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The 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on April 10, 2019, after the 2018–19 regular season, and concluded on June 12, 2019, with the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history defeating the Boston Bruins four games to three in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Tampa Bay Lightning made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
increased their post-season appearance streak to thirteen seasons, the current longest streak. The
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
made the playoffs for the first time since
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
, ending a nine-year playoff drought. For the second season in a row, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs were the only Original Six teams to make the playoffs, marking the fifth time in league history (after
2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from S ...
,
2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanist ...
,
2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto ...
and
2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
) that only two Original Six teams clinched a playoff berth. For the first time since
2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, both Southern California teams, the
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Divis ...
and Los Angeles Kings, missed the playoffs. For the second time in League history (and the second season in a row), both the Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens missed the playoffs. For the first time in NHL history, all division winners were eliminated in the first round as all the wild-cards advanced to the second round. The
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
won a playoff series for the first time, defeating the first-place Lightning in four games, and marking the first time in Stanley Cup playoff history that the Presidents' Trophy winners were swept in the opening round, and the first time since
2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gath ...
that the Presidents' Trophy winners were defeated in the opening round. They were soon followed by the Calgary Flames, who with their five-game loss to the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play the ...
, ensured that for the first time in NHL history, neither of the conference number one seeds advanced to the second round. After that, the two remaining division winners, the Nashville Predators and
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
, were each eliminated in an overtime game, the Predators in six to the
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesot ...
and the Capitals in seven to the
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
. Also for the first time since 2012, none of the previous year's Conference finalists (the
Capitals Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
, the Lightning, the Golden Knights, and the Jets) made it to the second round. For the first time in League history, three series were decided in game seven overtime. The Blues tied the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers, 2004 Calgary Flames, 2014 Los Angeles Kings, and 2015 Tampa Bay Lightning for playing the most playoff games (26) in a four-round playoff format. The record for most playoff games was subsequently broken by the 2020 Dallas Stars, who played 27 games during the expanded
2020 Stanley Cup playoffs The 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on August 1, 2020, and concluded on September 28, 2020, with the Tampa Bay Lightning winning their second Stanley Cup in franchise ...
. The Kings were the only other Stanley Cup champions to play 26 games.


Playoff seeds

This was the sixth year in which the top three teams in each division make the playoffs, along with two wild cards in each conference (for a total of eight playoff teams from each conference). The following teams qualified for the playoffs:


Eastern Conference


Atlantic Division

# Tampa Bay Lightning, Atlantic Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 128 points # Boston Bruins – 107 points # Toronto Maple Leafs – 100 points


Metropolitan Division

#
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, a ...
,
Metropolitan Division The National Hockey League's Metropolitan Division (often referred to simply as the "Metro Division") was formed in 2013 as one of the two divisions in the Eastern Conference as part of a league realignment. It is also a successor of the original ...
champions – 104 points # New York Islanders – 103 points #
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
– 100 points


Wild cards

#
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
– 99 points #
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (N ...
– 98 points


Western Conference


Central Division

# Nashville Predators, Central Division champions – 100 points # Winnipeg Jets – 99 points (45 ) #
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
– 99 points (42 )


Pacific Division

# Calgary Flames, Pacific Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions – 107 points # San Jose Sharks – 101 points # Vegas Golden Knights – 93 points


Wild cards

#
Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesot ...
– 93 points #
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play the ...
– 90 points


Playoff bracket

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. Thereafter, it was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record followed by any necessary tie breakers. ;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 The National Hockey League's Metropolitan Division (often referred to simply as the "Metro Division") was formed in 2013 as one of the two divisions in the Eastern Conference as part of a league realignment. It is also a successor of the original ...
, 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


