There are 35 ways an NHL playoff series can go. Here’s the best example of each (original) (raw)

Three games in, and this year’s Stanley Cup Final is on track to achieve all-time classic status. And while we’ve still got what we hope are four games left to go, the action so far has got me thinking about great playoff series throughout NHL history.

Let’s start with a question: How many different ways are there to win a playoff series?

There are a few ways to answer that question. We could go existential and say the answer is “an infinite number of ways” because every series is a unique snowflake that forges its own beautiful identity every time a butterfly flaps its wings and/or a ref blows a call. That’s kind of poetic. It’s also going to make this post way too long, so we need a different approach.

Instead, let’s go with a mathematical answer. There are only so many ways that a seven-game series can play out, based on what order the wins and losses come in. The longer the series, the more combinations we can get. But with two results possible per game, we eventually run into a limit.

So how many combinations are there? It turns out the magic number is 35. That list starts with a four-game sweep, which can obviously only happen one way: with the winning team winning each game. Call that a WWWW series. There are four more combinations for a five-game series, ranging from LWWWW to WWWLW. The possibilities grow to ten for a six-game series, and then 19 once we go the full seven. Add it all up, and you have 35 different combinations of Ws and Ls that can describe a seven-game series.

(How long did it take me to figure all that out? Way too long, thanks for asking. I have a headache and I think my wife and kids moved out at some point over the weekend. Never let it be said that I don’t make sacrifices for my readers.)

Today, we’re going to make a pick for the best series in NHL history for each of those 35 patterns. Obviously, “best” is a pretty subjective term here, and your view may differ significantly depending on the teams involved, but we’re mainly looking for entertainment value. For older series, we can just look for ones that people still remember to this day.

I’ll warn you: There are a few combos that I felt were just too close to call. In those cases, I’m going to hand the gavel over to you and let the readers vote on which series was best.

We’ve got 35 combos to work through, starting with the shortest. Let’s remember some series.

WWWW

While it’s easily the most common pattern, a sweep by definition is almost never a good series because the result is so one-sided. But some are more memorable than others, and based on that criteria, I think we have to go with the Boston Bruins over the St. Louis Blues in the 1970 Stanley Cup Final, which at least gave us Bobby Orr’s OT winner for the most famous (and most overrated) photo of all time.

LWWWW

We saw this one play out in this year’s Eastern Conference final, but I’m going to go with a happier pick for Canadiens fans. Give me the Montreal Canadiens over the Los Angeles Kings from the 1993 final, which packed a ton of memories into a short series: three OTs, Marty McSorley’s stick, Eric Desjardins’ heroics, Patrick Roy’s wink and Gary Bettman trying to speak French.

WLWWW

There have only been three series in NHL playoff history that featured five overtime games, and one of them was the 1951 Stanley Cup Final. It was the Toronto Maple Leafs over Canadiens in five, but you got your money’s worth on every game, and then some.

WWLWW

On paper, the 1956 final might have been the greatest matchup ever, featuring Rocket Richard, Jean Béliveau, Doug Harvey and Jacques Plante vs. Gordie Howe, Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly and Glenn Hall. It didn’t really deliver, with the Canadiens over the Detroit Red Wings in five, but you can’t ask for more star power.

WWWLW

This pattern has been described as the gentlemen’s sweep, in which one team dominates but is kind enough to give the other side a courtesy win after going up 3-0. My favorite is the Kings over the New York Rangers from the 2014 final, which featured three L.A. wins in OT, including the Alec Martinez series-winner that broke Henrik Lundqvist.

(Also, while in theory that should cover all the five-game combinations, we have to at least offer up a stick tap to the Edmonton Oilers over Bruins in the 1990 Stanley Cup Final, which, thanks to a power outage in the old Boston Garden, goes into the books as the only WWWTW five-game sweep in NHL history.)

LLWWWW

These are fun, with one team falling into a quick 2-0 hole before saying “just kidding” and sweeping the rest of the way. For reasons I can’t quite figure out, teams that pull this one off early often seem to go on to quasi-surprising Stanley Cup wins, including the 1993 Canadiens (over the Quebec Nordiques) and the 2018 Capitals (over the Blue Jackets). I’ll go with another option, as we got the Pittsburgh Penguins over Bruins in a 1991 conference final that turned into the Cam Neely and Ulf Samuelsson show.

LWLWWW

This pattern often leaves you feeling ripped off, because a series seems headed for seven-game classic territory and then ends a bit too quickly. I’ll go with an underrated classic from the 1996 second round, as we get the Colorado Avalanche over the Chicago Blackhawks in a series with seven periods of overtime.

LWWLWW

This pattern offers up three series that are memorable for very different reasons. So for the first time, we’ll turn the call over to you. Do you want to go with the Maple Leafs’ last Stanley Cup, arguably the most controversial ending in NHL history, or the utter chaos of the Good Friday Massacre?

