (2)
Ilya Bryzgalov 26 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Semyon Varlamov 29 saves / 33 shots
April 19 Minnesota Wild 2–4 Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
Charlie Coyle (2) – 04:18 First period 06:20 – Nathan MacKinnon (1)
No scoring Second period 02:58 – Gabriel Landeskog (2)
11:59 – Gabriel Landeskog (3)
Marco Scandella (1) – sh – 18:41 Third period 19:45 – enPaul Stastny (3)
Ilya Bryzgalov 11 saves / 14 shots
Darcy Kuemper 14 saves / 14 shots
Goalie stats Semyon Varlamov 30 saves / 32 shots
April 21 Colorado Avalanche 0–1 OT Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 05:08 – Mikael Granlund (1)
Semyon Varlamov 45 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Darcy Kuemper 22 saves / 22 shots
April 24 Colorado Avalanche 1–2 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period 03:47 – Jared Spurgeon (1)
Ryan O'Reilly (2) – 13:25 Second period 12:55 – ppCharlie Coyle (3)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Semyon Varlamov 30 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Darcy Kuemper 11 saves / 12 shots
April 26 Minnesota Wild 3–4 OT Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Matt Moulson (1) – 09:17 Second period 08:04 – shCody McLeod (1)
12:16 – Nick Holden (1)
Zach Parise (1) – 04:34
Kyle Brodziak (2) – 06:25
Third period 18:46 – P.A. Parenteau (1)
No scoring First overtime period 03:27 – Nathan MacKinnon (2)
Darcy Kuemper 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Semyon Varlamov 29 saves / 32 shots
April 28 Colorado Avalanche 2–5 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Paul Stastny (4) – sh – 16:59 First period 00:49 – ppZach Parise (2)
09:35 – Mikael Granlund (2)
Nick Holden (2) – pp – 04:47 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 13:31 – Zach Parise (3)
18:34 – enJason Pominville (1)
19:04 – enMarco Scandella (2)
Semyon Varlamov 18 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Darcy Kuemper 21 saves / 23 shots
April 30 Minnesota Wild 5–4 OT Colorado Avalanche Pepsi Center Recap  
Mikko Koivu (1) – 08:04 First period 02:52 – ppNick Holden (3)
13:38 – Jamie McGinn (2)
Dany Heatley (1) – 07:27 Second period No scoring
Nino Niederreiter (1) – 06:33
Jared Spurgeon (2) – 17:33
Third period 02:55 – Paul Stastny (5)
11:16 – Erik Johnson (1)
Nino Niederreiter (2) – 05:02 First overtime period No scoring
Darcy Kuemper 17 saves / 21 shots
Ilya Bryzgalov 1 save / 1 shot
Goalie stats Semyon Varlamov 30 saves / 35 shots
Minnesota won series 4–3


(C2) St. Louis Blues vs. (C3) Chicago Blackhawks[]

The St. Louis Blues finished second overall in the Central Division, earning 111 points. The Chicago Blackhawks earned 107 points during the regular season, to finish third overall in the Central Division. This was the eleventh playoff meeting for these two teams, with Chicago having won seven of the ten previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which St. Louis won in five games. The Blues won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

This was the second consecutive year in which St. Louis faced the defending Stanley Cup champions in the first round. Much like last year, the Blues would win the first two games at Scottrade Center, but then go on to lose the next four games. In Game 1, the Blues' Jaden Schwartz scored his first career playoff goal with 1:45 left in regulation to tie the score at 3–3, then Alexander Steen won it at 26 seconds into triple-overtime.[41] In Game 2, the Blackhawks held a 3–2 lead in the third period, but with less than 5 minutes left in regulation Chicago's Brent Seabrook was called for a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct (and later given a three-game suspension[42]) for charging David Backes. Vladimir Tarasenko then tied the game on the ensuing power play, followed by Barret Jackman scoring the game-winner at 5:50 of overtime to give St. Louis a 4–3 win.[43] Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford then stopped all 34 Blues shots to help give Chicago a 2–0 victory in Game 3.[44] In Game 4, Patrick Kane scored two of the Blackhawks' goals in a 4–3 win, including the game-winner at 11:17 of overtime in which he took a pass in the defensive zone and then raced up ice to score from a shot from the left circle.[45] Jonathan Toews gave Chicago a 3–2 win in Game 5, scoring on a breakaway at 7:36 of overtime.[46] The Blackhawks then clinched the series with a 5–1 victory in Game 6, scoring 4 unanswered goals in the third period.[47]

April 17 Chicago Blackhawks 3–4 3OT St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Johnny Oduya (1) – 11:14
Brent Seabrook (1) – pp – 14:39
Patrick Kane (1) – 18:24
First period 04:40 – Adam Cracknell (1)
15:52 – Vladimir Tarasenko (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 18:15 – Jaden Schwartz (1)
No scoring Third overtime period 00:26 – Alexander Steen (1)
Corey Crawford 48 saves / 52 shots Goalie stats Ryan Miller 39 saves / 42 shots
April 19 Chicago Blackhawks 3–4 OT St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
No scoring First period 07:08 – Chris Porter (1)
19:58 – Kevin Shattenkirk (1)
Duncan Keith (1) – 17:25 Second period No scoring
Brent Seabrook (2) – 04:53
Michal Rozsival (1) – 06:38
Third period 19:53 – ppVladimir Tarasenko (2)
No scoring First overtime period 05:50 – Barret Jackman (1)
Corey Crawford 27 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Ryan Miller 25 saves / 28 shots
April 21 St. Louis Blues 0–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period 04:10 – Jonathan Toews (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 19:40 – enMarcus Kruger (1)
Ryan Miller 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 34 saves / 34 shots
April 23 St. Louis Blues 3–4 OT Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Vladimir Tarasenko (3) – pp – 18:51
Maxim Lapierre (1) – 19:56
Second period 08:40 – ppAndrew Shaw (1)
16:09 – Patrick Kane (2)
Vladimir Tarasenko (4) – 12:26 Third period 16:08 – Bryan Bickell (1)
No scoring First overtime period 11:17 – Patrick Kane (3)
Ryan Miller 30 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 30 saves / 33 shots
April 25 Chicago Blackhawks 3–2 OT St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Marian Hossa (1) – 16:11 First period No scoring
Ben Smith (1) – 17:10 Second period 11:04 – T.J. Oshie (1)
No scoring Third period 01:42 – Alex Pietrangelo (1)
Jonathan Toews (2) – 07:36 First overtime period No scoring
Corey Crawford 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Ryan Miller 27 saves / 30 shots
April 27 St. Louis Blues 1–5 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
T.J. Oshie (2) – 16:28 First period 04:12 – Bryan Bickell (2)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 00:44 – ppJonathan Toews (3)
02:01 – Patrick Sharp (1)
07:30 – Andrew Shaw (2)
17:05 – Duncan Keith (2)
Ryan Miller 22 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 35 saves / 36 shots
Chicago won series 4–2