Eastern Conference First Round


(A1) Tampa Bay Lightning vs. (WC2) Columbus Blue Jackets

The Tampa Bay Lightning earned the Presidents' Trophy as the NHL's best regular season team with 128 points. Columbus finished as the Eastern Conference's second wild card, earning 98 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Tampa Bay won all three games in this year's regular season series. The Blue Jackets defeated the Lightning in a four-game sweep. In game one, the Blue Jackets scored four unanswered goals to overcome a three-goal deficit, winning 4–3.
Matt Duchene Matthew Duchene (; born 16 January 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, and Columbus ...
scored a goal and two assists for Columbus in game two, granting the Blue Jackets a 5–1 victory and a 2–0 series lead. During the game
Nikita Kucherov Nikita Igorevich Kucherov (russian: Никита Игоревич Кучеров; born 17 June 1993) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Regarded as one of the best p ...
hit Markus Nutivaara in the head, prompting NHL Player Safety to suspend the Lightning forward for game three. During said game,
Sergei Bobrovsky Sergei Andreyevich Bobrovsky (russian: Серге́й Андреевич "Боб" Бобровский; born 20 September 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has ...
made 30 saves, giving the Blue Jackets a 3–1 victory and their first 3–0 series lead in franchise history. In game four, the Lightning, desperate for a victory, could not overcome the early two-goal deficit they faced in the first period, allowing Columbus to score three empty-net goals late in the third period and win 7–3, sweeping Tampa Bay 4–0 and earning their first playoff series victory in franchise history. The Lightning became the first Presidents' Trophy winners to be swept in the opening round.


(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Toronto Maple Leafs

The Boston Bruins finished second in the Atlantic Division, earning 107 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 100 points to finish third in the Atlantic Division. This was the sixteenth playoff meeting overall, and second consecutive, between these two teams, with Toronto winning eight of the fifteen previous series. They last met in the previous year's Eastern Conference First Round, which Boston won in seven games. Boston won three of the four games in this year's regular season series. The Bruins defeated the Maple Leafs in seven games.
Mitch Marner Mitchell Marner (born May 5, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Entry ...
scored twice in Toronto's game one victory, the final score of which was 4–1. Game two saw controversy in officiating, with Bruins players becoming more physical, to the point where Boston forward
Jake DeBrusk Jake DeBrusk (born October 17, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL) where he wears jersey number 74. He was drafted 14th overall by the Bruins in the ...
collided with Toronto forward
Nazem Kadri Nazem Kadri (born October 6, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He played his juni ...
, who was skating hard out of the penalty box, resulting in a knee-on-knee collision, injuring the Maple Leafs forward. No penalty was called on the play. Kadri would return to the game, but retaliated against DeBrusk, cross-checking the forward in the head, resulting in a major penalty for the Toronto forward. Kadri was suspended for the remainder of the series. The Bruins ended the game 4–1. In game three,
Auston Matthews Auston Taylour Matthews (born September 17, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). Born in San Ramon, California, Matthews and his family moved ...
and Andreas Johnsson scored a goal and notched an assist, leading the Maple Leafs to a 3–2 victory. In game four, the Bruins held on for a 6–4 victory, keeping the Maple Leafs from tying in the closing minutes after leading by three goals in the third period. The Maple Leafs scored twice in the third period of game five and held onto a one-goal lead late in the game to give Toronto a 2–1 victory and a 3–2 series lead. In game six,
Brad Marchand Brad Marchand ( ; born May 11, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger and alternate captain for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Bruins selected Marchand in the third round, 71st overall, of the 2006 ...
had two goals and an assist in a 4–2 Bruins victory to push the series to a seventh game. In the seventh game, Boston goalie
Tuukka Rask Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 2006, where he playe ...
made 32 saves to defeat the Maple Leafs 5–1 and advance to the second round.


