2012 Stanley Cup playoffs

none March 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs Image:Stanleycup12+playoffs+Primary.jpg 2012 April 11–June 11, 2012 16 Boston Bruins Los Angeles Kings New Jersey Devils Scoring leader(s) Dustin Brown (Kings)Anze Kopitar (Kings) 20 points MVP Jonathan Quick (Kings) 2011 2013 The 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) for the 2011–12 season. It began on April 11, 2012, after the conclusion of the regular season, and ended on June 11, with the Los Angeles Kings defeating the New Jersey Devils in six games in the Stanley Cup Final to win their first Stanley Cup championship. Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick, having recorded a 1.41 goals against average, was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the playoffs' most valuable player. The Vancouver Canucks made the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winners for the second consecutive year with the most points (i.e. best record) during the regular season. The Detroit Red Wings increased their postseason appearance streak to twenty-one seasons, the longest active streak at the time. The Florida Panthers returned to the postseason to end a record-breaking 10-season drought from the playoffs that began with the 2000 Stanley Cup playoffs. This was also the first time that the Buffalo Sabres missed the playoffs during their active playoff appearance drought; they surpassed Edmonton and Florida's shared record for longest playoff appearance drought in league history by missing the playoffs in 2022. The Sabres' record playoff drought would reach 14 seasons before ending in 2026. This was the first year since 1996 and only the second time since 1974 in which no Canadian-based teams advanced past the first round. It marked the first time since 2004 in which none of the previous year's conference finalists (Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and San Jose Sharks) advanced past the opening round. This was the only playoffs where the Phoenix Coyotes advanced beyond the round of 16 teams. After clinching a postseason spot in their 81st game of the regular season,https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/njd-vs-lak/2012/06/04/2011030413 New Jersey Devils - Los Angeles Kings - June 4th, 2012 May 24, 2025 the Kings became the first eighth-seeded team to win the Stanley Cup in NHL history (and the second eighth seed to reach the Cup Final after the 2005–06 Edmonton Oilers). They also became the first team in NHL history to have a 3-0 lead in all four playoff rounds. Their postseason began with an elimination of the Vancouver Canucks, who became the third Presidents' Trophy-winning team in the last four seasons to be eliminated in the opening round. Los Angeles went on to become the second team to eliminate the first, second, and third seeds from the playoffs in the same postseason after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames (and the first team to do so in that order).https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-phx/2012/05/22/2011030325 Kings beat Coyotes in OT to advance to Cup Final May 23, 2012 May 23, 2012 Corey Masisak NHL.com National Hockey League In addition, the Kings became the first team to make the Finals undefeated on the road (with their 8–0 record).http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/sports/Los-Angeles-Kings-Phoenix-Coyotes-Game-5-Stanley-Cup-Western-Conference-Finals-152827475.html Kings Beat Coyotes 4-3 May 22, 2012 May 23, 2012 Jason Kandel NBCLosAngeles.com As the sixth seed in their conference, the Devils were the lowest-seeded team to have home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Final, breaking a record they set when they won the Cup as a fourth seed in 2000. Playoff seeds The top eight teams in each conference qualified for the playoffs. The top three seeds in each conference were awarded to the division winners; while the five remaining spots were awarded to the highest finishers in their respective conferences. The following teams qualified for the playoffs: Eastern Conference New York Rangers, Atlantic Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions – 109 points Boston Bruins, Northeast Division champions – 102 points Florida Panthers, Southeast Division champions – 94 points Pittsburgh Penguins – 108 points Philadelphia Flyers – 103 points New Jersey Devils – 102 points Washington Capitals – 92 points (38 ROWs Regulation + Overtime Wins) Ottawa Senators – 92 points (35 ROWs Regulation + Overtime Wins) Western Conference Vancouver Canucks, Northwest Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 111 points St. Louis Blues, Central Division champions – 109 points Phoenix Coyotes, Pacific Division champions – 97 points Nashville Predators – 104 points Detroit Red Wings – 102 points Chicago Blackhawks – 101 points San Jose Sharks – 96 points Los Angeles Kings – 95 points Playoff bracket In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). The team with home ice advantage played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary). The top eight teams in each conference made the playoffs, with the three division winners seeded 1–3 based on regular season record, and the five remaining teams seeded 4–8. The NHL used "re-seeding" instead of a fixed bracket playoff system. During the first three rounds, the highest remaining seed in each conference was matched against the lowest remaining seed, the second-highest remaining seed played the second-lowest remaining seed, and so forth. The higher-seeded team was awarded home ice advantage. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Final, where home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record. main Bracket 0 Eastern Conference Western Conference Conference quarterfinals Conference semifinals Conference finals Stanley Cup Final 1 NY Rangers 4 8 Ottawa 3 2 Boston 3 7 Washington 4 3 Florida 3 6 New Jersey 4 4 Pittsburgh 2 5 Philadelphia 4 1 Vancouver 1 8 Los Angeles 4 2 St. Louis 4 7 San Jose 1 3 Phoenix 4 6 Chicago 2 4 Nashville 4 5 Detroit 1 1 NY Rangers 4 7 Washington 3 5 Philadelphia 1 6 New Jersey 4 2 St. Louis 0 8 Los Angeles 4 3 Phoenix 4 4 Nashville 1 1 NY Rangers 2 6 New Jersey 4 8 Los Angeles 4 3 Phoenix 1 E6 New Jersey 2 W8 Los Angeles 4 Conference quarterfinals The conference quarterfinals featured an NHL-record 16 overtime games.http://ca.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idCABRE83Q12V20120428 https://web.archive.org/web/20160816014917/http://ca.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idCABRE83Q12V20120428 dead August 16, 2016 Coyotes pounce in overtime to subdue Predators Reuters April 28, 2012 June 28, 2016 After an opening round that featured a record 16 games decided in overtime One of the other major headlines during the conference quarterfinals were the number of suspensions and fines handed by the league.https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1162744--nhl-playoffs-brendan-shanahan-explains-suspensions NHL playoffs: Brendan Shanahan explains suspensions Toronto Star April 17, 2012 April 18, 2012 However, several players, coaches and writers complained about the lack of consistency that Brendan Shanahan, the NHL's Vice President of Player Safety and Hockey Operations, was handing out these fines and suspensions. (for each specific fine or suspension, see each series summary below) Eastern Conference quarterfinals (1) New York Rangers vs. (8) Ottawa Senators The New York Rangers entered the playoffs as the first overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 109 points. The Ottawa Senators earned 92 points during the regular season, losing the tiebreaker to Washington in regulation + overtime wins (38 to 35) to finish eighth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Ottawa won three of the games in the season's four-game regular season series. The first few games of the series were overshadowed by rough play and suspensions on both sides. In the first game, Rangers' checking center Brian Boyle punched defenceman Erik Karlsson but was not penalized. Senators' head coach Paul MacLean responded by adding enforcers Zenon Konopka and Matt Carkner for game two.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=627921 https://web.archive.org/web/20120415234035/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=627921 dead April 15, 2012 Carkner, Dubinsky ejected from game 2 - Rangers vs Senators - 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 15, 2012 April 20, 2012 Konopka harried Boyle as he conducted a live TV interview during the pre-game warm-ups, earning himself and his club fines.