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The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 13, 2016. The 2016 Stanley Cup Finals, the fourth and final round, will be held in early June.

For only the second time in league history (after 1970), none of the NHL's Canadian teams, seven in total, qualified for the postseason.[1] The Washington Capitals made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Detroit Red Wings increased their consecutive post-season appearance streak to 25 seasons, the longest current streak and the third-longest streak in NHL history.[2] The Florida Panthers qualified for the playoffs for only the second time since the 1999–2000 season, both times winning their division, and fifth time in franchise history.[3] For the fourth time in six years, all three California-based teams made the playoffs in the same season. And, for only the second time ever, both Florida-based teams made the playoffs in the same season.

Playoff seeds

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

This will be the third year in which the top three teams in each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference (for a total of eight playoff teams from each conference).

The following teams qualified for the playoffs:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

  1. Florida Panthers, Atlantic Division champions – 103 points
  2. Tampa Bay Lightning – 97 points
  3. Detroit Red Wings – 93 points

Metropolitan Division

  1. Washington Capitals, Metropolitan Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 120 points
  2. Pittsburgh Penguins – 104 points
  3. New York Rangers – 101 points

Wild cards

  1. New York Islanders – 100 points
  2. Philadelphia Flyers – 96 points

Western Conference

Central Division

  1. Dallas Stars, Central Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions – 109 points
  2. St. Louis Blues – 107 points
  3. Chicago Blackhawks – 103 points

Pacific Division

  1. Anaheim Ducks, Pacific Division champions – 103 points
  2. Los Angeles Kings – 102 points
  3. San Jose Sharks – 98 points

Wild cards

  1. Nashville Predators – 96 points
  2. Minnesota Wild – 87 points

Playoff bracket

In each round, teams compete in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage plays at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team is at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference, for a total of eight teams from each conference.

In the First Round, the lower seeded wild card in the conference plays against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card plays against the other division winner, and both wild cards are de facto #4 seeds. The other series match the second and third place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home ice advantage is awarded to the team with the better seed; in the last two rounds, it is awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

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


Legend
  • A1, A2, A3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Atlantic Division, respectively
  • M1, M2, M3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Metropolitan Division, respectively
  • C1, C2, C3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Central Division, respectively
  • P1, P2, P3 – The first, second, and third place teams from the Pacific Division, respectively
  • WC – Wild Card teams


Conference Quarterfinals

Note: All times listed are in EDT (UTC−4).

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(A1) Florida Panthers vs. (WC1) New York Islanders

The Florida Panthers finished first in the Atlantic Division, earning 103 points. The New York Islanders finished as the Eastern Conference's first wild-card, earning 100 points. This is the first meeting between these two teams. Florida won two of the three games during this year's regular season series. This is the first time that a Stanley Cup playoff series is played at the Barclays Center. The series contains the two teams with the longest playoff win drought in the league (the Islanders have not won a series since 1993, and the Panthers since 1996).[4]

The Islanders defeated the Panthers in six games for their first advancement in the playoffs since 1993. John Tavares scored a goal and two assists for the Islanders in a 5–4 win in Game 1.[5] In Game 2, Roberto Luongo recorded 41 saves in a 3–1 win to help the Panthers tie the series.[6] The Islanders came back from a two-goal deficit in the second period to win Game 3 in overtime on Thomas Hickey's wrist shot.[7] In Game 4, Jaromir Jagr had an assist to reach 200 points overall in the playoffs. The Panthers won the game 2–1.[8] Games 5 and 6, both ended in double-overtime with identical scores of 2–1 and New York winning both games. In Game 5, Alan Quine scored the game-winner on a power play 16:00 into the second overtime. Thomas Greiss made 47 saves in the victory.[9] In Game 6, Tavares scored the first New York goal with 54 seconds left in the third period to send the game into overtime. In the second overtime, Tavares scored his second goal and the series winner.[10]


April 14 New York Islanders 5–4 Florida Panthers BB&T Center Recap  
Brock Nelson (1) – 06:39
Frans Nielsen (1) – pp – 16:46
First period 01:55 – Teddy Purcell (1)
13:51 – ppJussi Jokinen (1)
John Tavares (1) – 19:38 Second period 01:31 – Reilly Smith (1)
Kyle Okposo (1) – 02:33
Ryan Strome (1) – 06:01
Third period 06:56 – Reilly Smith (2)
Thomas Greiss 42 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Roberto Luongo 21 saves / 26 shots
April 15 New York Islanders 1–3 Florida Panthers BB&T Center Recap  
No scoring First period 04:32 – Reilly Smith (3)
No scoring Second period 06:17 – Nick Bjugstad (1)
John Tavares (2) – 16:27 Third period 19:50 – enDmitry Kulikov (1)
Thomas Greiss 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Roberto Luongo 41 saves / 42 shots
April 17 Florida Panthers 3–4 OT New York Islanders Barclays Center Recap  
Reilly Smith (4) – 02:25 First period No scoring
Aleksander Barkov (1) – 01:11
Nick Bjugstad (2) – 07:23
Second period 05:21 – ppRyan Pulock (1)
11:48 – Shane Prince (1)
16:55 – ppFrans Nielsen (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 12:31 – Thomas Hickey (1)
Roberto Luongo 35 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Thomas Greiss 36 saves / 39 shots
April 20 Florida Panthers 2–1 New York Islanders Barclays Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Teddy Purcell (2) – pp – 15:18 Second period 19:44 – ppJohn Tavares (3)
Alex Petrovic (1) – 09:25 Third period No scoring
Roberto Luongo 26 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Thomas Greiss 27 saves / 29 shots
April 22 New York Islanders 2–1 2OT Florida Panthers BB&T Center Recap  
Frans Nielsen (3) – 13:31 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 01:59 – Aleksander Barkov (2)
Alan Quine (1) – pp – 16:00 Second overtime period No scoring
Thomas Greiss 47 saves / 48 shots Goalie stats Roberto Luongo 40 saves / 42 shots
April 24 Florida Panthers 1–2 2OT New York Islanders Barclays Center Recap  
Jonathan Huberdeau (1) – 18:58 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 19:06 – John Tavares (4)
No scoring Second overtime period 10:41 – John Tavares (5)
Roberto Luongo 50 saves / 52 shots Goalie stats Thomas Greiss 41 saves / 42 shots
New York won series 4–2


(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (A3) Detroit Red Wings

The Tampa Bay Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division, earning 97 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned 93 points to finish third in the Atlantic. This is the second meeting between these teams; their only previous meeting was in last year's Eastern Conference Quarterfinals which Tampa Bay won in seven games. The teams split their four game regular season series this year.

