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2016 Stanley Cup playoffs

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The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2015–16 season. They began on April 13, 2016, and ended on June 12, 2016, with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the cup by defeating the San Jose Sharks four games to two, for their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

2016 Stanley Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 13–June 12, 2016
Teams16
Defending championsChicago Blackhawks
Final positions
ChampionsPittsburgh Penguins
Runner-upSan Jose Sharks
Tournament statistics
Scoring leader(s)Logan Couture (Sharks) (30 points)
MVPSidney Crosby (Penguins)
← 2015
2017 →

For only the second time in league history (1970 being the only other time), none of the NHL's seven Canadian-based teams qualified for the postseason.[1] In addition, for the second season in a row and only the fifth (and most recent) time since joining the league in 1979, all four former WHA teams (the Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche) missed the playoffs. The Washington Capitals made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. This was the final season of the Detroit Red Wings' 25-season playoff appearance streak, the longest streak at the time and tied for third longest 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 (1996 being the only other time), both Florida-based teams made the playoffs in the same season.

For the first time since 2006, and only the third time in league history, all Original Six teams who made the playoffs (three in total) were eliminated in the first round. The New York Islanders won their first post-season series since the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs, ending the third longest post-season win drought in NHL history. For the seventh consecutive season and eleventh out of thirteen seasons, a team from California was in the Western Conference final.[4]

For the first time since 2002, no team lost in a four-game sweep in a playoff series.[5]

Playoff seeds

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Further information: Stanley Cup playoffs § Current format

This was 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

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Atlantic Division

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

Metropolitan Division

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  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

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

Western Conference

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Central Division

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  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

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

Wild cards

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

Map of playoff teams

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  Atlantic Division   Metropolitan Division
  Central Division   Pacific Division

Playoff bracket

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In each round, teams competed 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 played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team was at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top three teams in each division made 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 played against the division winner with the best record while the other wild card played against the other division winner, and both wild cards were de facto #4 seeds. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. In the first two rounds, home ice advantage was awarded to the team with the better seed; in the last two rounds, it was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record.

First round Second round 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

First round

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Eastern Conference first round

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

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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 was the first meeting between these two teams. Florida won two of the three games of the regular season series. This was the first time that a Stanley Cup playoff series was played at the Barclays Center. The series contained the two teams with the longest playoff win drought in the league (the Islanders had not won a series since 1993, and the Panthers since 1996).[6] The team that both clubs defeated for their last respective playoff series victory were the Pittsburgh Penguins, of which Panthers' right winger Jaromir Jagr was a member.

The Islanders defeated the Panthers in six games and won a playoff series for the first time since 1993. John Tavares scored a goal and two assists for the Islanders in a 5–4 win in game one.[7] In game two, Roberto Luongo recorded 41 saves in a 3–1 win to help the Panthers tie the series.[8] The Islanders came back from a two-goal deficit in the second period to win game three in overtime on Thomas Hickey's wrist shot.[9] In game four, Jaromir Jagr had an assist to reach 200 points overall in the playoffs. The Panthers won the game 2–1.[10] Games five and six both ended in double-overtime with identical scores of 2–1 and New York winning both games. In game five, Alan Quine scored the game-winner on a power play 16:00 into the second overtime. Thomas Greiss made 47 saves in the victory.[11] In game six, 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.[12]


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 – pp – Jussi 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 – en – Dmitry 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 – pp – Ryan Pulock (1)
11:48 – Shane Prince (1)
16:55 – pp – Frans 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 – pp – John 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 49 saves / 51 shots Goalie stats Thomas Greiss 41 saves / 42 shots
New York won series 4–2


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

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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 was the second meeting between these teams; their only previous meeting was in last year's Eastern Conference First Round 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.[13] Tyler Johnson recorded two goals in Game 2 in a 5–2 win for the Lightning.[14] In Game 3, Detroit goalie Jimmy Howard was replaced with Petr Mrazek, who stopped all 16 shots in a 2–0 win.[15] In Game 4, Kucherov had two goals and an assist and Jonathan Drouin assisted on all three goals scored by Tampa Bay in a 3–2 win.[16] 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.[17]

Games 3 and 4 were the last playoff games ever played at Joe Louis Arena. The arena closed after the 2016-17 as the Red Wings moved into Little Caesars Arena. This was the last of 25 consecutive playoff appearances by the Red Wings, and is to date the last time in which they made the playoffs.


