Contents

2006 Stanley Cup playoffs

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The 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs for the National Hockey League began on April 21, 2006. The finals are scheduled to conclude by June 19 at the latest. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, have played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinal, semifinal and championships, and then the conference champions will play a best-of-7 series for the Stanley Cup. As of June 14, 2006, the Edmonton Oilers are down 3 games to 2 in the best-of-7 series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

While the 2005-06 NHL season introduced a shootout to break ties after 5 minutes of 4-on-4 overtime, the Stanley Cup Playoffs retains its traditional method of unlimited periods of 20-minute, 5-on-5 overtime to break ties.

Playoff bracket

Template:NHLBracket

Source: Sportsline NHL Hockey Playoff Bracket

Note that Conference Quarterfinal pairings are not bracketed into Semifinal matchups; teams are re-seeded within each conference after the first round, such that the highest remaining seed in each conference plays the lowest remaining seed.

Playoff seeds

After the 2005-06 NHL season, a total of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Detroit Red Wings were the Presidents' Trophy winners with the best record at 124 points (58 wins, 16 regulation losses, 8 overtime losses), while the Ottawa Senators won on the last day of the regular season to earn the Eastern Conference regular season crown.

Eastern Conference

1. Ottawa Senators - Northeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions, 113 points
2. Carolina Hurricanes - Southeast Division champions, 112 points
3. New Jersey Devils - Atlantic Division champions, 101 points (46 wins)
4. Buffalo Sabres - 110 points
5. Philadelphia Flyers - 101 points (45 wins)
6. New York Rangers - 100 points
7. Montreal Canadiens - 93 points
8. Tampa Bay Lightning - 92 points

Western Conference

1. Detroit Red Wings - Central Division and Western Conference regular season champions; Presidents' Trophy winners, 124 points
2. Dallas Stars - Pacific Division champions, 112 points
3. Calgary Flames - Northwest Division champions, 103 points
4. Nashville Predators - 106 points
5. San Jose Sharks - 99 points
6. Mighty Ducks of Anaheim - 98 points
7. Colorado Avalanche - 95 points (43 wins)
8. Edmonton Oilers - 95 points (41 wins)

Statistical leaders

Points

As of games completed June 14, 2006, Unofficial Results

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; SOG = Shots on Goal

* - player's team eliminated from playoffs

Goals

As of games completed June 14, 2006, Unofficial Results

Note: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = Plus/Minus; PIM = Penalty Minutes; SOG = Shots on Goal

* - player's team eliminated from playoffs

Goaltending

Minimum 60 minutes. As of games completed June 14, 2006, Unofficial Results

Note: GP = Games Played; TOI = Time On Ice (minutes); W = Wins; L = Losses; GA = Goals Against; SO = Shutouts; Sv% = Save Percentage; GAA = Goals Against Average

* - player's team eliminated from playoffs

Conference Quarterfinals

Eastern Conference

(1) Ottawa Senators defeat (8) Tampa Bay Lightning, 4 games to 1

The defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning faced off against the Ottawa Senators, who held off Carolina to earn the Eastern Conference regular-season title on the final day of the regular season. The teams had never met before in the playoffs, but in four regular-season meetings, Ottawa had dominated, winning all four games in regulation.

In Game 1, Tampa got on the board first, but in the third period, two quick power-play goals by Martin Havlat and Jason Spezza respectively gave Ottawa the lead. Mike Fisher added a short-handed goal three minutes later, and the Senators went on to win 4-1. Game 2 saw the Senators hold a 3-2 lead in the third period, but Dan Boyle tied the score and 55 seconds later, Martin St. Louis scored his second goal of the game, and it held up to give the Lightning a 4-3 win, evening the series.

Two days later, the series resumed in Tampa Bay for Game 3, but the visiting Senators came out firing, with three goals in the first period. Havlat had two goals, giving him a total of four for the series thus far, as did Antoine Vermette, as the Senators routed the Lightning, 8-4, in a game marked by the teams combining for 129 penalty minutes. Tampa Bay's Pavel Kubina earned a "Gordie Howe hat trick", with a goal, an assist, and two misconduct penalties earned in a late fight. Game 4 saw the Lightning take a 2-1 lead after the first period, but a trio of second-period goals gave the Senators a lead they would not relinquish. Dany Heatley finished with a goal and two assists in the 5-2 win which put Ottawa on the verge of advancing.

They would do just that two days later in Game 5, back in Ottawa. Martin Havlat continued his solid play, completing a series in which he scored in each game, providing a power-play goal in the second period which gave Ottawa a 3-1 advantage. The Lightning would close the gap to 3-2, but that was as close as they would come. Havlat finished the series with 6 goals and 4 assists, while Heatley and Spezza each had 2 goals and 8 assists.

