2010 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 14, 2010, after the 2009–10 NHL regular season.[1] The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers four games to two to win their fourth championship and their first since 1961. Blackhawks center and team captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.

This NHL post-season was noted for the unexpected playoff successes of two teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens, who were the seventh and eighth seeds in their conference and were tied for points. The Flyers became the third NHL team to win a seven game series after being down 3–0 (the others being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders).[2] The Flyers went on to play in the Stanley Cup Final, losing to Chicago. Meanwhile, the Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team in NHL history to win a series against the first-seeded team after being down 3–1 in a series, when they beat the Washington Capitals in the first round.[3] After upsetting the defending Cup champions Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, the Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team to compete in the Eastern Conference Finals since the current playoff format was implemented in 1994.[4] Previously, only the eighth-seeded 2006 Edmonton Oilers had accomplished a similar feat, winning the 2006 Western Conference Finals. As a result of the Canadiens having the eighth seed, the Flyers became the first seventh-seed to have home-ice advantage in the conference finals since the current playoff format was instituted. During the 2010 playoffs, 18 games went to overtime.[5]

Contents

Playoff seeds

After the regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Washington Capitals were the Eastern Conference regular season champions and the Presidents' Trophy winners with the best record at 121 points. The San Jose Sharks earned a number 1 seed in the Western Conference with 113 points.

Eastern Conference

  1. Washington Capitals – Southeast Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions, and President's Trophy winners; 121 points
  2. New Jersey Devils – Atlantic Division champions, 103 points
  3. Buffalo Sabres – Northeast Division champions, 100 points
  4. Pittsburgh Penguins – 2009 Stanley Cup Champions, 101 points
  5. Ottawa Senators – 94 points
  6. Boston Bruins – 91 points
  7. Philadelphia Flyers – 88 points (41 wins)
  8. Montreal Canadiens – 88 points (39 wins)

Western Conference

  1. San Jose Sharks – Pacific Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions, 113 points
  2. Chicago Blackhawks – Central Division champions, 112 points
  3. Vancouver Canucks – Northwest Division champions, 103 points
  4. Phoenix Coyotes – 107 points
  5. Detroit Red Wings – 102 points
  6. Los Angeles Kings – 101 points
  7. Nashville Predators – 100 points
  8. Colorado Avalanche – 95 points

Playoff bracket

  Conference Quarter-finals Conference Semi-finals Conference Finals Stanley Cup Finals
                                     
1  Washington Capitals 3     4  Pittsburgh Penguins 3  
8  Montreal Canadiens 4     8  Montreal Canadiens 4  
2  New Jersey Devils 1 Eastern Conference
7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
    8  Montreal Canadiens 1  
  7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
3  Buffalo Sabres 2  
6  Boston Bruins 4  
4  Pittsburgh Penguins 4   6  Boston Bruins 3
5  Ottawa Senators 2     7  Philadelphia Flyers 4  
  E7  Philadelphia Flyers 2
(Pairings are re-seeded after the first round.)
  W2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
1  San Jose Sharks 4     1  San Jose Sharks 4
8  Colorado Avalanche 2     5  Detroit Red Wings 1  
2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
7  Nashville Predators 2  
  1  San Jose Sharks 0
  2  Chicago Blackhawks 4  
3  Vancouver Canucks 4  
6  Los Angeles Kings 2   Western Conference
4  Phoenix Coyotes 3   2  Chicago Blackhawks 4
5  Detroit Red Wings 4     3  Vancouver Canucks 2  

In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage, which gives them a possible maximum of four games on their home ice, with the lower-seeded team getting a possible maximum of three. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice was determined based on regular season points. Thus, the Chicago Blackhawks had home ice advantage for the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals. Each best-of-seven series followed a 2–2–1–1–1 format. This means that the higher-seeded team had home ice for games 1 and 2 and if necessary, 5 and 7, while the lower-seeded team had home ice for games 3, 4, and if necessary, game 6. Home ice proved to be a minimal advantage, as home teams had a record of 46 wins to 43 losses during all 4 rounds of the playoffs.

Conference Quarterfinals

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

The Washington Capitals entered the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winner, earning the NHL's best regular season record with 121 points. The Montreal Canadiens qualified for the postseason as the eighth seed with 88 points. This was the first playoff series between the two franchises and only the second time the Caps faced a Canadian team in the playoffs. Jose Theodore was facing one of his former clubs. Montreal's difference in the series is the 5th largest point differential (33 points) for a lower-seeded team beating a higher-seeded team in playoff history. It is also the first time a #8 seeded team has come back against a #1 seed after being down 3–1 in the series.[3]

Montreal won series 4–3

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

The New Jersey Devils entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Atlantic Division with 103 points. The Philadelphia Flyers earned the seventh seed with 88 points, winning the tiebreaker over Montreal on total wins (41 to 39). The two franchises met in the playoffs for the first time since the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals in 2004, having previously met in the 2000 and 1995 Eastern Conference Finals.