The Lightning defeated the Red Wings in five games. Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov scored twice and goalie Ben Bishop made 34 saves in a 3–2 win in Game 1.[11] Tyler Johnson recorded two goals in Game 2 in a 5–2 win for the Lightning.[12] In Game 3, Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard was replaced with Petr Mrazek who stopped all 16 shots in a 2–0 win.[13] In Game 4, Kucherov had two goals and an assist and Jonathan Drouin assisted on all 3 goals scored by Tampa Bay in a 3–2 win.[14] In the final game of the series, Alex Killorn scored with 1:43 left in the third period to give the Lightning a 1–0 lead and the series win.[15]


April 13 Detroit Red Wings 2–3 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 06:23 – Nikita Kucherov (1)
Mike Green (1) – 02:11
Justin Abdelkader (1) – 04:07
Second period 09:29 – Nikita Kucherov (2)
No scoring Third period 08:52 – Alex Killorn (1)
Jimmy Howard 31 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Ben Bishop 34 saves / 36 shots
April 15 Detroit Red Wings 2–5 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 15:17 – ppNikita Kucherov (3)
Dylan Larkin (1) – 03:30 Second period 06:46 – Brian Boyle (1)
Brad Richards (1) – pp – 04:27 Third period 06:32 – Tyler Johnson (1)
14:48 – Tyler Johnson (2)
17:16 – enAlex Killorn (2)
Jimmy Howard 26 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Ben Bishop 30 saves / 32 shots
April 17 Tampa Bay Lightning 0–2 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 12:42 – Andreas Athanasiou (1)
17:22 – Henrik Zetterberg (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Ben Bishop 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Petr Mrazek 16 saves / 16 shots
April 19 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–2 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena Recap  
Nikita Kucherov (4) – pp – 05:41 First period No scoring
Nikita Kucherov (5) – pp – 10:31 Second period 14:53 – Darren Helm (1)
19:50 – Gustav Nyquist (1)
Ondrej Palat (1) – pp – 17:01 Third period No scoring
Ben Bishop 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Petr Mrazek 30 saves / 33 shots
April 21 Detroit Red Wings 0–1 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 18:17 – Alex Killorn (3)
Petr Mrazek 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Ben Bishop 34 saves / 34 shots
Tampa Bay won series 4–1


(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC2) Philadelphia Flyers

The Washington Capitals earned the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular season team with 120 points. The Philadelphia Flyers finished as the Eastern Conference's second wild-card. This is the fifth meeting between these teams; with both teams splitting the four previous series. They last met in the 2008 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Philadelphia won in seven games. These teams split this year's four-game regular season series.

The Capitals defeated the Flyers in six games. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby shut out the Flyers in Game 1, stopping all 19 shots he faced in a 2–0 win.[16] In Game 2, Holtby made 41 saves and a fluke goal by Capitals forward Jason Chimera turned to be the game-winning goal in a 4–1 win.[17] The Capitals scored a franchise record five power play goals to rout the Flyers 6–1 in Game 3.[18] In Game 4, Philadelphia avoided elimination by switching goaltender Steve Mason, who gave up six goals in the previous game, to Michal Neuvirth who made 31 saves in a 2–1 win.[19] The Flyers narrowly forced a sixth game after Neuvirth made 44 saves in a 2–0 win in Game 5; the Flyers were out shot 44 to 11.[20] Nicklas Backstrom scored the only goal for the Capitals in Game 6 for his team to move onto the second round.[21]


April 14 Philadelphia Flyers 0–2 Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 16:21 – ppJohn Carlson (1)
No scoring Third period 16:36 – Jay Beagle (1)
Steve Mason 29 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Braden Holtby 19 saves / 19 shots
April 16 Philadelphia Flyers 1–4 Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring First period 14:09 – ppJohn Carlson (2)
Jakub Voracek (1) – 09:37 Second period 02:26 – Jason Chimera (1)
17:21 – ppAlexander Ovechkin (1)
No scoring Third period 17:47 – Nicklas Backstrom (1)
Steve Mason 19 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Braden Holtby 41 saves / 42 shots
April 18 Washington Capitals 6–1 Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center Recap  
Marcus Johansson (1) – pp – 04:43 First period 00:57 – Michael Raffl (1)
Alexander Ovechkin (2) – 08:50 Second period No scoring
Evgeny Kuznetsov (1) – pp – 01:58
John Carlson (3) – pp – 07:37
Alexander Ovechkin (3) – pp – 14:58
Jay Beagle (2) – pp – 18:20
Third period No scoring
Braden Holtby 31 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Steve Mason 21 saves / 27 shots
April 20 Washington Capitals 1–2 Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center Recap  
No scoring First period 05:51 – ppShayne Gostisbehere (1)
No scoring Second period 03:51 – Andrew MacDonald (1)
T. J. Oshie (1) – 02:38 Third period No scoring
Braden Holtby 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Michal Neuvirth 31 saves / 32 shots
April 22 Philadelphia Flyers 2–0 Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Ryan White (1) – 07:52 Second period No scoring
Chris VandeVelde (1) – en – 19:29 Third period No scoring
Michal Neuvirth 44 saves / 44 shots Goalie stats Braden Holtby 9 saves / 10 shots
April 24 Washington Capitals 1–0 Philadelphia Flyers Wells Fargo Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Nicklas Backstrom (2) – 08:59 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Braden Holtby 26 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Michal Neuvirth 28 saves / 29 shots
Washington won series 4–2


(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (M3) New York Rangers

The Pittsburgh Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan Division, earning 104 points. The New York Rangers earned 101 points in the regular season to finish third in the Metropolitan. This is the seventh meeting between these teams, and the third meeting in three consecutive seasons, with Pittsburgh losing the last two but winning four of the six overall. They last met in last year's Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which the Rangers won in five games. Pittsburgh won three of the four games during this year's regular season series.

The Penguins defeated the Rangers in five games. Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist scored a hat trick in a 5–2 win in Game 1.[22] J. T. Miller had 3 assists to help the Rangers win 4–2 in Game 2.[23] In Game 3, Pittsburgh scored three times after New York took a 1–0 lead to win 3–1.[24] Evgeni Malkin scored two power play goals and Matt Murray made 31 saves in Game 4 for the Penguins in a 5–0 win.[25] In Game 5, after the Penguins' four-goal second period, of which Bryan Rust had two goals and an assist, Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault pulled Henrik Lundqvist, who had given up six goals on 23 shots. The Penguins ended the series with a 6–3 victory. It was the first time the Rangers were eliminated in the opening round since 2011, snapping a five-year advancement streak. This was also the first playoff series in which two goaltenders on the same team played in and subsequently won their playoff debut, with Jeff Zatkoff winning Game 1 and Matt Murray winning Game 3. [26]


April 13 New York Rangers 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period 19:42 – Patric Hornqvist (1)
No scoring Second period 18:56 – Sidney Crosby (1)
Derek Stepan (1) – pp – 03:10
Derek Stepan (2) – 10:11
Third period 05:31 – shTom Kuhnhackl (1)
08:02 – pp – Patric Hornqvist (2)
17:10 – en – Patric Hornqvist (3)
Henrik Lundqvist 10 saves / 11 shots
Antti Raanta 16 saves / 19 shots
Goalie stats Jeff Zatkoff 35 saves / 37 shots
April 16 New York Rangers 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Keith Yandle (1) – 12:38
Derick Brassard (1) – 12:56
Mats Zuccarello (1) – 16:52
Second period 03:21 – ppPhil Kessel (1)
Chris Kreider (1) – 00:39 Third period 05:42 – pp – Phil Kessel (2)
Henrik Lundqvist 29 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Jeff Zatkoff 24 saves / 28 shots
April 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Sidney Crosby (2) – pp – 19:18 Second period 00:39 – shRick Nash (1)
Matt Cullen (1) – 04:16
Kris Letang (1) – en – 19:47
Third period No scoring
Matt Murray 16 saves / 17 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 28 saves / 30 shots
April 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–0 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Eric Fehr (1) – 01:09
Patric Hornqvist (4) – pp – 07:11
Conor Sheary (1) – 16:12
First period No scoring
Evgeni Malkin (1) – pp – 04:00 Second period No scoring
Evgeni Malkin (2) – pp – 03:28 Third period No scoring
Matt Murray 31 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Henrik Lundqvist 14 saves / 18 shots
Antti Raanta 13 saves / 14 shots
April 23 New York Rangers 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Rick Nash (2) – 01:02
Dominic Moore (1) – 10:35
First period 09:50 – Carl Hagelin (1)
11:39 – ppPhil Kessel (3)
No scoring Second period 05:21 – Bryan Rust (1)
09:26 – Matt Cullen (2)
16:18 – Conor Sheary (2)
19:01 – Bryan Rust (2)
Chris Kreider (2) – pp – 05:38 Third period No scoring
Henrik Lundqvist 17 saves / 23 shots
Antti Raanta 5 saves / 5 shots
Goalie stats Matt Murray 38 saves / 41 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–1


Western Conference Quarterfinals

(C1) Dallas Stars vs. (WC2) Minnesota Wild

The Dallas Stars finished first in the Central Division, earning 109 points. The Minnesota Wild finished as the Western Conference's second wild-card, earning 87 points. This is the first meeting in the playoffs between Minnesota's current NHL franchise and its former NHL franchise (then known as the North Stars). Dallas won four of the five games during this year's regular season series.

