The 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2017–18 season. The playoffs began on April 11, 2018, after the regular season, and they concluded on June 7, 2018, with the Washington Capitals winning their first Stanley Cup in franchise history by defeating the Vegas Golden Knights four games to one in the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Nashville Predators made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Pittsburgh Penguins increased their post-season appearance streak to twelve seasons, the current longest streak.[1]
The Vegas Golden Knights became the first team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season in the league since the 1979–80 Hartford Whalers and the Edmonton Oilers.[2][3] They also became the first expansion team to make the playoffs in their inaugural season since the 1967 NHL expansion.[2][4] From there, they eventually became the first team since the 1967–68 St. Louis Blues to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in their inaugural season. The only difference is that the 1967–68 season through to the 1969–70 season ensured that an expansion team would be able to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. For the fourth time in league history (2000, 2001, 2007), only two Original Six teams, the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, clinched a berth for the playoffs. For the first time since 1966, no playoff games were played in the state of New York.
For the fifth time in eight years, all three California-based teams made the playoffs.[5] For the first time in league history, the Montreal Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs in the same year.[6] For the first time since 1969, both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs in the same season. For the first time since 2009, no California-based team reached the conference finals.
The playoffs featured ten overtime games, the fewest since 2000. This was also the first time since 1997 that no games played in either the Conference finals or Stanley Cup Finals went to overtime.
^Graves, Will (March 31, 2018). "Penguins beat Canadiens 5-2 to clinch playoff berth". The News Tribune. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
^ ab"Golden Knights in rare company after clinching playoff berth". NHL Enterprises, L.P. March 26, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2018.
^Kaplan, Emily (March 27, 2018). "Vegas first to clinch playoff berth in inaugural season since '79-80". ABC News. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
^"Vegas Golden Knights clinch playoff spot with win over Colorado Avalanche". USA Today. The Associated Press. March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
^Van Horn, Haley (April 5, 2018). "Pacific Division Round-Up: California takes over the 'yoffs". SB Nation. Vox Media, Inc. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
^"Canadiens, Red Wings play only for pride". CBS Sports. CBS Interactive. April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
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