Philadelphia won series 4–1

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

The Buffalo Sabres entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference after winning the Northeast Division with 100 points. The Boston Bruins earned the sixth seed with 91 points. The last meeting between the two franchises took place in the 1999 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Sabres won 4–2. The turning point in the series was the injury to Tomas Vanek in game 2 and the Sabres blowing a two goal lead in game 4 and losing in double overtime.

Boston won series 4–2

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

The Pittsburgh Penguins, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 101 points. The Ottawa Senators earned 94 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the third time in four years the Senators met the Penguins in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, with Ottawa winning the series 4–1 in 2007, and Pittsburgh sweeping the series in 2008 (the Senators did not qualify for the playoffs in 2009).

Pittsburgh won series 4–2

Western Conference Quarterfinals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche

The San Jose Sharks entered the playoffs as the regular season Western Conference Champions, with 113 points. The Colorado Avalanche earned 95 points to clinch the eighth playoff seed in the Western Conference. The franchises previously faced each other in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2004, which the Sharks won 4–2. The Avs played the first playoffs after the retirement of Joe Sakic.

San Jose won series 4–2

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Nashville Predators

The Chicago Blackhawks entered the playoffs as the second overall seed in the Western Conference, having clinched the Central Division title with 112 points. The Nashville Predators qualified for the playoffs after missing the playoffs the previous season, clinching the seventh seed with 100 points. This was the first time these two franchises met each other in the playoffs.

Chicago won series 4–2

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the third overall seed in the Western Conference, having clinched the Northwest Division title with 103 points. The Los Angeles Kings qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2002, clinching the sixth seed with 101 points. The two franchises met for the first time since the 1993 Smythe Division Finals, which the Kings won 4–2.

Vancouver won series 4–2

(4) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

The Phoenix Coyotes qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2002, finishing the regular season with 107 points (the most in franchise history), and entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference. The Detroit Red Wings, making their 19th straight playoff appearance, earned 102 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Western Conference. Phoenix and Detroit faced each other in the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 1998 playoffs, with the Red Wings defeating Phoenix 4–2. The franchises also met in the 1996 Western Conference Quarterfinals, with the Red Wings defeating the Winnipeg Jets 4–2, after which the Winnipeg franchise moved to Phoenix.

Detroit won series 4–3

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

This was the second time that Montreal and Pittsburgh have met in the playoffs. The only previous playoff series between Montreal and Pittsburgh was the 1998 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, in which the Canadiens defeated the Penguins 4–2. Game 7 was the last game ever to be played at Mellon Arena, the Penguins' home rink since the start of the franchise. Incidentally, the Canadiens were the winners of the first game played against the Penguins at Mellon Arena in 1967.[6] The Penguins moved into the Consol Energy Center starting the next season.

Montreal won series 4–3

(6) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

This was the first time the franchises have met in the playoffs since 1978, when the Bruins defeated the Flyers 4-1 in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. Boston and Philadelphia had previously met in the Semifinals in 1976 and 1977. The Flyers won the first of those matchups, 4-1, with Boston sweeping in 1977. Philadelphia and Boston also met in the 1974 Stanley Cup Finals, which Philadelphia won 4–2 to become the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. The turning points in the series were the injury of Dave Krecji in game 3 and the return of Simon Gagne in game 4 in which he scored the OT winner (and the winner in game 7). Philadelphia came back from a 3–0 deficit to win the series 4–3, becoming the third NHL team to achieve this feat, and the first since the 1975 New York Islanders. In the final game of this series, Philadelphia also came back from a 3–0 goal deficit to win Game 7 by a score of 4–3.[2][7]

The Bruins lost Game 7 on a Flyers power-play goal as a result of a too many men penalty.[8] Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe said that "watching the Bruins blow a series on a too-many-men penalty is like watching the 2010 Red Sox lose a one-game playoff on a homer hit by a guy named Bucky."[9] The collapse as a result of the penalty brought back memories of the 1979 Stanley Cup semifinals when they lost to their bitter rivals (and eventual champions), the Montreal Canadiens.[10]

Philadelphia won series 4–3

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

The Sharks and the Red Wings last faced off in the 2007 Western Conference Semifinals, which Detroit won 4–2. There have been two other series between these franchises in the mid-1990s, with each team winning one.

San Jose won series 4–1

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

This is the third second-round series between Vancouver and Chicago under the current playoff format. Vancouver and Chicago competed in the Western Conference Semifinals the previous year, with the Blackhawks winning the series 4–2. In 1995, the Blackhawks swept the series.

Chicago won series 4–2

Conference Finals

See also: NHL Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Finals

(7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

This is the first ever conference final that was contested by the seventh and eighth seeds. The Canadiens and the Flyers both earned 88 points in the regular season, but Philadelphia's greater number of victories gave them the higher seed. There were five previous meetings between Montreal and Philadelphia, including the 1976 Stanley Cup Finals. Their last meeting was in the 2008 Eastern Conference Semifinals which Philadelphia won 4–1.

Philadelphia won series 4–1

Western Conference Finals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks

This is the first ever playoff series between the Sharks and the Blackhawks. There were four games between these two teams during the regular season, with Chicago leading San Jose three games to one.