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 – pp – Nikita 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 – en – Alex 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

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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, earning 96 points. This was 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 the four-game regular season series.

The Capitals defeated the Flyers in six games. Capitals goalie Braden Holtby shut out the Flyers in game one, stopping all 19 shots he faced in a 2–0 win.[18] In game two, Holtby made 41 saves and a fluke goal[19] by Capitals forward Jason Chimera turned to be the game-winning goal in a 4–1 win.[20] The Capitals scored a franchise record five power play goals to rout the Flyers 6–1 in game three.[21] In game four, 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.[22] The Flyers forced a sixth game after Neuvirth made 44 saves in a 2–0 win in game five; the Flyers had 11 shots in a playoff win, the fewest ever in franchise history.[23][24] Nicklas Backstrom scored the only goal for the Capitals in game six for his team to move onto the second round.[25]


April 14 Philadelphia Flyers 0–2 Washington Capitals Verizon Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 16:21 – pp – John 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 – pp – John Carlson (2)
Jakub Voracek (1) – 09:37 Second period 02:26 – Jason Chimera (1)
17:21 – pp – Alexander 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 – pp – Shayne 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

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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 was 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 First Round, which the Rangers won in five games. Pittsburgh won three of the four games of the 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 one.[26] J. T. Miller had three assists to help the Rangers win 4–2 in game two.[27] In game three, Pittsburgh scored three times after New York took a 1–0 lead to win 3–1.[28] Evgeni Malkin scored two power play goals and Matt Murray made 31 saves in game four for the Penguins in a 5–0 win.[29] In game five, 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 one and Matt Murray winning game three.[30]


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 – sh – Tom 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 – pp – Phil 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 – sh – Rick 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
Sidney Crosby (3) – 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 – pp – Phil 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 first round

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

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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 was 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 of the 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 one in a 4–0 victory.[31] Jamie Benn scored the game winner in game two in a 2–1 win for the Stars to take a 2–0 lead in the series.[32] In game three, 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.[33] Antti Niemi made 28 saves to help the Stars take a 3–1 series lead in a 3–2 win in game four.[34] The Wild avoided elimination in game five when forward Mikko Koivu scored his second goal of the game at 4:55 of the first overtime period, in a 5–4 win.[35] In Game six, 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.[36]


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 – pp – Patrick Eaves (1)
16:00 – en – Jamie 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 – pp – Mikko 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 – pp – Jared 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

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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 was 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 First Round, which Chicago won in six games. St. Louis won three of the five games of the regular season series.

The Blues defeated the Blackhawks in seven games after nearly giving up a 3–1 series lead. In game one, 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.[37] In game two, Patrick Kane had two assists to help the Blackhawks win 3–2.[38] The Blues recovered in game three, as Elliot made 44 saves in a 3–2 win.[39] Game four 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.[40] Vladimir Tarasenko scored twice for the Blues as they won the game 4–3.[41] Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw was given a one-game suspension and a $5,000 fine after he used a homophobic slur.[42][43] In game five, 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.[44] The Blackhawks came back from a 3–1 deficit in game six, scoring five unanswered goals in a 6–3 victory to force a seventh game.[45] In game seven, 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.[46]


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 – pp – Brent 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 – pp – Duncan 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 – pp – Jaden 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 – pp – Artem Anisimov (3)
12:21 – Trevor van Riemsdyk (1)
16:18 – Dale Weise (1)
No scoring Third period 16:53 – pp – Andrew Shaw (3)
17:40 – en – Marian 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

