1981 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 8, after the conclusion of the 1980–81 NHL season. The playoffs concluded on May 21 with the champion New York Islanders defeating the Minnesota North Stars 5–1 to win the Final series four games to one and win the Stanley Cup.

The Stanley Cup

In game one of the Edmonton-Montreal series, Wayne Gretzky recorded five assists, at the time this was a single game playoff record.^[1]

Playoff seeds

The sixteen teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–16 based on regular season points.

1. New York Islanders, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 110 points
2. St. Louis Blues, Smythe Division champions – 107 points
3. Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 103 points
4. Los Angeles Kings – 99 points (43 wins)
5. Buffalo Sabres, Adams Division champions – 99 points (39 wins)
6. Philadelphia Flyers – 97 points
7. Calgary Flames – 92 points
8. Boston Bruins – 87 points (37 wins)
9. Minnesota North Stars – 87 points (35 wins)
10. Chicago Black Hawks – 78 points (31 wins)
11. Quebec Nordiques – 78 points (30 wins)
12. Vancouver Canucks – 76 points
13. New York Rangers – 74 points (30 wins)
14. Edmonton Oilers – 74 points (29 wins)
15. Pittsburgh Penguins – 73 points
16. Toronto Maple Leafs – 71 points

Playoff bracket

	Preliminary Round					Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Stanley Cup Finals
	1	NY Islanders	3
	16	Toronto	0
						1	NY Islanders	4
						8	Edmonton	2
	2	St. Louis	3
	15	Pittsburgh	2
											1	NY Islanders	4
										4	NY Rangers	0
	3	Montreal	0
	14	Edmonton	3
						2	St. Louis	2
						7	NY Rangers	4
	4	Los Angeles	1
	13	NY Rangers	3
																1	NY Islanders	4
		(Pairings are re-seeded after the first and second rounds.)
															3	Minnesota	1
	5	Buffalo	3
	12	Vancouver Canucks	0
						3	Buffalo	1
						6	Minnesota	4
	6	Philadelphia	3
	11	Quebec	2
											2	Calgary	2
										3	Minnesota	4
	7	Calgary	3
	10	Chicago	0
						4	Philadelphia	3
						5	Calgary	4
	8	Boston	0
	9	Minnesota	3

Preliminary Round

(1) New York Islanders vs. (16) Toronto Maple Leafs

The New York Islanders, the defending 1980 Stanley Cup champions, entered the playoffs as the regular season, Campbell Conference and Patrick Division champions, earning 110 points. The Toronto Maple Leafs earned 71 points during the regular season to finish sixteenth overall in the league. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 1978 Quarter-finals, where Toronto defeated the Islanders in seven games. The Islanders won three of the four games in this season’s regular season series.

Toronto was swept in the opening round of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. New York’s series-clinching win in game three was the first (and to date only) time that the Islanders have won a playoff game in Toronto, and this was also only the second (and to date, last) victory that a road team has ever earned in the three series between these two franchises. As of 2014, this series marks the only time that the Islanders have defeated Toronto in the Stanley Cup playoffs. In game one, the Islanders scored three times on the power play, and Bryan Trottier scored twice and added three assists in a decisive 9-2 victory. The Islanders dominance of the Maple Leafs continued in game two, as Trottier recorded a hat trick in a 5-1 Islanders win. The Islanders jumped all over the Maple Leafs quickly in game three, by jumping out to a 5-0 lead after the first period. The Maple Leafs and Islanders traded goals in the second period 19 seconds apart. Game three ended in a series-clinching 6-1 Islanders victory.

April 8	Toronto Maple Leafs		2–9		New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
No Scoring		First period			05:27 – sh – Billy Carroll (1) 11:26 – pp – Clark Gillies (1)
Bill Derlago (1) – pp – 01:39		Second period			07:34 – pp – Mike Bossy (1) 08:30 – Bryan Trottier (1) 10:17 – pp – Bryan Trottier (2) 19:06 – Bob Lorimer (1)
Ian Turnbull (1) – 17:00		Third period			02:25 – Mike Bossy (2) 07:25 – Bob Bourne (1) 11:30 – sh – Bob Bourne (2)
Jiri Crha 21 saves / 27 shots Michel Larocque 5 saves / 8 shots		Goalie stats			Billy Smith 31 saves / 32 shots Roland Melanson 8 saves / 9 shots

April 9	Toronto Maple Leafs		1–5		New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			07:39 – Mike Bossy (3) 08:18 – Bryan Trottier (3) 19:16 – pp – Bryan Trottier (4)
Bruce Boudreau (1) – 6:06		Third period			09:27 – Mike McEwen (1) 13:40 – Bryan Trottier (5)
Michel Larocque 19 saves / 24 shots Jiri Crha 3 saves / 3 shots		Goalie stats			Billy Smith 25 saves / 26 shots

April 11	New York Islanders		6–1		Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Wayne Merrick (1) – 08:51 Mike Bossy (4) – pp – 12:05 Hector Marini (1) – 14:03 Mike McEwen (2) – pp – 17:40 Clark Gillies (2) – 19:35		First period			No scoring
Bryan Trottier (6) – 13:34		Second period			13:53 – Rick Vaive (1)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Billy Smith 22 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats			Jiri Crha 9 saves / 14 shots Paul Harrison 16 saves / 17 shots

New York won series 3–0

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (15) Pittsburgh Penguins

The St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs as the Smythe Division champions, earning 107 points. The Pittsburgh Penguins earned 73 points during the regular season to finish fifteenth overall in the league. This was the third and most recent series between these two teams; the teams split the previous two series. Their most recent meeting was in the 1975 Preliminary round, where Pittsburgh defeated St. Louis in two games. The teams split this season’s four game series.