(M1) Washington Capitals vs. (WC1) Carolina Hurricanes

The Washington Capitals finished first in the Metropolitan Division earning 104 points. Carolina finished as the Eastern Conference's first wild card earning 99 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Washington won all four games in this year's regular season series. The Hurricanes defeated the Capitals in seven games. In game one, Nicklas Backstrom scored twice and teammate John Carlson had three assists in Washington's 4–2 victory. During a tight back-and-forth game two,
Brooks Orpik Richard Brooks Orpik (born September 26, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). A stay-at-home defenseman and locker ...
scored the overtime winner for the Capitals, giving Washington a 4–3 victory. In game three, Carolina forward
Warren Foegele Warren Foegele (born April 1, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who currently plays with the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third-round, 67th overall, at th ...
scored twice and assisted once as the Hurricanes limited the Capitals to 18 shots in a 5–0 blowout victory. During the game rookie Andrei Svechnikov was challenged by
Alexander Ovechkin Alexander Mikhailovich Ovechkin ( rus, Александр Михайлович Овечкин, p=ɐlʲɪˈksandr ɐˈvʲetɕkʲɪn; born 17 September 1985) is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capita ...
to a fight during which the young Hurricane forward was knocked out and removed from the game due to concussion protocol. The Capitals increased their shot count in game four, but Hurricanes goalie
Petr Mrazek Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...
stopped 30 of those 31 shots, evening the series in a 2–1 victory. In game five, the Capitals blew out the Hurricanes 6–0 with Backstrom scoring two goals and adding two assists, as goaltender
Braden Holtby Braden Holtby (born September 16, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He previously played for the Washington Capitals, Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars of the National Hockey ...
stopped all 30 shots he faced. Carolina broke the tie in game six as they scored three goals in the third period to force a seventh game. The Hurricanes rallied from two separate two goal deficits to tie game seven forcing overtime. In double overtime, Carolina forward Brock McGinn ended the third longest game seven in NHL history at 11:05 by tipping in Justin Williams' shot to send the Hurricanes to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
; with the victory Carolina has won five consecutive game sevens dating back to
2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro votes to declare independence from Serbia; The 2006 FIFA ...
.


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

The New York Islanders finished second in the Metropolitan Division with 103 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins earned 100 points to finish third in the Metropolitan Division. This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams with New York winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 2013 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, which Pittsburgh won in six games. These teams split their four-game regular season series. This was the first time since the 1988 Patrick Division Semifinals that the Islanders had home-ice advantage in a playoff series. The Islanders defeated the Penguins in a four-game sweep. This was the first Islanders sweep since
1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...
. In game one, New York goalie
Robin Lehner Robin Lehner (born 24 July 1991) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Panda", he previously played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, New ...
made 41 saves and Josh Bailey scored 4:39 into overtime to give the Islanders a 4–3 victory.
Jordan Eberle Jordan Leslie Eberle (; born May 15, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round (22nd overall) in the 2008 NHL ...
had a goal and an assist in game two, leading the Islanders to a 3–1 victory. In game three, Lehner stopped 25 of 26 shots helping the Islanders win 4–1. Game four was a tight-checking, defensive affair as the Islanders kept a one-goal lead over the Penguins for two periods until an empty-net goal by Bailey sealed the victory for New York defeating Pittsburgh 3–1 and advancing to the second round in a 4–0 sweep.


Western Conference First Round


(C1) Nashville Predators vs. (WC1) Dallas Stars

The Nashville Predators finished first in the Central Division earning 100 points. Dallas finished as the Western Conference's first wild card earning 93 points. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Nashville won three of the five games in this year's regular season series. The Stars defeated the Predators in six games. Dallas rookie
Miro Heiskanen Miro Heiskanen (born 18 July 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ranked in the top ten eligible European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Burea ...
scored a goal and an assist to help the Stars achieve a 3–2 victory in game one. In game two, both teams played defensively forcing an overtime period in which Nashville forward Craig Smith scored to give the Predators a 2–1 victory.
Pekka Rinne Pekka Rinne (; born 3 November 1982) is a Finnish former professional hockey goaltender. Drafted by the Nashville Predators in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Rinne became their starting goaltender during the 2008–09 season and quickly established ...
stopped 40 shots in game three, ensuring a 3–2 Predators win. In another goalie performance for game four, Dallas' own
Ben Bishop Benjamin Manning Bishop III (born November 21, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bishop previously played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Se ...
made 34 saves shutting down the Predators in a 5–1 victory. In game five,
Alexander Radulov Alexander Valerievich Radulov (russian: Александр Валерьевич Радулов; born 5 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey player for Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He had previously had two se ...
scored twice with captain
Jamie Benn Jamie Randolph Benn (born July 18, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger and captain of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Benn was drafted by the Dallas Stars 129th overall. He pla ...
assisting thrice for the Stars taking the series lead in a 5–3 victory. During a defensive game six, both teams fired more than 35 shots apiece in regulation time with each team scoring once. In the resulting overtime period John Klingberg put away the series-winning goal at 17:02 for Dallas, winning the series 4–2 and the game 2–1.


