The 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 8, after the conclusion of the 1980–81 NHL season. The playoffs concluded on May 21 with the champion New York Islanders defeating the Minnesota North Stars 5–1 to win the final series four games to one and win the Stanley Cup.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 8–May 21, 1981 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Defending champions | New York Islanders |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | New York Islanders |
| Runner-up | Minnesota North Stars |
In game one of the Edmonton-Montreal series, Wayne Gretzky recorded five assists, at the time this was a single game playoff record.[1]
These were the last Stanley Cup playoffs conducted under a format that paired teams in each round without regard to division or conference standing.
Playoff seeds
editThe top 16 teams in the league qualified for the playoffs, and were seeded 1–16 based on regular season points, regardless of conference or division, as follows:
- New York Islanders, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions, NHL regular season champions – 110 points
- St. Louis Blues, Smythe Division champions – 107 points
- Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 103 points
- Los Angeles Kings – 99 points (43 wins)
- Buffalo Sabres, Adams Division champions – 99 points (39 wins)
- Philadelphia Flyers – 97 points
- Calgary Flames – 92 points
- Boston Bruins – 87 points (37 wins)
- Minnesota North Stars – 87 points (35 wins)
- Chicago Black Hawks – 78 points (31 wins)
- Quebec Nordiques – 78 points (30 wins)
- Vancouver Canucks – 76 points
- New York Rangers – 74 points (30 wins)
- Edmonton Oilers – 74 points (29 wins)
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 73 points
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 71 points
Playoff bracket
editThe NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system: in each round, the highest remaining seed was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth.
Each series in the Preliminary Round was played in a best-of-five format while each series in the other three rounds were played in a best-of-seven format.
| Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Toronto | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Edmonton | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | NY Rangers | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Montreal | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Edmonton | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | St. Louis | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | NY Rangers | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Los Angeles | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | NY Rangers | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Minnesota | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Buffalo | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Vancouver | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Buffalo | 1 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Minnesota | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Quebec | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Calgary | 2 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Minnesota | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Calgary | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Chicago | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Philadelphia | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Calgary | 4 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Boston | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Minnesota | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Preliminary round
edit(1) New York Islanders vs. (16) Toronto Maple Leafs
editThe New York Islanders, the defending 1980 Stanley Cup champions, entered the playoffs as the regular season, Campbell Conference, and Patrick Division champions, earning 110 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 71 points during the regular season to finish sixteenth overall in the league. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 1978 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, where Toronto defeated the Islanders in seven games. The Islanders won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.
Toronto was swept in the opening round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. New York's series-clinching win in game three was the first (and to date only until the bubble in the 2020 playoffs) time that the Islanders have won a playoff game in Toronto, and this was the second (and to date, last) victory that a road team has ever earned in the three series between these two franchises. As of 2019, this series marks the only time that the Islanders have defeated Toronto in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In game one, the Islanders scored three times on the power play, and Bryan Trottier scored twice and added three assists in a decisive 9–2 victory. The Islanders dominance of the Maple Leafs continued in game two, as Trottier recorded a hat trick in a 5-1 Islanders win. The Islanders jumped all over the Maple Leafs quickly in game three, by jumping out to a 5–0 lead after the first period. The Maple Leafs and Islanders traded goals in the second period 19 seconds apart. Game three ended in a series-clinching 6-1 Islanders victory.
| April 8 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–9 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No Scoring | First period | 05:27 – sh – Billy Carroll (1) 11:26 – pp – Clark Gillies (1) | ||||||
| Bill Derlago (1) – pp – 01:39 | Second period | 07:34 – pp – Mike Bossy (1) 08:30 – Bryan Trottier (1) 10:17 – pp – Bryan Trottier (2) 19:06 – Bob Lorimer (1) | ||||||
| Ian Turnbull (1) – 17:00 | Third period | 02:25 – Mike Bossy (2) 07:25 – Bob Bourne (1) 11:30 – sh – Bob Bourne (2) | ||||||
| Jiri Crha 21 saves / 27 shots Michel Larocque 5 saves / 8 shots |
Goalie stats | Billy Smith 29 saves / 30 shots Roland Melanson 10 saves / 11 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–5 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 07:39 – Mike Bossy (3) 08:18 – Bryan Trottier (3) 19:16 – pp – Bryan Trottier (4) | ||||||
| Bruce Boudreau (1) – 6:06 | Third period | 09:27 – Mike McEwen (1) 13:40 – Bryan Trottier (5) | ||||||
| Michel Larocque 19 saves / 24 shots Jiri Crha 3 saves / 3 shots |
Goalie stats | Billy Smith 25 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | New York Islanders | 6–1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | Recap | |||
| Wayne Merrick (1) – 08:58 Mike Bossy (4) – pp – 12:05 Hector Marini (1) – 14:03 Mike McEwen (2) – pp – 17:40 Clark Gillies (2) – 19:35 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Bryan Trottier (6) – 13:34 | Second period | 13:53 – Rick Vaive (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Billy Smith 22 saves / 23 shots | Goalie stats | Jiri Crha 9 saves / 14 shots Paul Harrison 16 saves / 17 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 3–0 | |
(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (15) Pittsburgh Penguins
editThe St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs as the Smythe Division champions, earning 107 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins earned 73 points during the regular season to finish fifteenth overall in the league. This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams; the teams split their two previous series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1975 Preliminary round, where Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis in two-game sweep. These teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