In game one of the series, Pittsburgh struck quickly thanks to a Greg Malone goal at 0:15 of the first period. However, the Blues recovered by the end of the second period and took a 3-2 lead into the final period, which they held on to, winning the game 4-2. Game two proved to be a different story, as the Penguins exploded offensively and scored four times in the second period to erase a 1-0 first period deficit. The Blues and Penguins traded goals in the third period, giving Pittsburgh a 6-4 victory that tied the series at a game apiece. Game three went back and forth, with both teams trading goals all game long until Bernie Federko scored his second goal of the game with 4:06 left to play in the third period. The Blues won the game 5-4 and retook home ice advantage in the best-of-five series. The Penguins avoided elimination in game four, as Randy Carlyle and Mike Bullard each scored three points in the game, helping the Penguins to a 6-3 win. Game five was another tight contest and for the first time in the series overtime was required, with the score tied at 3 after regulation time. The game and series ended on Mike Crombeen's second goal of the series, scored at 5:16 of the second overtime period, giving St. Louis a 4-3 win and a 3-2 series victory.^[2]

April 8	Pittsburgh Penguins		2–4		St. Louis Blues	Checkerdome	Recap
Greg Malone (1) – 00:15		First period			04:48 – pp – Mike Zuke (1) 15:58 – Tony Currie (1)
Rod Schutt (1) – 13:21		Second period			14:44 – Jorgen Pettersson (1)
No scoring		Third period			19:59 – en – Mike Crombeen (1)
Greg Millen 44 saves / 47 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Liut 24 saves / 26 shots

April 9	Pittsburgh Penguins		6–4		St. Louis Blues	Checkerdome	Recap
No scoring		First period			02:35 – pp – Joe Micheletti (1)
Randy Carlyle (1) – 02:03 Gregg Sheppard (1) – 04:58 Mario Faubert (1) – pp – 06:59 George Ferguson (1) – 11:13		Second period			03:11 – Tony Currie (2)
Rod Schutt (2) – 00:35 Randy Carlyle (2) – 03:06		Third period			10:49 – Blair Chapman (1) 16:04 – pp – Bernie Federko (1)
Greg Millen 19 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Liut 24 saves / 30 shots

April 11	St. Louis Blues		5–4		Pittsburgh Penguins	Pittsburgh Civic Arena	Recap
Brian Sutter (1) – pp – 11:51		First period			07:04 – pp – Rod Schutt (3)
Ralph Klassen (1) – 06:36 Wayne Babych (1) – 09:58 Bernie Federko (2) – pp – 14:38		Second period			08:57 – Mike Bullard (1) 10:31 – Mark Johnson (1)
Bernie Federko (3) – 15:54		Third period			05:08 – pp – Gregg Sheppard (2)
Mike Liut 27 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Greg Millen 27 saves / 32 shots

April 12	St. Louis Blues		3–6		Pittsburgh Penguins	Pittsburgh Civic Arena	Recap
Ralph Klassen (2) – 05:53 Mike Zuke (2) – pp – 07:10		First period			14:52 – pp – Mike Bullard (2)
Mike Zuke (3) – pp – 13:55		Second period			07:45 – pp – Mark Johnson (2) 11:49 – sh – Randy Carlyle (3)
No scoring		Third period			00:44 – Mike Bullard (3) 09:21 – Randy Carlyle (4) 14:02 – Pat Price (1)
Mike Liut 28 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats			Greg Millen 21 saves / 24 shots

April 14	Pittsburgh Penguins		3–4	2OT	St. Louis Blues	Checkerdome	Recap
Paul Gardner (1) – pp – 07:48		First period			No scoring
George Ferguson (2) – 15:06		Second period			11:17 – Brian Sutter (2) 16:06 – pp – Bernie Federko (4)
Greg Malone (2) – 10:36		Third period			03:34 – Rick Lapointe (1)
No scoring		Second overtime period			05:16 – Mike Crombeen (2)
Greg Millen 48 saves / 52 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Liut 48 saves / 51 shots

St. Louis won series 3–2

(3) Montreal Canadiens vs. (14) Edmonton Oilers

The Montreal Canadiens entered the playoffs as the Wales Conference and Norris Division champions, earning 103 points. The Edmonton Oilers earned 74 points during the regular season and finished fourteenth overall, losing the tiebreaker with the New York Rangers in wins (30 to 29). This was the first and to date only playoff series between these two teams. The teams split this season’s four game series.