(C2) Winnipeg Jets vs. (C3) St. Louis Blues

The Winnipeg Jets finished second in the Central Division, earning 99 points. The St. Louis Blues also earned 99 points, but they finished third in the Central Division as Winnipeg won the first tie-breaker of combined regulation and overtime wins. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was also the first playoff meeting between the two cities since
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C., U ...
. Winnipeg won three of the four games in this year's regular season series. The Blues defeated the Jets in six games. For the first time since the 2004 Western Conference Final, the away team won the first five games in the series. In game one, rookie goaltender
Jordan Binnington Jordan Binnington (born July 11, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Binnington was raised in Richmond Hill and Toronto. He was drafted by the Blues in the third ...
made 24 saves to give St. Louis a 2–1 victory. Oskar Sundqvist scored twice for the Blues in game two taking the triumph 4–3. In game three, Winnipeg forward
Kyle Connor Kyle David Connor (born December 9, 1996) is an American professional ice hockey player for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). Connor was drafted 17th overall by the Jets in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Connor p ...
scored twice in a 6–3 victory. Game four remained scoreless until the third period in which both teams notched a goal; however, in overtime Connor scored the winning-goal for the Jets tying the series 2–2 in a 2–1 affair. His goal also Winnipeg's first playoff overtime goal in franchise history. Winnipeg took a two-goal lead in game five, but St. Louis tied the game in the third period and with 15 seconds left,
Jaden Schwartz Jaden Schwartz (born June 25, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schwartz was selected 14th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Entry Dr ...
scored to give St. Louis a 3–2 victory. Schwartz scored a natural hat trick in game six as the Blues hung on to a 3–2 series clinching victory.


(P1) Calgary Flames vs. (WC2) Colorado Avalanche

The Calgary Flames finished first in the Pacific Division earning 107 points. The Colorado Avalanche earned 90 points to finish as the Western Conference's second wild card. This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Calgary won all three games in this year's regular season series. The Avalanche defeated the Flames in five games. In game one, goalie Mike Smith stopped all 26 shots he faced and assisted on one of Calgary's four goals in the Flames 4–0 victory. Game two necessitated overtime, and
Nathan MacKinnon Nathan Raymond MacKinnon (born September 1, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). MacKinnon was selected first overall by the Avalanche in the ...
scored to give the Avalanche a 3–2 victory. The Avalanche scored six goals in game three, one of which included the first goal of
Cale Makar Cale Douglas Makar (born October 30, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected with the fourth overall pick by the Avalanche in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft ...
in his NHL debut; Colorado won the game 6–2. In game four, Colorado came back from a two-goal deficit to force overtime and
Mikko Rantanen Mikko Rantanen (born 29 October 1996) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 10th overall, by the Avalanche in the ...
scored his second of the night to give the Avalanche a 3–2 victory and a 3–1 series lead. Game five saw Colin Wilson and Rantanen both score twice, giving Colorado a 5–1 victory and advancing to the second round for the first time since
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
.