The Stars defeated the Wild in six games. Jamie Benn scored a goal and two assists and goalie Kari Lehtonen made 22 saves for the Stars in Game 1 in a 4–0 victory.[27] Jamie Benn scored the game winner in Game 2 in a 2–1 win for the Stars to take a 2–0 lead in the series.[28] In Game 3, after Patrick Sharp scored two goals in the first period for the Stars, the Wild scored four consecutive goals to take the lead. Jason Pominville scored two of the Wild goals in a 5–3 win.[29] Antti Niemi made 28 saves to help the Stars take a 3–1 series lead in a 3–2 win in Game 4.[30] The Wild avoided elimination in Game 5 when forward Mikko Koivu scored his second goal of the game at 4:55 of the first overtime period, in a 5–4 win.[31] In Game 6, the Stars took a four-goal lead before the Wild attempted a late comeback by scoring three goals in under five minutes during the third period. Alex Goligoski scored the eventual series-winner for Dallas halfway through the third period as the Stars hung on for a 5–4 victory.


April 14 Minnesota Wild 0–4 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 03:53 – Radek Faksa (1)
12:17 – Jason Spezza (1)
No scoring Third period 14:16 – ppPatrick Eaves (1)
16:00 – enJamie Benn (1)
Devan Dubnyk 28 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 22 saves / 22 shots
April 16 Minnesota Wild 1–2 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 03:54 – Antoine Roussel (1)
Marco Scandella (1) – pp – 12:42 Third period 10:23 – Jamie Benn (2)
Devan Dubnyk 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 25 saves / 26 shots
April 18 Dallas Stars 3–5 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
Patrick Sharp (1) – 00:26
Patrick Sharp (2) – 04:10
First period 19:10 – Chris Porter (1)
No scoring Second period 06:04 – Erik Haula (1)
19:13 – Jason Pominville (1)
Colton Sceviour (1) – 13:45 Third period 06:26 – ppMikko Koivu (1)
18:46 – en – Jason Pominville (2)
Kari Lehtonen 20 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Devan Dubnyk 14 saves / 17 shots
April 20 Dallas Stars 3–2 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Ales Hemsky (1) – pp – 09:11
Patrick Eaves (2) – pp – 13:24
Jason Spezza (2) – 18:51
Second period 05:01 – Jason Pominville (3)
10:14 – Charlie Coyle (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Antti Niemi 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Devan Dubnyk 19 saves / 22 shots
April 22 Minnesota Wild 5–4 OT Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Mikael Granlund (1) – 03:32
Jordan Schroeder (1) – 05:16
First period 17:18 – Johnny Oduya (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Nino Niederreiter (1) – 01:50
Mikko Koivu (2) – 16:51
Third period 01:00 – Jamie Benn (3)
08:28 – Jason Spezza (3)
08:56 – Alex Goligoski (1)
Mikko Koivu (3) – 04:55 First overtime period No scoring
Devan Dubnyk 37 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Antti Niemi 19 saves / 24 shots
April 24 Dallas Stars 5–4 Minnesota Wild Xcel Energy Center Recap  
John Klingberg (1) – pp – 05:56
Jason Spezza (4) – 09:07
Patrick Sharp (3) – 18:11
First period No scoring
Jamie Benn (4) – 19:36 Second period No scoring
Alex Goligoski (2) – 10:28 Third period 03:48 – ppJared Spurgeon (1)
04:04 – Jonas Brodin (1)
08:39 – pp – Jared Spurgeon (2)
15:13 – Jason Pominville (4)
Kari Lehtonen 25 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Devan Dubnyk 19 saves / 24 shots
Dallas won series 4–2


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

The St. Louis Blues finished second in the Central Division earning 107 points. The Chicago Blackhawks earned 103 points to finish third in the Central. This is the twelfth playoff meeting between these two rivals with Chicago winning eight of the eleven previous series. Their most recent meeting was the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Chicago won in six games. St. Louis won three of the five games during this year's regular season series.

The Blues defeated the Blackhawks in seven games after giving up a 3–1 series lead. In Game 1, neither team scored in regulation; David Backes scored 9:04 into the first overtime for the Blues as goalie Brian Elliott made 35 saves in the win.[32] In Game 2, Patrick Kane had two assists to help the Blackhawks win 3–2.[33] The Blues recovered in Game 3, as Elliot made 44 saves in a 3–2 win.[34] Game 4 saw Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford go after Blues rookie forward Robby Fabbri after the forward was bumped into the goaltender by Chicago captain Jonathan Toews. Five penalties were assessed and the Blackhawks scored on the power play that followed.[35] Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Blues as they won the game 4–3.[36] Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw was given a one-game suspension and a $5,000 fine after he used a homophobic slur.[37][38] In Game 5, the Blues overcame a 3–1 deficit in the third period to send the game to overtime. In double-overtime, Patrick Kane scored the game-winner for the Blackhawks who avoided elimination with a 4–3 win.[39] The Blackhawks came back from a 3–1 deficit in Game 6, scoring five goals in a 6–3 victory to force a seventh game.[40] In Game 7, the Blues took a two-goal lead in the first period before the Blackhawks tied the game on goals by Marian Hossa and Andrew Shaw. In the third period, Troy Brouwer scored the series-winner as the Blues advanced past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012 with a 3–2 win.[41]


April 13 Chicago Blackhawks 0–1 OT St. Louis Blues Scottrade 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 09:04 – David Backes (1)
Corey Crawford 17 saves / 18 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 35 saves / 35 shots
April 15 Chicago Blackhawks 3–2 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Duncan Keith (1) – 19:55 Second period 15:20 – Vladimir Tarasenko (1)
Andrew Shaw (1) – pp – 15:41
Artemi Panarin (1) – en – 18:34
Third period 19:58 – Kevin Shattenkirk (1)
Corey Crawford 29 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 26 saves / 28 shots
April 17 St. Louis Blues 3–2 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Colton Parayko (1) – pp – 12:11 First period 02:18 – ppBrent Seabrook (1)
No scoring Second period 01:04 – Artem Anisimov (1)
Patrik Berglund (1) – 05:15
Jaden Schwartz (1) – pp – 13:22
Third period No scoring
Brian Elliott 44 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 33 saves / 36 shots
April 19 St. Louis Blues 4–3 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Vladimir Tarasenko (2) – 14:02 First period No scoring
Vladimir Tarasenko (3) – pp – 17:31 Second period 09:12 – Andrew Shaw (2)
13:09 – ppDuncan Keith (2)
Jaden Schwartz (2) – pp – 01:36
Alexander Steen (1) – 04:46
Third period 14:40 – Duncan Keith (3)
Brian Elliott 39 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 16 saves / 20 shots
April 21 Chicago Blackhawks 4–3 2OT St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Marian Hossa (1) – sh – 11:32
Artem Anisimov (2) – 15:24
Artemi Panarin (2) – 19:59
Second period 12:29 – ppJaden Schwartz (3)
No scoring Third period 06:57 – Robby Fabbri (1)
14:50 – David Backes (2)
Patrick Kane (1) – 03:07 Second overtime period No scoring
Corey Crawford 43 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 31 saves / 35 shots
April 23 St. Louis Blues 3–6 Chicago Blackhawks United Center Recap  
Scottie Upshall (1) – 06:18
Alex Pietrangelo (1) – 08:51
Vladimir Tarasenko (4) – 11:00
First period 03:47 – Andrew Ladd (1)
No scoring Second period 04:13 – ppArtem Anisimov (3)
12:21 – Trevor van Riemsdyk (1)
16:18 – Dale Weise (1)
No scoring Third period 16:53 – ppAndrew Shaw (3)
17:40 – enMarian Hossa (2)
Brian Elliott 30 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Corey Crawford 24 saves / 27 shots
April 25 Chicago Blackhawks 2–3 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Marian Hossa (3) – 18:30 First period 01:00 – Jori Lehtera (1)
13:43 – Colton Parayko (2)
Andrew Shaw (4) – pp – 03:20 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 08:31 – Troy Brouwer (1)
Corey Crawford 23 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 31 saves / 33 shots
St. Louis won series 4–3