The Oilers recorded the first series sweep in franchise history and their first playoff series victory since joining the NHL in 1979. The Oilers gained a 6-3 victory in game one in large part due to Wayne Gretzky’s five assist night. At the time this was a new playoff record for assists by a single player in one game. Edmonton went on to win game two thanks to a Risto Siltanen power play goal at 4:43 of the second period that gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead, eventually winning the game by a score of 3-1. Edmonton completed the sweep of the heavily-favoured Canadiens in game three, defeating Montreal 6-2. Gretzky led all scorers in the three game series, finishing with 11 points (3G, 8A).

April 8	Edmonton Oilers		6–3		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Glenn Anderson (1) – 06:41 Jari Kurri (1) – 11:42 Jari Kurri (2) – 17:36		First period			11:15 – Steve Shutt (1)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
Brett Callighen (1) – 01:14 Paul Coffey (1) – 13:38 Brett Callighen (2) – en – 19:21		Third period			07:39 – pp – Doug Risebrough (1) 16:55 – Rejean Houle (1)
Andy Moog 28 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Richard Sevigny 22 saves / 27 shots

April 9	Edmonton Oilers		3–1		Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Paul Coffey (2) – 05:24		First period			No scoring
Risto Siltanen (1) – pp – 04:43		Second period			00:32 – pp – Gaston Gingras (1)
Jari Kurri (3) – 14:27		Third period			No scoring
Andy Moog 40 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats			Richard Sevigny 26 saves / 29 shots

April 11	Montreal Canadiens		2–6		Edmonton Oilers	Northlands Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period			06:09 – Matti Hagman (1) 11:54 – Paul Coffey (3)
Brian Engblom (1) – 08:49 Steve Shutt (2) – 15:33		Second period			08:15 – Wayne Gretzky (1) 18:56 – Wayne Gretzky (2)
No scoring		Third period			19:23 – en – Dave Lumley (1) 19:53 – Wayne Gretzky (3)
Richard Sevigny 23 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats			Andy Moog 22 saves / 24 shots

Edmonton won series 3–0

(4) Los Angeles Kings vs. (13) New York Rangers

The Los Angeles Kings entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the league with 99 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Buffalo Sabres in wins (43 to 39). The New York Rangers earned 74 points during the regular season and finished thirteenth overall, winning the tiebreaker with the Edmonton Oilers in wins (30 to 29). This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 1979 Preliminary round, where New York defeated Los Angeles in two games. The Kings won three of the four games in this season’s series.

The Rangers won game one in large part due to the impressive goaltending performance of Steve Baker, as he turned away 31 of the Kings' 32 shots. Game two was marked by a brawl at the end of the first period; six players were ejected from the game as result of this. The Kings won game two 5-4 on the strength of a Dean Hopkins goal at 17:16 of the third period. Game three was dominated by the Rangers, as eight different players would score in the game for New York, and the Rangers won 10-3 on home ice. Game four was tied 3-3 in the third period, until Tom Laidlaw’s goal at 6:44 gave the Rangers a 4-3 lead. The Rangers added two more goals in the third, earning a series-clinching 6-3 victory. Ranger forwards Ron Duguay and Ulf Nilsson each scored a goal in every game of this series.

April 8	New York Rangers		3–1		Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Anders Hedberg (1) – 09:04		First period			No scoring
Ulf Nilsson (1) – 01:25		Second period			No scoring
Ron Duguay (1) – en – 19:52		Third period			12:31 – Billy Harris (1)
Steve Baker 31 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats			Mario Lessard 16 saves / 18 shots

April 9	New York Rangers		4–5		Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Ed Hospodar (1) – 00:27		First period			08:22 – pp – Larry Murphy (1) 08:48 – pp – Marcel Dionne (1)
Ron Duguay (2) – 16:44		Second period			15:04 – pp – Dave Taylor (1)
Anders Hedberg (2) – pp – 07:01 Ulf Nilsson (2) – 11:17		Third period			02:34 – Billy Harris (2) 17:16 – Dean Hopkins (1)
Steve Baker 34 saves / 39 shots		Goalie stats			Mario Lessard 23 saves / 27 shots

April 11	Los Angeles Kings		3–10		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
Mark Hardy (1) – pp – 01:36 Dave Taylor (2) – 02:48		First period			01:51 – pp – Don Maloney (1) 08:28 – Barry Beck (1) 14:29 – Ron Greschner (1) 19:44 – Ed Johnstone (1)
No scoring		Second period			07:34 – Ron Duguay (3) 12:25 – Ed Johnstone (2) 13:40 – Dean Talafous (1) 16:44 – Ulf Nilsson (3)
Larry Murphy (2) – 18:59		Third period			02:51 – Mike Allison (1) 07:38 – pp – Ulf Nilsson (4)
Mario Lessard 22 saves / 30 shots Jim Rutherford 6 saves / 8 shots		Goalie stats			Steve Baker 16 saves / 18 shots Steve Weeks 7 saves / 8 shots

April 12	Los Angeles Kings		3–6		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
Greg Terrion (1) – pp – 01:47 Dan Bonar (1) – sh – 13:26		First period			00:46 – Ron Duguay (4) 05:53 – Lance Nethery (1)
Larry Murphy (3) – 14:30		Second period			08:22 – Ulf Nilsson (5)
No scoring		Third period			06:44 – Tom Laidlaw (1) 12:11 – Anders Hedberg (3) 15:08 – Ron Duguay (5)
Mario Lessard 42 saves / 48 shots		Goalie stats			Steve Baker 24 saves / 27 shots

New York won series 3–1

(5) Buffalo Sabres vs. (12) Vancouver Canucks

The Buffalo Sabres entered the playoffs as the Adams Division champions, earning 99 points. The Vancouver Canucks earned 76 points during the regular season and finished twelfth overall in the league. This was the second and most recent playoff series between these two teams, with the only previous meeting being the 1980 Preliminary round, where Buffalo defeated Vancouver in four games. The teams split this season’s four game series.