In game one of the series, Pittsburgh struck quickly thanks to a Greg Malone goal at 0:15 of the first period. However, the Blues recovered by the end of the second period and took a 3–2 lead into the final period, which they held on to, winning the game 4–2. Game two proved to be a different story, as the Penguins exploded offensively and scored four times in the second period to erase a 1-0 first period deficit. The Blues and Penguins traded goals in the third period, giving Pittsburgh a 6–4 victory that tied the series at a game apiece. Game three went back and forth, with both teams trading goals all game long until Bernie Federko scored his second goal of the game with 4:06 left to play in the third period. The Blues won the game 5-4 and retook home ice advantage in the best-of-five series. The Penguins avoided elimination in game four, as Randy Carlyle and Mike Bullard each scored three points in the game, helping the Penguins to a 6–3 win. Game five was another tight contest and for the first time in the series overtime was required, with the score tied at 3 after regulation time. The game and series ended on Mike Crombeen's second goal of the series, scored at 5:16 of the second overtime period, giving St. Louis a 4–3 win and a 3–2 series victory.[2]
| April 8 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2–4 | St. Louis Blues | Checkerdome | Recap | |||
| Greg Malone (1) – 00:15 | First period | 04:48 – pp – Mike Zuke (1) 15:58 – Tony Currie (1) | ||||||
| Rod Schutt (1) – 13:21 | Second period | 14:44 – Jorgen Pettersson (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:59 – en – Mike Crombeen (1) | ||||||
| Greg Millen 44 saves / 47 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Liut 24 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 6–4 | St. Louis Blues | Checkerdome | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 02:35 – pp – Joe Micheletti (1) | ||||||
| Randy Carlyle (1) – 02:03 Gregg Sheppard (1) – 04:58 Mario Faubert (1) – pp – 06:59 George Ferguson (1) – 11:13 |
Second period | 03:11 – Tony Currie (2) | ||||||
| Rod Schutt (2) – 00:35 Randy Carlyle (2) – 03:06 |
Third period | 10:49 – Blair Chapman (1) 16:04 – pp – Bernie Federko (1) | ||||||
| Greg Millen 19 saves / 23 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Liut 24 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | St. Louis Blues | 5–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | Recap | |||
| Brian Sutter (1) – pp – 11:51 | First period | 07:04 – pp – Rod Schutt (3) | ||||||
| Ralph Klassen (1) – 06:36 Wayne Babych (1) – 09:58 Bernie Federko (2) – pp – 14:38 |
Second period | 08:57 – Mike Bullard (1) 10:31 – Mark Johnson (1) | ||||||
| Bernie Federko (3) – 15:54 | Third period | 05:08 – pp – Gregg Sheppard (2) | ||||||
| Mike Liut 27 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Greg Millen 27 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 12 | St. Louis Blues | 3–6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Pittsburgh Civic Arena | Recap | |||
| Ralph Klassen (2) – 05:53 Mike Zuke (2) – pp – 07:10 |
First period | 14:52 – pp – Mike Bullard (2) | ||||||
| Mike Zuke (3) – pp – 13:55 | Second period | 07:45 – pp – Mark Johnson (2) 11:49 – sh – Randy Carlyle (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 00:44 – Mike Bullard (3) 09:21 – Randy Carlyle (4) 14:02 – Pat Price (1) | ||||||
| Mike Liut 28 saves / 34 shots | Goalie stats | Greg Millen 21 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| April 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3–4 | 2OT | St. Louis Blues | Checkerdome | Recap | ||
| Paul Gardner (1) – pp – 07:48 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| George Ferguson (2) – 15:06 | Second period | 11:17 – Brian Sutter (2) 16:06 – pp – Bernie Federko (4) | ||||||
| Greg Malone (2) – 10:36 | Third period | 03:34 – Rick Lapointe (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second overtime period | 05:16 – Mike Crombeen (2) | ||||||
| Greg Millen 48 saves / 52 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Liut 48 saves / 51 shots | ||||||
| St. Louis won series 3–2 | |
(3) Montreal Canadiens vs. (14) Edmonton Oilers
editThe Montreal Canadiens entered the playoffs as the Wales Conference and Norris Division champions, earning 103 points. The Edmonton Oilers earned 74 points during the regular season and finished fourteenth overall, losing the tiebreaker with the New York Rangers in wins (30 to 29). This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. These teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
The Oilers recorded the first playoff series victory by any of the four teams that joined the NHL in the 1979. It was also the first-ever sweep by the Oilers, including their history as a World Hockey Association franchise. The Oilers gained a 6–3 victory in game one, in large part due to Wayne Gretzky's five-assist night. At the time this was a new playoff record for assists by a single player in one game. Edmonton went on to win game two, with Risto Siltanen's power play goal at 4:43 of the second period giving the Oilers a 2–1 lead, Edmonton eventually winning the game by a score of 3–1. Edmonton completed the sweep of the heavily favoured Canadiens in game three, defeating Montreal 6–2. Gretzky led all scorers in the three-game series, finishing with 11 points (3G, 8A).
| April 8 | Edmonton Oilers | 6–3 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Glenn Anderson (1) – 06:41 Jari Kurri (1) – 11:42 Jari Kurri (2) – 17:36 |
First period | 11:15 – Steve Shutt (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Brett Callighen (1) – 01:14 Paul Coffey (1) – 13:38 Brett Callighen (2) – en – 19:21 |
Third period | 07:39 – pp – Doug Risebrough (1) 16:55 – Rejean Houle (1) | ||||||
| Andy Moog 28 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Richard Sevigny 22 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Edmonton Oilers | 3–1 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Paul Coffey (2) – 05:24 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Risto Siltanen (1) – pp – 04:43 | Second period | 00:32 – pp – Gaston Gingras (1) | ||||||
| Jari Kurri (3) – 14:27 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Andy Moog 40 saves / 41 shots | Goalie stats | Richard Sevigny 26 saves / 29 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–6 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 06:09 – Matti Hagman (1) 11:54 – Paul Coffey (3) | ||||||
| Brian Engblom (1) – 08:49 Steve Shutt (2) – 15:33 |
Second period | 08:15 – Wayne Gretzky (1) 18:56 – Wayne Gretzky (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 19:23 – en – Dave Lumley (1) 19:53 – Wayne Gretzky (3) | ||||||
| Richard Sevigny 23 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Andy Moog 22 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| Edmonton won series 3–0 | |
(4) Los Angeles Kings vs. (13) New York Rangers
editThe Los Angeles Kings entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the league with 99 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Buffalo Sabres in wins (43 to 39). The New York Rangers earned 74 points during the regular season and finished thirteenth overall, winning the tiebreaker with the Edmonton Oilers in wins (30 to 29). This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 1979 Preliminary round, where New York defeated Los Angeles in two-game sweep. The Kings won three of the four games in this year's regular season series.