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628148 https://web.archive.org/web/20120418105146/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628148 dead April 18, 2012 NHL fines Sens' Konopka, club for pre-game conduct - Rangers vs Senators - 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 16, 2012 April 20, 2012 Carkner attacked Boyle at the beginning of the game and continued punching after Boyle fell to the ice. Boyle never dropped his gloves and Carkner was given a five-minute major and game misconduct. The Rangers' Brandon Dubinsky was also ejected as the third man in on the altercation; he threw a Gatorade cooler as he exited. Carkner received a one-game suspension for fighting an unwilling player. In an unrelated incident in that same game, New York's rookie skater Carl Hagelin elbowed Ottawa's captain Daniel Alfredsson in the head. Hagelin was given a five-minute major penalty and Alfredsson left the game and did not return. Hagelin was suspended for three games prompting a question of consistency by the New York Rangers.http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=8670 https://web.archive.org/web/20120419165504/http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=8670 dead April 19, 2012 Rangers respond to Hagelin suspension - Rangers vs Senators - 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals NHL.com April 15, 2012 April 20, 2012 Alfredsson missed three games due to a concussion from the incident. New York had a 4–2 victory in game one, but Ottawa's Chris Neil scored 1:17 into overtime of game two to tie the series at 1–1. In game three, Boyle scored the lone goal in the Rangers' 1–0 win. The Senators then overcame a two-goal deficit in game four to even the series yet again with Kyle Turris' goal 2:42 into overtime. Ottawa goaltender Craig Anderson stopped all 41 shots in a 2–0 victory on the road in game five, giving the Senators their first lead in the series. New York scored three goals in the second period in their 3–2 victory in game six and then held on to a 2–1 win in game seven to take the series. Ottawa Senators New York Rangers Scotiabank Place Madison Square Garden April 12 2–4 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030111 No scoring 12:01 – Ryan Callahan (1) No scoring 16:24 – Marian Gaborik (1)19:06 – Brian Boyle (1) Daniel Alfredsson (1) – 10:05Erik Condra (1) – 17:41 02:15 – Brad Richards (1) Craig Anderson 27 saves / 31 shots Henrik Lundqvist 30 saves / 32 shots April 14 3–2 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030112 No scoring 10:11 – pp – Anton Stralman (1) Erik Karlsson (1) – pp – 13:50 No scoring Nick Foligno (1) – 15:23 02:41 – Brian Boyle (2) Chris Neil (1) – 01:17 No scoring Craig Anderson 27 saves / 29 shots Henrik Lundqvist 29 saves / 32 shots April 16 1–0 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030113 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring Brian Boyle (3) – 07:35 Craig Anderson 22 saves / 23 shots Henrik Lundqvist 39 saves / 39 shots April 18 2–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030114 No scoring Anton Stralman (2) – pp – 00:49Ryan Callahan (2) – pp – 06:10 07:04 – Milan Michalek (1)17:50 – pp – Sergei Gonchar (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring 02:42 – Kyle Turris (1) No scoring Craig Anderson 31 saves / 33 shots Henrik Lundqvist 28 saves / 31 shots April 21 2–0 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030115 Jason Spezza (1) – 09:18 No scoring No scoring No scoring Jason Spezza (2) – en – 19:04 No scoring Craig Anderson 41 saves / 41 shots Henrik Lundqvist 28 saves / 29 shots April 23 3–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030116 07:05 – pp – Chris Neil (2) No scoring No scoring Derek Stepan (1) – pp – 08:55Brad Richards (2) – pp – 17:08Chris Kreider (1) – 19:19 19:21 – Jason Spezza (3) No scoring Craig Anderson 19 saves / 22 shots Henrik Lundqvist 25 saves / 27 shots April 26 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030117 No scoring No scoring Daniel Alfredsson (2) – pp – 11:34 04:46 – Marc Staal (1)09:04 – Daniel Girardi (1) No scoring No scoring Craig Anderson 27 saves / 29 shots Henrik Lundqvist 26 saves / 27 shots New York won series 4–3 (2) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Washington Capitals The Boston Bruins, the defending 2011 Stanley Cup champions, entered the playoffs as the second seed in the Eastern Conference by winning the Northeast Division with 102 points. The Washington Capitals earned 92 points during the regular season, winning the tiebreaker over Ottawa in regulation + overtime wins (38 to 35) to finish seventh overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with each team having won one of the previous playoff series. The most recent series between these teams was the 1998 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which was won by Washington in six games. Washington won three of the games in this year's four-game regular season series. This was the first ever playoff series in NHL history in which all seven games were decided by only one goal.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/wsh-vs-bos/2012/04/25/2011030127 Capitals stun Bruins in OT to win game 7 NHL.com April 25, 2012 April 26, 2012 In addition, four of these games were decided in overtime. Rookie Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby, who started in place of injured regulars Tomas Vokoun and Michal Neuvirth, allowed only two goals in the first two games, matching his Bruins counterpart Tim Thomas.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628007#&navid=nhl-search https://web.archive.org/web/20120418011414/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628007#&navid=nhl-search dead April 18, 2012 Bruins, Caps shift to DC after splitting OT games – Bruins vs Capitals – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals NHL.com April 15, 2012 April 20, 2012 Thomas recorded a shutout in Boston's 1–0 overtime victory in game one. In game two, the Capitals battled back with a double overtime thriller when forward Nicklas Backstrom scored early in the second overtime period. The Bruins' 4–3 win in game three was followed by Backstrom getting suspended for one game after his post-game cross-check on Bruins forward Rich Peverley.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628388 https://web.archive.org/web/20120421093012/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628388 dead April 21, 2012 Capitals' Backstrom suspended for one game – Bruins vs Capitals – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 20, 2012 Even without Backstrom, the Capitals evened the series with a 2–1 victory in game four. Washington's Troy Brouwer then scored the winning goal on a power play with 1:27 left in regulation of game five.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/wsh-vs-bos/2012/04/21/2011030125 Brouwer's late tally gives Caps 3–2 series lead NHL.com April 21, 2012 April 26, 2012 Boston, facing elimination, went to Washington and managed to extend the series with Tyler Seguin's goal in overtime of game six. Game seven started with Washington forward Matt Hendricks deflecting the puck past Thomas. The Bruins answered with a shot that snuck behind Holtby and Tyler Seguin finding the puck and putting it in, but Washington's Joel Ward scored in overtime to give Washington a 2–1 victory in game seven and eliminate the defending Stanley Cup champion Bruins. With Washington's victory in the series, Holtby became just the third rookie goaltender in NHL history to defeat the reigning Stanley Cup champions.Golen Jimmy https://theprovince.com/sports/Playoffs+Capitals+knock+Bruins+playoffs/6519811/story.html NHL Playoffs: Bye, bye Bruins! Theprovince.com Associated Press April 25, 2012 April 26, 2012June 2023 InternetArchiveBot yes Washington Capitals Boston Bruins Verizon Center TD Garden April 12 0–1 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030121 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 01:18 – Chris Kelly (1) Braden Holtby 29 saves / 30 shots Tim Thomas 17 saves / 17 shots April 14 2–1 2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030122 No scoring No scoring Troy Brouwer (1) – 17:57 No scoring No scoring 12:13 – Benoit Pouliot (1) Nicklas Backstrom (1) – 02:56 No scoring Braden Holtby 43 saves / 44 shots Tim Thomas 37 saves / 39 shots April 16 4–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030123 16:00 – pp – Alexander Semin (1) No scoring 00:48 – Alexander Ovechkin (1) Rich Peverley (1) – 00:35Daniel Paille (1) – 09:38 14:00 – Brooks Laich (1) Brian Rolston (1) – 01:02Zdeno Chara (1) – 18:07 Braden Holtby 25 saves / 29 shots Tim Thomas 29 saves / 32 shots April 19 1–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030124 01:22 – Marcus Johansson (1) Rich Peverley (2) – 13:12 18:43 – pp – Alexander Semin (2) No scoring No scoring No scoring Braden Holtby 44 saves / 45 shots Tim Thomas 19 saves / 21 shots April 21 4–3 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030125 No scoring No scoring Alexander Semin (3) – 11:16Jay Beagle (1) – 14:27 17:21 – Dennis Seidenberg (1)17:49 – Brad Marchand (1) Mike Knuble (1) – 03:21Troy Brouwer (2) – pp – 18:33 08:47 – pp – Johnny Boychuk (1) Braden Holtby 34 saves / 37 shots Tim Thomas 28 saves / 32 shots April 22 4–3 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030126 09:47 – Mike Green (1) Rich Peverley (3) – 05:56David Krejci (1) – pp – 16:48 19:18 – Jason Chimera (1) No scoring 15:08 – Alexander Ovechkin (2) Andrew Ference (1) – 11:57 No scoring Tyler Seguin (1) – 03:17 Braden Holtby 27 saves / 31 shots Tim Thomas 36 saves / 39 shots April 25 2–1 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030127 Matt Hendricks (1) – 11:23 No scoring No scoring 14:27 – Tyler Seguin (2) No scoring No scoring Joel Ward (1) – 02:57 No scoring Braden Holtby 31 saves / 32 shots Tim Thomas 25 saves / 27 shots Washington won series 4–3 (3) Florida Panthers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils The Florida Panthers entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Eastern Conference by winning the Southeast Division with 94 points. The New Jersey Devils earned 102 points during the regular season to finish sixth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the second playoff series between these two teams, with New Jersey having swept the 2000 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the last time the Panthers qualified for the playoffs. