2015 Stanley Cup playoffs

2015 Stanley Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 15–June 15, 2015
Teams16
Defending championsLos Angeles Kings
(did not qualify)
Final positions
ChampionsChicago Blackhawks
Runner-upTampa Bay Lightning
Tournament statistics
Scoring leader(s)Tyler Johnson (Lightning) and Patrick Kane (Blackhawks) (23 points)
MVPDuncan Keith (Blackhawks)
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The 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2014–15 season. They began on April 15, 2015, and ended on June 15, 2015, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning four games to two in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The New York Rangers made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. They also came back from a 3–1 series deficit for the second consecutive year. The Detroit Red Wings increased their consecutive post-season appearance streak to 24 seasons, the longest current streak at the time and tied for the fourth-longest streak in NHL history.[1] The Winnipeg Jets qualified for the playoffs for the first time since the former Atlanta Thrashers franchise relocated to Winnipeg in 2011; the only time that the Thrashers/Jets franchise made the post-season was in 2007, and the last time that the city of Winnipeg hosted a playoff game was in 1996, the season before the previous Winnipeg Jets team relocated to Phoenix, Arizona, to become the Coyotes.[2] The Ottawa Senators became the first team in the NHL's modern era (since 1942–43) to overcome a 14-point deficit in the standings to clinch a playoff spot.[3] Also, the Calgary Flames returned to the playoffs after a six-year absence. In total, five Canadian NHL teams qualified for the post-season, the most since 2004.[4]

The Los Angeles Kings became the first defending Stanley Cup champions since the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007 to fail to make the playoffs.[5] The Boston Bruins failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and became the first reigning Presidents' Trophy winners to miss the post-season since the Buffalo Sabres in 2008 (and the third overall).[6] In addition, the San Jose Sharks failed to make the post-season for the first time since 2003, ending the NHL's second-longest active playoff streak.[7]

For the first time since 2000, both the Eastern and Western Conference finals went the full seven games.[8]

The Tampa Bay Lightning became the first team in league history to face an Original Six team in all four rounds of the playoffs in the same year, as they played against the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks, respectively. They also became the fourth team to defeat three consecutive Original Six teams.[9]

The Lightning also tied the 1987 Philadelphia Flyers, 2004 Calgary Flames and 2014 Los Angeles Kings for playing the most playoff games (26) in a postseason (later matched by the 2019 St. Louis Blues), all four currently hold the record under a four-round playoff format. The record was subsequently broken by the Dallas Stars during the expanded 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs.

  1. ^ Scott Lewis (April 9, 2015). "Red Wings clinch 24th straight playoff berth". Sportsnet. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  2. ^ "Winnipeg Jets fans celebrate as team secures NHL playoff spot". CBC News. April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2015.
  3. ^ "Around the League notebook for Saturday, April 11". NHL.com. April 11, 2015. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  4. ^ MacGregor, Roy (April 10, 2015). "As playoffs near, Canada reasserts its place in the hockey universe". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  5. ^ Aaron Vickers (April 10, 2015). "Flames qualify for playoffs, eliminate Kings". Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  6. ^ Joe Haggerty (April 11, 2015). "B's lose to Lightning, miss playoffs for 1st time since 2007". Comcast Sportsnet New England. Retrieved April 11, 2015.
  7. ^ Curtis Pashelka (April 6, 2015). "Sharks eliminated from playoffs; 10-season run ends". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved April 8, 2015. the Sharks, stuck on 87 points, find themselves out of the postseason for the first time since 2003, ending the second-longest active postseason streak in the NHL.
  8. ^ Strang, Katie (May 29, 2015). "Strang: Lessons learned from Game 7s in 2000 conference finals". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  9. ^ "The Tampa Bay Lightning's playoff journey through the Original Six". May 31, 2015. Retrieved May 31, 2015.