The Rangers won game one in large part due to the impressive goaltending performance of Steve Baker, as he turned away 31 of the Kings' 32 shots. Game two was marked by a brawl at the end of the first period; six players were ejected from the game as result of this. The Kings won game two 5–4 on the strength of a Dean Hopkins goal at 17:16 of the third period. Game three was dominated by the Rangers, as eight different players would score in the game for New York, and the Rangers won 10–3 on home ice. Game four was tied 3–3 in the third period, until Tom Laidlaw's goal at 6:44 gave the Rangers a 4–3 lead. The Rangers added two more goals in the third, earning a series-clinching 6–3 victory. Ranger forwards Ron Duguay and Ulf Nilsson each scored a goal in every game of this series.
| April 8 | New York Rangers | 3–1 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Anders Hedberg (1) – 09:04 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ulf Nilsson (1) – 01:25 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ron Duguay (1) – en – 19:52 | Third period | 12:31 – Billy Harris (1) | ||||||
| Steve Baker 31 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Mario Lessard 16 saves / 18 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | New York Rangers | 4–5 | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | Recap | |||
| Ed Hospodar (1) – 00:27 | First period | 08:22 – pp – Larry Murphy (1) 08:48 – pp – Marcel Dionne (1) | ||||||
| Ron Duguay (2) – 16:44 | Second period | 15:04 – pp – Dave Taylor (1) | ||||||
| Anders Hedberg (2) – pp – 07:01 Ulf Nilsson (2) – 11:17 |
Third period | 02:34 – Billy Harris (2) 17:16 – Dean Hopkins (1) | ||||||
| Steve Baker 34 saves / 39 shots | Goalie stats | Mario Lessard 23 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–10 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Mark Hardy (1) – pp – 01:13 Dave Taylor (2) – 02:48 |
First period | 01:51 – pp – Don Maloney (1) 08:28 – Barry Beck (1) 14:29 – Ron Greschner (1) 19:44 – Ed Johnstone (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 07:34 – Ron Duguay (3) 12:25 – Ed Johnstone (2) 13:40 – Dean Talafous (1) 16:44 – Ulf Nilsson (3) | ||||||
| Larry Murphy (2) – 18:59 | Third period | 02:51 – Mike Allison (1) 07:38 – pp – Ulf Nilsson (4) | ||||||
| Mario Lessard 22 saves / 30 shots Jim Rutherford 6 saves / 8 shots |
Goalie stats | Steve Baker 16 saves / 18 shots Steve Weeks 7 saves / 8 shots | ||||||
| April 12 | Los Angeles Kings | 3–6 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Greg Terrion (1) – pp – 01:47 Dan Bonar (1) – sh – 13:26 |
First period | 00:46 – Ron Duguay (4) 05:53 – Lance Nethery (1) | ||||||
| Larry Murphy (3) – 14:30 | Second period | 08:22 – Ulf Nilsson (5) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 06:44 – Tom Laidlaw (1) 12:11 – Anders Hedberg (3) 15:08 – Ron Duguay (5) | ||||||
| Mario Lessard 42 saves / 48 shots | Goalie stats | Steve Baker 24 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 3–1 | |
(5) Buffalo Sabres vs. (12) Vancouver Canucks
editThe Buffalo Sabres entered the playoffs as the Adams Division champions, earning 99 points, losing the tiebreaker with the Los Angeles Kings in wins (43 to 39). The Vancouver Canucks earned 76 points during the regular season and finished twelfth overall in the league. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, and was a rematch of last year's Preliminary Round, where Buffalo defeated Vancouver in four games. These teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
The Sabres swept Vancouver in three games, eliminating the Canucks in the preliminary round for the second consecutive season. Buffalo forced game one to overtime as Andre Savard scored the tying goal with just 8 seconds left in the third period. Rookie centre Alan Haworth scored the game-winning goal for Buffalo five minutes into overtime. The Sabres scored three times on the power play in game two, winning the game 5–2. Vancouver attempted to mount a comeback from a 4–1 deficit in the third period of game three before Buffalo's Tony McKegney scored his second goal of the game, giving the Sabres a 5–3 lead. Buffalo hung on to their 5–3 lead and clinched the series with a game three victory.
| April 8 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–3 | OT | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | ||
| Darcy Rota (1) – pp – 12:31 | First period | No Scoring | ||||||
| Curt Fraser (1) – 04:51 | Second period | 00:14 – Ric Seiling (1) | ||||||
| No Scoring | Third period | 19:52 – Andre Savard (1) | ||||||
| No Scoring | First overtime period | 05:00 – Alan Haworth (1) | ||||||
| Richard Brodeur 24 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 17 saves / 19 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–5 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | |||
| Jerry Butler (1) – 07:40 | First period | 05:02 – pp – Alan Haworth (2) 09:09 – Andre Savard (2) 19:41 – pp – Danny Gare (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 4:05 – Andre Savard (3) 15:52 – pp – Lindy Ruff (1) | ||||||
| Stan Smyl (1) – 01:59 | Third period | No Scoring | ||||||
| Richard Brodeur 32 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 20 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Buffalo Sabres | 5–3 | Vancouver Canucks | Pacific Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Danny Gare (2) – 11:10 Tony McKegney (1) – 14:37 Danny Gare (3) – pp – 17:12 |
First period | 13:57 – Darcy Rota (2) | ||||||
| Lindy Ruff (2) – 10:25 | Second period | No Scoring | ||||||
| Tony McKegney (2) – 15:42 | Third period | 01:13 – Thomas Gradin (1) 13:08 – Ivan Boldirev (1) | ||||||
| Don Edwards 23 saves / 26 shots | Goalie stats | Richard Brodeur 19 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| Buffalo won series 3–0 | |
(6) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (11) Quebec Nordiques
editThe Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the league with 97 points. The Quebec Nordiques earned 78 points during the regular season and finished eleventh overall, losing the tiebreaker with the Chicago Black Hawks in wins (31 to 30). This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Quebec won this year's four-game regular season series earning five of eight points. This series also marked the first appearance of a team representing Quebec City in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 68 years. The most recent team to represent Quebec City prior to this was the Quebec Bulldogs who won the Stanley Cup in 1913, in the Bulldogs' final playoff appearance.[3]
The home team won all games of this series. Bill Barber and Ken Linseman scored five points each in the first two games of the series. The Flyers won both games in Philadelphia, taking a 2–0 series lead. Game three was a battle of goaltenders, as the game remained scoreless until 9:48 of the third period, when Michel Goulet scored the eventual game-winning goal; Quebec won game three 2–0. Philadelphia took a 3–1 lead into the third period in game four, however the Nordiques made a comeback, tying the game in the third period. Quebec completed the comeback 37 seconds into overtime as Dale Hunter scored the game-winning goal. Ken Linseman's three points in the third period of Game 5 helped ensure a Philadelphia series-clinching win, 5–2.