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. In the first two games of the series, the winner scored the first three goals. In game one, Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur won his 100th career playoff game, only the second netminder after Patrick Roy to do so, as New Jersey won 3–2.http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/13/martin-brodeur-notches-100th-playoff-win/ Martin Brodeur notches 100th playoff win Prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com April 13, 2012 April 15, 2012 The Panthers' 4–2 win in game two was their first playoff win since April 17, 1997, and ended a streak of nine straight defeats in a 15-year span.https://sports.yahoo.com/news/panthers-1st-playoff-win-since-021757493--nhl.html;_ylt=Avk7NgADdEFrwOcKUxumG9c5nYcB Panthers get 1st playoff win since '97, top NJ 4–2 Yahoosports.com April 16, 2012 April 17, 2012 February 2, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160202005023/http://sports.yahoo.com/news/panthers-1st-playoff-win-since-021757493--nhl.html;_ylt=Avk7NgADdEFrwOcKUxumG9c5nYcB dead game three saw both starting goaltenders pulled from the game. Florida's Jose Theodore surrendered three goals in the first period before being replaced by Scott Clemmensen, appearing in only his second playoff game. Brodeur was then pulled after the Panthers rallied to tie the game in the second period en route to 4–3 win. This was the first time since game one of the 2006 Eastern Conference semifinals against the Carolina Hurricanes that Brodeur was pulled in a postseason game, which coincidentally marked Clemmensen's playoff debut.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/fla-vs-njd/2012/04/17/2011030133 Panthers vs. Devils – 04/17/2012 – New Jersey Devils – Recap Devils.nhl.com April 20, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20130528013914/http://devils.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2011030133 May 28, 2013 live mdy-all Brodeur bounced back in game four and broke another one of Roy's records with his 24th career playoff shutout, as the Devils beat the Panthers, 4–0. But Theodore responded with his second career postseason shutout, as the Panthers took a 3–2 series lead with a 3–0 victory in game five.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/fla-vs-njd/2012/04/19/2011030134 Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils Game Recap – 04/19/2012 Nhl.com April 23, 2009 April 20, 2012 The Devils then tied the series with Travis Zajac's winning goal 5:39 into the overtime of game six.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/fla-vs-njd/2012/04/24/2011030136 Florida Panthers at New Jersey Devils Game Recap – 04/24/2012 Nhl.com April 24, 2012 April 24, 2012 New Jersey's Adam Henrique then scored two goals in game seven, including the series-winning goal 3:47 into double overtime, to defeat Florida, 3–2.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/njd-vs-fla/2012/04/26/2011030137 New Jersey Devils at Florida Panthers Game Recap – 04/26/2012 Nhl.com April 26, 2012 April 27, 2012 New Jersey Devils Florida Panthers Prudential Center BankAtlantic Center April 13 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030131 Patrik Elias (1) – 06:31Dainius Zubrus (1) – pp – 14:11Ryan Carter (1) – 14:56 No scoring No scoring 07:44 – Sean Bergenheim (1)15:42 – pp – Kris Versteeg (1) No scoring No scoring Martin Brodeur 24 saves / 26 shots Jose Theodore 35 saves / 38 shots April 15 2–4 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030132 No scoring 00:23 – pp – Stephen Weiss (1) No scoring 01:12 – pp – Stephen Weiss (2)14:39 – Marcel Goc (1) Travis Zajac (1) – 00:48Ilya Kovalchuk (1) – 02:02 19:59 – en – Tomas Fleischmann (1) Martin Brodeur 20 saves / 23 shots Jose Theodore 23 saves / 25 shots April 17 4–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030133 00:33 – Zach Parise (1)03:27 – Stephen Gionta (1)06:16 – pp – Patrik Elias (2) Sean Bergenheim (2) – pp – 16:11Jason Garrison (1) – pp – 19:52 No scoring Mike Weaver (1) – 02:18Brian Campbell (1) – pp – 06:34 No scoring No scoring Martin Brodeur 9 saves / 12 shotsJohan Hedberg 13 saves / 14 shots Jose Theodore 3 saves / 6 shotsScott Clemmensen 19 saves / 19 shots April 19 0–4 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030134 No scoring No scoring 06:08 – pp – Zach Parise (2) No scoring 02:02 – Steve Bernier (1)03:35 – Travis Zajac (2)08:32 – pp – Ilya Kovalchuk (2) No scoring Martin Brodeur 26 saves / 26 shots Scott Clemmensen 23 saves / 27 shots April 21 0–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030135 No scoring No scoring No scoring 04:00 – pp – Kris Versteeg (2) No scoring 13:17 – Scottie Upshall (1)19:26 – en – Tomas Kopecky (1) Martin Brodeur 30 saves / 32 shots Jose Theodore 30 saves / 30 shots April 24 2–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030136 16:37 – Steve Bernier (2) No scoring 04:21 – pp – Ilya Kovalchuk (3) Kris Versteeg (3) – 07:05Sean Bergenheim (3) – 12:49 No scoring No scoring 05:39 – Travis Zajac (3) No scoring Martin Brodeur 14 saves / 16 shots Scott Clemmensen 39 saves / 42 shots April 26 3–2 2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030137 Adam Henrique (1) – 01:29 No scoring Stephen Gionta (2) – 09:15 No scoring No scoring 05:02 – pp – Stephen Weiss (3)16:32 – pp – Marcel Goc (2) Adam Henrique (2) – 03:47 No scoring Martin Brodeur 43 saves / 45 shots Jose Theodore 33 saves / 36 shots New Jersey won series 4–3 (4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Philadelphia Flyers The Pittsburgh Penguins entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Eastern Conference with 108 points. The Philadelphia Flyers earned 103 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Eastern Conference. This was the sixth playoff series between these two teams, with Philadelphia having won three of the five previous playoff series. In the most recent matchup in the 2009 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, the Penguins defeated the Flyers in six games. Philadelphia won four of the games in this year's six-game regular season series. The Penguins entered the series as the favorites, with many hockey commentators predicting them to be the Stanley Cup champions.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=626836 https://web.archive.org/web/20120411181945/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=626836 dead April 11, 2012 predicts 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Expert Picks – 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs Nhl.com April 20, 2012 However, the Flyers won the first three games of the series en route to eliminating the Penguins in six games. Pittsburgh struggled defensively, giving up eight goals in each of games two and three.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628167 https://web.archive.org/web/20120418105151/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628167 dead April 18, 2012 Five reasons the Flyers lead the Penguins 3–0 – Penguins vs Flyers – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 16, 2012 April 20, 2012 The Penguins did however score 10 goals in their game four win, becoming the first team to do so in a playoff game since the Los Angeles Kings scored 12 in the 1990 Smythe Division semifinals against the Calgary Flames. The Flyers' goaltending flaws resurfaced in that game, with neither Ilya Bryzgalov nor Sergei Bobrovsky able to stop the Penguins' torrid shooting.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628591 https://web.archive.org/web/20120421192707/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628591 dead April 21, 2012 Flyers' goaltending problems surface again – Penguins vs Flyers – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 20, 2012 Again facing elimination, Pittsburgh went on to win game five, 3–2, in the lowest scoring game of the series.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-phi/2012/04/22/2011030146 Penguins stay alive by edging Flyers 3–2 – Penguins vs Flyers – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 22, 2012 But Philadelphia rebounded to eliminate Pittsburgh in game six by the score of 5–1.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/pit-vs-phi/2012/04/22/2011030146 Flyers overwhelm Pens, move on with game six win – Penguins vs Flyers – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 22, 2012 Game three was overshadowed by a flurry of penalties drawn between the two teams, reminiscent of their penultimate regular season meeting on April 1. Three Penguins players drew suspensions. Arron Asham was suspended four games for a cross-check on Brayden Schenn,http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=628421 https://web.archive.org/web/20160202005023/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=628421 dead February 2, 2016 Penguins' Asham Suspended for Four Games – Pittsburgh Penguins – News Penguins.nhl.com April 20, 2012 Craig Adams was suspended one game for instigating a fight,http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=628182 https://web.archive.org/web/20120418151806/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=628182 dead April 18, 2012 Penguins' Forward Adams Suspended for One Game; Head Coach Bylsma Fined $10,000 – Pittsburgh Penguins – News Penguins.nhl.com April 20, 2012 and James Neal was suspended one game for charging Claude Giroux.http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=628420 https://web.archive.org/web/20160202005023/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=628420 dead February 2, 2016 Penguins' Neal Suspended for One Game – Pittsburgh Penguins – News Penguins.nhl.com April 20, 2012 Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma was fined $10,000 because of Adams' instigator penalty in the final five minutes of the game. The 45 goals scored through the first four games set an NHL record for goals in the first four games of a best-of-seven series. A total of 56 goals were scored over the course of the entire series, the highest total in any playoff series since 1995.Richardson Lyle http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/spector/comments/looking_back_on_the_penguins-flyers_series/ Puckin' Around With Spector : Looking Back on the Penguins-Flyers Series KuklasKorner April 25, 2012 April 26, 2012 Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Wells Fargo Center Consol Energy Center April 11 4–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030141 No scoring 03:43 – Sidney Crosby (1)07:49 – Tyler Kennedy (1)19:23 – Pascal Dupuis (1) Daniel Briere (1) – 06:22 No scoring Daniel Briere (2) – 09:17Brayden Schenn (1) – pp – 12:23 No scoring Jakub Voracek (1) – 02:23 No scoring Ilya Bryzgalov 25 saves / 28 shots Marc–Andre Fleury 22 saves / 26 shots April 13 8–5 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030142 Maxime Talbot (1) – sh – 12:44 00:15 – Sidney Crosby (2)09:27 – pp – Chris Kunitz (1)19:42 – Paul Martin (1) Claude Giroux (1) – pp – 05:11Claude Giroux (2) – sh – 11:04Sean Couturier (1) – 19:57 11:10 – pp – Chris Kunitz (2) Sean Couturier (2) – 01:21Jaromir Jagr (1) – 09:13Sean Couturier (3) – 18:11Claude Giroux (3) – en – 19:53 01:04 – Tyler Kennedy (2) Ilya Bryzgalov 23 saves / 28 shots Marc–Andre Fleury 23 saves / 30 shots April 15 4–8 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030143 06:44 – sh – Maxime Talbot (2)08:19 – pp – Daniel Briere (3)11:45 – Daniel Briere (4)15:40 – Matt Read (1) Jordan Staal (1) – 03:52James Neal (1) – 15:17 14:18 – pp – Matt Read (2)19:14 – pp – Wayne Simmonds (1) James Neal (2) – pp – 10:31Jordan Staal (2) – 15:40 00:27 – Claude Giroux (4)17:14 – pp – Maxime Talbot (3) No scoring Ilya Bryzgalov 31 saves / 35 shots Marc–Andre Fleury 22 saves / 28 shotsBrent Johnson 4 saves / 6 shots April 18 10–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030144 01:16 – pp – Claude Giroux (5)15:06 – pp – Kimmo Timonen (1)15:52 – pp – Jakub Voracek (2) Evgeni Malkin (1) – 03:37Matt Niskanen (1) – pp – 08:05Sidney Crosby (3) – 16:19Jordan Staal (3) – 17:29 No scoring Kris Letang (1) – pp – 03:07Jordan Staal (4) – pp – 07:21Steve Sullivan (1) – pp – 10:55Pascal Dupuis (2) – 14:59Jordan Staal (5) – 16:03 No scoring Evgeni Malkin (2) – 04:04 Ilya Bryzgalov 13 saves / 18 shotsSergei Bobrovsky 13 saves / 18 shots Marc–Andre Fleury 22 saves / 25 shots April 20 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030145 Matt Carle (1) – pp – 11:45Scott Hartnell (1) – pp – 17:35 14:51 – pp – Steve Sullivan (2) No scoring 06:15 – Jordan Staal (6)09:53 – Tyler Kennedy (3) No scoring No scoring Ilya Bryzgalov 20 saves / 23 shots Marc–Andre Fleury 24 saves / 26 shots April 22 1–5 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030146 00:32 – Claude Giroux (6)13:01 – pp – Scott Hartnell (2) No scoring 05:25 – Erik Gustafsson (1)09:10 – Daniel Briere (5) Evgeni Malkin (3) – pp – 08:34 19:52 – en – Brayden Schenn (2) No scoring Ilya Bryzgalov 30 saves / 31 shots Marc–Andre Fleury 18 saves / 22 shots Philadelphia won series 4–2 Western Conference quarterfinals (1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings The Vancouver Canucks entered the playoffs as the Western Conference regular season champions and the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy winners, earning 111 points. The Los Angeles Kings qualified for the postseason as the eighth seed with 95 points. This was the fifth playoff series between these two teams, the two teams each having won two of the previous playoff series. The most recent matchup occurred in the 2010 Western Conference quarterfinals, where the Canucks defeated the Kings in six games. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. The Canucks entered the series as the favorites, with many hockey commentators predicting them to win this series and to be the Western Conference champions due to the fact they had fallen one win short from the Stanley Cup the year prior having gone all the way to the Finals and losing in seven to the Boston Bruins along with coming off two consecutive Presidents' Trophies and having most of the players from the previous year still intact on their roster. However, the Kings won the first three games of the series en route to eliminating the Canucks in five games. In doing so, Los Angeles became the third California team, and the sixth team overall, to eliminate a Presidents' Trophy winner in the first round of the playoffs, and the first to go on to win the Stanley Cup. Vancouver struggled offensively throughout the series, while Los Angeles goaltender Jonathan Quick only allowed eight total goals, including a shutout in game three.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628223 https://web.archive.org/web/20120418111947/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=628223 dead April 18, 2012 Five reasons Los Angeles is poised for an upset – Canucks vs Kings – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 16, 2012 April 20, 2012 The Canucks' Byron Bitz was suspended for two games after boarding the Kings' Kyle Clifford in game one.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=627568 https://web.archive.org/web/20120415011834/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=627568 dead April 15, 2012 Canucks' Bitz suspended for two games – Canucks vs Kings – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 20, 2012 Cory Schneider then replaced Roberto Luongo as Vancouver's starting goaltender for game three, prompting speculation that Luongo might be traded after the season.Iain MacIntyre https://vancouversun.com/sports/Iain+MacIntyre+Canucks+call+means+Cory+Schneider+goalie+Roberto+Luongo/6481176/story.html Vancouver Canucks are Cory Schneider's team now, as Roberto Luongo will be moved Vancouversun.com April 20, 2012 April 22, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120422020101/http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Iain+MacIntyre+Canucks+call+means+Cory+Schneider+goalie+Roberto+Luongo/6481176/story.html dead Game four saw the return of Vancouver winger Daniel Sedin, in his first appearance since suffering a concussion on March 21. He had an assist on a goal by Canucks' captain and twin brother Henrik in the Canucks' 3–1 victory in game four, and the team avoided becoming the first Presidents' Trophy winner to be swept in a conference quarterfinal series.https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=393598 Canucks avoid elimination; win first of series over Kings Tsn.ca January 4, 2011 April 20, 2012 However, Jarret Stoll ended the Canucks season, scoring at 4:27 of overtime to give the Kings a 2–1 victory in game five, the only overtime game of the series to prevent the Canucks from forcing a sixth game.https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/lak-vs-van/2012/04/22/2011030155 Stoll's OT goal eliminates Canucks – Canucks vs Kings – 2012 Stanley Cup Conference quarterfinals Nhl.com April 20, 2012 They moved on to the second round for the first time since 2001. Los Angeles Kings Vancouver Canucks Staples Center Rogers Arena April 11 4–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030151 Mike Richards (1) – pp – 13:31 04:17 – Alexandre Burrows (1) Willie Mitchell (1) – pp – 16:33 19:52 – Alexander Edler (1) Dustin Penner (1) – 16:46Dustin Brown (1) – en –19:42 No scoring Jonathan Quick 24 saves / 26 shots Roberto Luongo 35 saves / 38 shots April 13 4–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030152 Dustin Brown (2) – sh – 19:51 No scoring Dustin Brown (3) – sh – 05:17 00:17 – Jannik Hansen (1) Jarret Stoll (1) – pp – 08:30Trevor Lewis (1) – 14:51 16:22 – Samuel Pahlsson (1) Jonathan Quick 46 saves / 48 shots Roberto Luongo 22 saves / 26 shots April 15 0–1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030153 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 06:30 – Dustin Brown (4) No scoring Jonathan Quick 41 saves / 41 shots Cory Schneider 19 saves / 20 shots April 18 3–1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030154 13:00 – Anze Kopitar (1) No scoring No scoring Alexander Edler (2) – pp – 04:07Kevin Bieksa (1) – 08:36 No scoring Henrik Sedin (1) – pp – 05:45 Jonathan Quick 27 saves / 30 shots Cory Schneider 43 saves / 44 shots April 22 2–1 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030155 No scoring 14:04 – pp – Henrik Sedin (2) No scoring No scoring Brad Richardson (1) – 03:21 No scoring Jarret Stoll (2) – 04:27 No scoring Jonathan Quick 26 saves / 27 shots Cory Schneider 35 saves / 37 shots Los Angeles won series 4–1 (2) St. Louis Blues vs. (7) San Jose Sharks The St. Louis Blues entered the playoffs as the Central Division champions, earning 109 points. The San Jose Sharks qualified for the postseason as the seventh seed with 96 points. This was the fourth playoff series between these two teams, with San Jose having won two of the three previous playoff series. The most recent matchup occurred in the 2004 Western Conference quarterfinals, where the Sharks defeated the Blues in five games. St. Louis swept this year's four-game regular season series, outscoring San Jose by a combined score of 11–3. A large part of the Blues' success was the play of their goaltenders Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, who both allowed a league low of 165 combined team goals, earning them the William M. Jennings Trophy. The Blues began the playoffs with Halak on goal, partly based on his playoff experience playing for the Montreal Canadiens.http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=627167 https://web.archive.org/web/20120414083027/http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=627167 dead April 14, 2012 Halak to Start game one vs. San Jose NHL.com April 11, 2012 April 21, 2012 Halak's playoff resume may have played a role in Hitchcock's decision The Sharks took game one off of Martin Havlat's goal in double overtime. Halak then suffered a lower-body injury early into game two,http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=627974 https://web.archive.org/web/20120518125653/http://blues.