(P1) Anaheim Ducks vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators

The Anaheim Ducks finished first in the Pacific Division, earning 103 points. The Nashville Predators finished as the Western Conference's first wild-card, earning 96 points. This is the second meeting between these teams in the playoffs; their only previous series was the 2011 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Nashville won in six games. Nashville won two of the three games during this year's regular season series.

For the fourth straight year, the Ducks were eliminated in a seventh game at home after having a 3–2 series lead. James Neal scored 35 seconds into Game 1 and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves for the Predators' 3–2 win.[42] In Game 2, Rinne again made 27 saves in another 3–2 win to take their first ever 2–0 series lead.[43] Before Game 3 Anaheim replaced goaltender John Gibson with Frederik Andersen as he stopped all 27 shots in a 3–0 Ducks victory.[44] Andersen made 30 saves in a 4–1 victory in Game 4 to tie the series.[45] Three players for the Ducks, Ryan Getzlaf, David Perron, and Sami Vatanen, had two points in a 5–2 win in Game 5 to take a 3–2 series lead.[46] The Predators forced their first ever seventh game after Rinne made 26 saves in a 3–1 win.[47] In Game 7, Rinne stopped 36 shots for the Predators in a 2–1 win to advance to the second round.[48]


April 15 Nashville Predators 3–2 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
James Neal (1) – 00:35 First period 17:39 – ppRyan Getzlaf (1)
Colin Wilson (1) – 07:55 Second period 00:48 – Ryan Kesler (1)
Filip Forsberg (1) – 10:25 Third period No scoring
Pekka Rinne 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats John Gibson 30 saves / 33 shots
April 17 Nashville Predators 3–2 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Mattias Ekholm (1) – 19:04 First period 14:20 – Andrew Cogliano (1)
Craig Smith (1) – 09:55
Shea Weber (1) – pp – 19:21
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 17:18 – Nate Thompson (1)
Pekka Rinne 27 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats John Gibson 24 saves / 27 shots
April 19 Anaheim Ducks 3–0 Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Jamie McGinn (1) – 10:05 First period No scoring
Rickard Rakell (1) – 11:33
Chris Stewart (1) – 17:06
Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Frederik Andersen 27 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Pekka Rinne 18 saves / 21 shots
April 21 Anaheim Ducks 4–1 Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Ryan Getzlaf (2) – 01:02 First period No scoring
Nate Thompson (2) – 17:04
Jamie McGinn (2) – 18:56
Second period 11:26 – Mike Fisher (1)
Andrew Cogliano (2) – 16:52 Third period No scoring
Frederik Andersen 30 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Pekka Rinne 21 saves / 25 shots
April 23 Nashville Predators 2–5 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Ryan Johansen (1) – 14:13 Second period 14:35 – David Perron (1)
16:23 – Ryan Garbutt (1)
Miikka Salomaki (1) – 13:29 Third period 08:34 – Sami Vatanen (1)
16:37 – ppCam Fowler (1)
18:14 – enRyan Kesler (2)
Pekka Rinne 27 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Frederik Andersen 27 saves / 29 shots
April 25 Anaheim Ducks 1–3 Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Ryan Kesler (3) – pp – 19:46 Second period 08:10 – Mattias Ekholm (2)
17:45 – James Neal (2)
No scoring Third period 19:50 – enShea Weber (2)
Frederik Andersen 23 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Pekka Rinne 26 saves / 27 shots
April 27 Nashville Predators 2–1 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
Colin Wilson (2) – 06:19
Paul Gaustad (1) – 15:53
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 01:45 – ppRyan Kesler (4)
Pekka Rinne 36 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Frederik Andersen 18 saves / 20 shots
Nashville won series 4–3


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

The Los Angeles Kings finished second in the Pacific Division, earning 102 points. The San Jose Sharks earned 98 points to finish third in the Pacific. This is the fourth meeting between these two teams, with Los Angeles winning two of the three previous meetings. They last met in the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which Los Angeles came back from a 3–0 deficit to defeat the Sharks in seven games. San Jose won three of the five games during this year's regular season series.

The Sharks defeated the Kings in five games. In Game 1, Joe Pavelski scored twice including the game winner to help the Sharks win 4–3.[49] Sharks goalie, and former Kings backup goalie, Martin Jones allowed one goal on 27 shots in Game 2 in a 2–1 win.[50] Game 3 in San Jose required overtime with the game tied 1–1 after regulation time, before Tanner Pearson scored the game winner for the Kings at 3:47 of the first overtime.[51] In Game 4, all three Sharks goals came on the power play before the Kings tried to make a comeback cutting the deficit to 3–2, but that was the final score of the game.[52] In Game 5, the Sharks took a 3–0 lead until the Kings scored three goals to tie the game in the second period. Early in the third period, San Jose rookie Joonas Donskoi's second goal of the game, broke the tie to give the Sharks a 4–3 lead; Joe Pavelski and Melker Karlsson provided insurance goals as the Sharks ended the series with a 6–3 victory.[53]


April 14 San Jose Sharks 4–3 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Joe Pavelski (1) – pp – 06:25 First period 02:53 – Jake Muzzin (1)
Brent Burns (1) – 06:50
Tomas Hertl (1) – 17:48
Second period 07:30 – ppJeff Carter (1)
17:18 – shTrevor Lewis (1)
Joe Pavelski (2) – 00:17 Third period No scoring
Martin Jones 21 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 19 saves / 23 shots
April 16 San Jose Sharks 2–1 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Joe Pavelski (3) – 03:37 First period No scoring
Logan Couture (1) – pp – 08:44 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 14:59 – ppVincent Lecavalier (1)
Martin Jones 26 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 21 saves / 23 shots
April 18 Los Angeles Kings 2–1 OT San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Anze Kopitar (1) – pp – 08:10 First period 00:30 – Joe Thornton (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Tanner Pearson (1) – 03:47 First overtime period No scoring
Jonathan Quick 29 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 22 saves / 24 shots
April 20 Los Angeles Kings 2–3 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 02:09 – ppBrent Burns (2)
09:21 – ppJoe Pavelski (4)
Trevor Lewis (2) – 02:49
Luke Schenn (1) – 06:44
Third period 01:40 – ppPatrick Marleau (1)
Jonathan Quick 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 26 saves / 28 shots
April 22 San Jose Sharks 6–3 Los Angeles Kings Staples Center Recap  
Joonas Donskoi (1) – 01:08
Chris Tierney (1) – 11:21
First period No scoring
Matt Nieto (1) – 04:05 Second period 07:44 – Anze Kopitar (2)
11:26 – Jeff Carter (2)
16:36 – Kris Versteeg (1)
Joonas Donskoi (2) – 03:58
Joe Pavelski (5) – 12:24
Melker Karlsson (1) – en – 19:38
Third period No scoring
Martin Jones 19 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Jonathan Quick 22 saves / 27 shots
San Jose won series 4–1


Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(A2) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (WC1) New York Islanders

This is the second playoff meeting for these teams; their only previous series was in the 2004 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Tampa Bay won in five games. New York won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.