(P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (P3) Vegas Golden Knights

The San Jose Sharks finished second in the Pacific Division earning 101 points. The Vegas Golden Knights earned 93 points to finish third in Pacific Division. This was the second playoff meeting between these teams. They last met in the previous year's Western Conference Second Round which Vegas won in six games. These teams split their four-game regular season series. The Sharks came back from a 3–1 series deficit to defeat the Golden Knights in seven games. Four Sharks players scored a goal and assisted on another goal in game one, giving San Jose a 5–2 victory. In game two, after a wild first period in which Vegas took a three-goal lead only for San Jose to tie before the period ended, Mark Stone's power-play goal in the second period would be the game-winner for the Golden Knights, defeating the Sharks 5–3. Stone continued his scoring into game three, adding a hat trick into Vegas' 6–3 victory. In game four, Max Pacioretty had two goals and two assists while goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 28 shots granting Vegas a 5–0 victory and a 3–1 series lead. The Sharks avoided elimination in game five, outscoring the Golden Knights 5–2 to force a sixth game. In game six, the Sharks evened the series with a double-overtime short-handed goal by
Tomas Hertl Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian s ...
, backstopped by Martin Jones who made 58 saves in a 2–1 victory. In the seventh game, after taking a three-goal lead, in the third period, Vegas'
Cody Eakin Cody Eakin (born May 24, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with the SCL Tigers of the National League (NL). He was selected by the Washington Capitals in the third round, 85th overall, of the 2009 NHL ...
was assessed a controversial major penalty and game misconduct as a result of a play that injured Sharks forward
Joe Pavelski Joseph James Pavelski (born July 11, 1984) is an American professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the San Jose Sharks for the first thirteen years o ...
. The Sharks took the lead 4–3 after scoring four unanswered goals on the ensuing five-minute power play. However, the Golden Knights tied the game with 47 seconds left in regulation, sending the game into overtime. At 18:19 of the first overtime,
Barclay Goodrow Barclay Goodrow (born February 26, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up, Goodrow played five seasons with the Brampton Battalion o ...
scored the series-winning goal for the Sharks, coming back from a 3–1 series deficit and defeating the Golden Knights 5–4. The NHL later apologized to the Golden Knights for the call on Eakin, and the two referees working the game were suspended for the remainder of the playoffs. The Sharks became just the second team in NHL history, along with the 2013 Boston Bruins, to overcome a three-goal deficit in the third period of a seventh game.


Second Round


Eastern Conference Second Round


(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (WC2) Columbus Blue Jackets

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. Boston won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. The Bruins defeated the Blue Jackets in six games. In game one,
Charlie Coyle Charles Robert Coyle (born March 2, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Minnesota Wild. Coyle played part of a single s ...
scored his second goal of the game in the first overtime at 5:15 to give the Bruins a 3–2 victory. Game two required overtime again with both teams tied 2–2 in regulation, and in double-overtime
Matt Duchene Matthew Duchene (; born 16 January 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators, and Columbus ...
scored on the power-play at 3:42 to give Columbus the victory.
Sergei Bobrovsky Sergei Andreyevich Bobrovsky (russian: Серге́й Андреевич "Боб" Бобровский; born 20 September 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has ...
made 36 saves in game three backstopping the Blue Jackets to a 2–1 victory. In game four,
Patrice Bergeron Patrice Bergeron-Cleary (born July 24, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bergeron played junior hockey with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major ...
scored twice and goaltender
Tuukka Rask Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 2006, where he playe ...
made 39 saves to edge Columbus 4–1 and tie the series 2–2. The Bruins held off the Blue Jackets two-goal rally in game five with
David Pastrnak David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
scoring with 1:28 left in the third period to give Boston a 4–3 victory and a 3–2 series lead. In game six, Rask shut the door on the Blue Jackets, stopping all 39 shots he faced in a 3–0 victory and winning the series 4–2.