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=627974 dead May 18, 2012 Halak Leaves game two in Second Period NHL.com April 11, 2012 April 21, 2012 but Elliott picked up where Halak left off in a Blues' 3–0 shutout, and subsequently allowed only five San Jose goals in St. Louis' victories in games three, four, and five to capture the series. San Jose Sharks St. Louis Blues HP Pavilion Scottrade Center April 12 3–2 2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030161 No scoring No scoring Martin Havlat (1) – pp – 06:02 No scoring Andrew Desjardins (1) – 14:44 00:54 – Patrik Berglund (1)07:28 – pp – Patrik Berglund (2) Martin Havlat (2) – 03:34 No scoring Antti Niemi 40 saves / 42 shots Jaroslav Halak 31 saves / 34 shots April 14 0–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030162 No scoring 01:31 – Vladimir Sobotka (1) No scoring 13:49 – David Backes (1) No scoring 19:35 – pp – Andy McDonald (1) Antti Niemi 29 saves / 32 shots Jaroslav Halak 12 saves / 12 shotsBrian Elliott 17 saves / 17 shots April 16 4–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030163 16:45 – pp – Brent Burns (1) Patrik Berglund (3) – pp – 14:31 No scoring Andy McDonald (2) – 01:01Jason Arnott (1) – pp – 10:06 16:58 – Colin White (1)19:43 – Logan Couture (1) Alexander Steen (1) – pp – 00:59 Antti Niemi 23 saves / 27 shots Brian Elliott 26 saves / 29 shots April 19 2–1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030164 No scoring B. J. Crombeen (1) – 07:12 No scoring No scoring 18:53 – Joe Thornton (1) Andy McDonald (3) – pp – 12:00 Antti Niemi 22 saves / 24 shots Brian Elliott 24 saves / 25 shots April 21 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030165 No scoring No scoring Joe Thornton (2) – 19:19 No scoring No scoring 11:16 – Jamie Langenbrunner (1)12:01 – David Perron (1)19:21 – en – Andy McDonald (4) Antti Niemi 24 saves / 26 shots Brian Elliott 26 saves / 27 shots St. Louis won series 4–1 (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (6) Chicago Blackhawks The Phoenix Coyotes entered the playoffs as the third seed in the Western Conference by winning the Pacific Division with 97 points. The Chicago Blackhawks earned 101 points during the regular season to finish sixth overall in the Western Conference. This was the first playoff series between these two teams. Phoenix won three of the games in this year's four-game regular season series. This became only the second playoff series in NHL history in which the first five games went into overtime, the first being the 1951 Stanley Cup Final between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.TERESA M. WALKER http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sports/tenn-139368-ousting-wings.html https://archive.today/20120721120235/http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/sports/tenn-139368-ousting-wings.html dead July 21, 2012 Predators advance, ousting Red Wings 4–1 in series | tenn, ousting, wings – NHL Playoff Capsules Brownsville Herald April 21, 2012 Games one and two both saw the Blackhawks score the tying goal with less than 15 seconds left in regulation. In game two, Chicago's Andrew Shaw was ejected and later suspended for three games, after hitting Phoenix goaltender Mike Smith in the head. Smith laid on the ice for five minutes but remained in that game. Then in game three, the Coyotes' Raffi Torres hit the Blackhawks' Marian Hossa in the open ice. Hossa was carted out on a stretcher. Torres left his feet, Hossa did not have the puck when Torres hit him, and Torres did not receive a penalty during the game, Torres was later suspended for 25 games and next season's preseason games.Coyotes' Torres suspended 25 games http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=629019 https://web.archive.org/web/20120422064603/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=629019 dead April 22, 2012 April 21, 2012 The hit violated three rules: interference, charging, and hit to the head. Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker scored the overtime winning goal in both games three and four, giving the Coyotes a 3–1 series lead, though Chicago was able to stave off elimination in Game five with a 2–1 overtime win, making it five consecutive games that the two teams required overtime. Game six ended up being one-sided as Smith shutout the Blackhawks, 4–0, and the Coyotes won their first playoff series since moving from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996, and the first one in franchise history since 1987. Chicago Blackhawks Phoenix Coyotes United Center Jobing.com Arena April 12 2–3 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030171 Jonathan Toews (1) – 04:04 No scoring No scoring 07:38 – Taylor Pyatt (1)17:27 – Antoine Vermette (1) Brent Seabrook (1) – 19:45 No scoring No scoring 09:29 – Martin Hanzal (1) Corey Crawford 31 saves / 34 shots Mike Smith 43 saves / 45 shots April 14 4–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030172 Bryan Bickell (1) – pp – 03:05 08:52 – Raffi Torres (1)13:44 – pp – Antoine Vermette (2) Brandon Bollig (1) – 06:57 08:41 – pp – Antoine Vermette (3) Patrick Sharp (1) – 19:54 No scoring Bryan Bickell (2) – 10:36 No scoring Corey Crawford 30 saves / 33 shots Mike Smith 46 saves / 50 shots April 17 3–2 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030173 19:31 – Andrew Brunette (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring 08:49 – Michael Frolik (1) Rostislav Klesla (1) – 08:16Ray Whitney (1) – 09:21 No scoring Mikkel Boedker (1) – 13:15 Corey Crawford 31 saves / 34 shots Mike Smith 35 saves / 37 shots April 19 3–2 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030174 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 10:25 – Brendan Morrison (1)18:34 – Michael Frolik (2) Shane Doan (1) – 07:03Taylor Pyatt (2) – 07:47 No scoring Mikkel Boedker (2) – 02:15 Corey Crawford 16 saves / 19 shots Mike Smith 30 saves / 32 shots April 21 2–1 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030175 No scoring No scoring No scoring 02:46 – Gilbert Brule (1) Nick Leddy (1) – 09:15 No scoring Jonathan Toews (2) – 02:44 No scoring Corey Crawford 18 saves / 19 shots Mike Smith 36 saves / 38 shots April 23 4–0 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030176 No scoring No scoring No scoring Oliver Ekman-Larsson (1) – pp – 13:14 No scoring Gilbert Brule (2) – 02:24Antoine Vermette (4) – pp – 13:04Kyle Chipchura (1) – 14:56 Corey Crawford 16 saves / 20 shots Mike Smith 39 saves / 39 shots Phoenix won series 4–2 (4) Nashville Predators vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings The Nashville Predators entered the playoffs as the fourth overall seed in the Western Conference with 104 points. The Detroit Red Wings earned 102 points during the regular season to finish fifth overall in the Western Conference. This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with Detroit having won both of the previous playoff series in six games, and the most recent matchup occurring in the 2008 Western Conference quarterfinals. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series. The Predators defeated the Red Wings in five games, with four of them each being decided by only one goal. In the final seconds of game one, Nashville captain Shea Weber slammed Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg's head into the glass, cracking Zetterberg's helmet.https://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2012-04-12/henrik-zetterberg-fine-shea-weber-hit/54204916/1 Shea Weber fined for hit; Henrik Zetterberg OK – Usatoday.com November 28, 2011 April 13, 2012 Weber was later fined $2,500 for the action with no suspension or further disciplinary action.http://www.faceoff.com/Predators+Shea+Weber+fined+Wings+Henrik+Zetterberg+punch/6448221/story.html Predators' Weber fined for hit on Wings' Zetterberg Faceoff.com April 13, 2012 April 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes https://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/predators-shea-weber-fined-2500-for-henrik-zetterberg-hit Henrik Zetterberg hit: Predators' Shea Weber fined $2500 | Sports | National Post Sports.nationalpost.com April 13, 2012 https://archive.today/20120718151846/http://sports.nationalpost.com/2012/04/12/predators-shea-weber-fined-2500-for-henrik-zetterberg-hit/ July 18, 2012 live mdy-all Although the Red Wings had the most home wins in the league during the regular season (with an overall home record of 31–7–3), the Predators won both games three and four on the road, Nashville's first-ever playoff victories at Joe Louis Arena. Detroit Red Wings Nashville Predators Joe Louis Arena Bridgestone Arena April 11 2–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030181 No scoring 06:59 – Paul Gaustad (1) Henrik Zetterberg (1) – pp – 02:29 12:29 – Gabriel Bourque (1) Tomas Holmstrom (1) – pp – 17:53 11:35 – Gabriel Bourque (2) Jimmy Howard 23 saves / 26 shots Pekka Rinne 35 saves / 37 shots April 13 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030182 Ian White (1) – 08:25Cory Emmerton (1) – 15:33 No scoring Johan Franzen (1) – 09:57 09:01 – Andrei Kostitsyn (1) No scoring 15:16 – Shea Weber (1) Jimmy Howard 24 saves / 26 shots Pekka Rinne 14 saves / 17 shots April 15 3–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030183 No scoring Shea Weber (2) – pp – 02:48 15:03 – Pavel Datsyuk (1) Kevin Klein (1) – 03:50 19:06 – pp – Henrik Zetterberg (2) Sergei Kostitsyn (1) – 16:30 Jimmy Howard 19 saves / 22 shots Pekka Rinne 41 saves / 43 shots April 17 3–1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030184 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 03:14 – pp – Jiri Hudler (1) Gabriel Bourque (3) – 01:55Kevin Klein (2) – 06:25David Legwand (1) – pp – 19:21 Jimmy Howard 14 saves / 17 shots Pekka Rinne 40 saves / 41 shots April 20 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030185 No scoring 16:10 – Alexander Radulov (1) Jiri Hudler (2) – 13:45 No scoring No scoring 00:13 – David Legwand (2) Jimmy Howard 23 saves / 25 shots Pekka Rinne 21 saves / 22 shots Nashville won series 4–1 Conference semifinals Eastern Conference semifinals (1) New York Rangers vs. (7) Washington Capitals This was the seventh playoff series between the Rangers and the Capitals, with Washington having won four of the previous six playoff series. This also was the third series between these two teams in the last four seasons, with the previous two series occurring in the 2009 and 2011 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which Washington won 4–3 and 4–1, respectively. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. New York eliminated Washington in seven games. In game one, the Rangers scored two goals within 1:30 in the third period to take a 3–1 victory. The Capitals then took game two, 3–2, after Alexander Ovechkin scored the game-winning power-play goal with 7:27 left in the third period. Game three then ended at 14:41 of the third overtime with Marian Gaborik's goal to give New York a 2–1 win. This game was the 20th longest overtime game in NHL playoff history, the first 3OT game for the Rangers since 1971, and the longest overtime game in Rangers franchise history since 1939.Brooks Larry http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/rangers/gaborik_the_hero_in_ot_thriller_XsOo6F83VBZdVlYkGDYJOJ Rangers defeat Capitals in third OT on Gaborik goal NYPOST.com May 3, 2012 May 5, 2012http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/hockey/rangers/ny-rangers-marian-gaborik-scores-overtime-game-3-give-blueshirts-2-1-win-washington-capitals-article-1.1071679 NY Rangers' Marian Gaborik scores in third overtime of game three to give Blueshirts 2–1 win over Washington Capitals NY Daily News April 29, 1971 May 5, 2012 New York New York also snapped a streak of seven consecutive playoff overtime losses, their last playoff overtime win coming in 2007.Katie Carrera https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2012/05/03/gIQAp4y1xT_story.html 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs: Capitals fall to Rangers in game three on Marian Gaborik's goal in the third overtime The Washington Post February 24, 2011 May 5, 2012 For Washington, it was the third-longest game in franchise history.http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2012/05/03/gIQAp4y1xT_story.html 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Washington Capitals falls to New York Rangers in game three on Marian Gaborik's goal in third overtime Washington Post Carrera Katie May 3, 2012 May 4, 2012 May 4, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120504003555/http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2012/05/03/gIQAp4y1xT_story.html dead Washington evened the series in game four with Mike Green's power play goal with 5:48 remaining to give the Capitals a 2–1 win. In game five, with Washington leading 2–1 with 21.3 seconds remaining, Capitals forward Joel Ward took a double-minor penalty for high-sticking Rangers forward Carl Hagelin, and on the ensuing power play New York forward Brad Richards scored the game-tying goal with 6.6 seconds left in regulation, the latest game-tying playoff goal in Rangers franchise history. The Rangers remained on the power play to start the overtime period, with Ward serving the second half of his double-minor, and Rangers defenceman Marc Staal scored the game-winning goal at 1:35 of OT, completing the comeback.http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/stunner-rangers-win-in-ot-3-2-1.3704920 https://web.archive.org/web/20140815003219/http://www.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/stunner-rangers-win-in-ot-3-2-1.3704920 dead August 15, 2014 Stunner! Rangers win in OT, 3-2 Newsday.com June 14, 2012 Washington rebounded in game six, winning 2–1 as goaltender Braden Holtby made 30 saves to force game seven. Brad Richards scored 1:32 into the first period to give the Rangers an early 1–0 lead game seven, then Michael Del Zotto scored in the third period to make it 2–0. Washington's Roman Hamrlik cut the score to 2–1 shortly after Del Zotto's goal, but the Capitals were unable to score another goal and lost the series. Through their first 14 games of the playoffs, the Rangers did not allow more than three goals in any of the games, setting an NHL record. Washington Capitals New York Rangers Verizon Center Madison Square Garden April 28 1–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030211 No scoring No scoring Jason Chimera (2) – 19:56 12:38 – Artem Anisimov (1) No scoring 07:00 – Chris Kreider (2)08:30 – Brad Richards (3) Braden Holtby 11 saves / 14 shots Henrik Lundqvist 17 saves / 18 shots April 30 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030212 Mike Knuble (2) – 12:20Jason Chimera (3) – 17:14 19:17 – Brad Richards (4) No scoring No scoring Alexander Ovechkin (3) – pp – 12:33 06:58 – pp – Michael Del Zotto (1) Braden Holtby 26 saves / 28 shots Henrik Lundqvist 22 saves / 25 shots May 2 2–1 3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030213 No scoring No scoring 11:10 – John Carlson (1) Ryan Callahan (3) – pp – 06:41 No scoring No scoring No scoring Marian Gaborik (2) – 14:41 Braden Holtby 47 saves / 49 shots Henrik Lundqvist 45 saves / 46 shots May 5 2–3 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030214 12:43 – Alexander Ovechkin (4) No scoring 11:54 – Nicklas Backstrom (2) Artem Anisimov (2) – 01:10Marian Gaborik (3) – 16:43 14:12 – pp – Mike Green (2) No scoring Braden Holtby 18 saves / 20 shots Henrik Lundqvist 23 saves / 26 shots May 7 2–3 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030215 No scoring 10:44 – Anton Stralman (3) Brooks Laich (2) – 08:15 No scoring John Carlson (2) – pp – 04:20 19:53 – pp – Brad Richards (5) No scoring 01:35 – pp – Marc Staal (2) Braden Holtby 35 saves / 38 shots Henrik Lundqvist 16 saves / 18 shots May 9 1–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030216 01:28 – pp – Alexander Ovechkin (5) No scoring 10:59 – Jason Chimera (4) No scoring No scoring Marian Gaborik (4) – 19:09 Braden Holtby 30 saves / 31 shots Henrik Lundqvist 21 saves / 23 shots May 12 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030217 No scoring 01:32 – Brad Richards (6) No scoring No scoring Roman Hamrlik (1) – 10:43 10:05 – Michael Del Zotto (2) Braden Holtby 29 saves / 31 shots Henrik Lundqvist 22 saves / 23 shots New York won series 4–3 (5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils This was the fifth playoff series between these two teams, with each team having won two of the previous four playoff series. The most recent matchup occurred in the 2010 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, where the Flyers defeated the Devils in five games. The Atlantic division rivals split this year's six-game regular season series. The Devils defeated the Flyers in five games. In each game of the series, the team that scored first ended up losing.http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=9419 https://web.archive.org/web/20120519014809/http://www.nhl.com/ice/blogpost.htm?id=9419 dead May 19, 2012 Scoring first not a winning formula for Flyers nhl.com May 8, 2012 May 13, 2012 Daniel Briere scored 4:36 into overtime of game one to give Philadelphia its lone victory of the series by the score of 4–3. New Jersey then scored four third-period goals in a 4–1 victory in game two. Alexei Ponikarovsky's goal 17:21 into overtime defeated the Flyers, 4–3, in game three. Then in game four, the Devils scored four unanswered goals to overcome a 2–0 deficit to win, 4–2. And finally in game five, New Jersey scored two first-period goals 3:18 apart en route to a 3–1 victory to win the series. New Jersey Devils Philadelphia Flyers Prudential Center Wells Fargo Center April 29 3–4 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030221 Zach Parise (3) – 03:16 No scoring Travis Zajac (4) – pp – 13:53 08:07 – Daniel Briere (6)08:44 – James van Riemsdyk (1) Petr Sykora (1) – 11:22 04:19 – pp – Claude Giroux (7) No scoring 04:36 – Daniel Briere (7) Martin Brodeur 32 saves / 36 shots Ilya Bryzgalov 23 saves / 26 shots May 1 4–1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030222 No scoring 02:53 – Matt Read (3) No scoring No scoring Adam Larsson (1) – 03:08David Clarkson (1) – 11:17Travis Zajac (5) – 14:01Bryce Salvador (1) – en – 17:09 No scoring Martin Brodeur 19 saves / 20 shots Ilya Bryzgalov 31 saves / 34 shots May 3 3–4 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030223 12:33 – pp – Patrik Elias (3)12:53 – Ilya Kovalchuk (4) Brayden Schenn (3) – pp – 06:08 No scoring Matt Carle (2) – 04:44 07:29 – Zach Parise (4) Daniel Briere (8) – 11:04 17:21 – Alexei Ponikarovsky (1) No scoring Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 28 shots Ilya Bryzgalov 27 saves / 31 shots May 6 2–4 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030224 15:14 – pp – Petr Sykora (2)18:09 – Marek Zidlicky (1) Scott Hartnell (3) – pp – 11:50Claude Giroux (8) – sh – 13:40 17:47 – Dainius Zubrus (2) No scoring 19:15 – en – Dainius Zubrus (3) No scoring Martin Brodeur 20 saves / 22 shots Ilya Bryzgalov 39 saves / 42 shots May 8 3–1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030225 Bryce Salvador (2) – 09:27David Clarkson (2) – 12:45 07:18 – Maxime Talbot (4) No scoring No scoring Ilya Kovalchuk (5) – pp – 05:00 No scoring Martin Brodeur 27 saves / 28 shots Ilya Bryzgalov 27 saves / 30 shots New Jersey won series 4–1 Western Conference semifinals (2) St. Louis Blues vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings This was the third playoff series between these two teams, with St. Louis having swept Los Angeles out of both of the previous playoff series; the most recent matchup was in the 1998 Western Conference quarterfinals. Los Angeles won three of the games in this year's four-game regular season series. The Kings swept the Blues to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1993. Los Angeles scored 15 total goals in the series, while goaltender Jonathan Quick only allowed six total St. Louis goals. This series marked the first time in Kings history that they swept a seven-game series, and the first time in NHL history the eighth seed defeated both the first and the second seeds. This was the only sweep of the entire playoffs. Los Angeles Kings St. Louis Blues Staples Center Scottrade Center April 