(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (WC2) Dallas Stars[]

The Anaheim Ducks finished first overall in the Pacific Division, earning 116 points. The Dallas Stars earned 91 points during the regular season, and entered the playoffs as the Western Conference's second wild card. This was the third playoff meeting for these two franchises; the Mighty Ducks earned a six-game series victory in the 2003 Western Conference Semifinals, while the Stars earned a six-game series victory in the 2008 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Stars won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

The Ducks defeated the Stars in six games. The first five games in this series were won by the home team. Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau decided to start the series with Frederik Andersen in net, who was the hotter goalie going into the postseason, rather than original Ducks starter Jonas Hiller. Anaheim jumped to a 4–0 lead in Game 1, but had to hold off a Dallas comeback in a 4–3 win.[48] The Ducks scored three unanswered goals in Game 2, but had to hold off another Stars comeback to preserve a 3–2 victory.[49] The series moved to Dallas for Game 3, where Stars goalie Kari Lehtonen stopped all 37 Anaheim shots to earn his first playoff victory in a 3–0 win.[50] Dallas then evened the series in a 4–2 victory in Game 4, scoring 4 unanswered goals to overcome a two-goal deficit.[51] Returning to Anaheim for Game 5, the Ducks scored three unanswered goals in the third period to pull away for a 6–2 victory.[52] Back in Dallas for Game 6, the Stars built a 4–2 lead in the second period before Boudreau decided to replace Andersen with Hiller. Anaheim then staged a comeback, first with Nick Bonino's goal with 2:10 remaining in regulation, and then Devante Smith-Pelly's score with 24 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime. Both of these goals occurred with the goalie pulled to give the Ducks an extra attacker. Bonino then scored at 2:47 into the extra period to give the Ducks a 5–4 win; it was the only game in the series won by the road team.[53]

April 16 Dallas Stars 3–4 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
No scoring First period 01:53 – Kyle Palmieri (1)
12:49 – Ryan Getzlaf (1)
19:30 – Mathieu Perreault (1)
Jamie Benn (1) – pp – 16:36
Colton Sceviour (1) – 18:09
Second period 09:04 – ppMatt Beleskey (1)
Tyler Seguin (1) – 13:53 Third period No scoring
Kari Lehtonen 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Frederik Andersen 32 saves / 35 shots
April 18 Dallas Stars 2–3 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Alex Chiasson (1) – pp – 07:40 First period 17:14 – Ryan Getzlaf (2)
No scoring Second period 16:15 – Corey Perry (1)
Ryan Garbutt (1) – 09:58 Third period 05:09 – shAndrew Cogliano (1)
Kari Lehtonen 16 saves / 19 shots Goalie stats Frederik Andersen 34 saves / 36 shots
April 21 Anaheim Ducks 0–3 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period 19:25 – Jamie Benn (2)
No scoring Second period 17:15 – Valeri Nichushkin (1)
No scoring Third period 07:52 – Ryan Garbutt (2)
Frederik Andersen 19 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 37 saves / 37 shots
April 23 Anaheim Ducks 2–4 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Bryan Allen (1) – 12:17
Patrick Maroon (1) – 18:16
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 00:27 – Jamie Benn (3)
06:33 – Vernon Fiddler (1)
No scoring Third period 06:22 – Cody Eakin (1)
07:44 – Alex Goligoski (1)
Frederik Andersen 21 saves / 25 shots
Jonas Hiller 1 save / 1 shot
Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 21 saves / 23 shots
April 25 Dallas Stars 2–6 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Jamie Benn (4) – sh – 10:00 First period 05:32 – ppNick Bonino (1)
10:26 – ppRickard Rakell (1)
Shawn Horcoff (1) – 08:19 Second period 01:05 – ppMathieu Perreault (2)
No scoring Third period 01:07 – Jakob Silfverberg (1)
04:30 – Ryan Getzlaf (3)
06:49 – ppCorey Perry (2)
Kari Lehtonen 16 saves / 21 shots
Tim Thomas 1 save / 2 shots
Goalie stats Frederik Andersen 34 saves / 36 shots
April 27 Anaheim Ducks 5–4 OT Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Devante Smith-Pelly (1) – pp – 17:57 First period 05:16 – Trevor Daley (1)
10:27 – ppCody Eakin (2)
19:01 – Ryan Garbutt (3)
Ben Lovejoy (1) – 03:55 Second period 10:33 – Trevor Daley (2)
Nick Bonino (2) – 17:50
Devante Smith-Pelly (2) – 19:36
Third period No scoring
Nick Bonino (3) – 02:47 First overtime period No scoring
Frederik Andersen 8 saves / 12 shots
Jonas Hiller 12 saves / 12 shots
Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 25 saves / 30 shots
Anaheim won series 4–2


(P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings[]

The San Jose Sharks finished second overall in the Pacific Division, earning 111 points. The Los Angeles Kings earned 100 points during the regular season, to finish third overall in the Pacific Division. This was the third playoff meeting for these two teams; the Sharks earned a six-game series victory in the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals, while the Kings earned a seven-game series victory in the 2013 Western Conference Semifinals. The Kings won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