Chicago won series 4–0

Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 2010 Stanley Cup Finals

The Chicago Blackhawks had home ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Finals since they finished the regular season with more points (112) than the Philadelphia Flyers (88). This was the second playoff series between the two teams and the first since 1971 when the Blackhawks swept the Flyers in the Stanley Cup quarterfinals. Prior to the 2010 Finals, both teams had previously lost in their last five consecutive Finals appearances (Chicago in 1962, 1965, 1971, 1973, and 1992; and Philadelphia in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1987, and 1997). Having lost in the 2010 Finals, the Flyers became the third team in NHL history to lose in six consecutive Finals appearances, after the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings.

Chicago won series 4–2

Statistical leaders

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, goals take precedence.[11]

Player Team GP G A Pts +/–
Briere, DanielDaniel Briere Philadelphia Flyers 23 12 18 30 +9
Toews, JonathanJonathan Toews Chicago Blackhawks 22 7 22 29 -1
Kane, PatrickPatrick Kane Chicago Blackhawks 22 10 18 28 -2
Richards, MikeMike Richards Philadelphia Flyers 23 7 16 23 -1
Sharp, PatrickPatrick Sharp Chicago Blackhawks 22 11 11 22 +10
Giroux, ClaudeClaude Giroux Philadelphia Flyers 23 10 11 21 +7
Leino, VilleVille Leino Philadelphia Flyers 19 7 14 21 +10
Cammalleri, MichaelMichael Cammalleri Montreal Canadiens 19 13 6 19 -6
Crosby, SidneySidney Crosby Pittsburgh Penguins 13 6 13 19 +6
Franzen, JohanJohan Franzen Detroit Red Wings 12 6 12 18 +8

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus

Goaltending

This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.[12][13]

Player Team GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
Leighton, MichaelMichael Leighton Philadelphia Flyers 14 8 3 371 31 2.46 .916 3 757:13
Boucher, BrianBrian Boucher Philadelphia Flyers 12 6 6 298 27 2.47 .909 1 655:37
Halak, JaroslavJaroslav Halak Montreal Canadiens 18 9 9 562 43 2.55 .923 0 1,013:24
Nabokov, EvgeniEvgeni Nabokov San Jose Sharks 15 8 7 407 38 2.56 .907 1 889:51
Rask, TuukkaTuukka Rask Boston Bruins 13 7 6 409 36 2.61 .912 0 829:03
Niemi, AnttiAntti Niemi Chicago Blackhawks 22 16 6 645 58 2.63 .910 2 1,321:51
Howard, JimmyJimmy Howard Detroit Red Wings 12 5 7 387 33 2.75 .915 1 720:26

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds)

References

  1. ^ "2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs Quarterfinals Schedule". National Hockey League. 11 April 2010. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=524941. 
  2. ^ a b Compton, Brian (14 May 2010). "Double comeback: Flyers rally in Game 7 to advance". Boston, MA: National Hockey League. http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2009030227. 
  3. ^ a b Associated Press (29 April 2010). "Questions galore for Capitals after quick exit". Washington, D.C.: National Hockey League. http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=527509. 
  4. ^ "Canadiens stun Penguins 5-2 in Game 7". National Hockey League. 13 May 2010. http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2009030217. 
  5. ^ Carchidi, Sam (June 10, 2010). "Sudden Death; Flyers' unforgettable run ends as Hawks win Cup". Philadelphia Inquirer: p. C1. 
  6. ^ http://nhlreference.com/teams/teamscores.htm?tm=PIT&yr=1967
  7. ^ Ulman, Howard (14 May 2010). "Flyers complete shocking comeback". Toronto Star. Associated Press (Boston, MA). http://www.thestar.com/breakingnews/article/809969--flyers-complete-shocking-comeback. Retrieved 15 May 2010. 
  8. ^ Shinzawa, Fluto (May 15, 2010). "They're history; Bruins suffer epic collapse to Flyers". Boston Globe: p. C1. http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2010/05/15/theyre_history/?page=full. Retrieved March 10, 2011. 
  9. ^ Shaughnessy, Dan (May 15, 2010). "A chance to change, but a familiar ending". Boston Globe: p. C1. http://www.boston.com/sports/hockey/bruins/articles/2010/05/15/a_chance_to_change_but_a_familiar_ending/?page=full. Retrieved March 10, 2011. 
  10. ^ Kalman, Matt (May 14, 2010). "Too many men? Too much misery". ESPNBoston.com. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=5190757&type=story. Retrieved April 28, 2011. 
  11. ^ "2009–2010 - Playoffs - All Skaters - Summary - Total points". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/app?component=completePointLeadersList&page=statshome&service=direct. Retrieved May, 1 2010. 
  12. ^ "2009–2010 - Playoffs - Goalie - Summary - Goals against average". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20103ALLGAGAll&sort=goalsAgainstAverage&viewName=wlt. Retrieved 15 April 2010. 
  13. ^ "2009–2010 - Playoffs - Goalie - Summary - Save percentage". NHL.com. http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20103ALLGAGAll&sort=savePercentage&viewName=wlt. Retrieved 15 April 2010. 
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