(2) Carolina Hurricanes defeat (7) Montreal Canadiens, 4 games to 2

After losing the first two games of this series, the heavily-favored Carolina Hurricanes put an end to the Montreal Canadiens' Cinderella hopes by winning the following four games, all by one goal and two coming in overtime. Two key turning points in the series were the emergence of Carolina goalie Cam Ward, who was brought in to replace a shaky Martin Gerber, as well as a series-ending eye injury to Canadiens captain Saku Koivu.

(3) New Jersey Devils defeat (6) New York Rangers, 4 games to 0

The Atlantic Division title came down to the final day of the regular season. The Devils came from behind to defeat the Montreal Canadiens for their 11th straight win, while the Rangers lost to the Ottawa Senators for their fifth straight loss. These results capped off a record-breaking comeback, as the Devils, who had trailed the division-leading Flyers by 19 points in January, clinched the division title and the third seed in the playoffs. The Rangers, on the other hand, slipped to the sixth seed, but still qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1997.

The Devils and Rangers were meeting in the playoffs for the fourth time in their respective histories, with the Rangers having won all three past meetings, including the classic 1994 Eastern Conference Finals, when Mark Messier guaranteed a win and backed it up with a hat trick in Game 6, and Stephane Matteau scored the game-winner in double-overtime of Game 7. More recently, the teams split their eight games in the 2005-06 season, with each team going 3-1 on their home ice, and winning one game in overtime.

The Devils jumped out to a quick lead, winning Game 1, 6-1, behind five power-play goals, and Patrik Elias's two goals and four assists, while Rangers star Jaromir Jagr left the game with an arm injury late in the third period. This injury kept Jagr out of Game 2, which the Devils won 4-1, led by John Madden's hat trick, including two short-handed goals. In Game 3, Jamie Langenbrunner scored 68 seconds into the game, and Martin Brodeur earned his 21st career playoff shutout, with 25 saves, as the Devils won 3-0. Jagr's injury woes continued in Game 4, as he was knocked out with a hit in the first minute of the game. Despite this, the Rangers took their only lead of the series on Jed Ortmeyer's goal late in the first period, but New Jersey responded with two goals in each of the second and third periods, including two by Elias, giving him five for the series, as they won, 4-2, eliminating their rivals, and advancing to the Conference Semifinals.

(4) Buffalo Sabres defeat (5) Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 2

In a repeat of the result of their 2001 playoff series, right down to the blowout victory in the deciding game, the Buffalo Sabres eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.

Game 1 went to Buffalo, 3-2, as co-captain Daniel Brière ended a marathon game with a double-overtime goal on his team-record 14th shot of the playoff game. Game 1 was also notable for a monstrous hit laid upon Philadelphia's R.J. Umberger by Buffalo's Brian Campbell during the first overtime period. Philadelphia goaltender Robert Esche was outstanding, turning aside 55 Buffalo shots before finally allowing the game-winner.

The Flyers, looking for revenge from Game 1, took 17 penalties in Game 2, including 3 misconducts, and a 5-minute major for checking from behind. Unfortunately for the Flyers, those penalties resulted in eleven Buffalo power plays. The Sabres scored three power play goals, rolling to an 8-2 victory. J.P. Dumont and rookie Jason Pominville each recorded hat tricks for Buffalo, and the series appeared to be well in-hand for the Sabres.

The series then shifted to Philadelphia, however, and the Flyers were able to even it up with wins in Games 3 and 4. Peter Forsberg came alive offensively in Game 3, recording two second-period goals to break a 1-1 tie. The Flyers went on to win the game, 4-2. In Game 4, the Sabres jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but it was quickly lost. Forsberg once again scored two goals, including an empty-netter with 49 seconds remaining. The empty-netter proved to be the game-winner, as Buffalo's Mike Grier scored with 19 seconds left in the game to make the final score 5-4 in favor of the Flyers.

Home-ice advantage continued to be key as the Sabres returned to the HSBC Arena for Game 5 and scored a 3-0 victory. Sabre goaltender Ryan Miller made 24 saves to earn his first career playoff shutout. In Game 6, home-ice advantage was finally broken as the Sabres jumped to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period in the Wachovia Center and never looked back. Six different Sabres scored as they finished off the Flyers with a resounding 7-1 victory.

Western Conference

(8) Edmonton Oilers defeat (1) Detroit Red Wings, 4 games to 2

After losing Game 1 in double overtime, the Oilers won Game 2, 4-2. The series moved to Canada even at one game apiece. Jarret Stoll provided the game-winner after 28 minutes of overtime in Game 3, giving the Oilers a 2-1 series lead. The Red Wings countered in Game 4, winning 4-2 to tie the series.