The Kings became just the fourth team in NHL playoff history (after the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1975 New York Islanders, and the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers) to come back from a 3–0 deficit to win a series 4–3.[54] The Sharks controlled the first two games in the series, winning 6–3 and 7–2 in Game 1 and Game 2, respectively, scoring 12 total goals off of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick and an empty netter.[55][56] In Game 3, Patrick Marleau scored at 6:20 into overtime to give San Jose a 4–3 victory.[57] However, in Game 4 Justin Williams scored two goals to lead Los Angeles to a 6–3 win. [58] At San Jose for Game 5, Quick posted a shutout, as he stopped all 30 San Jose shots.[59] In Game 6, San Jose head coach Todd McLellan started goalie Alex Stalock instead of Antti Niemi. Williams' game-winning goal (his second of the game) at 11:56 into the third period of Game 6 to break a 1–1 tie was met with controversy. Stalock attempted to control a loose puck in his crease, but Williams managed to poke it through Stalock's legs across the goal line. It appeared that Williams pushed Stalock backwards during the play, and the puck seemed to disappear out of sight under the goalie's pads before Williams poked at it.[60] The play went to video review but the call of goal on the ice stood. The Kings' Anze Kopitar then scored two more unanswered goals for a 4–1 victory.[61] Niemi was reinstated as the Sharks starter for Game 7, but the Kings scored 5 unanswered goals, and killed all 6 San Jose power plays, to win the game 5–1.[62] Mike Richards and Jeff Carter, who both played for the Flyers in 2010, became the first players in NHL history to be part of two teams that won the final four games of a series, after initially facing a 3–0 series deficit.

April 17 Los Angeles Kings 3–6 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
No scoring First period 03:06 – Joe Thornton (1)
19:08 – Tomas Hertl (1)
19:56 – Patrick Marleau (1)
No scoring Second period 12:57 – Raffi Torres (1)
16:29 – ppMarc-Edouard Vlasic
Jake Muzzin (1) – 02:01
Slava Voynov (1) – 06:55
Trevor Lewis (1) – 13:59
Third period 19:05 – enBrent Burns (1)
Jonathan Quick 23 saves / 28 shots
Martin Jones 4 saves / 4 shots
Goalie stats Antti Niemi 31 saves / 34 shots
April 20 Los Angeles Kings 2–7 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Jake Muzzin (2) – 01:51
Trevor Lewis (2) – 09:33
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 04:25 – Mike Brown (1)
09:04 – Raffi Torres (2)
14:45 – Justin Braun (1)
No scoring Third period 01:08 – Patrick Marleau (2)
04:07 – Joe Pavelski (1)
08:08 – Logan Couture (1)
10:06 – ppJoe Thornton (2)
Jonathan Quick 33 saves / 40 shots Goalie stats Antti Niemi 24 saves / 26 shots
April 22 San Jose Sharks 4–3 OT Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Brent Burns (2) – pp – 03:16 First period No scoring
Matthew Nieto (1) – 09:17 Second period 04:48 – ppJarret Stoll (1)
07:59 – Marian Gaborik (1)
Tomas Hertl (2) – 09:17 Third period 00:51 – ppJeff Carter (1)
Patrick Marleau (3) – 06:20 First overtime period No scoring
Antti Niemi 28 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 36 saves / 40 shots
April 24 San Jose Sharks 3–6 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
James Sheppard (1) – 19:52 First period 04:08 – Marian Gaborik (2)
Matthew Nieto (2) – 08:25 Second period 03:52 – ppJustin Williams (1)
16:07 – Justin Williams (2)
19:01 – Tyler Toffoli (1)
Joe Pavelski (2) – pp – 11:36 Third period 00:34 – Marian Gaborik (3)
18:32 – enDustin Brown (1)
Antti Niemi 21 saves / 26 shots
Alex Stalock 4 saves / 4 shots
Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 36 saves / 39 shots
April 26 Los Angeles Kings 3–0 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Tyler Toffoli (2) – 08:09
Anze Kopitar (1) – 12:52
First period No scoring
Jeff Carter (2) – pp – 00:22 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 30 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Antti Niemi 16 saves / 19 shots
Alex Stalock 22 saves / 22 shots
April 28 San Jose Sharks 1–4 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoring First period 05:39 – Justin Williams (3)
James Sheppard (2) – 12:26 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 11:56 – Justin Williams (4)
13:27 – Anze Kopitar (2)
14:42 – pp – Anze Kopitar (3)
Alex Stalock 26 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 25 saves / 26 shots
April 30 Los Angeles Kings 5–1 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Drew Doughty (1) – pp – 04:57
Anze Kopitar (4) – 18:39
Second period 00:28 – Matt Irwin (1)
Tyler Toffoli (3) – 04:40
Dustin Brown (2) – en – 17:53
Tanner Pearson (1) – en – 19:12
Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 39 saves / 40 shots Goalie stats Antti Niemi 25 saves / 28 shots
Los Angeles won series 4–3


Conference Semifinals[]

Eastern Conference Semifinals[]

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Montreal Canadiens[]

One of the greatest rivalries in North American professional sports, this was the 34th meeting of these teams in the postseason, which is the most frequent playoff series in NHL history. Coming into the series, Montreal owned a record of 24–9 against Boston in the 33 previous series played by the teams, and had won 18 straight between 1946 and 1987. However, the Bruins had won the two most recent series between these two teams, the last of which was a seven-game Boston victory in the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Canadiens won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.

The Canadiens eliminated the Bruins in seven games. P.K. Subban scored 4:17 into the second overtime to give Montreal a 4–3 victory in Game 1.[63] In Game 2, the Bruins scored four unanswered goals in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit to win 5–3.[64] In Game 3, the Canadiens built a 3–0 lead, as Subban and Dale Weise each had a goal and an assist, en route to a 4–2 win.[65] Matt Fraser then scored the only goal in Game 4 at 1:19 into overtime in Boston's 1–0 victory.[66] In Game 5, Reilly Smith and Jarome Iginla scored two power play goals 32 seconds apart in the second period to help give the Bruins a 4–2 win.[67] However, Carey Price stopped all 26 Boston shots, and Thomas Vanek scored two goals, helping to give Montreal a 4–0 win in Game 6.[68] In Boston for Game 7, Montreal defeated the Bruins 3–1, as Price made 29 saves.[69]

