Every 1978-79 NHL playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
Montréal Canadiens won the 1978-79 title from a regular season record of 52-17-11. 12 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from the NHL API; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | Philadelphia Flyers | 2-1 in games | Vancouver Canucks | April 10 to April 14, 1979 |
| Preliminary Round | New York Rangers | 2-0 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 10 to April 12, 1979 |
| Preliminary Round | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2-0 in games | Atlanta Flames | April 10 to April 12, 1979 |
| Preliminary Round | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2-1 in games | Buffalo Sabres | April 10 to April 14, 1979 |
| Quarterfinals | New York Islanders | 4-0 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 16 to April 22, 1979 |
| Quarterfinals | Montréal Canadiens | 4-0 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | April 16 to April 22, 1979 |
| Quarterfinals | Boston Bruins | 4-0 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | April 16 to April 22, 1979 |
| Quarterfinals | New York Rangers | 4-1 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 16 to April 24, 1979 |
| Semifinals | New York Rangers | 4-2 in games | New York Islanders | April 26 to May 8, 1979 |
| Semifinals | Montréal Canadiens | 4-3 in games | Boston Bruins | April 26 to May 10, 1979 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Montréal Canadiens | 4-1 in games | New York Rangers | May 13 to May 21, 1979 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.