LWWWLW

Let’s go with some pure Smythe Division adrenaline, as Oilers over Kings in the 1991 division finals serves up four games that ended in overtime along the way.

WLLWWW

There was that sneaky-fun series between the veteran Capitals and the young Leafs in 2017 that saw five games go to overtime, and the 1989 final that saw the Calgary Flames beat the Canadiens for their first and still only championship. But the answer here is a more recent final, as we go with Blackhawks over Bruins in 2013.

WLWLWW

We’re under-representing the 1970s here, so let’s go with Rangers over Islanders from the 1979 semi-final, a hard-fought matchup with two overtime games that ended up being the last series the Islanders lost until 1984.

WLWWLW

This pattern offers us that weird 2012 series between the Coyotes (then of Phoenix) and Chicago where every game but one went to overtime, and a 1990 series between the Kings and Flames packed with chaotic fun, including a 12-4 game and one of the most dramatic series-winning OT goals of all time. But I’ll reach even further back for our pick: Give me the Leon Stickle series that launched a dynasty in the 1980 final between the Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers.

WWLLWW

Typically, this is the series where the home team wins each of the first five before the favorite ends it with a road win in Game 6. This gives us a few Stanley Cup Finals, including the Flyers over the Sabres in 1975 and the Penguins over the Predators in 2017, as well as the highest-scoring series ever, Oilers over Hawks in 1985. But I’m going with a series that wasn’t a final but realistically was still for the Cup: Canadiens over Bruins in the 1969 semi-final, with two eras colliding as an aging Jean Béliveau beats a young Bobby Orr.

WWLWLW

Let’s go with the series that started one of the greatest rivalries of all time, as it’s Avalanche over Red Wings in the 1996 Western Conference final that set the stage for the a decade of memories. RIP, Claude.

WWWLLW

The last of the six-game patterns, this one looks like a sweep, then starts getting interesting before the comeback gets cut off a game early. We saw this one in a Stanley Cup Final back in 2012 when the Kings beat the Devils. More recently, we had one a few weeks ago when the Flyers beat the Penguins. I am indeed going with Flyers over Penguins, but not this year’s version. Instead, let’s go with that wild 2012 first-round series where the hockey gods took absolutely everything that could happen on a rink and mushed it all into one series.

LLLWWWW

Ah, the ol’ blown 3-0 series lead. It’s one of the rarest patterns available, having only happened four times in NHL history. That list includes the Leafs doing it in the 1942 final, which you could make a strong case for. But in terms of being memorable, this one comes down to the Flyers over the Bruins in 2010 and the Kings over Sharks in 2014. I’m going with Kings over Sharks, if only because I still can’t unsee Joe Thornton’s devastation.

LLWLWWW

This 3-1 comeback scenario doesn’t seem to come up very often, although we did see it when the Capitals beat the Rangers in 2009. I’ll go back a few more years to pick Canadiens over Bruins in 2004, in which Saku Koivu dragged his team back into the series.

LLWWLWW

This is typically the one where the home team wins everything until Game 7 and it’s served up some classics, including the Canadiens beating the Hawks in 1971, the Bruins over the Canucks in the 2011 final, and a 1978 Leafs upset over the Islanders that was basically the only good thing that happened to Toronto during the Harold Ballard era. But I’ll go a little more recent with what still stands as perhaps the greatest Stanley Cup Final rematch ever: the Penguins over Red Wings classic from 2009.

LLWWWLW

We’ve got a ton of strong candidates here, including a pair of classic rivalry series that ended with Game 7 overtime: Leafs over Red Wings in 1993 and Bruins over Canadiens in 2011. There’s also the Penguins over Capitals in 2009, which you’ll remember as the series that gave us the Dueling Hat Tricks game. Let’s head back to the polls.

LWLLWWW

This is one of the few forms of the dreaded blown 3-1 series lead can take, and you may recognize it from the recent Panthers over Bruins first-round upset in 2023. There’s also a great Kings over Oilers upset in 1989 that was the Wayne Gretzky revenge series, and a heartbreaker I’m still not quite over in Oilers over Jets from the first round in 1990. But this one pretty much has to be Islanders over Capitals in 1987, featuring the Easter Epic game.

LWLWLWW

This underrated combo can be devastating for the loser, who leads the series three times but never puts it away. And there aren’t many devastating losses worse than Lightning over Flames in the 2004 final. That puck was in.

LWLWWLW

We get some solid candidates, including Stars over Avalanche in 2000, Hurricanes over Sabres in 2006, Capitals over Bruins in 2012, and Penguins over the Ottawa Senators in the 2017 conference final. But I’ll take Blues over Bruins in the 2019 final.