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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 was 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 of the 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 one and Pekka Rinne made 27 saves for the Predators' 3–2 win.[47] In game two, Rinne again made 27 saves in another 3–2 win to take their first ever 2–0 series lead.[48] Before game three, Anaheim replaced goaltender John Gibson with Frederik Andersen who stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 3–0 Ducks victory.[49] Andersen made 30 saves in a 4–1 victory in game four to tie the series.[50] Three players for the Ducks, Ryan Getzlaf, David Perron, and Sami Vatanen, had two points in a 5–2 win in game five to stake the Ducks to a 3–2 series lead.[51] The Predators forced their first ever seventh game after Rinne made 26 saves in a 3–1 win.[52] In game seven, Rinne stopped 36 shots for the Predators in a 2–1 win to advance to the second round.[53]


April 15 Nashville Predators 3–2 Anaheim Ducks Honda Center Recap  
James Neal (1) – 00:35 First period 17:39 – pp – Ryan 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 – pp – Cam Fowler (1)
18:14 – en – Ryan 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 – en – Shea 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 – pp – Ryan 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

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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 was 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 first round, 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 of the regular season series.

The Sharks defeated the Kings in five games. In game one, Joe Pavelski scored twice including the game-winner to help the Sharks win 4–3.[54] Sharks goalie, and former Kings backup goalie, Martin Jones allowed one goal on 27 shots in game two in a 2–1 win.[55] Game three 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.[56] In game four, 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.[57] In game five, 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.[58]


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 – pp – Jeff Carter (1)
17:18 – sh – Trevor 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 – pp – Vincent 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 – pp – Brent Burns (2)
09:21 – pp – Joe Pavelski (4)
Trevor Lewis (2) – 02:49
Luke Schenn (1) – 06:44 		Third period 01:40 – pp – Patrick 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


Second round

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Eastern Conference second round

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

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This was the second playoff meeting between these teams; their only previous series was in the 2004 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which Tampa Bay won in five games. This was the first series in the current playoff format in which a wild-card team had more points than its opponent during the regular season and did not have home ice advantage. New York won two of the three games of the regular season series.

The Lightning defeated the Islanders in five games. The Islanders took game one by a score of 5–3 with two goals scored by Shane Prince.[59] Tyler Johnson scored two goals in a 4–1 victory for the Lightning in game two to tie the series.[60] Games three and four both ended in overtime with Lightning victories as well as Nikita Kucherov scoring the tying goal in the third period. In game three, Kucherov scored with 39 seconds left in the third period to send it to overtime. In overtime, Brian Boyle scored the game-winner for a 5–4 win.[61] In game four, Kucherov scored 7:49 into the third period to tie the game. Jason Garrison scored the game-winner for the Lightning 1:49 into overtime in a 2–1 win.[62] Victor Hedman scored twice and Ben Bishop stopped all 28 shots for the Lightning in game five to move on to the conference finals for the second season in a row and third in six seasons.[63]


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 – pp – Victor 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 – pp – Kyle 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 Recap  
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

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This was the ninth playoff meeting between these teams, with Pittsburgh winning 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 of the regular season series.

The Penguins defeated the Capitals in six games. T. J. Oshie scored a hat-trick, his third goal being in overtime, in game one for the Capitals in a 4–3 win.[64] Former Capitals forward Eric Fehr scored the game-winner in the third period for the Penguins to take game two by a score of 2–1.[65] Matt Murray made 47 saves for the Penguins in game three for a 3–2 victory.[66] In game four, Patric Hornqvist scored the game-winner for the Penguins in overtime as well as an assist in a 3–2 win.[67] The Capitals avoided elimination in game five, with Braden Holtby stopping 30 of the 31 shots he faced in a 3–1 win.[68] In game six, Pittsburgh took a 3–0 lead with two goals from Phil Kessel before the Capitals tied the game 3–3 late in the third period. In overtime, Nick Bonino scored the series-winner 6:32 into the first overtime period to send the Pittsburgh Penguins to the Eastern Conference Final.[69]


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 – pp – Marcus 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 – pp – Alexander Ovechkin (5)
Second period 04:00 – pp – T. 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 – pp – Carl 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 second round

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

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This was the thirteenth playoff meeting between 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 of the regular season series.