Back in Detroit, the Oilers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second period of Game 5. Brendan Shanahan closed the gap to 3-1, and Henrik Zetterberg added his fifth goal of the series to pull Detroit within one, but Edmonton held on to take a 3-2 series lead. Returning to Edmonton, the Oilers found themselves trailing 2-0 after two periods. Fernando Pisani tied the game with two goals, his fourth and fifth of the series, before Detroit reclaimed the lead. With 3:53 to play, Ales Hemsky tied the game on a controversial power-play goal which was reviewed for several minutes, questioning whether it was kicked in. The goal was allowed to stand, and Hemsky then provided the game-winning goal with 1:06 left in the third period.

(7) Colorado Avalanche defeat (2) Dallas Stars, 4 games to 1

The first upset of the 2006 playoffs came in this series, as the seventh-seeded Avalanche defeated the second-seeded Stars in five games. The Stars had won three of the teams' four regular-season meetings, although two of those wins were in overtime.

In Game 1, the Stars came out quickly, going up 2-0 on goals by Brenden Morrow and Bill Guerin, but five different Colorado players scored, allowing the Avalanche to claim a 5-2 win and control of the series. Colorado continued its momentum with three first-period goals to open Game 2, but Dallas responded with four goals in the second period, including two fluky goals by Jere Lehtinen and a go-ahead goal in the closing seconds by Mike Modano. Brett Clark tied the game with a short-handed goal with 2:04 to play in regulation. Four minutes into overtime Jason Arnott got a shot past Colorado goalie Jose Theodore but it hit the post. The Avalanche quickly counter-attacked, and Joe Sakic scored his NHL-record seventh career overtime goal to end the game.

Returning to Denver with a 2-0 series lead, the Avalanche wasted no time as Sakic scored the first goal of Game 3. Stu Barnes tied the game short-handed, but Colorado led 2-1 after one period. Dallas took a 3-2 lead in the second period, but Andrew Brunette scored with 57 seconds remaining in the third period to tie the game, and Alex Tanguay tallied his second goal of the game at 1:09 of the first overtime to give the Avalanche a 4-3 win and a 3-0 series lead. Dallas staved off elimination in Game 4 as Niklas Hagman scored two goals in a 4-1 win.

However, the Avalanche denied the Stars a chance at a continued comeback by winning Game 5 to clinch the series. Joe Sakic scored with just two seconds to play in the second period to give his team a 2-1 lead. The Stars tied it in the third period, but Sergei Zubov's attempted game-winner late in the period glanced off the post. After nearly 14 minutes of overtime, Andrew Brunette put a rebound past Marty Turco to finish the game and the series.

(6) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defeat (3) Calgary Flames, 4 games to 3

The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim ended the Calgary Flames' season by slamming the door shut on them by winning a decisive Game 7, 3-0, behind the stellar play of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov. The entire series was a back-and-forth affair with the teams trading victories throughout the first six games. Bryzgalov started game one because of an injury to Jean-Sebastien Giguere, playing extremely well despite losing 2-1. When Giguere proved ineffective through the next four games, Bryzgalov returned to the net to carry the Ducks through to the second round. The Flames, the defending Western Conference champion, were eliminated in the first round despite winning the Northwest Division.

(5) San Jose Sharks defeat (4) Nashville Predators, 4 games to 1

The 4-5 matchup in the West pitted the Nashville Predators against the San Jose Sharks, the first playoff meeting between the two teams. Nashville had dominated much of the season on their way to the fourth seed in the conference, while San Jose rallied back from an early-season slump all the way to the 5th seed, thanks to a December trade for superstar Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins. The teams split their regular season series, with both of San Jose's wins coming in overtime.

Both teams also came into the series with fresh faces defending their goals. After Sharks starter Evgeni Nabokov stumbled through most of the regular season, backup Vesa Toskala earned the spot as playoff starter with his impressive play during San Jose's strech run to clinch a playoff spot. On the other hand, Nashville's star goaltender Tomas Vokoun would be diagnosed with a blood disorder in early April that would keep him sidelined for the rest of the season, forcing backup Chris Mason to become Nashville's top netminder for the playoffs.

The Predators would be first to strike, winning the first game 4-3 at home with four power-play goals, three of them coming in the first period. Ironically, it would be San Jose's power play that would be the undoing of Nashville. Game 2 had San Jose returning the favor from Game 1, with three first-period power play goals from Patrick Marleau, Jonathan Cheechoo and Mark Smith and Toskala shutting out the Predators in a solid 3-0 victory.