| April 8 | Quebec Nordiques | 4–6 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Anton Stastny (1) – 14:08 | First period | 06:45 – Bill Barber (1) 09:09 – Brian Propp (1) 16:00 – Brian Propp (2) | ||||||
| Michel Goulet (1) – 01:28 Dale Hunter (1) – 04:34 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Anton Stastny (2) – pp – 17:55 | Third period | 01:41 – Paul Holmgren (1) 09:59 – Al Hill (1) 19:19 – en – Bill Barber (2) | ||||||
| Dan Bouchard 39 saves / 44 shots | Goalie stats | Rick St. Croix 16 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Quebec Nordiques | 5–8 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Peter Stastny (1) – pp – 16:50 | First period | 02:07 – Bill Barber (3) 14:56 – Mel Bridgman (1) 18:31 – pp – Bill Barber (4) | ||||||
| Anton Stastny (3) – 02:31 Jacques Richard (1) – pp – 19:29 |
Second period | 05:55 – sh – Bill Barber (5) 09:47 – Tom Gorence (1) | ||||||
| Dale Hunter (2) – 10:36 Marc Tardif (1) – 13:25 |
Third period | 03:25 – Ken Linseman (1) 15:21 – Mel Bridgman (2) 18:46 – sh-en – Bobby Clarke (1) | ||||||
| Dan Bouchard 16 saves / 22 shots Michel Plasse 7 saves / 8 shots |
Goalie stats | Pete Peeters 20 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0–2 | Quebec Nordiques | Quebec Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 09:48 – Michel Goulet (2) 17:26 – Peter Stastny (2) | ||||||
| Rick St. Croix 29 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Dan Bouchard 32 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 12 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3–4 | OT | Quebec Nordiques | Quebec Coliseum | Recap | ||
| Terry Murray (1) – 00:07 Behn Wilson (1) – 07:39 Tom Gorence (2) – 13:34 |
First period | 06:13 – pp – Robbie Ftorek (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 15:35 – Dale Hunter (3) 17:08 – Jacques Richard (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 00:37 – Dale Hunter (4) | ||||||
| Rick St. Croix 19 saves / 23 shots | Goalie stats | Dan Bouchard 19 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 14 | Quebec Nordiques | 2–5 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Michel Goulet (3) – 18:04 | First period | 17:16 – pp – Rick MacLeish (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 10:05 – Al Hill (2) | ||||||
| Anton Stastny (4) – pp – 06:16 | Third period | 00:18 – Ken Linseman (2) 02:48 – Paul Holmgren (2) 05:07 – Brian Propp (3) | ||||||
| Dan Bouchard 32 saves / 37 shots | Goalie stats | Pete Peeters 16 saves / 18 shots | ||||||
| Philadelphia won series 3–2 | |
(7) Calgary Flames vs. (10) Chicago Black Hawks
editThe Calgary Flames entered the playoffs as the seventh seed in the league with 92 points. The Chicago Black Hawks earned 78 points during the regular season and finished tenth overall, winning the tiebreaker with the Quebec Nordiques in wins (31 to 30). This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Chicago won this year's four-game regular season series earning five of eight points. This series also marked the first appearance of a team representing Calgary in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 56 years. The most recent team to represent Calgary prior to this was the Calgary Tigers who lost the WCHL Final in 1925.
The Flames recorded their first sweep and first playoff series victory in franchise history. In game one, Calgary's Kent Nilsson recorded a point on every Calgary goal, helping the Flames to a 4–3 win. Calgary scored three times in the third period of game two and won the game decisively by a score of 6–2. The Black Hawks heavily out-shot the Flames in game three; Rejean Lemelin made 61 saves for the Flames. Chicago tied the game on a Darryl Sutter goal with 43 seconds left in the third period. However the Black Hawks came up short in double overtime as Willi Plett scored the series-clinching goal for the Flames at 15:17.[2]
| April 8 | Chicago Black Hawks | 3–4 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Darryl Sutter (1) – 17:54 Al Secord (1) – 18:03 |
Second period | 01:14 – Bob MacMillan (1) 19:29 – Phil Russell (1) | ||||||
| Darryl Sutter (2) – pp – 08:40 | Third period | 07:34 – Kent Nilsson (1) 08:20 – pp – Dan Labraaten (1) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 29 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Rejean Lemelin 22 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–6 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 08:38 – Bob MacMillan (2) | ||||||
| Al Secord (2) – 06:53 | Second period | 16:15 – Bob MacMillan (3) 17:12 – pp – Willi Plett (1) | ||||||
| Peter Marsh (1) – 03:57 | Third period | 04:47 – Kent Nilsson (2) 05:22 – Guy Chouinard (1) 08:37 – Bill Clement (1) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 36 saves / 42 shots | Goalie stats | Rejean Lemelin 38 saves / 40 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Calgary Flames | 5–4 | 2OT | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | Recap | ||
| Willi Plett (2) – pp – 03:19 Ken Houston (1) – 17:34 |
First period | 02:55 – sh – Rick Paterson (1) 09:56 – Al Secord (3) | ||||||
| Bob MacMillan (4) – 10:32 Don Lever (1) – 11:20 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 17:12 – Al Secord (4) 19:17 – Darryl Sutter (3) | ||||||
| Willi Plett (3) – 15:17 | Second overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rejean Lemelin 61 saves / 65 shots | Goalie stats | Tony Esposito 43 saves / 48 shots | ||||||
| Calgary won series 3–0 | |
(8) Boston Bruins vs. (9) Minnesota North Stars
editThe Boston Bruins entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the league with 87 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Minnesota North Stars in wins (37 to 35). The North Stars earned 87 points during the regular season and finished ninth overall, losing the tiebreaker with the Bruins in wins (37 to 35). This was the first and to date only playoff meeting between these two teams. Boston won this year's four-game regular season series earning five of eight points.