The Sabres swept Vancouver in three games, eliminating the Canucks in the preliminary round for the second consecutive season. Buffalo forced game one to overtime as Andre Savard scored the tying goal with just 1:08 left in the third period. Rookie centre Alan Haworth scored the game-winning goal for Buffalo five minutes into overtime. The Sabres scored three times on the power play in game two, winning the game 5-2. Vancouver attempted to mount a comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the third period of game three before Buffalo’s Tony McKegney scored his second goal of the game, giving the Sabres a 5-3 lead. Buffalo hung on to their 5-3 lead and clinched the series with a game three victory.

April 8	Vancouver Canucks		2–3	OT	Buffalo Sabres	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	Recap
Darcy Rota (1) – pp – 12:31		First period			No Scoring
Curt Fraser (1) – 04:51		Second period			00:14 – Ric Seiling (1)
No Scoring		Third period			18:52 – Andre Savard (1)
No Scoring		First overtime period			05:00 – Alan Haworth (1)
Richard Brodeur 24 saves / 27 shots		Goalie stats			Don Edwards 17 saves / 19 shots

April 9	Vancouver Canucks		2–5		Buffalo Sabres	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	Recap
Jerry Butler (1) – 07:40		First period			05:02 – pp – Alan Haworth (2) 09:09 – Andre Savard (2) 19:41 – pp – Danny Gare (1)
No scoring		Second period			4:05 – Andre Savard (3) 15:52 – pp – Lindy Ruff (1)
Stan Smyl (1) – 01:59		Third period			No Scoring
Richard Brodeur 32 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats			Don Edwards 20 saves / 22 shots

April 11	Buffalo Sabres		5–3		Vancouver Canucks	Pacific Coliseum	Recap
Danny Gare (2) – 11:10 Tony McKegney (1) – 14:37 Danny Gare (3) – pp – 17:12		First period			13:57 – Darcy Rota (2)
Lindy Ruff (2) – 10:25		Second period			No Scoring
Tony McKegney (2) – 15:42		Third period			01:13 – Thomas Gradin (1) 13:08 – Ivan Boldirev (1)
Don Edwards 23 saves / 26 shots		Goalie stats			Richard Brodeur 19 saves / 24 shots

Buffalo won series 3–0

(6) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (11) Quebec Nordiques

The Philadelphia Flyers entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the league with 97 points. The Quebec Nordiques earned 78 points during the regular season and finished eleventh overall, losing the tiebreaker with the Chicago Black Hawks in wins (31 to 30). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Quebec won the season series earning five of eight points in this year’s four game season series. This series also marked the first appearance of a team representing Quebec City in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 68 years. The most recent team to represent Quebec City prior to this was the Quebec Bulldogs who won the Stanley Cup in 1913, in the Bulldogs' final playoff appearance.^[3]

The home team won every game of this series. Bill Barber and Ken Linseman scored five points each in the first two games of the series. The Flyers won both games in Philadelphia, taking a 2-0 series lead. Game three was a battle of goaltenders, as the game remained scoreless until 9:48 of the third period, when Michel Goulet scored the eventual game-winning goal; Quebec won game three 2-0. Philadelphia took a 3-1 lead into the third period in game four, however the Nordiques made a comeback, tying the game in the third period. Quebec completed the comeback 37 seconds into overtime as Dale Hunter scored the game-winning goal. Ken Linseman's three points in the third period of Game five helped ensure a Philadelphia series-clinching victory, 5-2.

April 8	Quebec Nordiques		4–6		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Anton Stastny (1) – 14:08		First period			06:45 – Bill Barber (1) 09:09 – Brian Propp (1) 16:00 – Brian Propp (2)
Michel Goulet (1) – 01:28 Dale Hunter (1) – 04:34		Second period			No scoring
Anton Stastny (2) – pp – 17:55		Third period			01:41 – Paul Holmgren (1) 09:59 – Al Hill (1) 19:19 – en – Bill Barber (2)
Dan Bouchard 39 saves / 44 shots		Goalie stats			Rick St. Croix 16 saves / 20 shots

April 9	Quebec Nordiques		5–8		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Peter Stastny (1) – pp – 16:50		First period			02:07 – Bill Barber (3) 14:56 – Mel Bridgman (1) 18:31 – pp – Bill Barber (4)
Anton Stastny (3) – 02:31 Jacques Richard (1) – pp – 19:29		Second period			05:55 – sh – Bill Barber (5) 09:47 – Tom Gorence (1)
Dale Hunter (2) – 10:36 Marc Tardif (1) – 13:25		Third period			03:25 – Ken Linseman (1) 15:21 – Mel Bridgman (2) 18:46 – sh-en – Bobby Clarke (1)
Dan Bouchard 18 saves / 24 shots Michel Plasse 5 saves / 6 shots		Goalie stats			Pete Peeters 20 saves / 25 shots