April 27 New York Islanders 5–3 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
Travis Hamonic (1) – 05:44
Shane Prince (2) – 17:28
Shane Prince (3) – 19:57
First period 03:05 – Ondrej Palat (2)
John Tavares (6) – pp – 08:59 Second period No scoring
Cal Clutterbuck (1) – en – 19:05 Third period 07:41 – Nikita Kucherov (6)
17:28 – Valtteri Filppula (1)
Thomas Greiss 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Ben Bishop 9 saves / 13 shots
Andrei Vasilevskiy 8 saves / 8 shots
April 30 New York Islanders 1–4 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
Nikolay Kulemin (1) – pp – 15:15 First period 06:03 – Tyler Johnson (3)
11:55 – Jonathan Drouin (1)
No scoring Second period 11:59 – ppVictor Hedman (1)
No scoring Third period 17:42 – en – Tyler Johnson (4)
Thomas Greiss 27 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Ben Bishop 19 saves / 20 shots
May 3 Tampa Bay Lightning 5–4 OT New York Islanders Barclays Center Recap  
Ryan Callahan (1) – pp – 19:47 First period 07:55 – Josh Bailey (1)
Victor Hedman (2) – 08:10 Second period 14:50 – Nick Leddy (1)
Vladislav Namestnikov (1) – 03:25
Nikita Kucherov (7) – 19:21
Third period 02:27 – pp – Josh Bailey (2)
11:23 – Cal Clutterbuck (2)
Brian Boyle (2) – 02:48 First overtime period No scoring
Ben Bishop 35 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Thomas Greiss 36 saves / 41 shots
May 6 Tampa Bay Lightning 2–1 OT New York Islanders Barclays Center Recap  
No scoring First period 04:20 – ppKyle Okposo (2)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Nikita Kucherov (8) – 07:49 Third period No scoring
Jason Garrison (1) – 01:34 First overtime period No scoring
Ben Bishop 27 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Thomas Greiss 20 saves / 22 shots
Jean-Francois Berube 2 saves / 2 shots
May 8 New York Islanders 0–4 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena  
No scoring First period 13:49 – Victor Hedman (3)
18:41 – Brian Boyle (3)
No scoring Second period 04:22 – pp – Victor Hedman (4)
No scoring Third period 04:40 – Nikita Kucherov (9)
Thomas Greiss 21 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Ben Bishop 28 saves / 28 shots
Tampa Bay won series 4–1


(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (M2) Pittsburgh Penguins

This is the ninth playoff meeting for these teams, with Pittsburgh having won seven of the eight previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which Pittsburgh won in seven games. Pittsburgh won three of the five games in this year's regular season series.


April 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 OT Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring First period 10:13 – Andre Burakovsky (1)
Ben Lovejoy (1) – 10:40
Evgeni Malkin (3) – 11:37
Second period 12:10 – T. J. Oshie (2)
Nick Bonino (1) – 08:42 Third period 03:23 – T. J. Oshie (3)
No scoring First overtime period 09:33 – T. J. Oshie (4)
Matt Murray 31 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Braden Holtby 42 saves / 45 shots
April 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1 Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Carl Hagelin (2) – 07:08 Second period No scoring
Eric Fehr (2) – 15:32 Third period 04:08 – ppMarcus Johansson (2)
Matt Murray 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Braden Holtby 33 saves / 35 shots
May 2 Washington Capitals 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period 06:37 – Patric Hornqvist (4)
07:37 – Tom Kuhnhackl (2)
No scoring Second period 15:03 – Carl Hagelin (3)
Alexander Ovechkin (4) – 08:02
Justin Williams (1) – 19:04
Third period No scoring
Braden Holtby 20 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 47 saves / 49 shots
May 4 Washington Capitals 2–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Jay Beagle (3) – 02:58 First period 09:16 – Trevor Daley (1)
John Carlson (4) – 16:19 Second period 03:07 – Matt Cullen (3)
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 02:34 – Patric Hornqvist (5)
Braden Holtby 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 34 saves / 36 shots
May 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
Chris Kunitz (1) – pp – 07:08 First period 04:04 – ppAlexander Ovechkin (5)
Second period 04:00 – ppT. J. Oshie (5)
09:58 – Justin Williams (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Matt Murray 16 saves / 19 shots Goalie stats Braden Holtby 30 saves / 31 shots
May 10 Washington Capitals 3–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period 05:41 – Phil Kessel (4)
T. J. Oshie (6) – pp – 18:30 Second period 07:05 – pp – Phil Kessel (5)
07:38 – ppCarl Hagelin (4)
Justin Williams (3) – 07:23
John Carlson (5) – pp – 13:01
Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 06:32 – Nick Bonino (2)
Braden Holtby 37 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 36 saves / 39 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–2

Western Conference Semifinals

(C1) Dallas Stars vs. (C2) St. Louis Blues

This is the thirteenth playoff meeting for these teams; the two teams have split the twelve previous series. They last met in the 2001 Western Conference Semifinals, which St. Louis won in a four-game sweep. St. Louis won four of the five games in this year's regular season series.

The Blues defeated the Stars in seven games. In Game 1, Radek Faksa scored with 4:44 left in the third period to give the Dallas Stars a 2–1 win.[54] In Game 2, Dallas scored two goals in the third period to tie the game 3–3 after being down 3–1. In overtime, Blues' captain David Backes scored a power play goal to tie the series at a game a piece.[55] Alexander Steen scored twice and Vladimir Tarasenko scored a goal and two assists to help the Blues rout the Stars 6–1 in Game 3.[56] Jamie Benn had two assists in Game 4 as well as the overtime-game-winner by Cody Eakin for the Stars in a 3–2 win.[57] In Game 5, Paul Stastny had a goal and an assist and Brian Elliott made 27 saves in a 4–1 victory to take a 3–2 series lead.[58] Dallas scored three goals in the first period in Game 6 prompting St. Louis head coach Ken Hitchcock to replace Elliott who had only stopped four shots. Dallas won the game 3–2 to force a seventh game.[59] In Game 7, Troy Brouwer, Paul Statsny, and Robby Fabbri had a goal and two assists for the Blues in a 6–1 victory to win the series.