The North Stars swept the Bruins in three games. Minnesota won game one in overtime due to Steve Payne's hat trick goal at 3:34.[2] The North Stars' win in game one was the first-ever victory for the franchise in the Boston Garden (they went winless in their first 35 games in Boston over fourteen seasons).[4] In game two, Boston's Brad Park and Minnesota's Dino Ciccarelli both scored four points in a high-scoring 9-6 Minnesota victory. The North Stars scored four times in the first period of game three and they did not relinquish the lead, eliminating the Bruins with a 6–3 win.
| April 8 | Minnesota North Stars | 5–4 | OT | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | ||
| Steve Payne (1) – pp – 05:32 Dino Ciccarelli (1) – 19:28 |
First period | 12:54 – Don Marcotte (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:29 – Dwight Foster (1) 07:20 – pp – Peter McNab (1) | ||||||
| Steve Payne (2) – 00:37 Jack Carlson (1) – 11:55 |
Third period | 07:14 – Peter McNab (2) | ||||||
| Steve Payne (3) – 03:34 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilles Meloche 28 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 35 saves / 40 shots | ||||||
| April 9 | Minnesota North Stars | 9–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Bobby Smith (1) – 01:15 Steve Payne (4) – pp – 07:00 Al MacAdam (1) – 09:32 |
First period | 00:56 – pp – Brad Park (1) 19:29 – Terry O'Reilly (1) | ||||||
| Brad Maxwell (1) – pp – 02:49 Steve Payne (5) – 10:15 Al MacAdam (2) – 19:38 |
Second period | 00:41 – Peter McNab (3) | ||||||
| Dino Ciccarelli (2) – pp – 02:47 Kevin Maxwell (2) – 03:17 Tim Young (1) – 14:25 |
Third period | 00:29 – Don Marcotte (2) 07:07 – Keith Crowder (1) 08:05 – Keith Crowder (2) | ||||||
| Don Beaupre 34 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Rogie Vachon 14 saves / 20 shots Marco Baron 9 saves / 12 shots | ||||||
| April 11 | Boston Bruins | 3–6 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Mike O'Connell (1) – sh – 19:47 | First period | 03:36 – Brad Palmer (1) 04:57 – Al MacAdam (3) 12:00 – pp – Dino Ciccarelli (3) 18:33 – Steve Payne (6) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 18:05 – sh – Greg Smith (1) | ||||||
| Bobby Lalonde (1) – sh – 11:10 Bobby Lalonde (2) – sh – 15:42 |
Third period | 18:34 – en – Steve Payne (7) | ||||||
| Rogie Vachon 39 saves / 44 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Meloche 36 saves / 39 shots | ||||||
| Minnesota won series 3–0 | |
Quarterfinals
edit(1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Edmonton Oilers
editThis was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Islanders won the season series earning six of eight points in the year's four-game regular season series.
The Islanders eliminated the Oilers in six games; the Islanders also scored a power play goal in every game of this series. The Islanders' special teams dominated game one, as New York scored three times on the power play and added a shorthanded goal in an 8-2 Islanders win. Denis Potvin's hat trick and five point night in game two led the Islanders to a 6–3 victory. Wayne Gretzky scored his second hat trick of the playoffs in game three as the Oilers won the game by a score of 5–2. The Islanders won game four in overtime as Ken Morrow scored at 5:41 to give New York a 5–4 win. When Edmonton won game five 4–3, the Oilers' victory marked the only time in the 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs that the Islanders lost a game on home ice. Bob Nystrom's third goal of the playoffs in Game six became the eventual series-clinching goal for the Islanders as New York won the game 5–2.
| April 16 | Edmonton Oilers | 2–8 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 03:14 – Bob Nystrom (1) 19:15 – pp – Butch Goring (1) | ||||||
| Wayne Gretzky (4) – pp – 08:06 | Second period | 02:46 – John Tonelli (1) 03:33 – Hector Marini (2) 04:30 – pp – Denis Potvin (1) 14:17 – pp – Clark Gillies (3) | ||||||
| Matti Hagman (2) – 12:27 | Third period | 07:15 – Clark Gillies (4) 10:50 – sh – Denis Potvin (2) | ||||||
| Andy Moog 14 saves / 20 shots Gary Edwards 4 saves / 6 shots |
Goalie stats | Billy Smith 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Edmonton Oilers | 3–6 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Glenn Anderson (2) – pp – 06:11 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Risto Siltanen (2) – pp – 06:05 Glenn Anderson (3) – 12:23 |
Second period | 02:26 – pp – Denis Potvin (3) 04:47 – pp – Butch Goring (2) 09:44 – pp – Denis Potvin (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:47 – pp – Denis Potvin (5) 07:59 – Mike Bossy (5) 17:41 – sh-en – Bryan Trottier (7) | ||||||
| Andy Moog 23 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 19 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | New York Islanders | 2–5 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Mike Bossy (6) – pp – 12:30 | Second period | 02:16 – sh – Wayne Gretzky (5) 16:44 – pp – Wayne Gretzky (6) | ||||||
| Clark Gillies (5) – 10:33 | Third period | 03:24 – Matti Hagman (3) 06:59 – Wayne Gretzky (7) 16:25 – Jari Kurri (4) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 22 saves / 26 shots Roland Melanson 7 saves / 8 shots |
Goalie stats | Andy Moog 28 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | New York Islanders | 5–4 | OT | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | Recap | ||
| Denis Potvin (6) – pp – 07:57 Bob Nystrom (2) – 16:11 |
First period | 03:02 – pp – Paul Coffey (4) 05:19 – Jari Kurri (5) | ||||||
| Bryan Trottier (8) – pp – 08:59 John Tonelli (2) – 13:52 |
Second period | 10:46 – Mark Messier (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 07:00 – pp – Brett Callighen (3) | ||||||
| Ken Morrow (1) – 05:41 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Roland Melanson 29 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Andy Moog 33 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Edmonton Oilers | 4–3 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Doug Hicks (1) – 06:00 Glenn Anderson (4) – pp – 18:51 |
First period | 12:56 – pp – Bryan Trottier (9) 16:31 – Mike Bossy (7) | ||||||
| Brett Callighen (4) – 18:44 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Matti Hagman (4) – 15:19 | Third period | 18:25 – pp – Mike Bossy (8) | ||||||
| Andy Moog 29 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 18 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 24 | New York Islanders | 5–2 | Edmonton Oilers | Northlands Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Hector Marini (3) – 04:54 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Anders Kallur (1) – 13:12 Bob Nystrom (3) – 15:45 |
Second period | 00:39 – pp – Glenn Anderson (5) | ||||||
| Duane Sutter (1) – 09:16 Mike McEwen (3) – pp – 12:38 |
Third period | 05:31 – Mark Messier (2) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 21 saves / 23 shots | Goalie stats | Andy Moog 21 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 4–2 | |
(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) New York Rangers
editThis was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. St. Louis won the season series winning all four games of this year's regular season series.