April 11	Philadelphia Flyers		0–2		Quebec Nordiques	Quebec Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			09:48 – Michel Goulet (2) 17:26 – Peter Stastny (2)
Rick St. Croix 29 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Dan Bouchard 32 saves / 32 shots

April 12	Philadelphia Flyers		3–4	OT	Quebec Nordiques	Quebec Coliseum	Recap
Terry Murray (1) – 00:07 Behn Wilson (1) – 07:39 Tom Gorence (2) – 13:34		First period			06:13 – pp – Robbie Ftorek (1)
No scoring		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			15:35 – Dale Hunter (3) 17:08 – Jacques Richard (2)
No scoring		First overtime period			00:37 – Dale Hunter (4)
Rick St. Croix 19 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats			Dan Bouchard 19 saves / 22 shots

April 14	Quebec Nordiques		2–5		Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Michel Goulet (3) – 18:04		First period			17:16 – pp – Rick MacLeish (1)
No scoring		Second period			10:05 – Al Hill (2)
Anton Stastny (4) – pp – 06:16		Third period			00:18 – Ken Linseman (2) 02:48 – Paul Holmgren (2) 05:07 – Brian Propp (3)
Dan Bouchard 32 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats			Pete Peeters 16 saves / 18 shots

Philadelphia won series 3–2

(7) Calgary Flames vs. (10) Chicago Black Hawks

The Calgary Flames entered the playoffs as the seventh seed in the league with 92 points. The Chicago Black Hawks earned 78 points during the regular season and finished tenth overall, winning the tiebreaker with the Quebec Nordiques in wins (31 to 30). This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Chicago won the season series, earning five of eight points in the year’s four game season series. This series also marked the first appearance of a team representing Calgary in the Stanley Cup playoffs in 56 years. The most recent team to represent Calgary prior to this was the Calgary Tigers who lost the WCHL Final in 1925.

The Flames recorded their first sweep and first playoff series victory in franchise history. In game one, Calgary’s Kent Nilsson recorded a point on every Calgary goal, helping the Flames to a 4-3 win. Calgary scored three times in the third period of game two and won the game decisively by a score of 6-2. The Black Hawks heavily out-shot the Flames in game three; Rejean Lemelin made 61 saves for the Flames. Chicago tied the game on a Darryl Sutter goal with 43 seconds left in the third period. However the Black Hawks came up short in double overtime as Willi Plett scored the series-clinching goal for the Flames at 15:17.^[2]

April 8	Chicago Black Hawks		3–4		Calgary Flames	Stampede Corral	Recap
No Scoring		First period			No Scoring
Darryl Sutter (1) – 17:54 Al Secord (1) – 18:03		Second period			01:14 – Bob MacMillan (1) 19:29 – Phil Russell (1)
Darryl Sutter (2) – pp – 08:40		Third period			03:47 – Kent Nilsson (1) 07:34 – pp – Dan Labraaten (1)
Tony Esposito 29 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Rejean Lemelin 22 saves / 25 shots

April 9	Chicago Black Hawks		2–6		Calgary Flames	Stampede Corral	Recap
No scoring		First period			08:38 – Bob MacMillan (2)
Al Secord (2) – 06:53		Second period			16:15 – Bob MacMillan (3) 17:12 – pp – Willi Plett (1)
Peter Marsh (1) – 03:57		Third period			04:47 – Kent Nilsson (2) 05:22 – Guy Chouinard (1) 08:37 – Bill Clement (1)
Tony Esposito 36 saves / 42 shots		Goalie stats			Rejean Lemelin 38 saves / 40 shots

April 11	Calgary Flames		5–4	2OT	Chicago Black Hawks	Chicago Stadium	Recap
Willi Plett (2) – pp – 03:19 Ken Houston (1) – 17:34		First period			02:55 – sh – Rick Paterson (1) 09:56 – Al Secord (3)
Bob MacMillan (4) – 10:42 Don Lever (1) – 11:20		Second period			No Scoring
No Scoring		Third period			17:12 – Al Secord (4) 19:17 – Darryl Sutter (3)
Willi Plett (3) – 15:17		Second overtime period			No Scoring
Rejean Lemelin 61 saves / 65 shots		Goalie stats			Tony Esposito 43 saves / 48 shots

Calgary won series 3–0

(8) Boston Bruins vs. (9) Minnesota North Stars

The Boston Bruins entered the playoffs as the eighth seed in the league with 87 points, winning the tiebreaker with the Minnesota North Stars in wins (37 to 35). The North Stars earned 87 points during the regular season and finished ninth overall, losing the tiebreaker with the Bruins in wins (37 to 35). This was the first and to date only series between these two teams. Boston won the season series, earning five of eight points in the year’s four game season series.

