1979 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 1979 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 10, after the conclusion of the 1978–79 NHL season. The playoffs concluded on May 21 with the champion Montreal Canadiens defeating the New York Rangers 4–1 to win the Final series four games to one and win the Stanley Cup. Three Original Six teams made the semifinals which would not happen again until the 2014 Conference Finals.
Playoff seeds
The twelve teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–12 based on regular season points.
Note: Only teams that qualified for the playoffs are listed here.
- New York Islanders, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 116 points
- Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 115 points
- Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 100 points
- Philadelphia Flyers – 95 points
- New York Rangers – 91 points
- Atlanta Flames – 90 points
- Buffalo Sabres – 88 points
- Pittsburgh Penguins – 85 points
- Toronto Maple Leafs – 81 points
- Los Angeles Kings – 80 points
- Chicago Black Hawks, Smythe Division champions – 73 points
- Vancouver Canucks – 63 points
Playoff bracket
| Preliminary Round | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Stanley Cup Finals | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Chicago | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | NY Islanders | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | NY Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Vancouver | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Philadelphia | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | NY Rangers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | NY Rangers | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Los Angeles | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | NY Rangers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Toronto | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Atlanta | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Toronto | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Montreal | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Boston | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Pittsburgh | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Buffalo | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
- Division winners earned a bye to the Quarterfinals
- Teams were re-seeded based on regular season record after the Preliminary and Quarterfinal rounds
Preliminary round
(1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Vancouver Canucks
| April 10 | Vancouver Canucks | 3–2 | Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia Spectrum | ||||
| April 12 | Philadelphia Flyers | 6–4 | Vancouver Canucks | Pacific Coliseum | ||||
| April 14 | Vancouver Canucks | 2–7 | Philadelphia Flyers | Philadelphia Spectrum | ||||
| Philadelphia won series 2–1 | |
(2) New York Rangers vs. (7) Los Angeles Kings
| April 10 | Los Angeles Kings | 1–7 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | ||||
| April 12 | New York Rangers | 2–1 | OT | Los Angeles Kings | The Forum | |||
| New York won series 2–0 | |
(3) Atlanta Flames vs. (6) Toronto Maple Leafs
| April 10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–1 | Atlanta Flames | Omni Coliseum | ||||
| April 12 | Atlanta Flames | 4–7 | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | ||||
| Toronto won series 2–0 | |
(4) Buffalo Sabres vs. (5) Pittsburgh Penguins
| April 10 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–3 | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | ||||
| April 12 | Buffalo Sabres | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena | ||||
| April 14 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4–3 | OT | Buffalo Sabres | Buffalo Memorial Auditorium | |||
| Pittsburgh won series 2–1 | |
Quarterfinals
(1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks
Game two was the first 1-0 overtime playoff game since game five of the 1954 Stanley Cup Finals.[1]
| April 16 | Chicago Black Hawks | 2–6 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | |||
| Reg Kerr (1) – 07:30 | First period | 02:29 – Wayne Merrick (1) 18:41 – Mike Bossy (1) | ||||||
| Bob Murray (1) – 06:46 | Second period | 02:27 – Bryan Trottier (1) 14:25 – pp – Mike Bossy (2) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 03:49 – Denis Potvin (1) 15:27 – Mike Bossy (3) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 28 saves / 34 shots | Goalie stats | Glenn Resch 22 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| April 18 | Chicago Black Hawks | 0–1 | OT | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | Recap | ||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | First overtime period | 02:31 – Mike Bossy (4) | ||||||
| Tony Esposito 39 saves / 40 shots | Goalie stats | Billy Smith 22 saves / 22 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | New York Islanders | 4–0 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | ||||
| April 22 | New York Islanders | 3–1 | Chicago Black Hawks | Chicago Stadium | ||||
| New York won series 4–0 | |
(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs
This was the fifteenth and most recent playoff series between these two Original Six teams, with the teams splitting the fourteen previous series. They last met in the 1978 Stanley Cup Semifinals where Montreal won in four games. The Canadiens won this year's season series earning seven of eight points.
