Every 1979-80 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.
New York Islanders won the 1979-80 title from a regular season record of 39-28-13. 16 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 | 3-0 in games | Edmonton Oilers | April 8 to April 11, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | Buffalo Sabres | 3-1 in games | Vancouver Canucks | April 8 to April 12, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | Montréal Canadiens | 3-0 in games | Hartford Whalers | April 8 to April 11, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | Boston Bruins | 3-2 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | April 8 to April 14, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | New York Islanders | 3-1 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 8 to April 12, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | Minnesota North Stars | 3-0 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | April 8 to April 11, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | Chicago Blackhawks | 3-0 in games | St. Louis Blues | April 8 to April 11, 1980 |
| Preliminary Round | New York Rangers | 3-1 in games | Atlanta Flames | April 8 to April 12, 1980 |
| Quarterfinals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 in games | New York Rangers | April 16 to April 22, 1980 |
| Quarterfinals | Buffalo Sabres | 4-0 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 16 to April 20, 1980 |
| Quarterfinals | Minnesota North Stars | 4-3 in games | Montréal Canadiens | April 16 to April 27, 1980 |
| Quarterfinals | New York Islanders | 4-1 in games | Boston Bruins | April 16 to April 22, 1980 |
| Semifinals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 in games | Minnesota North Stars | April 29 to May 8, 1980 |
| Semifinals | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | Buffalo Sabres | April 29 to May 10, 1980 |
| Stanley Cup Final | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | May 13 to May 24, 1980 |
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.