The North Stars swept the Bruins in three games. Minnesota won game one in overtime due to Steve Payne’s hat trick goal at 3:34.^[2] The North Stars' win in game one was the first-ever victory for the franchise in the Boston Garden (they went winless in their first 35 games in Boston).^[4] In game two, Boston’s Brad Park and Minnesota’s Dino Ciccarelli both scored four points in a high-scoring 9-6 Minnesota victory. The North Stars scored four times in the first period of game three and they did not relinquish the lead, eliminating the Bruins with a 6-3 win.

April 8	Minnesota North Stars		5–4	OT	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Steve Payne (1) – pp – 05:32 Dino Ciccarelli (1) – 19:28		First period			12:54 – Don Marcotte (1)
No Scoring		Second period			02:29 – Dwight Foster (1) 07:20 – pp – Peter McNab (1)
Steve Payne (2) – 00:37 Jack Carlson (1) – 11:55		Third period			07:14 – Peter McNab (2)
Steve Payne (3) – 03:34		First overtime period			No Scoring
Gilles Meloche 28 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats			Rogie Vachon 35 saves / 40 shots

April 9	Minnesota North Stars		9–6		Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Bobby Smith (1) – 01:15 Steve Payne (4) – pp – 07:00 Al MacAdam (1) – 09:32		First period			00:56 – pp – Brad Park (1) 19:29 – Terry O'Reilly (1)
Brad Maxwell (1) – pp – 02:49 Steve Payne (5) – 10:15 Al MacAdam (2) – 19:38		Second period			00:41 – Peter McNab (3)
Dino Ciccarelli (2) – pp – 02:47 Kevin Maxwell (2) – 03:17 Tim Young (1) – 14:25		Third period			00:29 – Don Marcotte (2) 07:07 – Keith Crowder (1) 08:05 – Keith Crowder (2)
Don Beaupre 34 saves / 40 shots		Goalie stats			Rogie Vachon 14 saves / 20 shots Marco Baron 9 saves / 12 shots

April 11	Boston Bruins		3–6		Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Mike O'Connell (1) – sh – 19:47		First period			03:36 – Brad Palmer (1) 04:57 – Al MacAdam (3) 12:00 – pp – Dino Ciccarelli (3) 18:33 – Steve Payne (6)
No Scoring		Second period			18:05 – sh – Greg Smith (1)
Bobby Lalonde (1) – sh – 11:10 Bobby Lalonde (2) – sh – 15:42		Third period			18:34 – en – Steve Payne (7)
Rogie Vachon 39 saves / 44 shots		Goalie stats			Gilles Meloche 36 saves / 39 shots

Minnesota won series 3–0

Quarterfinals

(1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Edmonton Oilers

This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The Islanders won the season series earning six of eight points in the year’s four game season series.

The Islanders eliminated the Oilers in six games; the Islanders also scored a power play goal in every game of this series. The Islanders' special teams dominated game one, as New York scored three times on the power play and added a shorthanded goal in an 8-2 Islanders win. Denis Potvin’s hat trick and five point night in game two led the Islanders to a 6-3 victory. Wayne Gretzky scored his second hat trick of the playoffs in game three as the Oilers won the game by a score of 5-2. The Islanders won game four in overtime as Ken Morrow scored at 5:41 to give New York a 5-4 win. When Edmonton won game five 4-3, the Oilers' victory marked the only time in the 1981 Stanley Cup playoffs that the Islanders lost a game on home ice. Bob Nystrom’s third goal of the playoffs in Game six became the eventual series-clinching goal for the Islanders as New York won the game 5-2.

April 16	Edmonton Oilers		2–8		New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period			03:14 – Bob Nystrom (1) 19:15 – pp – Butch Goring (1)
Wayne Gretzky (4) – pp – 08:06		Second period			02:46 – John Tonelli (1) 03:33 – Hector Marini (2) 04:30 – pp – Denis Potvin (1) 14:17 – pp – Clark Gillies (3)
Matti Hagman (2) – 12:27		Third period			07:15 – Clark Gillies (4) 10:50 – sh – Denis Potvin (2)
Andy Moog 14 saves / 20 shots Gary Edwards 4 saves / 6 shots		Goalie stats			Billy Smith 26 saves / 28 shots

April 17	Edmonton Oilers		3–6		New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Glenn Anderson (2) – pp – 06:11		First period			No scoring
Risto Siltanen (2) – pp – 06:05 Glenn Anderson (3) – 12:23		Second period			02:26 – pp – Denis Potvin (3) 04:47 – pp – Butch Goring (2) 09:44 – pp – Denis Potvin (4)
No scoring		Third period			03:47 – pp – Denis Potvin (5) 07:59 – Mike Bossy (5) 17:41 – sh-en – Bryan Trottier (7)
Andy Moog 23 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats			Billy Smith 19 saves / 22 shots

April 19	New York Islanders		2–5		Edmonton Oilers	Northlands Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period			No scoring
Mike Bossy (6) – pp – 12:30		Second period			02:16 – sh – Wayne Gretzky (5) 16:44 – pp – Wayne Gretzky (6)
Clark Gillies (5) – 10:33		Third period			03:24 – Matti Hagman (3) 06:59 – Wayne Gretzky (7) 16:25 – Jari Kurri (4)
Billy Smith 21 saves / 25 shots Roland Melanson 8 saves / 9 shots		Goalie stats			Andy Moog 28 saves / 30 shots