May 1 Montreal Canadiens 4–3 2OT Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
P.K. Subban (1) – pp – 11:23 First period No scoring
Rene Bourque (4) – 03:38 Second period No scoring
Francis Bouillon (1) – 12:09 Third period 02:44 – Reilly Smith (2)
06:30 – Torey Krug (2)
18:02 – Johnny Boychuk (1)
P.K. Subban (2) – pp – 04:17 Second overtime period No scoring
Carey Price 48 saves / 51 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 29 saves / 33 shots
May 3 Montreal Canadiens 3–5 Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 13:02 – Daniel Paille (1)
Mike Weaver (1) – 01:09
Thomas Vanek (2) – pp – 18:09
Second period No scoring
Thomas Vanek (3) – pp – 06:30 Third period 10:56 – Dougie Hamilton (2)
14:17 – Patrice Bergeron (2)
16:28 – Reilly Smith (3)
18:54 – enMilan Lucic (4)
Carey Price 30 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 25 saves / 28 shots
May 6 Boston Bruins 2–4 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 10:57 – Tomas Plekanec (3)
14:44 – P.K. Subban (3)
Patrice Bergeron (3) – 17:48 Second period 13:52 – Dale Weise (2)
Jarome Iginla (3) – 17:44 Third period 19:57 – enLars Eller (3)
Tuukka Rask 22 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 26 saves / 28 shots
May 8 Boston Bruins 1–0 OT Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Matt Fraser (1) – 01:19 First overtime period No scoring
Tuukka Rask 33 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 34 saves / 35 shots
May 10 Montreal Canadiens 2–4 Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 13:20 – Carl Soderberg (1)
Brendan Gallagher (4) – pp – 14:39 Second period 01:04 – ppReilly Smith (4)
01:36 – ppJarome Iginla (4)
P.K. Subban (4) – pp – 17:31 Third period 14:12 – Loui Eriksson (2)
Carey Price 26 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 29 saves / 31 shots
May 12 Boston Bruins 0–4 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
No scoring First period 02:11 – Lars Eller (4)
No scoring Second period 15:24 – Max Pacioretty (2)
17:39 – ppThomas Vanek (4)
No scoring Third period 16:04 – Thomas Vanek (5)
Tuukka Rask 24 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 26 saves / 26 shots
May 14 Montreal Canadiens 3–1 Boston Bruins TD Garden Recap  
Dale Weise (3) – 02:18 First period No scoring
Max Pacioretty (3) – 10:22 Second period 17:58 – ppJarome Iginla (5)
Daniel Briere (2) – pp – 17:07 Third period No scoring
Carey Price 29 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Tuukka Rask 15 saves / 18 shots
Montreal won series 4–3


(M1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M2) New York Rangers[]

This was the fifth playoff meeting for these two teams, with Pittsburgh winning all four previous playoff series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which Pittsburgh won in five games. Each team won two games in this year's four-game regular season series.

For the first time in their team history, the Rangers overcame a 3–1 game deficit to win a seven-game series.[70] The team who scored first won the game for all seven contests in the series. Much was made early on about scheduling, as the Rangers played five games in seven days, due to going to seven games in the first round and scheduling conflicts at Madison Square Garden. They were the first team to have such a playoff schedule in 25 years, and early on it looked like the schedule might adversely affect the Rangers' chances, noted by many including Rangers coach Alain Vigneault.[71][72] Derick Brassard scored 3:06 into overtime to give New York a 3–2 victory in Game 1.[73] Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury then recorded two consecutive shutouts, stopping all 22 shots in a 3–0 win in Game 2 and 35 shots in a 2–0 victory in Game 3.[74][75] Fleury's back-to-back shutouts on back-to-back calendar days was the first time this was ever achieved in franchise history. It was also the first time the Rangers were shut out in back-to-back playoff games since 1937.[76] Pittsburgh also took in Game 4, 4–2, as Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, and Sidney Crosby recorded two assists.[77] Between games 4 and 5, Rangers forward Martin St. Louis received the news that his mother unexpectedly passed away at the age of 63 due to a heart attack. Despite his mourning, St. Louis remained in the lineup, and the emotional spark that it provided turned New York around.[78] The Rangers began their comeback with a 5–1 win in Game 5, as Brassard scored two of New York's goals and Mats Zuccarello recorded 3 assists.[79] New York then recorded a 3–1 victory in Game 6, with three different players scoring goals.[80] Finally, Brad Richards's power play goal 7:56 into the second period proved to be the difference in the Rangers' 2–1 victory in Game 7.[70]

May 2 New York Rangers 3–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Benoit Pouliot (3) – 05:04
Brad Richards (3) – 17:03
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 07:15 – Lee Stempniak (2)
13:28 – James Neal (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Derick Brassard (1) – 03:06 First overtime period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 34 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 24 saves / 27 shots
May 4 New York Rangers 0–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 10:26 – Kris Letang (2)
No scoring Third period 16:30 – ppJussi Jokinen (4)
19:06 – enEvgeni Malkin (4)
Henrik Lundqvist 32 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 22 saves / 22 shots
May 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–0 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Sidney Crosby (1) – 02:34
Jussi Jokinen (5) – 15:20
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 35 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 13 saves / 15 shots
May 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Evgeni Malkin (5) – 02:31 First period No scoring
Brandon Sutter (4) – sh – 18:27 Second period 05:30 – Carl Hagelin (3)
Jussi Jokinen (6) – 07:02
Chris Kunitz (3) – 14:04
Third period 13:07 – Mats Zuccarello (3)
Marc-Andre Fleury 13 saves / 15 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 23 saves / 27 shots
May 9 New York Rangers 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Chris Kreider (1) – pp – 09:36
Derick Brassard (2) – 15:23
First period No scoring
Derick Brassard (3) – 07:58
Ryan McDonagh (1) – pp – 08:48
Second period 03:23 – Evgeni Malkin (6)
Kevin Klein (1) – en – 17:31 Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 31 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 30 saves / 34 shots
May 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Brandon Sutter (5) – 16:56 First period 03:34 – Martin St. Louis (3)
06:25 – Carl Hagelin (4)
No scoring Second period 15:30 – Derick Brassard (4)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Marc-Andre Fleury 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 36 saves / 37 shots
May 13 New York Rangers 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Brian Boyle (2) – 05:25 First period No scoring
Brad Richards (4) – pp – 07:56 Second period 04:15 – Jussi Jokinen (7)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 35 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 18 saves / 20 shots
New York won series 4–3


Western Conference Semifinals[]

(C3) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (WC1) Minnesota Wild[]

This was the second playoff meeting for these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 2013 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Chicago won in five games. The Wild won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.

