 | |
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | April 13–June 12, 2016 |
| Teams | 16 |
| Defending champions | Chicago Blackhawks |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Runner-up | San Jose Sharks |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Scoring leader(s) | Logan Couture (Sharks) (30 points) |
| MVP | Sidney Crosby (Penguins) |
The 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2015–16 season. They began on April 13, 2016, and ended on June 12, 2016, with the Pittsburgh Penguins winning the cup by defeating the San Jose Sharks four games to two, for their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.
For only the second time in league history (1970 being the only other time), none of the NHL's seven Canadian-based teams qualified for the postseason.[1] In addition, for the second season in a row and only the fifth (and most recent) time since joining the league in 1979, all four former WHA teams (the Edmonton Oilers, Arizona Coyotes, Carolina Hurricanes and Colorado Avalanche) missed the playoffs. The Washington Capitals made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. This was the final season of the Detroit Red Wings' 25-season playoff appearance streak, the longest streak at the time and tied for third longest in NHL history.[2] The Florida Panthers qualified for the playoffs for only the second time since the 1999–2000 season—both times winning their division—and fifth time in franchise history.[3] For the fourth time in six years, all three California-based teams made the playoffs in the same season. And, for only the second time ever (1996 being the only other time), both Florida-based teams made the playoffs in the same season.
For the first time since 2006, and only the third time in league history, all Original Six teams who made the playoffs (three in total) were eliminated in the first round. The New York Islanders won their first post-season series since the 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs, ending the third longest post-season win drought in NHL history. For the seventh consecutive season and eleventh out of thirteen seasons, a team from California was in the Western Conference final.[4]
For the first time since 2002, no team lost in a four-game sweep in a playoff series.[5]
- ^ Stubbs, Dave (March 31, 2016). "Woe Canada. No playoffs this year north of border". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
- ^ "Stars secure No. 1 seed in West". NHL.com. NHL Enterprises, L.P. April 10, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Fialkov, Harvey (April 3, 2016). "Florida Panthers clinch fifth playoff berth in franchise history". Sun-Sentinel. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
- ^ Erskine, Scott (May 12, 2016). "Sharks dominate Predators, advance to conference final". Today's Slapshot. Nafstrops Media, LLC. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
- ^ MG (June 5, 2016). "NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Sweeps". The Puck Report. Retrieved June 16, 2016.