April 20	New York Islanders		5–4	OT	Edmonton Oilers	Northlands Coliseum	Recap
Denis Potvin (6) – pp – 07:57 Bob Nystrom (2) – 16:11		First period			03:02 – pp – Paul Coffey (4) 05:19 – Jari Kurri (5)
Bryan Trottier (8) – pp – 08:59 John Tonelli (2) – 13:52		Second period			10:46 – Mark Messier (1)
No scoring		Third period			07:00 – pp – Brett Callighen (3)
Ken Morrow (1) – 05:41		First overtime period			No scoring
Roland Melanson 29 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats			Andy Moog 33 saves / 38 shots

April 22	Edmonton Oilers		4–3		New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Doug Hicks (1) – 06:00 Glenn Anderson (4) – pp – 18:51		First period			12:56 – pp – Bryan Trottier (9) 16:31 – Mike Bossy (7)
Brett Callighen (4) – 18:44		Second period			No scoring
Matti Hagman (4) – 15:19		Third period			18:25 – pp – Mike Bossy (8)
Andy Moog 29 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats			Billy Smith 18 saves / 22 shots

April 24	New York Islanders		5–2		Edmonton Oilers	Northlands Coliseum	Recap
Hector Marini (3) – 04:54		First period			No scoring
Anders Kallur (1) – 13:12 Bob Nystrom (3) – 15:45		Second period			00:38 – pp – Glenn Anderson (5)
Duane Sutter (1) – 09:16 Mike McEwen (3) – pp – 12:38		Third period			05:31 – Mark Messier (2)
Billy Smith 21 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats			Andy Moog 21 saves / 26 shots

New York won series 4–2

(2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) New York Rangers

This was the first and to date only series between these two teams. St. Louis won the season series winning all four games of this year’s season series.

The Rangers eliminated the Blues in six games. Bernie Federko’s three point night in Game one led St. Louis to a 6–3 victory. The Rangers overcame a one-goal deficit in the third period of Game two by scoring three goals in a span of 2:46, winning the game by a score of 6–4 and evening the series at one game each.^[5] Anders Hedberg's go ahead goal in third period of Game two was just the second successful penalty shot in Stanley Cup playoff history.^[6] The Rangers dominated the second period of Game three scoring four goals on fifteen shots taking a three-goal lead into the third period. New York hung on to win the game 6–3. Steve Baker allowed just one goal on 34 shots in Game four leading the Rangers to a 4–1 victory and a commanding 3–1 series lead. With the Blues trailing 3–2 in the second period of Game five Jorgen Pettersson scored his third goal of the playoffs tying the game at 3, he scored a power play goal in the third period giving the Blues a 4–3 victory. The Blues trailed in Game six 4–0 before scoring three goals in 1:50, however they were never able to get on equal terms losing the game 7–4 and series 4–2.

April 16	New York Rangers		3–6		St. Louis Blues	Checkerdome	Recap
Lance Nethery (2) – 07:21		First period			11:15 – pp – Bernie Federko (5) 14:55 – Brian Sutter (3) 17:39 – Blair Chapman (2)
Lance Nethery (3) – 01:34		Second period			08:56 – Mike Crombeen (3) 16:42 – Bernie Federko (6) 19:42 – Mike Zuke (4)
Jere Gillis (1) – 05:39		Third period			No scoring
Steve Baker 22 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Liut 28 saves / 31 shots

April 17	New York Rangers		6–4		St. Louis Blues	Checkerdome	Recap
Barry Beck (2)– sh – 03:07		First period			01:22 – Jorgen Pettersson (2) 02:16 – Larry Patey (1) 18:06 – pp – Brian Sutter (4)
Dean Talafous (2) – 16:24		Second period			No scoring
Jere Gillis (2) – 07:30 Anders Hedberg (4) – ps – 08:29 Mike Allison (2) – 10:16 Ron Duguay (6) – 19:13		Third period			15:04 – Brian Sutter (5)
Steve Baker 25 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Liut 24 saves / 30 shots

April 19	St. Louis Blues		3–6		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
Wayne Babych (2) – pp – 02:47		First period			00:40 – Ron Greschner (2)
Bill Stewart (1) – 15:35		Second period			05:13 – pp – Ulf Nilsson (6) 06:41 – Barry Beck (3) 13:49 – pp – Mike Allison (3) 17:36 – Steve Vickers (1)
Tony Currie (3) – 00:34		Third period			02:23 – Lance Nethery (4)
Mike Liut 25 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Steve Baker 14 saves / 17 shots

April 20	St. Louis Blues		1–4		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
Tony Currie (4) – pp – 07:40		First period			06:14 – Anders Hedberg (4) 18:37 – Ron Duguay (7)
No scoring		Second period			09:01 – pp – Steve Vickers (2)
No scoring		Third period			03:24 – Steve Vickers (3)
Mike Liut 24 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats			Steve Baker 33 saves / 34 shots