The Rangers eliminated the Blues in six games. Bernie Federko's three point night in Game one led St. Louis to a 6–3 victory. The Rangers overcame a one-goal deficit in the third period of Game two by scoring three goals in a span of 2:46, winning the game by a score of 6–4 and evening the series at one game each.[5] Anders Hedberg's go ahead goal in third period of Game two was just the second successful penalty shot in Stanley Cup playoff history.[6] The Rangers dominated the second period of Game three scoring four goals on fifteen shots taking a three-goal lead into the third period. New York hung on to win the game 6–3. Steve Baker allowed just one goal on 34 shots in Game four leading the Rangers to a 4–1 victory and a commanding 3–1 series lead. With the Blues trailing 3–2 in the second period of Game five Jorgen Pettersson scored his third goal of the playoffs tying the game at 3, he scored a power play goal in the third period giving the Blues a 4–3 victory. The Blues trailed in Game six 4–0 before scoring three goals in 1:50, however they were never able to get on equal terms losing the game 7–4 and series 4–2.
| April 16 | New York Rangers | 3–6 | St. Louis Blues | Checkerdome | Recap | |||
| Lance Nethery (2) – 07:25 | First period | 11:15 – pp – Bernie Federko (5) 14:55 – Brian Sutter (3) 17:39 – Blair Chapman (2) | ||||||
| Lance Nethery (3) – 01:34 | Second period | 08:56 – Mike Crombeen (3) 16:42 – Bernie Federko (6) 19:42 – Mike Zuke (4) | ||||||
| Jere Gillis (1) – 05:39 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Steve Baker 22 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Liut 28 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | New York Rangers | 6–4 | St. Louis Blues | Checkerdome | Recap | |||
| Barry Beck (2)– sh – 03:07 | First period | 01:22 – Jorgen Pettersson (2) 02:16 – Larry Patey (1) 18:06 – pp – Brian Sutter (4) | ||||||
| Dean Talafous (2) – 16:24 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Jere Gillis (2) – 07:30 Anders Hedberg (4) – ps – 08:29 Mike Allison (2) – 10:16 Ron Duguay (6) – 19:13 |
Third period | 15:04 – Brian Sutter (5) | ||||||
| Steve Baker 25 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Liut 24 saves / 30 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | St. Louis Blues | 3–6 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Wayne Babych (2) – pp – 02:47 | First period | 00:40 – Ron Greschner (2) | ||||||
| Bill Stewart (1) – 15:35 | Second period | 05:13 – pp – Ulf Nilsson (6) 06:41 – Barry Beck (3) 13:49 – pp – Mike Allison (3) 17:56 – Steve Vickers (1) | ||||||
| Tony Currie (3) – 00:24 | Third period | 02:23 – Lance Nethery (4) | ||||||
| Mike Liut 25 saves / 31 shots | Goalie stats | Steve Baker 14 saves / 17 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | St. Louis Blues | 1–4 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Tony Currie (4) – pp – 07:40 | First period | 06:14 – Anders Hedberg (4) 18:37 – Ron Duguay (7) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 09:01 – pp – Steve Vickers (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:24 – Steve Vickers (3) | ||||||
| Mike Liut 24 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Steve Baker 33 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | New York Rangers | 3–4 | St. Louis Blues | Checkerdome | Recap | |||
| Ron Greschner (3) – 06:35 Ulf Nilsson (7) – pp – 10:06 |
First period | 14:17 – pp – Brian Sutter (6) | ||||||
| Carol Vadnais (1) – 02:54 | Second period | 08:25 – Larry Patey (2) 14:55 – Jorgen Pettersson (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 06:09 – pp – Jorgen Pettersson (4) | ||||||
| Steve Baker 26 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Mike Liut 34 saves / 37 shots | ||||||
| April 24 | St. Louis Blues | 4–7 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 03:27 – Steve Vickers (4) 05:49 – Anders Hedberg (6) 16:10 – sh – Ron Duguay (8) | ||||||
| Bernie Federko (7) – 02:16 Rick Lapointe (2) – 03:14 Bernie Federko (8) – 04:06 |
Second period | 01:59 – Barry Beck (4) 17:03 – Lance Nethery (5) | ||||||
| Ed Kea (1) – 06:00 | Third period | 04:31 – Peter Wallin (1) 14:54 – Ulf Nilsson (8) | ||||||
| Mike Liut 13 saves / 20 shots | Goalie stats | Steve Baker 12 saves / 16 shots | ||||||
| New York won series 4–2 | |
(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Minnesota North Stars
editThis was the second playoff meeting between these two teams, with Buffalo sweeping the only previous meeting in two games in the 1977 Stanley Cup preliminary round. Minnesota won the season series earning five of eight points in this year's four-game regular season series.
The North Stars defeated the Sabres in five games. Game one required overtime as the teams exchanged the lead throughout regulation time. Minnesota winger Steve Payne ended the game just 22 seconds into the first overtime period; to date this is still the quickest playoff overtime goal in North Stars/Stars franchise history and tied for the tenth fastest in league history.[7] Steve Christoff and Dino Ciccarelli each scored twice for the North Stars in game two as Minnesota took a 2–0 series lead with a 5–2 victory. Buffalo goaltender Don Edwards made 43 saves in a losing effort in game three as the Sabres lost by a score of 6–4. Minnesota forced overtime in game four after trailing by three goals in the second period; the Sabres extended the series with an overtime win as Craig Ramsay scored at 16:32 of the first overtime period. Don Beaupre made 36 saves for Minnesota in game five as they advanced to the Stanley Cup Semifinals for the second consecutive season.