(M2) New York Islanders vs. (WC1) Carolina Hurricanes

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. New York won three of the four games in this year's regular season series. The Hurricanes defeated the Islanders in a four-game sweep. In game one, Islanders goaltender
Robin Lehner Robin Lehner (born 24 July 1991) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Panda", he previously played in the NHL for the Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, New ...
and Hurricanes goaltender
Petr Mrazek Petr is a Czech given name for males and a Czech surname. Petr is the Czech form of ''Peter''. For information on Petr as a first name, see Peter (given name). Given name * Petr Aven (born 1955), Russian billionaire banker, economist and politic ...
stayed stout in regulation with Lehner stopping 29 shots and Mrazek stopping 30. During the ensuing overtime, Jordan Staal scored to give Carolina 1–0 victory. In game two,
Warren Foegele Warren Foegele (born April 1, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who currently plays with the Edmonton Oilers in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third-round, 67th overall, at th ...
and
Nino Niederreiter Nino Niederreiter (born 8 September 1992) is a Swiss professional ice hockey winger for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fifth overall by the New York Islanders in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, making him th ...
scored 48 seconds apart in the third period to take the lead 2–1 giving Carolina the victory. In the second period of game two, Petr Mrazek was injured, leading to
Curtis McElhinney Robert Curtis McElhinney (born May 23, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He previously played in the NHL with the Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Toronto Maple ...
replacing him in net for the remainder of the series; as a result McElhinney, at 35 years old, became the oldest goaltender in NHL history to make his first career playoff start in game three. Teuvo Teravainen scored twice in game three to give the Hurricanes a 5–2 victory and a 3–0 series lead. Teravainen continued his scoring into game four, notching a goal and an assist in Carolina's 5–2 victory. This was the Hurricanes' first four-game series sweep in franchise history and the franchise's first sweep since the Hartford Whalers swept the
Quebec Nordiques The Quebec Nordiques (french: Nordiques de Québec, pronounced in Quebec French, in Canadian English; translated "Quebec City Northmen" or "Northerners") were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The Nordiques played in the W ...
in three games during the 1986 Adams Division Semifinals. In addition, the Islanders were swept in a playoff series for the first time since the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals against the New York Rangers. This was the first time since the
1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...
Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
that a team who swept a first round playoff series got swept in the second round. Game two was the last Stanley Cup playoffs game to be held at
Barclays Center Barclays Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association. T ...
.


Western Conference Second Round


(C3) St. Louis Blues vs. (WC1) Dallas Stars

This was the fourteenth playoff meeting between these two teams with St. Louis winning seven of the thirteen previous series. They last met in the 2016 Western Conference Second Round, which St. Louis won in seven games. Dallas won three of the four games in this year's regular season series. The Blues defeated the Stars in seven games.
Vladimir Tarasenko Vladimir Andreyevich Tarasenko (russian: Влади́мир Андре́евич Тарасе́нко; born 13 December 1991) is a Russian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hock ...
scored twice for the Blues in game one, holding the Stars to a close 3–2 victory. In game two, the Stars bounced back with rookie
Roope Hintz Roope Hintz (; born 17 November 1996), nicknamed the "Ace of Spades", is a Finnish professional ice hockey Forward (ice hockey), forward for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Finland, Hintz played within the Il ...
scoring two goals and adding an assist in a 4–2 win. With 1:38 left in the third period of game three,
Patrick Maroon Patrick Maroon (born April 23, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed the "Big Rig", Maroon has previously played for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, ...
put the Blues ahead 4–3 holding on the lead for the victory.
Ben Bishop Benjamin Manning Bishop III (born November 21, 1986) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender under contract to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bishop previously played for the St. Louis Blues, Ottawa Se ...
held the fort for the Stars, making 27 saves in game four for a 4–2 triumph. Bishop continued his goal-tending prowess into game five, stopping 38 shots for the Stars in a 2–1 victory. The Blues scored 33 seconds apart in the third period of game six to force a seventh game winning 4–1. In game seven, although Stars goaltender Ben Bishop made a valiant effort stopping 52 shots, Patrick Maroon's goal at 5:50 of double-overtime sent the Blues to the Western Conference Final defeating Dallas 2–1.