The Blackhawks eliminated the Wild in six games. The first five games in the series were won by the home team. Patrick Kane scored two goals to help give Chicago a 5–2 victory in Game 1.[81] In Game 2, Bryan Bickell had a goal and two assists in Chicago's 4–1 win.[82] The Wild won Game 3, 4–0, scoring 4 goals in the third period and limiting Chicago to only 19 shots on goal.[83] Four different Minnesota players then recorded goals in the Wild's 4–2 victory in Game 4.[84] In Game 5, Jonathan Toews scored the game-winning goal at 4:33 into the third period to break a 1–1 tie, and thus give the Blackhawks a 2–1 win.[85] Game 6 in Minnesota went into overtime, where Kane scored the winning goal after the puck deflected off the glass behind the Wild net and then rolled into the slot, allowing him to take a shot just under the Minnesota crossbar.[86]

May 2 Minnesota Wild 2–5 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period 14:48 – ppBryan Bickell (3)
No scoring Second period 11:21 – ppMarian Hossa (2)
Clayton Stoner (1) – 02:19
Kyle Brodziak (3) – 06:56
Third period 08:22 – Patrick Kane (4)
16:47 – Patrick Kane (5)
17:19 – en – Bryan Bickell (4)
Ilya Bryzgalov 17 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 30 saves / 32 shots
May 4 Minnesota Wild 1–4 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period 11:02 – Jonathan Toews (4)
No scoring Second period 19:04 – Brandon Saad (1)
Cody McCormick (1) – 02:00 Third period 17:15 – Bryan Bickell (5)
18:37 – en – Brandon Saad (2)
Ilya Bryzgalov 18 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 18 saves / 19 shots
May 6 Chicago Blackhawks 0–4 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 01:41 – Erik Haula (2)
04:18 – Mikael Granlund (3)
17:25 – ppZach Parise (4)
18:43 – en – Mikael Granlund (4)
Corey Crawford 14 saves / 17 shots Goalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 19 saves / 19 shots
May 9 Chicago Blackhawks 2–4 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Patrick Sharp (2) – 19:21 First period 07:24 – Justin Fontaine (1)
Michal Handzus (1) – 06:28 Second period 03:51 – Jason Pominville (2)
07:12 – Nino Niederreiter (3)
No scoring Third period 03:47 – ppJared Spurgeon (3)
Corey Crawford 27 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 18 saves / 20 shots
May 11 Minnesota Wild 1–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Erik Haula (3) – 16:33 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 09:18 – ppBryan Bickell (6)
No scoring Third period 04:33 – Jonathan Toews (5)
Ilya Bryzgalov 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 27 saves / 28 shots
May 13 Chicago Blackhawks 2–1 OT Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Kris Versteeg (1) – 01:58 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 02:29 – Erik Haula (4)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Patrick Kane (6) – 09:42 First overtime period No scoring
Corey Crawford 34 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Ilya Bryzgalov 25 saves / 27 shots
Chicago won series 4–2


(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings[]

This was the first playoff meeting for these Pacific Division and crosstown rivals. The Ducks won four of the five games in this year's regular season series, including a 3–0 win at the NHL's inaugural Stadium Series game held at Dodger Stadium.

The Kings eliminated the Ducks in seven games. The first four games in the series were won by the visiting team. Anaheim head coach Bruce Boudreau started Game 1 with Jonas Hiller in net. However, Marian Gaborik tied the game with about 7 seconds remaining in regulation, then scored the game-winner 12:17 into overtime to give Los Angeles a 3–2 win.[87] The Kings also won Game 2, 3–1, as goalie Jonathan Quick only allowed one power play goal out of 37 shots.[88] Boudreau then named Frederik Andersen as his starting goalie for Game 3. Andersen made 22 saves out of 23 shots before leaving in third period due to a lower-body injury. Hiller went into the game as Andersen's replacement and made 7 saves out of 8 shots to help preserve a 3–2 victory of the Ducks.[89] With Anaheim's starting goalie situation still in flux, Boudreau decided to turn to rookie John Gibson for Game 4. The 20-year old Gibson then became the youngest goalie in NHL history to record a shutout in his playoff debut, making 28 saves to give Anaheim a 2–0 win.[90] Gibson followed up his performance by recording 39 saves out of 42 shots, and Devante Smith-Pelly scored two goals, to help give the Ducks a 4–3 win in Game 5.[91] However, the Kings built a 2–0 second period lead in Game 6 en route to a 2–1 win.[92] Los Angeles then controlled most of Game 7, building a 4–0 second period lead before Boudreau opted to replace Gibson with Hiller. The Kings then scored another goal against Hiller to make it 5–0, and held to win, 6–2, to advance to the Conference Final.[93]