| April 16 | Minnesota North Stars | 4–3 | OT | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | ||
| Brad Palmer (2) – sh – 09:40 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 05:13 – pp – Andre Savard (4) 11:28 – Lindy Ruff (3) | ||||||
| Al MacAdam (4) – 01:46 Steve Payne (8) – 11:58 |
Third period | 14:46 – Craig Ramsay (1) | ||||||
| Steve Payne (9) – 00:22 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilles Meloche 29 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 22 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Minnesota North Stars | 5–2 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 09:17 – pp – Tony McKegney (3) | ||||||
| Steve Christoff (1) – pp – 14:47 Steve Christoff (2) – 18:17 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Dino Ciccarelli (4) – 04:01 Bobby Smith (2) – 09:59 Dino Ciccarelli (5) – en – 19:35 |
Third period | 02:01 – Tony McKegney (4) | ||||||
| Gilles Meloche 25 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 21 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | Buffalo Sabres | 4–6 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Alan Haworth (3) – pp – 18:10 | First period | 06:41 – pp – Dino Ciccarelli (6) 12:17 – Brad Palmer (3) 13:14 – Al MacAdam (5) | ||||||
| Gilbert Perreault (1) – 11:13 Ric Seiling (2) – 19:40 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Derek Smith (1) – pp – 18:16 | Third period | 08:46 – Kevin Maxwell (2) 09:09 – Neal Broten (1) 19:22 – en – Tim Young (2) | ||||||
| Don Edwards 43 saves / 48 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Meloche 31 saves / 35 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | Buffalo Sabres | 5–4 | OT | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | ||
| Jean-Francois Sauve (1) – 09:39 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilbert Perreault (2) – 02:04 Alan Haworth (4) – pp – 06:35 |
Second period | 07:29 – Dino Ciccarelli (7) 10:16 – pp – Steve Christoff (3) 19:46 – pp – Steve Payne (10) | ||||||
| John Van Boxmeer (1) – 04:58 | Third period | 18:54 – Bobby Smith (3) | ||||||
| Craig Ramsay (2) – 16:32 | First overtime period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Edwards 46 saves / 50 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Meloche 33 saves / 38 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Minnesota North Stars | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | Recap | |||
| Ken Solheim (1) – 15:36 | First period | 05:06 – pp – Jean-Francois Sauve (2) | ||||||
| Kent-Erik Andersson (1) – 15:14 Brad Maxwell (2) – 18:01 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Al MacAdam (6) – 00:18 | Third period | 02:03 – Bob Hess (1) 18:18 – Tony McKegney (5) | ||||||
| Don Beaupre 36 saves / 39 shots | Goalie stats | Don Edwards 29 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| Minnesota won series 4–1 | |
(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) Calgary Flames
editThis was the second and most recent playoff meeting between these two teams, with Philadelphia sweeping the Atlanta Flames in their only previous meeting in four-game sweep in the 1974 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
The Flames defeated the Flyers in seven games. Philadelphia goaltender Rick St. Croix made 35 saves as the Flyers took game one 4–0. After exchanging goals in the first period of game two, the Flames scored three times in the second period and held on late to even the series with a 5–4 victory. Willi Plett gave Calgary the lead early in the third period of game three and Pat Riggin made 47 saves in the Flames 2–1 win. Calgary needed two goals in third period of game four from Randy Holt to secure their third straight one goal victory in the series. Philadelphia forced a sixth game in the series with a commanding 9–4 win in game five; Brian Propp recorded a natural hat trick in the first period for the Flyers. Forward Ken Linseman's second goal in game six for Philadelphia held up as the game-winner as the Flyers avoided elimination with a 3–2 triumph. The Flames struck three times on the power-play in game seven as they ended the series with a 4–1 victory. With the win Calgary became the first relocated team in league history to advance to the third round of the playoffs in their inaugural season in their new location (this feat was later surpassed by the Colorado Avalanche in 1996).
| April 16 | Calgary Flames | 0–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 03:30 – pp – Paul Holmgren (3) 08:41 – Bill Barber (6) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 10:44 – Paul Holmgren (4) 19:26 – Terry Murray (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rejean Lemelin 24 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Rick St. Croix 35 saves / 35 shots | ||||||
| April 17 | Calgary Flames | 5–4 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Paul Reinhart (1) – pp – 12:34 Kent Nilsson (3) – 18:02 |
First period | 05:49 – pp – Bill Barber (7) 16:16 – pp – Rick MacLeish (2) | ||||||
| Ken Houston (2) – pp – 05:58 Willi Plett (4) – 10:45 Jamie Hislop (1) – pp – 17:08 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 13:37 – pp – Behn Wilson (2) 17:08 – Tom Gorence (3) | ||||||
| Pat Riggin 42 saves / 46 shots | Goalie stats | Pete Peeters 17 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 19 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–2 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| Rick MacLeish (3) – pp – 09:54 | First period | 05:25 – Don Lever (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 02:26 – Willi Plett (5) | ||||||
| Rick St. Croix 23 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Pat Riggin 47 saves / 48 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4–5 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| Paul Holmgren (5) – pp – 19:43 | First period | 04:38 – Jamie Hislop (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 06:38 – Jim Peplinski (1) 07:10 – Don Lever (3) | ||||||
| Rick MacLeish (4) – 07:21 Bobby Clarke (2) – 09:23 Bill Barber (8) – 15:55 |
Third period | 10:00 – Randy Holt (1) 14:44 – Randy Holt (2) | ||||||
| Rick St. Croix 23 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Pat Riggin 28 saves / 32 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Calgary Flames | 4–9 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Phil Russell (2) – 14:56 | First period | 01:08 – pp – Rick MacLeish (5) 04:39 – Brian Propp (4) 09:06 – Brian Propp (5) 12:48 – Brian Propp (6) 15:57 – Bill Barber (9) | ||||||
| Ken Houston (3) – pp – 08:31 | Second period | 10:16 – Glen Cochrane (1) 18:21 – pp – Tim Kerr (1) | ||||||
| Bobby Gould (1) – 01:41 Bob MacMillan (5) – pp – 16:31 |
Third period | 03:38 – Ron Flockhart (1) 11:04 – pp – Bill Barber (10) | ||||||
| Pat Riggin 26 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Rick St. Croix 23 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 24 | Philadelphia Flyers | 3–2 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Linseman (3) – 03:35 Bobby Clarke (3) – 03:51 Ken Linseman (4) – 18:34 |
Second period | 16:13 – Guy Chouinard (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 13:49 – pp – Ken Houston (4) | ||||||
| Rick St. Croix 34 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Rejean Lemelin 24 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 26 | Calgary Flames | 4–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Willi Plett (6) – pp – 03:03 Ken Houston (5) – pp – 08:33 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Kevin LaVallee (1) – pp – 13:00 | Second period | 13:49 – Bill Barber (11) | ||||||
| Bob MacMillan (6) – 06:09 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Pat Riggin 31 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Rick St. Croix 21 saves / 25 shots | ||||||
| Calgary won series 4–3 | |
Semifinals
edit(1) New York Islanders vs. (4) New York Rangers
editThis was the third playoff meeting between these two rivals. Both teams have split their previous two meetings. They last met in the 1979 Stanley Cup Semifinals where the Rangers won in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
| April 28 | New York Rangers | 2–5 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Anders Hedberg (7) – pp – 12:10 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ed Hospodar (2) – 03:34 | Second period | 00:16 – Duane Sutter (2) 04:50 – pp – Mike McEwen (4) 06:47 – John Tonelli (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 05:45 – John Tonelli (4) 15:23 – Billy Carroll (2) | ||||||
| Steve Baker 25 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 18 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| April 30 | New York Rangers | 3–7 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Doug Sulliman (1) – 01:57 Dean Talafous (3) – 08:18 Anders Hedberg (8) – pp – 16:39 |
First period | 00:48 – Wayne Merrick (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 08:11 – sh – Butch Goring (3) 10:21 – pp – Mike Bossy (9) 12:44 – Butch Goring (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 12:59 – pp – Clark Gillies (6) 14:27 – sh – Anders Kallur (2) 17:47 – Mike Bossy (10) | ||||||
| Steve Baker 22 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 17 saves / 20 shots | ||||||
| May 2 | New York Islanders | 5–1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Mike Bossy (11) – pp – 14:36 Bob Bourne (3) – 18:33 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Ken Morrow (2) – 15:31 Bob Nystrom (4) – 19:55 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Wayne Merrick (3) – 14:54 | Third period | 05:13 – Peter Wallin (2) | ||||||
| Billy Smith 24 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Steve Baker 26 saves / 31 shots | ||||||
| May 5 | New York Islanders | 5–2 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| John Tonelli (5) – 01:02 Mike Bossy (12) – pp 13:46 Mike Bossy (13) – pp 17:11 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Butch Goring (5) – sh – 01:29 | Second period | 13:39 – pp – Ron Greschner (4) 17:22 – pp – Barry Beck (5) | ||||||
| Duane Sutter (3) – 10:49 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Billy Smith 27 saves / 29 shots | Goalie stats | Steve Baker 18 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| New York Islanders won series 4–0 | |
(2) Calgary Flames vs. (3) Minnesota North Stars
editThis was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series.