LWWLLWW

This is another one where we’ll turn to your vote, as this pattern shows up for two series that are often mentioned among the very best of the 1990s, if not of all time. We’ve got Rangers over Devils in 1994, which featured Mark Messier’s guarantee and Stéphane Matteau’s winner, as well as Kings over Leafs in 1993, which featured an infamous missed high stick and Wayne Gretzky’s single greatest game.

LWWLWLW

We’re not doing a best-to-worst ranking of all the combos here, but if we were, I think LWWLWLW might be in play for a top spot. You’ve got some Game 7 OT classics like Calgary beating Vancouver in 1989, the Canadiens surviving the Hartford Whalers in 1986, Curtis Joseph and the Oilers stunning the Stars in 1997, as well as last spring’s Colorado/Dallas collision. I’ll go with Devils over Sabres in 1994, in an epic Dominik Hasek/Martin Brodeur goalie battle that featured a quadruple-overtime game.

LWWWLLW

This is a fun one, where the presumptive favorite loses Game 1, rolls to three straight wins, and then has to hold on for dear life to avoid blowing the 3-1 series lead. And it’s never been more fun than in 1994, when the Rangers beat the Canucks in a final that still resonates among the most memorable in modern NHL history. But I’m going with quite possibly the single best series I’ve ever seen: Kings over Blackhawks in 2014, a series so good that a Game 7 overtime thriller somehow wasn’t even the best game of the matchup.

WLLLWWW

Another of our 3-1 comeback options gives us almost too many strong options to narrow down here, so let’s head back to the polls. You have another Canucks classic from 1994, this featuring Pavel Bure’s OT winner to eliminate the Flames. There’s Devils over Flyers in 2000, which gave us the Scott Stevens/Eric Lindros hit. You have two Canadiens upsets, with Jaroslav Halak stunning the Capitals in 2010 and the COVID comeback against the Leafs in 2021. And don’t forget the Red Wings coming one OT short of ending the Blackhawks’ mini-dynasty before it really got off the ground, and the Sharks Game 7 miracle against the Knights in 2019.

WLLWLWW

The series wasn’t especially memorable, but the ending sure was, and I still can’t quite believe it happened. It’s Islanders over Penguins in 1993, thanks to David Freaking Volek.

WLLWWLW

We saw this one when the Kraken stunned the Avalanche a few years ago, as well as in an underrated classic from 2009 in which the Wings beat the Anaheim Ducks in a battle of the two most recent Cup winners. But I’m going with Flames over Stars in 2022, if only for the Johnny Hockey OT winner.

WLWLLWW

I assumed this one would end up being the Avalanche over the Devils in 2001, with Ray Bourque finally getting his Cup. But I think I have to go with a pick that Colorado fans will enjoy a lot less: Red Wings over Avalanche in 2002, in the single best series this rivalry ever served up. Raise your hand if you loved his series. Wait, poor choice of words.

WLWLWLW

Ah, the classic back-and-forth series where two teams just swap victories the whole way through. As you might expect for this kind of pattern, we get plenty of great options to choose from, including the Bruins over the Devils in the “have another donut” series in 1988. And because we just ranked it the best of this year’s playoffs, we have to mention Canadiens and Lightning. But I think this one has to be Flames over Oilers in the 1986 Smythe final, A.K.A. the Steve Smith own goal.

WLWWLLW

The “it was 4-1” Bruins win over the Leafs fits here, but I think we come right back to the Battle of Alberta with a pair of Oilers over Flames picks. There’s a good case for the 1984 Smythe final, but I’m going to go with the 1991 version that featured Theo Fleury’s rinkwide slide and Esa Tikkanen’s Game 7 OT winner.

WWLLLWW

These are always fun, feeling like three distinct series in one. I’m not sure there’s been a better one than Red Wings over Blues in 1996, featuring the single greatest shot I’ve ever seen.

WWLLWLW

This is the classic “home team wins every game” pattern. And while it gives us a few options that would be contenders elsewhere, including the 2003 final between the Ducks and Devils and last year’s Jets/Blues banger, this one isn’t up for debate. The honor here goes to one of the greatest playoff series ever played, which doubled as its season’s de facto final: Canadiens over Bruins in the “too many men” semifinal from 1979.

WWLWLLW

This combo often ends up with fans of the losing team still remembering the series fondly because they kept fighting back. Our pick comes down to a pair of Oilers appearances in the final, with Oilers over Flyers in 1987 edging out Hurricanes over Oilers in 2006.

WWWLLLW

Our 35th and final pattern is the heart attack special, in which a team jumps out to a 3-0 lead, almost blows it, and then escapes with the Game 7 win. These are rare but almost always memorable. With a nod to the Flyers over the Islanders in 1975, let’s close with one more poll. Do you want the “slay the dragon” classic of Canucks over Blackhawks in 2011, or the Panthers’ near-collapse in the 2024 final over the Oilers?

I hope that was fun. Now it’s off to the comments, where you call me out on the great series I’ve inevitably missed.