May 3 Los Angeles Kings 3–2 OT Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Alec Martinez (1) – pp – 09:04 First period 11:41 – Matt Beleskey (2)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Marian Gaborik (4) – 19:53 Third period 08:08 – Teemu Selanne (1)
Marian Gaborik (5) – 12:07 First overtime period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 33 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Jonas Hiller 33 saves / 36 shots
May 5 Los Angeles Kings 3–1 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Marian Gaborik (6) – 00:34
Alec Martinez (2) – 12:07
First period 09:40 – ppPatrick Maroon (2)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Dwight King (1) – en – 19:02 Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 36 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Jonas Hiller 14 saves / 16 shots
May 8 Anaheim Ducks 3–2 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Corey Perry (3) – pp – 04:06 First period No scoring
Teemu Selanne (2) – pp – 15:10 Second period 04:59 – ppJeff Carter (3)
Ben Lovejoy (2) – 17:05 Third period 19:29 – Mike Richards (1)
Frederik Andersen 22 saves / 23 shots
Jonas Hiller 7 saves / 8 shots
Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 19 saves / 22 shots
May 10 Anaheim Ducks 2–0 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Devante Smith-Pelly (3) – 16:02
Ryan Getzlaf (4) – pp – 18:45
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
John Gibson 28 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 9 saves / 11 shots
Martin Jones 3 saves / 3 shots
May 12 Los Angeles Kings 3–4 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Trevor Lewis (3) – 09:12 First period 02:15 – Nick Bonino (4)
Marian Gaborik (7) – pp – 18:42 Second period 01:11 – ppDevante Smith-Pelly (4)
02:34 – Devante Smith-Pelly (5)
08:23 – Jakob Silfverberg (2)
Marian Gaborik (8) – 14:12 Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 20 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats John Gibson 39 saves / 42 shots
May 14 Anaheim Ducks 1–2 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoring First period 08:16 – Jake Muzzin (3)
Kyle Palmieri (2) – 15:42 Second period 14:04 – Trevor Lewis (4)
No scoring Third period No scoring
John Gibson 21 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 21 saves / 22 shots
May 16 Los Angeles Kings 6–2 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Justin Williams (5) – pp – 04:30
Jeff Carter (4) – 08:48
Mike Richards (2) – 15:12
First period No scoring
Anze Kopitar (5) – 02:02
Marian Gaborik (9) – pp – 14:08
Second period 17:02 – Kyle Palmieri (3)
Tanner Pearson (2) – 13:54 Third period 03:42 – Corey Perry (4)
Jonathan Quick 25 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats John Gibson 14 saves / 18 shots
Jonas Hiller 10 saves / 12 shots
Los Angeles won series 4–3


Conference Finals[]

Main article: NHL Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Finals[]

(A3) Montreal Canadiens vs. (M2) New York Rangers[]

This was the fifteenth playoff meeting for these two Original Six teams, with each team having won seven of the fourteen previous playoff series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1996 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which the Rangers won in six games. Montreal most recently made it to the Conference Finals in 2010, losing to the Philadelphia Flyers in five games, while the Rangers made it to the Conference Finals in 2012, losing in six games to the New Jersey Devils. Montreal won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.

New York defeated Montreal in six games. With the Rangers holding a 2–1 lead midway through the second period of Game 1, New York's Chris Kreider collided with Carey Price, injuring the Montreal goalie's knee. Although Price finished the rest of the period, he did not return for the rest of the series. Peter Budaj played for the rest of the game but the Rangers won 7–2.[94] Canadiens coach Michel Therrien started rookie goalie Dustin Tokarski in Game 2. However Henrik Lundqvist stopped 40 of 41 shots, helping New York to a 3–1 victory.[95]

Early in the first period of Game 3, Montreal's Brandon Prust leveled Derek Stepan but the referees missed the interference call; the league would later suspend Prust two games.[96] Later in the first period, Daniel Carcillo was penalized for charging into Prust from behind. As linesman Scott Driscoll attempted to escort Carcillo to the penalty box, Carcillo physically attempted to get away from Driscoll, leading to an automatic game misconduct and multi-game suspension.[97] Meanwhile, the last three goals of the game were scored on rebounds and deflections. At 16:58 of the third period, Daniel Briere's shot deflected off of the Rangers's Ryan McDonagh's skate and into the net to give the Canadiens a 2–1 lead. New York then tied the game at 19:31 of the third period after Dan Girardi's shot deflected of off Chris Kreider and bounced off of Montreal's Alexei Emelin's skate into the net. And finally 72 seconds into overtime, Tomas Plekanec's shot deflected off of Alex Galchenyuk into the New York net to give the Canadiens the 3–2 win.[98]

The Rangers won Game 4, 3–2, as Martin St. Louis scored 6:02 into overtime.[99] The Canadiens then bounced back in Game 5, winning 7–4, as they scored 4 goals out of their first 18 shots, and Rene Bourque recorded a hat trick.[100] However, Dominic Moore scored Game 6's only goal late in the second period, and with a 1–0 win the Rangers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in twenty years.[101]

May 17 New York Rangers 7–2 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
Martin St. Louis (4) – 04:35
Mats Zuccarello (4) – 06:27
First period No scoring
Chris Kreider (2) – 18:59
Brad Richards (5) – 19:48
Second period 12:38 – Rene Bourque (5)
Ryan McDonagh (2) – pp – 01:28
Derek Stepan (3) – pp – 04:11
Rick Nash (1) – pp – 04:36
Third period 15:22 – shLars Eller (5)
Henrik Lundqvist 20 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Carey Price 16 saves / 20 shots
Peter Budaj 5 saves / 8 shots
May 19 New York Rangers 3–1 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
Ryan McDonagh (3) – 06:31
Rick Nash (2) – 18:58
First period 06:14 – Max Pacioretty (4)
Martin St. Louis (5) – pp – 08:03 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 40 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Dustin Tokarski 27 saves / 30 shots
May 22 Montreal Canadiens 3–2 OT New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 15:18 – Carl Hagelin (5)
Andrei Markov (1) – 03:20 Second period No scoring
Daniel Briere (3) – 16:58 Third period 19:31 – Chris Kreider (3)
Alex Galchenyuk (1) – 01:12 First overtime period No scoring
Dustin Tokarski 35 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 22 saves / 25 shots
May 25 Montreal Canadiens 2–3 OT New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 07:18 – shCarl Hagelin (6)
Francis Bouillon (2) – 08:08 Second period 19:04 – Derick Brassard (5)
P.K. Subban (5) – pp – 02:00 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 06:02 – Martin St. Louis (6)
Dustin Tokarski 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 27 saves / 29 shots
May 27 New York Rangers 4–7 Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre Recap  
Derek Stepan (4) – 10:44 First period 01:48 – ppAlex Galchenyuk (2)
12:24 – Tomas Plekanec (4)
Rick Nash (3) – 09:48
Derek Stepan (5) – 12:06
Chris Kreider (4) – pp – 14:12
Second period 03:44 – Max Pacioretty (5)
06:54 – Rene Bourque (6)
15:10 – Rene Bourque (7)
No scoring Third period 06:33 – Rene Bourque (8)
15:43 – enDavid Desharnais (2)
Henrik Lundqvist 15 saves / 19 shots
Cam Talbot 6 saves / 8 shots
Goalie stats Dustin Tokarski 23 saves / 27 shots
May 29 Montreal Canadiens 0–1 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 18:07 – Dominic Moore (3)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Dustin Tokarski 31 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 18 saves / 18 shots
New York won series 4–2


Western Conference Finals[]

(C3) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (P3) Los Angeles Kings[]

This was the third playoff meeting for these two franchises, with Chicago having won both of their previous playoff meetings. This was a rematch of the previous season's Western Conference Finals, which Chicago won in five games. This was the third straight Conference Finals appearance for the Kings, while it was Chicago's fourth trip to the Conference Finals since 2009. Chicago won all three games in this year's regular season series.