The Blues defeated the Stars in seven games. In game one, Radek Faksa scored with 4:44 left in the third period to give the Dallas Stars a 2–1 win.[70] In game two, 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 apiece.[71] Alexander Steen scored twice and Vladimir Tarasenko scored a goal and two assists to help the Blues rout the Stars 6–1 in game three.[72] Jamie Benn had two assists in game four as well as the overtime-game-winner by Cody Eakin for the Stars in a 3–2 win.[73] In game five, 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.[74] Dallas scored three goals in the first period in game six 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.[75] In game seven, six different players scored a goal for the Blues in a 6–1 victory to make their first Conference finals since 2001.


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 – pp – David 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 – pp – Paul 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

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This was the third playoff meeting between 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 of the regular season series.

The Sharks defeated the Predators in seven games. The home team won every game in the series. Logan Couture scored two goals in game one for the Sharks in a 5–2 win.[76] In game two, Martin Jones made 37 saves for the Sharks in a 3–2 win.[77] Shea Weber scored a goal and an assist and Pekka Rinne made 26 saves in a 4–1 win for the Predators in game three.[78] The Predators played in their longest playoff game in game four going 11:12 into triple overtime. Mike Fisher scored his second goal of the game to end overtime and tie the series with a 4–3 win.[79] Joe Pavelski scored twice for the Sharks in game five who took a 3–2 series lead with a 5–1 win.[80] In game six, the Predators came back from an early 2–0 deficit, sending the game into overtime. In overtime, rookie Viktor Arvidsson scored the game-winner to force a seventh game in a 4–3 win.[81] In game seven, Martin Jones stopped all 20 shots and Logan Couture scored a goal and two assists in a 5–0 win to send the Sharks onto the Western Conference Final.[82]


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 – pp – Tomas Hertl (2)
11:49 – Joel Ward (1)
15:40 – pp – Logan Couture (2)
18:31 – en – Logan Couture (3)
19:10 – en – Tommy 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 – pp – Logan Couture (4)
Mattias Ekholm (3) – 12:56
Ryan Johansen (3) – 19:55 		Third period 17:20 – Joe Pavelski (6)
19:04 – en – Joe 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 – pp – James Neal (3)
14:44 – Shea Weber (3)
Third period 06:55 – Colin Wilson (3)
15:49 – pp – Filip 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 Recap  
No scoring First period 09:02 – pp – Joe Pavelski (9)
16:51 – Joel Ward (2)
No scoring Second period 00:36 – Logan Couture (7)
No scoring Third period 00:32 – pp – Joe 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

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Main article: NHL conference finals

Eastern Conference final

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

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This was the second playoff meeting between these teams. Their only previous series was 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 was Tampa Bay's second consecutive Conference finals appearance; they defeated the Presidents' Trophy-winning New York Rangers in seven games in the previous year. Tampa Bay won all three games of the regular season series.

The Penguins defeated the Lightning in seven games. In game one, Lightning goaltender Ben Bishop suffered a lower-body injury in the first period, requiring him to leave the game on a stretcher.[83] Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 saves in relief to help the Lightning win 3–1.[84] Four goals were scored in the first period, two by each team, in game two leaving the score tied going into overtime. Sidney Crosby scored 40 seconds into overtime for the Penguins to tie the series.[85] Carl Hagelin and Phil Kessel both had a goal and an assist for the Penguins in a 4–2 feat in game three.[86] The Lightning tied the series in game four in a 4–3 win with both Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn providing two assists each, including the game-winning goal, and the team preventing a third period comeback from the Penguins.[87] The Penguins gave up leads of both 2–0 and 3–2 and lost in overtime when Tyler Johnson scored for the Lightning 53 seconds into the first overtime period of game five.[88] Although Brian Boyle scored twice for the Lightning, Pittsburgh forced a seventh game after a 5–2 victory in which Crosby had a goal and an assist.[89] In game seven, Bryan Rust scored both goals for Pittsburgh in a 2–1 victory to send the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2009 and fifth time in franchise history and prevented the Lightning from clinching a second consecutive appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals and third time in franchise history altogether.[90]


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 – pp – Patric 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 – pp – Jonathan 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 1–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Jonathan Drouin (5) – 09:36 Second period 01:55 – Bryan Rust (4)
10:06 – Bryan Rust (5)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Andrei Vasilevskiy 37 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 16 saves / 17 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–3


Western Conference final

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

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This was the fifth playoff meeting between these teams, with both teams splitting the four previous playoff series. They last met in 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 of the regular season series.

