Every 2008-09 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.
Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2008-09 title from a regular season record of 45-28-9. 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 | Anaheim Ducks | 4-2 in games | San Jose Sharks | April 16 to April 27, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Boston Bruins | 4-0 in games | Montréal Canadiens | April 16 to April 22, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Detroit Red Wings | 4-0 in games | Columbus Blue Jackets | April 16 to April 23, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Washington Capitals | 4-3 in games | New York Rangers | April 15 to April 28, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Carolina Hurricanes | 4-3 in games | New Jersey Devils | April 15 to April 28, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 in games | Calgary Flames | April 16 to April 27, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Vancouver Canucks | 4-0 in games | St. Louis Blues | April 15 to April 21, 2009 |
| Conference Quarterfinals | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 15 to April 25, 2009 |
| Conference Semifinals | Carolina Hurricanes | 4-3 in games | Boston Bruins | May 1 to May 14, 2009 |
| Conference Semifinals | Detroit Red Wings | 4-3 in games | Anaheim Ducks | May 1 to May 14, 2009 |
| Conference Semifinals | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-3 in games | Washington Capitals | May 2 to May 13, 2009 |
| Conference Semifinals | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 in games | Vancouver Canucks | April 30 to May 11, 2009 |
| Conference Finals | Detroit Red Wings | 4-1 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | May 17 to May 27, 2009 |
| Conference Finals | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-0 in games | Carolina Hurricanes | May 18 to May 26, 2009 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-3 in games | Detroit Red Wings | May 30 to June 12, 2009 |
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 Southeast Central Northwest Pacific