The Kings eliminated the Blackhawks in seven games. Chicago took Game 1, 3–1, as Brandon Saad recorded a goal and assist, and Corey Crawford made 26 saves.[102] In Game 2, the Kings scored six unanswered goals, including a hat trick from Jeff Carter, to come back from a 2–0 deficit to win 6–2.[103] Jonathan Toews scored 2 goals in the first period of Game 3 to give the Blackhawks a 2–1 lead after twenty minutes, but Los Angeles's second line of Carter, Tyler Toffoli, and Tanner Pearson created two second period goals and the Kings won 4–3.[104] The Kings also dominated Game 4, building a 4–0 lead in the second period en route to a 5–2 victory.[105] Although the Kings rallied to tie Game 5 after falling behind 3-1 in the first period, Michal Handzus scored at 2:04 of double overtime to give the Blackhawks a 5–4 victory.[106] Drew Doughty and Patrick Kane both had a goal and an assist in the third period of a back-and-forth Game 6, which the Blackhawks won 4–3.[107] The Blackhawks scored the first two goals of Game 7. The Kings cut the lead in half with a controversial goal when Kings forward, Jeff Carter, appeared to be offside.[108] The Blackhawks later took a 4-3 lead after Patrick Sharp added two more, but Marian Gaborik converted Dustin Brown's rebound to tie the game in the third period. At 5:47 of overtime Alec Martinez's wrist shot from the blue line deflected past Crawford to give the Kings a 5–4 victory and a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals.[109]

May 18 Los Angeles Kings 1–3 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period 14:46 – ppBrandon Saad (3)
Tyler Toffoli (4) – 04:35 Second period 11:54 – Duncan Keith (3)
No scoring Third period 16:10 – Jonathan Toews (6)
Jonathan Quick 17 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 25 saves / 26 shots
May 21 Los Angeles Kings 6–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
No scoring First period 14:16 – ppNick Leddy (1)
Justin Williams (6) – 18:14 Second period 01:40 – Ben Smith (2)
Jeff Carter (5) – pp – 01:37
Jake Muzzin (4) – pp – 04:04
Tyler Toffoli (5) – 08:59
Jeff Carter (6) – 14:44
Jeff Carter (7) – en – 16:29
Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 25 saves / 30 shots
May 24 Chicago Blackhawks 3–4 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Jonathan Toews (7) – sh – 05:26
Jonathan Toews (8) – 13:19
First period 06:16 – ppSlava Voynov (2)
No scoring Second period 08:08 – Jeff Carter (8)
14:19 – Tyler Toffoli (6)
Patrick Sharp (3) – 19:55 Third period 11:57 – Drew Doughty (2)
Corey Crawford 28 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 24 saves / 27 shots
May 26 Chicago Blackhawks 2–5 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoring First period 09:00 – ppJake Muzzin (5)
11:13 – Marian Gaborik (10)
15:56 – ppDustin Brown (3)
Brandon Saad (4) – 14:03 Second period 12:43 – Drew Doughty (3)
Bryan Bickell (7) – 09:29 Third period 18:58 – enTanner Pearson (3)
Corey Crawford 16 saves / 20 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 22 saves / 24 shots
May 28 Los Angeles Kings 4–5 2OT Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Jarret Stoll (2) – 09:49
Marian Gaborik (11) – 13:16
First period 01:13 – ppBrent Seabrook (3)
03:40 – Johnny Oduya (2)
11:06 – Brandon Saad (5)
Dustin Brown (4) – 11:08
Tanner Pearson (4) – 13:08
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 01:17 – Ben Smith (3)
No scoring Second overtime period 02:04 – Michal Handzus (2)
Jonathan Quick 40 saves / 45 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 40 saves / 44 shots
May 30 Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoring First period 17:03 – Dwight King (2)
Patrick Kane (7) – pp – 01:12
Ben Smith (4) – 02:49
Second period No scoring
Duncan Keith (4) – 11:34
Patrick Kane (8) – 16:15
Third period 05:32 – Drew Doughty (4)
07:38 – ppAlec Martinez (3)
Corey Crawford 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 21 saves / 25 shots
June 1 Los Angeles Kings 5–4 OT Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Jeff Carter (9) – 16:31
Justin Williams (7) – 17:22
First period 05:06 – Brandon Saad (6)
08:36 – ppJonathan Toews (9)
17:34 – Patrick Sharp (4)
Tyler Toffoli (7) – 10:31 Second period 18:25 – pp – Patrick Sharp (5)
Marian Gaborik (12) – 12:43 Third period No scoring
Alec Martinez (4) – 05:47 First overtime period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 37 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 27 saves / 32 shots
Los Angeles won series 4–3


Stanley Cup Final[]

This was the third playoff meeting for these two teams, with the Rangers having won both of their previous playoff series against the Kings. Their most recent meeting was in the preliminary round of the 1981 playoffs, a best of five series which the Rangers won 3–1. While the Kings won their franchise's first Stanley Cup in 2012, the Rangers had not won a Stanley Cup since 1994. The Kings and Rangers split this year's two-game regular season series. This was the third Finals appearance for the Kings, while the Rangers made their eleventh Finals appearance. This was the first time a Norwegian player appeared in the Finals (Mats Zuccarello of the New York Rangers).