| April 28 | Minnesota North Stars | 4–1 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| Craig Hartsburg (1) – pp – 15:00 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Tim Young (3) – 04:38 Gordie Roberts (1) – sh – 19:48 |
Second period | 15:12 – Jim Peplinski (2) | ||||||
| Al MacAdam (7) – sh – 00:12 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Gilles Meloche 35 saves / 36 shots | Goalie stats | Pat Riggin 40 saves / 44 shots | ||||||
| April 30 | Minnesota North Stars | 2–3 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:11 – Pekka Rautakallio (1) 08:35 – Guy Chouinard (3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Curt Giles (1) – 04:24 Steve Christoff (4) – pp – 10:34 |
Third period | 06:25 – Kevin LaVallee (2) | ||||||
| Gilles Meloche 25 saves / 28 shots | Goalie stats | Pat Riggin 31 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| May 3 | Calgary Flames | 4–6 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Ken Houston (6) – 03:23 | First period | 06:43 – Bobby Smith (4) 16:08 – Brad Maxwell (3) | ||||||
| Bob Murdoch (1) – 02:00 Bobby Gould (2) – 06:54 Bill Clement (2) – 17:40 |
Second period | 09:00 – pp – Steve Payne (11) 12:37 – pp – Brad Palmer (4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 04:24 – Steve Christoff (5) 19:37 – en – Bobby Smith (5) | ||||||
| Pat Riggin 25 saves / 30 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Meloche 30 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| May 5 | Calgary Flames | 4–7 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| Pekka Rautakallio (2) – pp – 09:26 | First period | 03:01 – pp – Dino Ciccarelli (8) 13:18 – pp – Steve Christoff (6) 16:32 – Bobby Smith (6) | ||||||
| Jamie Hislop (3) – 01:31 | Second period | 02:42 – Dino Ciccarelli (9) 03:56 – Dino Ciccarelli (10) 10:51 – Brad Palmer (5) | ||||||
| Bobby Gould (3) – 10:22 Mike Dwyer (1) – 10:37 |
Third period | 08:44 – sh – Kevin Maxwell (3) | ||||||
| Rejean Lemelin 21 saves / 27 shots Pat Riggin 16 saves / 17 shots |
Goalie stats | Don Beaupre 29 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| May 7 | Minnesota North Stars | 1–3 | Calgary Flames | Stampede Corral | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 18:54 – pp – Bob MacMillan (7) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 00:55 – Bob MacMillan (8) | ||||||
| Craig Hartsburg (2) – pp – 16:02 | Third period | 03:54 – pp – Willi Plett (7) | ||||||
| Gilles Meloche 24 saves / 27 shots | Goalie stats | Pat Riggin 33 saves / 34 shots | ||||||
| May 9 | Calgary Flames | 3–5 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 13:52 – pp – Al MacAdam (8) | ||||||
| Willi Plett (8) – pp – 02:57 | Second period | 11:36 – Dino Ciccarelli (11) | ||||||
| Ken Houston (7) – pp – 15:07 Don Lever (4) – 19:20 |
Third period | 05:59 – pp – Steve Payne (12) 14:09 – sh – Brad Palmer (6) 18:40 – Brad Palmer (7) | ||||||
| Pat Riggin 30 saves / 35 shots | Goalie stats | Gilles Meloche 23 saves / 26 shots | ||||||
| Minnesota won series 4–2 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
editThis was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. The Islanders made their second consecutive and second overall appearance in the Finals; they defeated the Philadelphia Flyers the previous year in six games. Minnesota made their first Finals appearance in their fourteenth season after entering the league in 1967. The Islanders won this year's four-game regular season series earning six of eight points.
| May 12 | Minnesota North Stars | 3–6 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap |
| May 14 | Minnesota North Stars | 3–6 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap |
| May 17 | New York Islanders | 7–5 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap |
| May 19 | New York Islanders | 2–4 | Minnesota North Stars | Met Center | Recap |
| May 21 | Minnesota North Stars | 1–5 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap |
| New York won series 4–1 | |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Jenish, D'Arcy (2009). The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory. Doubleday. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0.
- ^ a b c "Overtime Games: 1980-89". National Hockey League. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ "Stanley Cup Playoffs". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
- ^ "Young Gives North Stars First-Ever Win at Boston". The Palm Beach Post. April 9, 1981. p. 94. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
- ^ Clarity, James F. (April 17, 1981). "RANGERS RALLY TO BEAT BLUES, 6-4; HEDBERG SCORES ON PENALTY SHOT". The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ "Penalty Shots In Stanley Cup History". May 28, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
- ^ "All-Time Overtime Games, Playoff History". Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Total Sports Canada. ISBN 1-892129-07-8.