April 29 St. Louis Blues 1–2 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 09:36 – Antoine Roussel (2)
Kevin Shattenkirk (2) – 11:32 Third period 15:16 – Radek Faksa (2)
Brian Elliott 40 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 31 saves / 32 shots
May 1 St. Louis Blues 4–3 OT Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Patrik Berglund (2) – 04:11
Joel Edmundson (1) – 07:02
Troy Brouwer (2) – pp – 18:40
First period 03:36 – Alex Goligoski (3)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 04:35 – Mattias Janmark (1)
17:24 – Jamie Benn (5)
David Backes (3) – pp – 10:58 First overtime period No scoring
Brian Elliott 31 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 2 saves / 5 shots
Antti Niemi 19 saves / 20 shots
May 3 Dallas Stars 1–6 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Colton Sceviour (2) – 04:44 First period 05:41 – Alexander Steen (2)
16:10 – ppDavid Backes (4)
No scoring Second period 02:34 – Troy Brouwer (3)
03:50 – Vladimir Tarasenko (5)
18:03 – pp – Alexander Steen (3)
No scoring Third period 18:06 – David Backes (5)
Antti Niemi 9 saves / 12 shots
Kari Lehtonen 24 saves / 27 shots
Goalie stats Brian Elliott 25 saves / 26 shots
May 5 Dallas Stars 3–2 OT St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
No scoring First period 10:17 – Vladimir Tarasenko (6)
Radek Faksa (3) – 04:05
Patrick Sharp (4) – pp – 05:14
Second period 13:06 – ppPaul Stastny (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Cody Eakin (1) – 02:58 First overtime period No scoring
Kari Lehtonen 24 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 25 saves / 28 shots
May 7 St. Louis Blues 4–1 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Robby Fabbri (2) – 06:00 First period 10:58 – Alex Goligoski (4)
Dmitrij Jaskin (1) – 10:31
Troy Brouwer (4) – 17:42
Second period No scoring
Paul Stastny (2) – en – 18:20 Third period No scoring
Brian Elliott 27 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 18 saves / 21 shots
May 9 Dallas Stars 3–2 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Mattias Janmark (2) – 04:53
Vernon Fiddler (1) – 05:13
Jason Spezza (5) – pp – 16:49
First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 07:29 – Alexander Steen (4)
No scoring Third period 08:59 – Patrik Berglund (3)
Kari Lehtonen 35 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 4 saves / 7 shots
Jake Allen 7 saves / 7 shots
May 11 St. Louis Blues 6–1 Dallas Stars American Airlines Center Recap  
Robby Fabbri (3) – pp – 05:23
Paul Stastny (3) – 18:22
Patrik Berglund (4) – 19:56
First period No scoring
David Backes (6) – 03:50
Troy Brouwer (5) – 15:06
Second period No scoring
Vladimir Tarasenko (7) – en – 15:20 Third period 05:15 – Patrick Eaves (3)
Brian Elliott 31 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Kari Lehtonen 5 saves / 8 shots
Antti Niemi 8 saves / 10 shots
St. Louis won series 4–3


(P3) San Jose Sharks vs. (WC1) Nashville Predators

This is the third playoff meeting for these teams, with San Jose winning both previous series. They last met in the 2007 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which San Jose won in five games. Nashville won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.


April 29 Nashville Predators 2–5 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Mike Fisher (2) – pp – 04:33 Second period No scoring
Ryan Johansen (2) – 18:11 Third period 02:37 – ppTomas Hertl (2)
11:49 – Joel Ward (1)
15:40 – ppLogan Couture (2)
18:31 – en – Logan Couture (3)
19:10 – enTommy Wingels (1)
Pekka Rinne 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 29 saves / 31 shots
May 1 Nashville Predators 2–3 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 18:36 – ppLogan Couture (4)
Mattias Ekholm (3) – 12:56
Ryan Johansen (3) – 19:55
Third period 17:20 – Joe Pavelski (6)
19:04 – enJoe Thornton (2)
Pekka Rinne 22 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 37 saves / 39 shots
May 3 San Jose Sharks 1–4 Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Patrick Marleau (2) – 13:13 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 05:11 – ppJames Neal (3)
14:44 – Shea Weber (3)
Third period 06:55 – Colin Wilson (3)
15:49 – ppFilip Forsberg (2)
Martin Jones 21 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Pekka Rinne 26 saves / 27 shots
May 5 San Jose Sharks 3–4 3OT Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Brent Burns (3) – 03:08 First period 00:41 – Colin Wilson (4)
09:50 – Mike Fisher (3)
Joonas Donskoi (3) – 14:09 Second period No scoring
Brent Burns (4) – pp – 06:48 Third period 15:39 – James Neal (4)
No scoring Third overtime period 11:12 – Mike Fisher (4)
Martin Jones 41 saves / 45 shots Goalie stats Pekka Rinne 44 saves / 47 shots
May 7 Nashville Predators 1–5 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Mike Fisher (5) – 15:40 First period 10:47 – Patrick Marleau (3)
17:21 – Joe Pavelski (7)
No scoring Second period 00:35 – Logan Couture (5)
19:22 – pp – Joe Pavelski (8)
No scoring Third period 19:10 – Melker Karlsson (2)
Pekka Rinne 23 saves / 27 shots
Carter Hutton 1 save / 2 shots
Goalie stats Martin Jones 24 saves / 25 shots
May 9 San Jose Sharks 3–4 OT Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena Recap  
Chris Tierney (2) – 09:55
Chris Tierney (3) – 11:51
First period 15:27 – Roman Josi (1)
No scoring Second period 01:25 – Ryan Johansen (4)
Logan Couture (6) – pp – 10:04 Third period 12:44 – Colin Wilson (5)
No scoring First overtime period 02:03 – Viktor Arvidsson (1)
Martin Jones 28 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Pekka Rinne 15 saves / 18 shots
May 12 Nashville Predators 0–5 San Jose Sharks SAP Center  
No scoring First period 09:02 – ppJoe Pavelski (9)
16:51 – Joel Ward (2)
No scoring Second period 00:36 – Logan Couture (7)
No scoring Third period 00:32 – ppJoe Thornton (3)
03:54 – Patrick Marleau (4)
Pekka Rinne 21 saves / 26 shots
Carter Hutton 1 save / 1 shots
Goalie stats Martin Jones 20 saves / 20 shots
San Jose won series 4–3

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Final

(M2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (A2) Tampa Bay Lightning

This is the second playoff meeting for these teams. Their only previous series was during the 2011 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Tampa Bay came back from a 3–1 series deficit to win in seven games. Pittsburgh last made the Conference Finals in 2013 where they were swept in four games by the Boston Bruins. This is Tampa Bay's second consecutive Conference Finals appearance; they defeated the New York Rangers in seven games in the previous year. Tampa Bay won all three games in this year's regular season series.


May 13 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Alex Killorn (4) – 18:46 First period No scoring
Ondrej Palat (3) – pp – 02:33
Jonathan Drouin (2) – 18:25
Second period 19:05 – ppPatric Hornqvist (6)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Ben Bishop 9 saves / 9 shots
Andrei Vasilevskiy 25 saves / 26 shots
Goalie stats Matt Murray 17 saves / 20 shots
May 16 Tampa Bay Lightning 2–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Anton Stralman (1) – 16:37
Jonathan Drouin (3) – 19:10
First period 04:32 – Matt Cullen (4)
09:37 – Phil Kessel (6)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 00:40 – Sidney Crosby (4)
Andrei Vasilevskiy 37 saves / 40 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 19 saves / 21 shots
May 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Carl Hagelin (5) – 19:50 Second period No scoring
Phil Kessel (7) – 05:16
Sidney Crosby (5) – pp – 10:50
Chris Kunitz (2) – 13:12
Third period 05:30 – Tyler Johnson (5)
18:16 – Ondrej Palat (4)
Matt Murray 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Andrei Vasilevskiy 44 saves / 48 shots
May 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
No scoring First period 00:27 – Ryan Callahan (2)
14:28 – Andrej Sustr (1)
No scoring Second period 14:38 – ppJonathan Drouin (4)
17:48 – Tyler Johnson (6)
Phil Kessel (8) – 01:18
Evgeni Malkin (4) – 11:13
Chris Kunitz (3) – pp – 13:08
Third period No scoring
Matt Murray 26 saves / 30 shots
Marc-Andre Fleury 7 saves / 7 shots
Goalie stats Andrei Vasilevskiy 35 saves / 38 shots
May 22 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period 19:59 – Brian Dumoulin (1)
Alex Killorn (5) – 13:15
Nikita Kucherov (10) – 14:25
Second period 01:30 – Patric Hornqvist (7)
19:10 – Chris Kunitz (4)
Nikita Kucherov (11) – 16:44 Third period No scoring
Tyler Johnson (7) – 00:53 First overtime period No scoring
Andrei Vasilevskiy 31 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Marc-Andre Fleury 21 saves / 25 shots
May 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2 Tampa Bay Lightning Amalie Arena Recap  
Phil Kessel (9) – pp – 18:46 First period No scoring
Kris Letang (2) – 07:40
Sidney Crosby (6) – 19:34
Second period No scoring
Bryan Rust (3) – 17:52
Nick Bonino (3) – en – 19:06
Third period 05:30 – Brian Boyle (4)
12:43 – Brian Boyle (5)
Matt Murray 29 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Andrei Vasilevskiy 29 saves / 33 shots
May 26 Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center  
No scoring First period No scoring
9:36 – Jonathan Drouin (5) Second period Bryan Rust (4) – 1:55
Bryan Rust (5) – 10:06
Third period
Andrei Vasilevskiy 37 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 15 saves / 16 shots
Pittsburgh wins series 4–3


Western Conference Final

(C2) St. Louis Blues vs. (P3) San Jose Sharks

This is the fifth playoff meeting for these teams, with both teams splitting the four previous playoff series. They last met during the 2012 Western Conference Quarterfinals, which St. Louis won in five games. St. Louis most recently made the Conference Finals in 2001, when they lost to the Colorado Avalanche in five games. San Jose last made the Conference Finals in 2011, where they lost in five games to the Vancouver Canucks. San Jose won two of the three games in this year's regular season series.