June 4 New York Rangers 2–3 OT Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Benoit Pouliot (4) – 13:21
Carl Hagelin (7) – sh – 15:03
First period 17:33 – Kyle Clifford (1)
No scoring Second period 06:36 – Drew Doughty (5)
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 04:36 – Justin Williams (8)
Henrik Lundqvist 40 saves / 43 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 25 saves / 27 shots
June 7 New York Rangers 4–5 2OT Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Ryan McDonagh (4) – 10:48
Mats Zuccarello (5) – 18:46
First period No scoring
Martin St. Louis (7) – pp – 11:24
Derick Brassard (6) – 14:50
Second period 01:46 – Jarret Stoll (3)
14:39 – ppWillie Mitchell (1)
No scoring Third period 01:58 – Dwight King (3)
07:36 – Marian Gaborik (13)
No scoring Second overtime period 10:26 – Dustin Brown (5)
Henrik Lundqvist 39 saves / 44 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 34 saves / 38 shots
June 9 Los Angeles Kings 3–0 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Jeff Carter (10) – 19:59 First period No scoring
Jake Muzzin (6) – pp – 04:17
Mike Richards (3) – 17:14
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 32 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 12 saves / 15 shots
June 11 Los Angeles Kings 1–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 07:25 – Benoit Pouliot (5)
Dustin Brown (6) – 08:46 Second period 06:27 – Martin St. Louis (8)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 17 saves / 19 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 40 saves / 41 shots
June 13 New York Rangers 2–3 2OT Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
No scoring First period 06:04 – Justin Williams (9)
Chris Kreider (5) – pp – 15:37
Brian Boyle (3) – sh – 19:30
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 07:56 – ppMarian Gaborik (14)
No scoring Second overtime period 14:43 – Alec Martinez (5)
Henrik Lundqvist 48 saves / 51 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 28 saves / 30 shots
Los Angeles won series 4–1


Player statistics[]

Skaters[]

These are the top ten skaters based on points.

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Kopitar, AnzeAnze Kopitar align=left|Los Angeles Kings 26 5 21 26 +9 14
Carter, JeffJeff Carter align=left|Los Angeles Kings 26 10 15 25 +5 4
Williams, JustinJustin Williams align=left|Los Angeles Kings 26 9 16 25 +13 35
Gaborik, MarianMarian Gaborik align=left|Los Angeles Kings 26 14 8 22 +6 6
Kane, PatrickPatrick Kane align=left|Chicago Blackhawks 19 8 12 20 +5 8
Doughty, DrewDrew Doughty align=left|Los Angeles Kings 26 5 13 18 +2 30
Toews, JonathanJonathan Toews align=left|Chicago Blackhawks 19 9 8 17 +3 8
McDonagh, RyanRyan McDonagh align=left|New York Rangers 25 4 13 17 −1 8
Saad, BrandonBrandon Saad align=left|Chicago Blackhawks 19 6 10 16 +10 6
St. Louis, MartinMartin St. Louis align=left|New York Rangers 25 8 7 15 −5 2

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.

Player Team GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
Rask, TuukkaTuukka Rask align=left|Boston Bruins 12 7 5 348 25 1.99 .928 2 752:43
Lundqvist, HenrikHenrik Lundqvist align=left|New York Rangers 25 13 11 737 54 2.14 .927 1 1,515:35
Price, CareyCarey Price align=left|Montreal Canadiens 12 8 4 358 29 2.35 .919 1 738:46
Fleury, Marc-AndreMarc-Andre Fleury align=left|Pittsburgh Penguins 13 7 6 378 32 2.40 .915 2 799:40
Crawford, CoreyCorey Crawford align=left|Chicago Blackhawks 19 11 8 590 52 2.53 .912 1 1,233:50
Varlamov, SemyonSemyon Varlamov align=left|Colorado Avalanche 7 3 4 231 20 2.78 .913 0 432:28

Television[]

In Canada, the Stanley Cup Playoffs were broadcast by CBC, TSN and RDS, with each network having exclusive broadcast rights to selected series throughout, and CBC having exclusive rights to the finals.[110] This season marked the final playoffs broadcast by TSN and RDS, as Rogers Media, Sportsnet and TVA take over national broadcast rights to the NHL beginning in the 2014–15 season (although CBC will still air Rogers-produced coverage of the playoffs and finals).[111] Due to scheduling conflicts with a Toronto Raptors NBA playoff game on TSN, Game 3 of the Rangers-Flyers first round series on April 22 was moved to Sportsnet 360—a sister network of the future rightsholder, and joined in progress by TSN following the game.[112]

In the United States, all playoff games were nationally televised by either NBCSN, CNBC, NHL Network, or NBC. During the first round, these telecasts co-existed with those of regional rightsholders, after which NBC had exclusive rights to the remaining games.

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  101. "Rangers win Game 6, reach Stanley Cup Final", NHL.com, May 29, 2014. 
  102. "Blackhawks edge Kings, grab 1–0 series lead", NHL.com, May 18, 2014. 
  103. "Kings score six in row to even series with Blackhawks", NHL.com, May 22, 2014. 
  104. "Kings overtake Blackhawks to win Game 3", NHL.com, May 25, 2014. 
  105. "Kings handle Blackhawks, now one win from Final", NHL.com, May 27, 2014. 
  106. "Blackhawks stay alive, beat Kings in double OT", NHL.com, May 29, 2014. 
  107. "Kane keeps Blackhawks alive with Game 6 winner", NHL.com, May 31, 2014. 
  108. http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/kings_jeff_carter_appears_to_be_offside_before_his_goal/16581332?linksrc=story_article_yb_original_head_16581332
  109. "Kings win in OT, advance to Cup Final vs. Rangers", NHL.com, June 1, 2014. 
  110. CBC and TSN release NHL broadcast schedule. Eh! Game. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
  111. Rush, Curtis. "NHL signs 12-year TV, Internet deal with Rogers; CBC keeps 'Hockey Night in Canada", Toronto Star, November 26, 2013. Retrieved on March 26, 2014. 
  112. TSN Announces Updated Broadcast Schedule for Tomorrow Night. Bell Media. Retrieved on April 23, 2014.
Preceded by
2013 Stanley Cup playoffs
Stanley Cup playoffs
2014
Succeeded by
2015 Stanley Cup playoffs
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