Every 1996-97 NHL playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
Loading playoff data…
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.
Detroit Red Wings won the 1996-97 title from a regular season record of 38-26-18. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conference Quarterfinals | Colorado Avalanche | 4-2 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 16 to April 26, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Edmonton Oilers | 4-3 in games | Dallas Stars | April 16 to April 29, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | New Jersey Devils | 4-1 in games | Montréal Canadiens | April 17 to April 26, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | April 17 to April 26, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Detroit Red Wings | 4-2 in games | St. Louis Blues | April 16 to April 27, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Buffalo Sabres | 4-3 in games | Ottawa Senators | April 17 to April 29, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | New York Rangers | 4-1 in games | Florida Panthers | April 17 to April 25, 1997 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Anaheim Ducks | 4-3 in games | Phoenix Coyotes | April 16 to April 29, 1997 |
| Conference Semifinals | Colorado Avalanche | 4-1 in games | Edmonton Oilers | May 2 to May 11, 1997 |
| Conference Semifinals | New York Rangers | 4-1 in games | New Jersey Devils | May 2 to May 11, 1997 |
| Conference Semifinals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 in games | Buffalo Sabres | May 3 to May 11, 1997 |
| Conference Semifinals | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 in games | Anaheim Ducks | May 2 to May 8, 1997 |
| Conference Finals | Detroit Red Wings | 4-2 in games | Colorado Avalanche | May 15 to May 26, 1997 |
| Conference Finals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 in games | New York Rangers | May 16 to May 25, 1997 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | May 31 to June 7, 1997 |
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.
The races that filled this bracket: Atlantic Northeast Central Pacific