(P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (WC2) Colorado Avalanche

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams with both teams splitting the four previous series. They last met in the 2010 Western Conference Quarterfinals which San Jose won in six games. San Jose won all three games in this year's regular season series. The Sharks defeated the Avalanche in seven games. In game one,
Brent Burns Brent Burns (born March 9, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). Drafted as a right wing (20th overall) at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft by the Minnesota Wild, he w ...
had a goal and three assists in the Sharks' convincing 5–2 victory.
Tyson Barrie Tyson Barrie (born July 26, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played for the Colorado Avalanche, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers. ...
scored a goal and assisted on two more in game two, giving the Avalanche a 4–3 win. In game three, Sharks forward
Logan Couture Logan Couture (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Sharks ninth overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, where he establishe ...
scored his first playoff hat trick en route to a 4–2 victory. The Avalanche shut out the Sharks 3–0 in game four as goaltender
Philipp Grubauer Philipp Grubauer (born 25 November 1991) is a German professional ice hockey goaltender for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the 2010 NHL En ...
stopped all 32 shots he faced. In game five, the Sharks put up 39 shots against the Avalanche with two goals coming from forward
Tomas Hertl Tomas may refer to: People * Tomás (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese, and Gaelic given name * Tomas (given name), a Swedish, Dutch, and Lithuanian given name * Tomáš, a Czech and Slovak given name * Tomas (surname), a French and Croatian s ...
in a 2–1 victory. J. T. Compher scored twice and
Gabriel Landeskog Gabriel Landeskog (; born 23 November 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected second overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by Colorado. On ...
scored at 2:32 of the first overtime to force a seventh game defeating the Sharks 4–3. In game seven, Burns had two assists, including one on
Joonas Donskoi Joonas Donskoi (born 13 April 1992) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the San Jose Sharks and Colorado Avalanche. Playing career Don ...
's series-winning goal, that helped the Sharks win 3–2 and advance to the Conference Finals.


Conference Finals


Eastern Conference Final


(A2) Boston Bruins vs. (WC1) Carolina Hurricanes

This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two teams with Boston winning three of the four previous series. They last met in the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinals which Carolina won in seven games. This was Boston's eighth appearance in the Conference Finals. They last went to the Conference Finals in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, which they won against the
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have play ...
in a four-game sweep. This was Carolina's fourth Conference Finals appearance. They last went to the Conference Finals in
2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; Protests ...
; they lost in a four-game sweep to Pittsburgh. Boston won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. The Bruins defeated the Hurricanes in a four-game sweep. In game one, the Bruins scored two power-play goals 28 seconds apart in the third period to win 5–2.
Charlie Coyle Charles Robert Coyle (born March 2, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has also played for the Minnesota Wild. Coyle played part of a single s ...
and
Torey Krug Torey Krug ( ; born April 12, 1991) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League. Krug previously played for the Boston Bruins from 2012 to 2020. Being undrafted, h ...
both had three assists in the Bruins 6–2 victory in game two. In game three, Bruins goalie
Tuukka Rask Tuukka Mikael Rask (born 10 March 1987) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender. Rask was drafted 21st overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs before being traded to the Boston Bruins in 2006, where he playe ...
made 35 saves in Boston's close 2–1 victory, taking a 3–0 series lead.
Patrice Bergeron Patrice Bergeron-Cleary (born July 24, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bergeron played junior hockey with the Acadie–Bathurst Titan of the Quebec Major ...
scored twice and notched an assist,
David Pastrnak David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
had a goal and two assists, and Rask stopped all 24 shots he faced in the Bruins 4–0 game four victory, sending the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals.


Western Conference Final


(P2) San Jose Sharks vs. (C3) St. Louis Blues

This was the sixth playoff meeting between these two teams with San Jose winning three of the five previous series. This was St. Louis' fourth Conference Finals appearance and San Jose's fifth appearance in the Conference Finals. This also marked the thirteenth conference final in the last sixteen seasons that included a California-based team. The teams' last appearance in the Conference Finals was against each other in
2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
, which San Jose won in six games. San Jose won two of the three games in this year's regular season series. The Blues defeated the Sharks in six games. In game one,
Logan Couture Logan Couture (born March 28, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Sharks ninth overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, where he establishe ...
and Timo Meier both scored twice in the Sharks' 6–3 victory. Although Couture scored twice in game two, the Blues edged the Sharks 4–2. In game three, controversy struck in overtime as Meier swatted at the puck with his glove towards
Erik Karlsson Erik Sven Gunnar Karlsson (; born 31 May 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the San Jose Sharks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Karlsson was drafted in the first round, 15th overall, by the Ott ...
who scored in overtime. The NHL later admitted the refs missed the hand pass Meier committed. The Blues were undeterred by this blatant non-call as goalie
Jordan Binnington Jordan Binnington (born July 11, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Binnington was raised in Richmond Hill and Toronto. He was drafted by the Blues in the third ...
made 29 saves in game four en route to a 2–1 victory. In game five,
Jaden Schwartz Jaden Schwartz (born June 25, 1992) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). Schwartz was selected 14th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2010 NHL Entry Dr ...
scored a hat trick and Binnington stopped all 21 shots he faced for the Blues in a 5–0 victory. The Blues shut down the Sharks in game six, scoring five goals in a 5–1 victory and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals and ending its 49-year appearance drought. With the Blues advancing to the Finals only five active franchises have never won their conference since the playoffs went to a conference based format in 1982 (Arizona, Columbus, Minnesota, Toronto and Winnipeg).