| April 16 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Lanny McDonald (1) – 09:36 | First period | No Scoring | ||||||
| Dan Maloney (2) – 03:23 | Second period | 04:33 – Steve Shutt (1) 13:05 – pp – Guy Lafleur (1) | ||||||
| No Scoring | Third period | 04:23 – Jacques Lemaire (1) 07:15 – Jacques Lemaire (2) 09:59 – pp – Yvon Lambert (1) | ||||||
| Mike Palmateer 28 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 26 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 18 | Toronto Maple Leafs | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No Scoring | First period | 02:50 – Bob Gainey (1) 09:33 – Guy Lafleur (2) | ||||||
| No Scoring | Second period | 07:01 – pp – Jacques Lemaire (3) | ||||||
| Lanny McDonald (2) – 19:43 | Third period | 13:19 – Bob Gainey (2) 14:36 – Steve Shutt (2) | ||||||
| Mike Palmateer 15 saves / 18 shots Paul Harrison 18 saves / 20 shots |
Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 27 saves / 28 shots | ||||||
| April 21 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–3 | 2OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | |||
| April 22 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–4 | OT | Toronto Maple Leafs | Maple Leaf Gardens | |||
| Montreal won series 4–0 | |
(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Pittsburgh Penguins
| April 16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2–6 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 02:29 – Peter McNab (1) 05:14 – Don Marcotte (1) 15:58 – Mike Milbury (1) | ||||||
| Orest Kindrachuk (2) – 06:07 | Second period | 04:21 – Don Marcotte (2) 16:02 – pp – Bobby Schmautz (1) 17:27 – sh – Dick Redmond (1) | ||||||
| Gregg Sheppard (1) – pp – 12:14 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Denis Herron 27 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 19 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| April 18 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 3–4 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | Recap | |||
| Jim Hamilton (3) – pp – 14:11 | First period | 15:10 – pp – Jean Ratelle (1) 16:16 – Dwight Foster (1) | ||||||
| Orest Kindrachuk (3) – 14:52 | Second period | 14:15 – Peter McNab (2) | ||||||
| Orest Kindrachuck (4) – 19:54 | Third period | 10:10 – Bob Miller (1) | ||||||
| Denis Herron 21 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | Gerry Cheevers 24 saves / 27 shots | ||||||
| April 21 | Boston Bruins | 2–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena | ||||
| April 22 | Boston Bruins | 4–1 | Pittsburgh Penguins | Civic Arena | ||||
| Boston won series 4–0 | |
(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) New York Rangers
| April 16 | New York Rangers | 2–3 | OT | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | ||
| Don Maloney (3) – 04:32 Phil Esposito (3) – pp – 09:10 |
First period | 16:52 – pp – Bob Kelly (1) | ||||||
| No Scoring | Second period | No Scoring | ||||||
| No Scoring | Third period | 15:02 – Bill Barber (3) | ||||||
| No Scoring | First overtime period | 00:44 – Ken Linseman (2) | ||||||
| John Davidson 29 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Robbie Moore 22 saves / 24 shots | ||||||
| April 18 | New York Rangers | 7–1 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | Recap | |||
| Steve Vickers (2) – 02:21 Ron Greschner (2) – sh – 18:22 |
First period | 07:45 – Frank Bathe (1) | ||||||
| Don Maloney (3) – 02:33 Ron Greschner (3) – pp – 06:19 Eddie Johnstone (1) – 11:41 |
Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Don Murdoch (1) – pp – 09:44 Mike McEwen (2) – pp – 17:18 |
Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| John Davidson 32 saves / 33 shots | Goalie stats | Robbie Moore 11 saves / 15 shots Wayne Stephenson 18 saves / 21 shots | ||||||
| April 20 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1–5 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | Recap | |||
| Mel Bridgman (1) – 01:38 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:15 – Don Maloney (3) 02:41 – Don Maloney (4) 05:39 – sh – Anders Hedberg (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 14:17 – Ron Duguay (1) 19:48 – en – Don Murdoch (2) | ||||||
| Wayne Stephenson 20 saves / 25 shots | Goalie stats | John Davidson 32 saves / 33 shots | ||||||
| April 22 | Philadelphia Flyers | 0–6 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | ||||
| April 24 | New York Rangers | 8–3 | Philadelphia Flyers | Spectrum | ||||
| New York won series 4–1 | |
Semifinals
(1) New York Islanders vs. (4) New York Rangers
| April 26 | New York Rangers | 4–1 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | ||||
| April 28 | New York Rangers | 3–4 | OT | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | |||
| May 1 | New York Islanders | 1–3 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | ||||
| May 3 | New York Islanders | 3–2 | OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | |||
| May 5 | New York Rangers | 4–3 | New York Islanders | Nassau Coliseum | ||||
| May 8 | New York Islanders | 1–2 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | ||||
| New York Rangers won series 4–2 | |
(2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (3) Boston Bruins
Game seven of the Montreal-Boston semifinal is perhaps one of the most memorable in the history of the NHL. About a minute and a half after Boston's Rick Middleton scored with four minutes remaining in the third period to give the Bruins a 4–3 lead, linesman John D'Amico called a bench minor for too many men on the ice against the Bruins. Montreal's Guy Lafleur scored on the ensuing power play, sending the game to overtime where Yvon Lambert gave the Canadiens the win and a trip to their fourth straight Stanley Cup Finals.
| April 26 | Boston Bruins | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | ||||
| April 28 | Boston Bruins | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Rick Middleton (2) – 07:42 Peter McNab (4) – 10:34 |
Second period | 17:41 – pp – Jacques Lemaire (6) 18:11 – Bob Gainey (3) 19:05 – Mario Tremblay (1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 04:50 – Guy Lafleur (4) 15:43 – Rick Chartraw (1) | ||||||
| Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 20 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 21 saves / 23 shots | ||||||
| May 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 1–2 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | ||||
| May 3 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–4 | OT | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | |||
| May 5 | Boston Bruins | 1–5 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | ||||
| May 8 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–5 | Boston Bruins | Boston Garden | ||||
| May 10 | Boston Bruins | 4–5 | OT | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | |||
| Montreal won series 4–3 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
Main article: 1979 Stanley Cup Finals
Prior to 2013, this was the last time two Original Six clubs met in the finals. Both teams would next appear in the Stanley Cup Finals: Canadiens winning in 1986, Rangers winning in 1994.
| May 13 | New York Rangers | 4–1 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Steve Vickers (5) – pp – 06:28 Ron Greschner (7) – 14:27 |
First period | No scoring | ||||||
| Phil Esposito (7) – pp – 09:30 Dave Maloney (3) – sh – 13:22 |
Second period | 07:07 – Guy Lafleur (9) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| John Davidson 31 saves / 32 shots | Goalie stats | Ken Dryden 9 saves / 13 shots Michel Larocque 9 saves / 9 shots | ||||||
| May 15 | New York Rangers | 2–6 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | ||||
| May 17 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–1 | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | ||||
| May 19 | Montreal Canadiens | 4–3 | OT | New York Rangers | Madison Square Garden | |||
| May 21 | New York Rangers | 1–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Forum | ||||
| Montreal won series 4–1 | |
See also
References
- ↑ Palm Beach Post. 1979 April 19.
- Bibliography
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Total Sports Canada. ISBN 1-892129-07-8.
| Preceded by 1978 Stanley Cup playoffs |
Stanley Cup playoffs | Succeeded by 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs |
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