The Sharks defeated the Blues in six games. The Blues won game one 2–1 with help from goalie Brian Elliott who made 31 saves in the process.[91] The Sharks bounced back in game two with Brent Burns scoring twice and goalie Martin Jones stopping all 26 shots he faced in a 4–0 win.[92] In game three, Jones again shutout the Blues, blocking 22 shots; Tomas Hertl scored twice for the Sharks in their 3–0 victory at home.[93] Troy Brouwer and Kyle Brodziak scored twice in a 6–3 victory for the Blues to tie the series in game four.[94] Joe Pavelski and Joel Ward both scored twice in the Sharks' 6–3 victory in game five.[95] The Sharks were able to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in their 25-year history after game six with Joel Ward scoring the winning goal 3:01 into the third period in a 5–2 victory.[96]


May 15 San Jose Sharks 1–2 St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center Recap  
Tomas Hertl (3) – 15:38 First period 15:04 – pp – David 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  
Marc-Edouard Vlasic (1) – 03:51 First period 07:04 – Jaden Schwartz (4)
15:08 – Troy Brouwer (8)
Joel Ward (3) – pp – 04:37
Joe Pavelski (11) – pp – 18:33 		Second period 11:58 – pp – Robby Fabbri (4)
Joe Pavelski (12) – 00:16
Chris Tierney (5) – en – 19:06
Joel Ward (4) – en – 19:27 		Third period No scoring
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  
No scoring First period 03:57 – Joe Pavelski (13)
No scoring Second period 05:02 – Joel Ward (5)
Vladimir Tarasenko (8) – 11:39
Vladimir Tarasenko (9) – 16:25 		Third period 03:01 – Joel Ward (6)
08:11 – Joonas Donskoi (5)
19:40 – en – Logan Couture (8)
Brian Elliott 22 saves / 26 shots
Jake Allen 0 saves / 0 shots 		Goalie stats Martin Jones 24 saves / 26 shots
San Jose won series 4–2


Stanley Cup Finals

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Main article: 2016 Stanley Cup Finals

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


May 30 San Jose Sharks 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period 12:46 – Bryan Rust (6)
13:48 – Conor Sheary (3)
Tomas Hertl (6) – pp – 03:02
Patrick Marleau (5) – 18:12 		Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 17:27 – Nick Bonino (4)
Martin Jones 38 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 24 saves / 26 shots
June 1 San Jose Sharks 1–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 08:20 – Phil Kessel (10)
Justin Braun (1) – 15:55 Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 02:35 – Conor Sheary (4)
Martin Jones 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 21 saves / 22 shots
June 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 OT San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Ben Lovejoy (2) – 05:29 First period 09:34 – Justin Braun (2)
Patric Hornqvist (8) – 19:07 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 08:48 – pp – Joel Ward (7)
No scoring First overtime period 12:18 – Joonas Donskoi (6)
Matt Murray 23 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 40 saves / 42 shots
June 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Ian Cole (1) – 07:36 First period No scoring
Evgeni Malkin (5) – pp – 02:37 Second period No scoring
Eric Fehr (3) – 17:58 Third period 08:07 – Melker Karlsson (4)
Matt Murray 23 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 17 saves / 20 shots
June 9 San Jose Sharks 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Consol Energy Center Recap  
Brent Burns (7) – 01:04
Logan Couture (9) – 02:43
Melker Karlsson (5) – 14:47 		First period 04:44 – pp – Evgeni Malkin (6)
05:06 – Carl Hagelin (6)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Joe Pavelski (14) – en – 18:40 Third period No scoring
Martin Jones 44 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Matt Murray 18 saves / 21 shots
June 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 San Jose Sharks SAP Center Recap  
Brian Dumoulin (2) – pp – 08:16 First period No scoring
Kris Letang (3) – 07:46 Second period 06:27 – Logan Couture (10)
Patric Hornqvist (9) – en – 18:58 Third period No scoring
Matt Murray 18 saves / 19 shots Goalie stats Martin Jones 24 saves / 26 shots
Pittsburgh won series 4–2


Player statistics

edit

Skaters

edit

These are the top ten skaters based on points.

