Every 1980-81 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 1980-81 title from a regular season record of 48-18-14. 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 | New York Islanders | 3-0 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | April 8 to April 11, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | St. Louis Blues | 3-2 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | April 8 to April 14, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | Edmonton Oilers | 3-0 in games | Montréal Canadiens | April 8 to April 11, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | Buffalo Sabres | 3-0 in games | Vancouver Canucks | April 8 to April 11, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | New York Rangers | 3-1 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 8 to April 12, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | Philadelphia Flyers | 3-2 in games | Quebec Nordiques | April 8 to April 14, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | Calgary Flames | 3-0 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 8 to April 11, 1981 |
| Preliminary Round | Minnesota North Stars | 3-0 in games | Boston Bruins | April 8 to April 11, 1981 |
| Quarterfinals | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | Edmonton Oilers | April 16 to April 24, 1981 |
| Quarterfinals | New York Rangers | 4-2 in games | St. Louis Blues | April 16 to April 24, 1981 |
| Quarterfinals | Minnesota North Stars | 4-1 in games | Buffalo Sabres | April 16 to April 22, 1981 |
| Quarterfinals | Calgary Flames | 4-3 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 16 to April 26, 1981 |
| Semifinals | New York Islanders | 4-0 in games | New York Rangers | April 28 to May 5, 1981 |
| Semifinals | Minnesota North Stars | 4-2 in games | Calgary Flames | April 28 to May 9, 1981 |
| Stanley Cup Final | New York Islanders | 4-1 in games | Minnesota North Stars | May 12 to May 21, 1981 |
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.