May 15 San Jose Sharks 1–2 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Tomas Hertl (3) – 15:38 First period 15:04 – ppDavid Backes (7)
No scoring Second period 09:15 – Jori Lehtera (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Martin Jones 21 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 31 saves / 32 shots
May 17 San Jose Sharks 4–0 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Tommy Wingels (2) – 02:07 First period No scoring
Brent Burns (5) – pp – 07:04 Second period No scoring
Brent Burns (6) – pp – 11:58
Dainius Zubrus (1) – en – 19:41
Third period No scoring
Martin Jones 26 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Brian Elliott 20 saves / 23 shots
May 19 St. Louis Blues 0–3 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
No scoring First period 15:53 – Tomas Hertl (4)
No scoring Second period 11:44 – Joonas Donskoi (4)
No scoring Third period 06:09 – Tomas Hertl (5)
Brian Elliott 11 saves / 14 shots
Jake Allen 2 saves / 2 shots
Goalie stats Martin Jones 22 saves / 22 shots
May 21 St. Louis Blues 6–3 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Troy Brouwer (6) – pp – 06:14
Jori Lehtera (3) – 10:11
First period No scoring
Kyle Brodziak (1) – sh – 06:09
Kyle Brodziak (2) – 10:11
Second period No scoring
Troy Brouwer (7) – pp – 03:55
Alex Pietrangelo (2) – en – 15:39
Third period 01:05 – Joe Pavelski (10)
06:57 – Chris Tierney (4)
16:28 – Melker Karlsson (3)
Jake Allen 31 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 15 saves / 19 shots
James Reimer 6 saves / 7 shots
May 23 San Jose Sharks 6-3 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
03:51 – Marc-Edouard Vlasic (1) First period Jaden Schwartz (4) - 07:04
Troy Brouwer (8) – 10:11
04:37 – pp- Joel Ward (3)
18:33 – pp - Joe Pavelski (11)
Second period Robby Fabbri (4) - pp - 11:58
00:16 – Joe Pavelski (12)
19:06 - en - Chris Tierney (5)
19:27 - en - Joel Ward (4)
Third period
Martin Jones 18 saves / 21 shots Goalie stats Jake Allen 21 saves / 25 shots
May 25 St. Louis Blues 2-5 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
First period 03:57 – Joe Pavelski (13)
Second period 05:02 - Joel Ward (5)
Vladimir Tarasenko (8) - 11:39
Vladimir Tarasenko (9) - 16:25
Third period 04:37 – Joel Ward (6)
8:11 – Joonas Donskoi (5)
18:33 – en - Logan Couture (8)
Brian Elliott 22 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 22 saves / 21 shots
San Jose wins series 4–2


Stanley Cup Finals

Note: All times listed are in EDT (UTC−4).

This is the first playoff meeting for these two teams. Pittsburgh is appearing in their fifth Stanley Cup Finals; their most recent appearance was in 2009, when they defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games. San Jose is making their first Finals appearance in their twenty-fifth season after entering the league in 1991–92. These teams split the two games in their regular season series.


May 30 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center NBC, CBC, TVA
June 1 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center NBC, CBC, TVA
June 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center NBC, CBC, TVA
June 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center NBC, CBC, TVA
June 9 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center NBC, CBC, TVA
June 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 8:00 p.m. San Jose Sharks SAP Center NBC, CBC, TVA
June 15 San Jose Sharks 8:00 p.m. Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center NBC, CBC, TVA
Series starts May 30


(C2) St. Louis Blues vs. (P3) San Jose Sharks

Player statistics

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Couture, LoganLogan Couture San Jose Sharks 19 8 16 24 +5 8
Pavelski, JoeJoe Pavelski San Jose Sharks 18 13 9 22 +4 2
Burns, BrentBrent Burns San Jose Sharks 18 6 14 20 +6 8
Kucherov, NikitaNikita Kucherov Tampa Bay Lightning 16 11 8 19 +16 8
Thornton, JoeJoe Thornton San Jose Sharks 18 3 15 18 +6 8
Kessel, PhilPhil Kessel Pittsburgh Penguins 17 8 9 17 +4 4
Johnson, TylerTyler Johnson Tampa Bay Lightning 16 7 10 17 +13 12
Tarasenko, VladimirVladimir Tarasenko St. Louis Blues 20 9 6 15 –4 2
Fabbri, RobbyRobby Fabbri St. Louis Blues 20 4 11 15 0 6
Benn, JamieJamie Benn Dallas Stars 13 5 10 15 +2 10

Goaltenders

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
Holtby, BradenBraden Holtby Washington Capitals 12 6 6 363 21 1.72 .942 2 731:32
Bishop, BenBen Bishop Tampa Bay Lightning 11 8 2 297 18 1.85 .939 2 582:26
Luongo, RobertoRoberto Luongo Florida Panthers 6 2 4 227 15 2.05 .934 0 438:20
Jones, MartinMartin Jones San Jose Sharks 17 12 5 478 39 2.12 .918 3 1103:34
Murray, MattMatt Murray Pittsburgh Penguins 15 11 4 437 33 2.21 .924 1 893:47
Elliott, BrianBrian Elliott St. Louis Blues 17 9 7 546 43 2.44 .921 1 1057:20

Television

This marks the fifth postseason under NBC Sports' current 10-year contract for American television rights. All playoff games will be nationally televised by either NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, and NHL Network. During the first round, these national telecasts will co-exist with those of regional rightsholders, after which NBC will have exclusive rights to the remaining games.[60]

This will be the second postseason under Rogers Communications' 12-year contract for Canadian television rights. Under a time-brokerage agreement, playoff games and the Stanley Cup Finals will air on CBC, but Rogers will assume editorial control and the ownership of any advertising revenue from the telecasts.[61] English-language telecasts of playoff games will also air on the Sportsnet networks. In a separate sub-licensing agreement with Rogers, French-language coverage will be on TVA.