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Logan Couture San Jose Sharks 24 10 20 30 +5 8
Brent Burns San Jose Sharks 24 7 17 24 +11 12
Joe Pavelski San Jose Sharks 24 14 9 23 +1 4
Phil Kessel Pittsburgh Penguins 24 10 12 22 +5 4
Joe Thornton San Jose Sharks 24 3 18 21 +2 10
Nikita Kucherov Tampa Bay Lightning 17 11 8 19 +13 8
Sidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 24 6 13 19 –2 4
Evgeni Malkin Pittsburgh Penguins 23 6 12 18 +1 18
Nick Bonino Pittsburgh Penguins 24 4 14 18 +9 12
Tyler Johnson Tampa Bay Lightning 17 7 10 17 +9 12

Goaltenders

edit

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
Braden Holtby Washington Capitals 12 6 6 363 21 1.72 .942 2 731:32
Ben Bishop Tampa Bay Lightning 11 8 2 297 18 1.85 .939 2 582:26
Roberto Luongo Florida Panthers 6 2 4 227 15 2.05 .934 0 438:20
Matt Murray Pittsburgh Penguins 21 15 6 575 44 2.08 .923 1 1267:16
Martin Jones San Jose Sharks 24 14 10 684 53 2.16 .923 3 1473:18
Andrei Vasilevskiy Tampa Bay Lightning 8 3 4 267 20 2.76 .925 0 434:25

Television

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This marked the fifth postseason under NBC Sports' 10-year contract for American television rights, and the second under Sportsnet and TVA Sports' current 12-year contract for Canadian television rights. In the United States, all playoff games were nationally televised by either NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, USA Network, and NHL Network. During the first round, these national telecasts co-existed with those of the regional rightsholders, after which NBC had exclusive rights to the remaining games.[97] In Canada, all games were aired in English during the second postseason coverage of Rogers Media's 12-year contract of exclusive NHL rights, through its Sportsnet channel and CBC (as part of Hockey Night in Canada), and in French by TVA Sports.[98]

With all seven of the NHL's Canadian teams out of the playoffs, media sources predicted that Rogers would take a massive decline in viewership.[99][100][101] During the regular season, the Sunday-night Hometown Hockey games saw ratings drop 34 percent, while Hockey Night in Canada fell 18 per cent, culminating in the season closer on April 9 that attracted just 721,000 viewers.[102] To cut production costs, Rogers only employed three full-time play-by-play crews, along with a fourth on spot duty, during the first round.[103] In the second round, Rogers only sent a crew for games broadcast on CBC, while simulcasting NBC's feeds for all other games (which aired on Sportsnet). The Hockey News estimated that Rogers saved CA$100,000 per game if they simulcasted a U.S. feed instead of producing their own separate broadcast.[104]

Ratings were also down in the United States, with the conference finals down by 9%, and ratings for the finals down to an average of 4 million viewers, making it the third-lowest-rated finals since 2006. The decline was credited to multiple factors, including the lack of Original Six teams or teams from key media markets such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, and heavy competition from the 2016 NBA Playoffs and Game of Thrones (which aired against the series-ending game 6).[105][106]

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  104. ^ Campbell, Ken (April 19, 2016). "Rogers feeling the sting of all seven Canadian teams missing NHL playoffs". The Hockey News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  105. ^ "As NBA Finals Soar, NHL Stanley Cup Final Faces Ratings". Broadcasting & Cable. June 3, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  106. ^ "Stanley Cup Final Ratings Are Toothless". Ad Age. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
Preceded by Stanley Cup playoffs
2016 		Succeeded by
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