April 22	New York Rangers		3–4		St. Louis Blues	Checkerdome	Recap
Ron Greschner (3) – 06:35 Ulf Nilsson (7) – pp – 10:06		First period			14:17 – pp – Brian Sutter (6)
Carol Vadnais (1) – 02:54		Second period			08:25 – Larry Patey (2) 14:55 – Jorgen Pettersson (3)
No scoring		Third period			06:09 – pp – Jorgen Pettersson (4)
Steve Baker 26 saves / 30 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Liut 34 saves / 37 shots

April 24	St. Louis Blues		4–7		New York Rangers	Madison Square Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			03:27 – Steve Vickers (4) 05:49 – Anders Hedberg (6) 16:10 – sh – Ron Duguay (8)
Bernie Federko (7) – 02:16 Rick Lapointe (2) – 03:14 Bernie Federko (8) – 04:06		Second period			01:59 – Barry Beck (4) 17:03 – Lance Nethery (5)
Ed Kea (1) – 06:00		Third period			04:31 – Peter Wallin (1) 14:54 – Ulf Nilsson (8)
Mike Liut 13 saves / 20 shots		Goalie stats			Steve Baker 11 saves / 15 shots

New York won series 4–2

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Minnesota North Stars

April 16

Minnesota North Stars

4–3

OT

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

April 17

Minnesota North Stars

5–2

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

April 19

Buffalo Sabres

4–6

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

April 20

Buffalo Sabres

5–4

OT

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

April 22

Minnesota North Stars

4–3

Buffalo Sabres

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium

Minnesota won series 4–1

(4) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (5) Calgary Flames

April 16

Calgary Flames

0–4

Philadelphia Flyers

Spectrum

April 17

Calgary Flames

5–4

Philadelphia Flyers

Spectrum

April 19

Philadelphia Flyers

1–2

Calgary Flames

Stampede Corral

April 20

Philadelphia Flyers

4–5

Calgary Flames

Stampede Corral

April 22

Calgary Flames

4–9

Philadelphia Flyers

Spectrum

April 24

Philadelphia Flyers

3–2

Calgary Flames

Stampede Corral

April 26

Calgary Flames

4–1

Philadelphia Flyers

Spectrum

Calgary won series 4–3

Semifinals

(1) New York Islanders vs. (4) New York Rangers

April 28	New York Rangers		2–5		New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Anders Hedberg (7) – pp – 08:21		First period			No scoring
Ed Hospodar (2) – 03:34		Second period			00:16 – Duane Sutter (2) 04:50 – pp – Mike McEwen (4) 06:47 – John Tonelli (3)
No scoring		Third period			05:45 – John Tonelli (4) 15:23 – Billy Carroll (2)
Steve Baker 26 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats			Billy Smith 18 saves / 20 shots

April 30

New York Rangers

3–7

New York Islanders

Nassau Coliseum

May 2

New York Islanders

5–1

New York Rangers

Madison Square Garden

May 5

New York Islanders

5–2

New York Rangers

Madison Square Garden

New York Islanders won series 4–0

(2) Calgary Flames vs. (3) Minnesota North Stars

April 28	Minnesota North Stars		4–1		Calgary Flames	Stampede Corral	Recap
Craig Hartsburg (1) – pp – 15:00		First period			No scoring
Tim Young (3) – 04:38 Gordie Roberts (1) – sh – 19:48		Second period			15:12 – Jim Peplinski (2)
Al MacAdam (7) – sh – 00:12		Third period			No scoring
Gilles Meloche 35 saves / 36 shots		Goalie stats			Pat Riggin 40 saves / 44 shots

April 30

Minnesota North Stars

2–3

Calgary Flames

Stampede Corral

May 3

Calgary Flames

2–3

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

May 5

Calgary Flames

4–7

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

May 7

Minnesota North Stars

1–3

Calgary Flames

Stampede Corral

May 9

Calgary Flames

3–5

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

Minnesota won series 4–2

Stanley Cup Finals

May 12

Minnesota North Stars

3–6

New York Islanders

Nassau Coliseum

May 14

Minnesota North Stars

3–6

New York Islanders

Nassau Coliseum

May 17

New York Islanders

7–5

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

May 19

New York Islanders

2–4

Minnesota North Stars

Met Center

May 21

Minnesota North Stars

1–5

New York Islanders

Nassau Coliseum

New York won series 4–1

See also

• 1980–81 NHL season
• List of NHL seasons
• List of Stanley Cup champions

References

1. Jenish, D’Arcy (2009). The Montreal Canadiens:100 Years of Glory. Doubleday. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-385-66325-0.
2. "Overtime Games: 1980-89". National Hockey League. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
3. "Stanley Cup Playoffs". National Hockey League. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
4. "Young Gives North Stars First-Ever Win at Boston". The Palm Beach Post. April 9, 1981. p. 94. Retrieved June 3, 2014.
5. "RANGERS RALLY TO BEAT BLUES, 6-4; HEDBERG SCORES ON PENALTY SHOT". April 17, 1981. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
6. "Penalty Shots In Stanley Cup History". May 28, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Stanley Cup. Total Sports Canada. ISBN 1-892129-07-8.