Stanley Cup Finals

This was the third playoff meeting between these two teams, with Boston winning both previous series. They last met in the 1972 Stanley Cup Semifinals which Boston won in a four-game sweep. St. Louis made their fourth appearance in the Finals. They last advanced to the Finals in
1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...
, which they lost in four games to the Boston Bruins. Boston made their twentieth Finals appearance. They last advanced to the Finals in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
, which they lost in six games to the Chicago Blackhawks. These teams split the two games in this year's regular season series.


Player statistics


Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.


Goaltenders

St.louis Blues Goaltender Jordan Binnington set an NHL record for rookie goaltenders with 16 wins, beating the previous record held by Patrick Roy. 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.


Television

This was the eighth postseason under
NBC Sports NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
' current 10-year contract for American television rights to the NHL. All national coverage of games are being aired on either NBCSN, the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are ...
broadcast network, NHL Network, USA Network, or CNBC. During the first round, excluding games exclusively broadcast on NBC, the regional rights holders of each participating U.S. team will produce local telecasts of their respective games. For the third year, the first round national broadcasts were not blacked out on television in the markets of participating teams, and could co-exist with the local broadcasts (however, NBC-provided coverage was restricted in Pittsburgh and Las Vegas, where AT&T SportsNet held the regional rights to the Penguins and the Golden Knights respectively). In Canada, for the fifth postseason under
Rogers Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties, such as the Citytv and Omni Television terrestrial television stations, Sportsnet, ...
's current 12-year contract, coverage was broadcast in English by
Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then was ...
and CBC under the '' Hockey Night in Canada'' brand, and streamed on Sportsnet Now, CBCSports.ca (for games televised by CBC), or the subscription service Rogers NHL Live. In French, all games were aired by TVA Sports. Availability of the games were initially hampered by a major
carriage dispute A carriage dispute is a disagreement over the right to "carry", that is, retransmit, a broadcaster's signal. Carriage disputes first occurred between broadcasters and cable companies and now include direct broadcast satellite and other multichan ...
between
Bell Satellite TV Bell Satellite TV (french: Bell Télé; formerly known as Bell ExpressVu, Dish Network Canada and ExpressVu Dish Network and not to be confused with Bell's IPTV Fibe TV service) is the division of BCE Inc. that provides satellite television s ...
and the channel's owner, Quebecor Media, over a proposed increase in carriage fees which Bell considered poorly-justified. On April 10, 2019, Quebecor pulled TVA Sports from Bell Satellite TV, despite it being illegal in Canada for channels to be pulled by their owners at a "standstill" in carriage negotiations. Bell publicly condemned the action, and stated it would offer the Sportsnet networks as a free preview to affected subscribers for the duration of the dispute, so that viewers still have access to the English-language broadcasts. On April 12, 2019, the channels were restored per a court injunction granted to Bell. The CRTC has since warned that any attempt to pull the channel again would result in a suspension of its license until access is restored. In the United States, NBC reported that the first round saw its highest cable viewership since 1994 and the highest overall ratings since 2012. Game seven of the Capitals/Hurricanes series was the most-watched first round game on cable since 2000.


References


External links


Stanley Cup playoffs
{{DEFAULTSORT:2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs Stanley Cup playoffs play