28 3–1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030231 Slava Voynov (1) – 16:58 09:16 – David Backes (2) Matt Greene (1) – sh – 18:57 No scoring Dustin Penner (2) – en – 19:45 No scoring Jonathan Quick 28 saves / 29 shots Brian Elliott 26 saves / 28 shots April 30 5–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030232 Mike Richards (2) – 00:31Anze Kopitar (2) – sh – 14:16Jeff Carter (1) – 18:37Anze Kopitar (3) – 19:43 No scoring Justin Williams (1) – 01:26 00:18 – Andy McDonald (5) No scoring 05:16 – Matt D'Agostini (1) Jonathan Quick 27 saves / 29 shots Brian Elliott 16 saves / 21 shotsJake Allen 0 saves / 0 shots May 3 2–4 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030233 13:33 – Justin Williams (2) No scoring 01:53 – Dwight King (1)10:29 – pp – Mike Richards (3) Chris Stewart (1) – 01:13 08:12 – Drew Doughty (1) Chris Stewart (2) – 04:35 Jonathan Quick 18 saves / 20 shots Brian Elliott 18 saves / 22 shots May 6 1–3 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030234 04:36 – Jordan Nolan (1)18:17 – Dustin Brown (5) Kevin Shattenkirk (1) – 11:34 No scoring No scoring 19:34 – en – Dustin Brown (6) No scoring Jonathan Quick 23 saves / 24 shots Brian Elliott 16 saves / 18 shots Los Angeles won series 4–0 (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (4) Nashville Predators This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The teams split this year's four-game regular season series. The Coyotes defeated the Predators in five games to advance to their first ever conference finals in team history. This also marked the first time that Phoenix jumped to a 2–0 series lead since 1987.http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/04/29/phoenix-coyotes-take-2-0-series-lead-on-nashville-predators/ https://web.archive.org/web/20120510083245/http://tucsoncitizen.com/arizona-news/2012/04/29/phoenix-coyotes-take-2-0-series-lead-on-nashville-predators/ dead May 10, 2012 Phoenix Coyotes take 2–0 series lead on Nashville Predators Tucsoncitizen.com April 29, 2012 Sarah McLellan May 1, 2012 Ray Whitney scored the overtime winner in the Coyotes' 4–3 victory in game one. In game two, four different Phoenix players each had a goal and an assist in their 5–3 win. The Predators bounced back in game three, with goaltender Pekka Rinne stopping all 32 shots in a 2–0 victory. Coyotes goaltender Mike Smith responded with a shutout of his own in game four, stopping 25 shots, while Shane Doan scoring the lone goal in a 1–0 Phoenix win. Smith then continued to hold Nashville scoreless until 14:01 of the third period of game five, and the Coyotes held on to a 2–1 victory to win the series. Nashville was without forwards Alexander Radulov and Andrei Kostitsyn for games three and four, as the team suspended both players for breaking team curfew prior to game three.http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=630739 https://web.archive.org/web/20120506185411/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=630739 dead May 6, 2012 Radulov, A. Kostitsyn expected to return for game five - Coyotes vs Predators - 2012 Stanley Cup Conference semifinals Nhl.com June 14, 2012 This marked the last time that the Coyotes won a playoff series until 2020, when they defeated Nashville in the qualifying round. The series remains the franchise's most recent victory in a best of 7 game series. Nashville Predators Phoenix Coyotes Bridgestone Arena Jobing.com Arena April 27 3–4 1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030241 Brandon Yip (1) – 14:09 07:23 – pp – Radim Vrbata (1) Andrei Kostitsyn (2) – 11:19 03:05 – Rostislav Klesla (2)16:27 – Mikkel Boedker (3) Martin Erat (1) – pp – 15:18 No scoring No scoring Ray Whitney (2) – 14:04 Pekka Rinne 20 saves / 24 shots Mike Smith 39 saves / 42 shots April 29 3–5 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030242 Andrei Kostitsyn (3) – 17:13 08:32 – Antoine Vermette (5) Patric Hornqvist (1) – pp – 11:20 03:47 – Martin Hanzal (2)07:05 – Radim Vrbata (2)11:50 – Taylor Pyatt (3) Ryan Suter (1) – pp – 00:53 03:36 – Shane Doan (2) Pekka Rinne 34 saves / 39 shots Mike Smith 30 saves / 33 shots May 2 0–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030243 08:10 – David Legwand (3) 09:16 – Mike Fisher (1) No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring Pekka Rinne 32 saves / 32 shots Mike Smith 24 saves / 26 shots May 4 1–0 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030244 No scoring Shane Doan (3) – 14:25 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring Pekka Rinne 23 saves / 24 shots Mike Smith 25 saves / 25 shots May 7 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030245 No scoring No scoring No scoring 03:54 – Derek Morris (1)15:09 – Martin Hanzal (3) Colin Wilson (1) – 14:01 No scoring Pekka Rinne 15 saves / 17 shots Mike Smith 32 saves / 33 shots Phoenix won series 4–1 Conference finals NHL conference finals Eastern Conference final (1) New York Rangers vs. (6) New Jersey Devils This was the sixth playoff series between these two rivals with New York winning four of the five previous series. They last met in the 2008 Eastern Conference quarterfinals, which the Rangers won in five games. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series. In 1994, the Rangers and the Devils also met in the Eastern Conference Final, with New York prevailing in seven games, en route to winning the 1994 Stanley Cup. The Devils reached the conference finals for the first time since beating the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2003 Stanley Cup Final, while the Rangers reached the conference finals for the first time since 1997, when they lost to rival Philadelphia Flyers. The Rangers scored three unanswered goals in the third period, and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stopped all 21 New Jersey shots, to take game one, 3–0. In game two, David Clarkson's score early in the third period broke a 2–2 tie to give the Devils a 3–2 victory. Game three then ended up being similar to game one, as New York scored another three unanswered goals in the third period, and Lundqvist stopped all 37 New Jersey shots, en route to a second 3–0 win in this series. With his fifth goal of the playoffs in game three, Rangers rookie forward Chris Kreider set an NHL record for goals and points (5 goals, 7 points) for a player in the playoffs before his first regular season game.Saed Hindash http://www.nj.com/rangers/index.ssf/2012/05/chris_kreiders_playoff_run_now.html Chris Kreider's playoff run now record setting as Rangers rookie scores again May 20, 2012 NJ.com June 14, 2012 New Jersey then took game four, 4–1, as Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur made 28 saves and Zach Parise scored two goals. Game five ended up being a wild contest, as New Jersey scored three unanswered goals in the first period before New York tied it up early in the third period. Ryan Carter then scored at 15:36 of the third period, and Zach Parise added an empty-net goal, to give the Devils the 5–3 win. Adam Henrique's goal at 1:03 of overtime of game six then gave New Jersey a 3–2 victory to win the series. The Devils' did not win another playoff series until 2023 when they defeated the Rangers in seven games. New Jersey Devils New York Rangers Prudential Center Madison Square Garden May 14 0–3 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030311 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 00:53 – Daniel Girardi (2)12:00 – pp – Chris Kreider (3) 18:33 – en – Artem Anisimov (3) Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 27 shots Henrik Lundqvist 21 saves / 21 shots May 16 3–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030312 Ilya Kovalchuk (6) – pp – 13:39 No scoring Ryan Carter (2) – 18:09 02:23 – Marc Staal (3)12:19 – pp – Chris Kreider (4) David Clarkson (3) – 02:31 No scoring Martin Brodeur 23 saves / 25 shots Henrik Lundqvist 24 saves / 27 shots May 19 3–0 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030313 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring Daniel Girardi (3) – pp – 03:19Chris Kreider (5) – 05:16Ryan Callahan (4) – en – 17:47 Martin Brodeur 19 saves / 21 shots Henrik Lundqvist 36 saves / 36 shots May 21 1–4 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030314 08:10 – Bryce Salvador (3)11:59 – Travis Zajac (6) No scoring No scoring No scoring 02:41 – pp – Zach Parise (5)18:31 – en – Zach Parise (6) Ruslan Fedotenko (1) – 14:55 Martin Brodeur 28 saves / 29 shots Henrik Lundqvist 26 saves / 29 shots May 23 5–3 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030315 Stephen Gionta (3) – 02:43Patrik Elias (4) – 04:13Travis Zajac (7) – 09:49 15:41 – Brandon Prust (1) No scoring 00:32 – Ryan Callahan (5) Ryan Carter (3) – 15:36Zach Parise (7) – en – 19:28 00:17 – Marian Gaborik (5) Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 28 shots Henrik Lundqvist 12 saves / 16 shots May 25 2–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030316 10:05 – Ryan Carter (4)13:56 – pp – Ilya Kovalchuk (7) No scoring No scoring Ruslan Fedotenko (2) – 09:47Ryan Callahan (6) – 13:41 No scoring No scoring 01:03 – Adam Henrique (3) No scoring Martin Brodeur 33 saves / 35 shots Henrik Lundqvist 25 saves / 28 shots New Jersey won series 4–2 Western Conference final (3) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (8) Los Angeles Kings This was the first playoff series between these two teams. The Kings made their second conference finals appearance. They won their most recent appearance in the 1993 Campbell Conference final in seven games against the Toronto Maple Leafs. This marked the first conference finals appearance for Phoenix in their thirty-third season since entering the league as the Winnipeg Jets in 1979. The teams split this year's six-game regular season series. The Kings defeated the Coyotes in five games, advancing to their first Cup Final since 1993. Los Angeles out-shot Phoenix in game one, 48–27, en route to a 4–2 win. The Kings then shut the Coyotes out in game two, 4–0, as goaltender Jonathan Quick made 24 saves and Jeff Carter scored a hat trick. Los Angeles then overcame an early 1–0 deficit to take game three, 2–1. However, Shane Doan scored Phoenix's only two goals, and goaltender Mike Smith stopped all 36 shots, to give the Coyotes a 2–0 victory in game four to extend the series. But Dustin Penner's goal at 17:42 of overtime of game five gave the Kings a 4–3 victory to win the series. The game five win extended the Kings' road playoff winning streak to ten games, eight of which came this season, both setting NHL playoff records. The Kings became only the second team to eliminate the top three seeds from the same postseason, after the 2003–04 Calgary Flames, and the second eighth-seeded to reach the Stanley Cup Final after the 2005–06 Edmonton Oilers. Game Five was the last Stanley Cup playoff game to be held at Jobing.com Arena. Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes Staples Center Jobing.com Arena May 13 4–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030321 Anze Kopitar (4) – 03:53 13:26 – Derek Morris (2) Dwight King (2) – 08:02 18:05 – Mikkel Boedker (4) Dustin Brown (7) – 02:11Dwight King (3) – en – 19:12 No scoring Jonathan Quick 25 saves / 27 shots Mike Smith 44 saves / 47 shots May 15 4–0 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030322 Dwight King (4) – 13:15 No scoring Jeff Carter (2) – 04:47Jeff Carter (3) – pp – 18:49 No scoring Jeff Carter (4) – pp – 12:56 No scoring Jonathan Quick 24 saves / 24 shots Mike Smith 36 saves / 40 shots May 17 1–2 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030323 No scoring No scoring 03:10 – Anze Kopitar (5) Daymond Langkow (1) – 01:03 01:47 – Dwight King (5) No scoring Jonathan Quick 18 saves / 19 shots Mike Smith 26 saves / 28 shots May 20 2–0 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030324 No scoring Shane Doan (4) – pp – 14:19 No scoring Shane Doan (5) – 11:10 No scoring No scoring Jonathan Quick 19 saves / 21 shots Mike Smith 36 saves / 36 shots May 22 4–3 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030325 Anze Kopitar (6) – sh – 11:13 04:20 – pp – Taylor Pyatt (4) Drew Doughty (2) – 11:06Mike Richards (4) – 13:43 06:23 – Marc-Antoine Pouliot (1)16:23 – Keith Yandle (1) No scoring No scoring Dustin Penner (3) – 17:42 No scoring Jonathan Quick 38 saves / 41 shots Mike Smith 47 saves / 51 shots Los Angeles won series 4–1 Stanley Cup Final 2012 Stanley Cup Final thumb|right|300px|The Kings' 2012 Stanley Cup victory parade in downtown Los Angeles. This was the first playoff series between the Kings and the Devils. The Devils defeated the Kings in both games in this year's two-game regular season series. This was New Jersey's fifth appearance in the Stanley Cup Final, and their first since the 2003 Cup win over Los Angeles's rival Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in seven games. This was Los Angeles's second Finals appearance; their only other appearance was a five-game Stanley Cup Final loss to the Montreal Canadiens in 1993. The combined seeds of the teams, 14, is the highest ever for the Stanley Cup Final. On June 11, 2012, the Kings defeated the Devils in six games and won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Kings became the first and to date, only eighth-seeded team in North American sports history to win a championship. By winning the first two games on the road in Newark, New Jersey, the Los Angeles Kings set the single-season consecutive playoff road winning record at ten. They also improved the record to twelve consecutive road wins going back to the 2011 NHL playoffs when they beat the San Jose Sharks the last two games played in San Jose. Los Angeles Kings New Jersey Devils Staples Center Prudential Center May 30 2–1 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030411 Colin Fraser (1) – 09:56 No scoring No scoring 18:48 – Anton Volchenkov (1) No scoring No scoring Anze Kopitar (7) – 08:13 No scoring Jonathan Quick 16 saves / 17 shots Martin Brodeur 23 saves / 25 shots June 2 2–1 1 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030412 Drew Doughty (3) – 07:49 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 02:59 – Ryan Carter (5) Jeff Carter (5) – 13:42 No scoring Jonathan Quick 32 saves / 33 shots Martin Brodeur 30 saves / 32 shots June 4 0–4 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030413 No scoring No scoring 05:40 – Alec Martinez (1)15:07 – Anze Kopitar (8) No scoring 04:15 – pp – Jeff Carter (6)06:47 – pp – Justin Williams (3) No scoring Jonathan Quick 22 saves / 22 shots Martin Brodeur 17 saves / 21 shots June 6 3–1 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030414 No scoring No scoring No scoring No scoring 08:56 – pp – Drew Doughty (4) Patrik Elias (5) – 07:56Adam Henrique (4) – 15:29Ilya Kovalchuk (8) – en – 19:40 Jonathan Quick 21 saves / 23 shots Martin Brodeur 21 saves / 22 shots June 9 1–2 2 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030415 No scoring 12:45 – pp – Zach Parise (8) Justin Williams (4) – 03:26 09:05 – Bryce Salvador (4) No scoring No scoring Jonathan Quick 17 saves / 19 shots Martin Brodeur 25 saves / 26 shots June 11 1–6 1 www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2011030416 11:03 – pp – Dustin Brown (8)12:45 – pp – Jeff Carter (7)15:01 – pp – Trevor Lewis (2) No scoring 01:30 – Jeff Carter (8) Adam Henrique (5) – 18:45 16:15 – en – Trevor Lewis (3)16:30 – Matt Greene (2) No scoring Jonathan Quick 17 saves / 18 shots Martin Brodeur 19 saves / 24 shots Los Angeles won series 4–2 Player statistics Skaters These are the top ten skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, goals take precedence, and all the tied skaters are shown.2011–2012 – Playoffs – All Skaters – Summary – http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm#?navid=nav-sts-indiv https://web.archive.org/web/20100107123318/http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm#?navid=nav-sts-indiv dead January 7, 2010 NHL.com June 4, 2011 Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIMDustin Brown Dustin Brown (ice hockey) Los Angeles Kings 20 8 12 20 01+16 34Anze Kopitar Anže Kopitar Los Angeles Kings 20 8 12 20 02+16 9Ilya Kovalchuk New Jersey Devils 23 8 11 19 09–7 6Claude Giroux Philadelphia Flyers 10 8 9 17 05+2 13Drew Doughty Los Angeles Kings 20 4 12 16 04+11 14Zach Parise New Jersey Devils 24 8 7 15 08–8 4Brad Richards New York Rangers 20 6 9 15 06–2 8Mike Richards ice hockey Los Angeles Kings 20 4 11 15 03+1 17Justin Williams Los Angeles Kings 20 4 11 15 03+8 12Travis Zajac New Jersey Devils 24 7 7 14 07–6 4 GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus; PIM = Penalties in minutes Goaltending This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage, with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded. 2011–2012 – Playoffs – Goalie – GAA Leaders – Goals Against Average Leaders http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20123ALLGAGAll&sort=goalsAgainstAverage&viewName=goalsAgainstAverage https://web.archive.org/web/20120416134452/http://www.nhl.com/ice/playerstats.htm?fetchKey=20123ALLGAGAll&sort=goalsAgainstAverage&viewName=goalsAgainstAverage dead April 16, 2012 NHL.com May 19, 2012 Player Team GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOIJonathan Quick Los Angeles Kings 20 16 4 538 29 1.41 .946 3 0857:481238:12Henrik Lundqvist New York Rangers 20 10 10 554 38 1.82 .931 3 1250:49Braden Holtby Washington Capitals 14 7 7 459 30 1.95 .935 0 0921:56921:56Mike Smith ice hockey, born 1982 Phoenix Coyotes 16 9 7 602 34 1.99 .944 3 1026:49 Pekka Rinne Nashville Predators 10 5 5 296 21 2.07 .929 1 0609:14609:14 GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds) Television National Canadian English-language coverage of the first three rounds of the playoffs were split between CBC and TSN. This was the fourth year of a six-year agreement in which CBC and TSN selected the rights to individual series in the first three rounds using a draft-like setup.https://playbackonline.ca/2008/06/03/tsn-20080603/ TSN clinches landmark NHL deal playbackonline.ca June 3, 2008 July 13, 2021 CBC held exclusive rights to the Stanley Cup Final. French-language telecasts were broadcast on RDS and RDS2. As part of the NHL's new American TV contract with NBC, this was the first time that all playoffs are aired nationally in the United States on NBC, NBC Sports Network, CNBC, and NHL Network.http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/06/nbc-universal-to-televise-entire-stanley-cup-playoffs-for-first-time/ 2012 NHL Playoffs Airing Nationally for First Time on NBC, NBCSN, CNBC, NHLN. NBC Sports April 6, 2012 NBCSports.com April 7, 2012 American regional sports networks still carried their teams' first-round games, but all games from the second round onward were exclusive to one of NBC's networks.http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/hockey/nhl/04/19/tv-contract.ap/index.html?eref=sihp NHL reaches new television deal to remain on NBC, Versus Associated Press April 19, 2011 SI.com April 19, 2011 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110424114128/http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/hockey/nhl/04/19/tv-contract.ap/index.html?eref=sihp April 24, 2011 After the completion of the quarterfinals, the games on the NBC networks garnered the best ever TV rating for NHL games in the United States. The most watched Quarterfinals game ever was game six between Boston and Washington.http://www.thefutoncritic.com/ratings/2012/04/27/conference-quarterfinals-are-most-watched-on-record-31212/20120427nbc05/ Ratings – Conference quarterfinals Are Most-Watched on Record TheFutonCritic.com April 27, 2012 April 30, 2012April 2012 References 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs Stanley Cup playoffs 2012 Playoffs, 2012 Category:Stanley Cup playoffs