With all seven of the NHL's Canadian teams out of the playoffs, media sources have predicted that Rogers will take a massive hit in the ratings.[62][63][64] During the regular season, Sunday's Hometown Hockey saw ratings drop 34 percent, while the traditional Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday fell 18 per cent, culminating in the season closer on April 9 that attracted just 721,000 viewers.[65] Rogers has also implemented several cost-cutting measures, such as only employing three full-time play-by-play crews, and having a fourth one doing spot duty, during the first round.[66]

References

  1. Stubbs, Dave (March 31, 2016). Woe Canada. No playoffs this year north of border. NHL Enterprises, L.P.. Retrieved on March 31, 2016.
  2. Stars secure No. 1 seed in West. NHL Enterprises, L.P. (April 10, 2016). Retrieved on April 10, 2016.
  3. Fialkov, Harvey. "Florida Panthers clinch fifth playoff berth in franchise history", Sun-Sentinel, Tribune Publishing, April 3, 2016. Retrieved on April 10, 2016. 
  4. Islanders vs. Panthers First Round series preview. NHL Enterprises, L.P. (April 11, 2016). Retrieved on April 11, 2016.
  5. Poupart, Alain (April 14, 2016). Tavares, Islanders defeat Panthers in Game 1. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  6. Poupart, Alain (April 15, 2016). Luongo makes 41 saves, helps Panthers even series. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  7. Satriano, David (April 17, 2016). Hickey lifts Islanders by Panthers in overtime. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  8. Kreiser, John (April 20, 2016). Petrovic, Panthers top Islanders in Game 4. National Hockey League.
  9. Poupart, Alain (April 22, 2016). Quine lifts Islanders to double-overtime Game 5 win. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  10. Morreale, Mike G. (April 24, 2016). Tavares scores in double overtime, Islanders advance. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  11. Long, Corey (April 13, 2016). Lightning strike first against Red Wings. National Hockey League.
  12. Long, Corey (April 15, 2016). Johnson leads Lightning to Game 2 win vs. Red Wings. National Hockey League.
  13. Harris, Paul (April 17, 2016). Red Wings stifle Lightning, get crucial win. National Hockey League.
  14. Harris, Paul (April 19, 2016). Palat gives Lightning Game 4 win. National Hockey League.
  15. Long, Corey (April 21, 2016). Lightning defeat Red Wings, advance to second round. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  16. Brown, Katie (April 14, 2016). Holtby shutout lifts Capitals past Flyers in Game 1. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  17. Brown, Katie (April 16, 2016). Holtby makes 41 saves, Capitals defeat Flyers. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  18. Kimelman, Adam (April 18, 2016). Capitals ride power play to big win against Flyers. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  19. Kimelman, Adam (April 20, 2016). Neuvirth, Flyers avoid elimination in Game 4. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  20. Brown, Katie (April 22, 2016). Neuvirth, Flyers shut out Capitals in Game 5 win. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  21. Kimelman, Adam (April 24, 2016). Capitals defeat Flyers to advance to second round. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  22. Crosby, Wes (April 13, 2016). Zatkoff pushes Penguins past Rangers in Game 1. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
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  24. Lane, John (April 19, 2016). Murray, Cullen lift Penguins by Rangers in Game 3. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  25. Satriano, David (April 21, 2016). Malkin, Murray propel Penguins in Game 4. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  26. Sparks, Sidney (April 22, 2016). Pittsburgh Penguins’ Goaltending Future is Bright. FanSided Inc../
  27. Hunt, Steven (April 14, 2016). Benn, Spezza lift Stars to Game 1 win against Wild. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  28. Hunt, Steven (April 16, 2016). Roussel's strange goal helps Stars defeat Wild again. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  29. Myers, Dan (April 18, 2016). Wild have offensive outburst in Game 3 win. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  30. Myers, Dan (April 20, 2016). Stars push Wild to brink with Game 4 win. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  31. Hunt, Steven (April 22, 2016). Wild stay alive with OT win against Stars. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  32. Korac, Louie (April 13, 2016). Backes' OT goal lifts Blues in Game 1. National Hockey League.
  33. Korac, Louie (April 17, 2016). Keith helps Blackhawks tie series with Blues. National Hockey League.
  34. Hedger, Brian (April 17, 2016). Blues score twice in 3rd, top Blackhawks in Game 3. National Hockey League.
  35. HawksTalk (April 19, 2016). Blackhawks: Corey Crawford goes after Robby Fabbri. Comcast Sportsnet: Chicago.
  36. Hedger, Brian (April 20, 2016). Tarasenko powers Blues to Game 4 victory. National Hockey League.
  37. Blackhawks' Shaw suspended one game, fined $5,000. NHL Public Relations (April 20, 2016).
  38. Fitzgerald, Matt (April 20, 2016). Andrew Shaw Suspended for Using Homophobic Slur: Latest Details, Reaction. Associated Press.
  39. Korac, Louie (April 21, 2016). Blackhawks top Blues in 2 OTs, avoid elimination. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  40. Hedger, Brian (April 23, 2016). Blackhawks rally past Blues to win Game 6. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  41. Korac, Louie (April 25, 2016). Blues defeat Blackhawks in Game 7. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  42. Mastracco, Abbey (April 16, 2016). Forsberg lifts Predators to Game 1 win. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  43. Mastracco, Abbey (April 17, 2016). Predators top Ducks, take first-ever 2-0 series lead. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  44. Stanley, Robby (April 19, 2016). Andersen, Ducks blank Predators in Game 3. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  45. Stanley, Robby (April 21, 2016). Andersen, Ducks even series against Predators. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  46. Mastracco, Abbey (April 23, 2016). Ducks grab series lead with Game 5 victory. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  47. Stanley, Robby (April 25, 2016). Rinne, Predators defeat Ducks to stay alive. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  48. Mastracco, Abbey (April 27, 2016). Predators hand Ducks fourth straight Game 7 loss. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  49. Zupke, Curtis (April 14, 2016). Pavelski powers Sharks past Kings in Game 1. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  50. Mastracco, Abbey (April 16, 2016). Sharks edge Kings, head home with 2-0 series lead. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  51. Gilmore, Eric (April 19, 2016). Pearson, Kings win in OT, avoid 3-0 hole. NHL Enterprises, L.P..
  52. Gilmore, Eric (April 21, 2016). Sharks power past Kings in Game 4. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  53. Mastracco, Abbey (April 22, 2016). Sharks eliminate Kings with Game 5 victory. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  54. Hunt, Steven (April 29, 2016). Stars score in third to take Game 1 from Blues. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  55. Hunt, Steven (May 1, 2016). Backes scores in OT, Blues top Stars to even series. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  56. Korac, Louie (May 3, 2016). Blues cruise to Game 3 win against Stars. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  57. Korac, Louie (May 5, 2016). Eakin lifts Stars to OT win in Game 4. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  58. Hunt, Steven (May 7, 2016). Blues defeat Stars in Game 5, take 3-2 series lead. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  59. Korac, Louie (May 9, 2016). Stars defeat Blues to force Game 7. NHL Enterprise, L.P..
  60. NBC Sports (April 6, 2016). NBC Sports Group to present every Stanley Cup playoff game for fifth consecutive year. Press release. Retrieved on April 8, 2016.
  61. Shoalts, David. "Hockey Night in Canada: How CBC lost it all", The Globe and Mail, The Woodbridge Company, October 10, 2014. Retrieved on April 10, 2016. 
  62. Sagan, Aleksandra. "Canadian NHL playoff drought could be ‘massive hit’ to Rogers", Toronto Star, Star Media Group, February 24, 2016. Retrieved on February 24, 2016. 
  63. Nugent-Bowman, Daniel (March 11, 2016). The Seven: A season of infamy for Canada's NHL teams. Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved on March 11, 2016.
  64. Bonesteel, Matt. "Great White Nope: Canadian teams likely will be shut out of NHL playoffs", The Washington Post, Nash Holdings, LLC., March 2, 2016. Retrieved on March 2, 2016. 
  65. Brioux, Bill. "Rogers feeling the sting of all seven Canadian teams missing NHL playoffs", The Province, Postmedia Network, April 12, 2016. Retrieved on April 14, 2016. 
  66. Shoalts, David. "Canadian viewers have an ironic aversion to Rogers hockey broadcasts", The Globe and Mail, The Woodbridge Company, April 18, 2016. Retrieved on April 18, 2016. 
Preceded by
2015 Stanley Cup playoffs
Stanley Cup playoffs
2016
Succeeded by
2017 Stanley Cup playoffs
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