The series changed over to San Jose for Games 3 and 4, but the Predators' tendency for penalties continued to be taken advantage of by the Sharks. In Game 3, a short-handed goal by Kimmo Timonen gave the Predators an early lead, but San Jose bounced back with four unanswered goals, two of them by Marleau and one on the power play by Steve Bernier, en route to a 4-1 San Jose victory. Game 4 saw Marleau score a hat trick, with two of his goals coming on the power play (and another by Smith scored right after another Nashville penalty expired) leading to a 5-4 San Jose victory as the series changed back to Nashville for Game 5. Unfortunately for Nashville, a Paul Kariya goal would not be enough to combat power play goals by Marleau and Bernier in a decisive 2-1 victory for San Jose in Game 5, giving the Sharks the series.

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference

(4) Buffalo Sabres defeat (1) Ottawa Senators, 4 games to 1

In a battle of the top two teams from the Northeast Division in 2006, the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres squared off in this series. The Senators won five of the eight meetings between the teams in the regular season, including several lopsided results early in the season.

Game 1 of the series was a wild, back-and-forth affair, with the Sabres having to tie the game five separate times -- including a goal by Tim Connolly with just 10.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 6 -- before winning just 18 seconds into overtime on a goal by Chris Drury.

The remainder of the series would be tightly played defensively, though, and would feature excellent goaltending by both Buffalo's Ryan Miller and Ottawa's Ray Emery. A 2-1 victory by the Sabres in Game 2 was highlighted by 43 Miller saves -- including one on a breakaway by Jason Spezza -- and allowed them to take a 2-0 series lead home.

Game 3 went to overtime, and was won once again by the Sabres on a shot by J.P. Dumont. Sabre fans entered the HSBC Arena for Game 4 prepared for a sweep, but were disappointed as the Senators were able to stave off elimination with a 2-1 victory.

Ottawa returned home for Game 5 with hopes of pulling even closer and making the series even more interesting. The game went to overtime but ended quickly as Jason Pominville put home a shorthanded goal just 2:26 in to end the Senators' season. There have been six short-handed overtime goals in Stanley Cup Playoff history up to this point, but this was the first one to ever end a series. This put the Sabres into the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in the past eight seasons.

(2) Carolina Hurricanes defeat (3) New Jersey Devils, 4 games to 1

The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils, both division champions, met in the Conference Semifinals. The teams had met twice before in the playoffs: In 2001, the top-seeded Devils dispatched the Hurricanes in six games in the first round; Carolina returned the favor the following year as the third seed (the Hurricanes had an inferior record, but held home advantage as a division champion). In the 2005-06 season, the Hurricanes won both games in 2005, while the Devils won both games in 2006, the last towards the beginning of their 15-game winning streak.

Game 1 of the series, in Carolina, featured sloppy play by the Devils. Ray Whitney scored a power-play goal in the first period and added another in the second period. Frustration set in for New Jersey as the Hurricanes scored two quick power-play goals late in the second, and then two more power-play goals midway through the third period, leading to Martin Brodeur being pulled from his position as Devils' goalie in favor of Scott Clemmensen. Never in question, the game went to Carolina 6-0.

Game 2, also in Carolina, was a much cleaner and low-scoring affair than the first game. New Jersey was three seconds away from winning Game 2 by a 2-1 score and sending the series back to New Jersey tied 1-1 before Eric Staal scored the game-tying goal just before time expired to send the game into overtime. Niclas Wallin tallied the game-winner 3:09 into overtime. The devastating defeat hurt New Jersey's morale, and then back in New Jersey for Game 3, the Devils lost another 3-2 game, with Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour scoring the game-winner with 1:01 to play in the second period. The third period featured stellar play from goalies Cam Ward of Carolina and Martin Brodeur of New Jersey.

With a four-game sweep and elimination staring them in the face, New Jersey jumped out to a 5-0 lead and won game 4 with a final score of 5-1, including two goals by Scott Gomez and Jay Pandolfo's first goal of the postseason. Goalie Cam Ward of Carolina was pulled after the fourth goal for Martin Gerber, the man that he displaced behind the goal in Game 3 of Carolina's first-round series with Montreal.

Ward would return to the net a day later back in Carolina in Game 5, and it looked like he might have a similarly short outing after Brian Gionta tallied in the game's first minute. However, Ward and the Carolina defense clamped down on the Devils attack as the Hurricanes killed off 5 straight New Jersey penalties. Hurricanes defenseman Frantisek Kaberle also added a goal to tie the score at 1. When the Hurricanes received their first power play over halfway into the game, Carolina tallied on a rush up ice, with Brind'Amour and Justin Williams feeding an open Cory Stillman who beat Brodeur. Whitney and Staal added late markers to make the final game and series totals 4-1 in favor of the Hurricanes.

Western Conference

(8) Edmonton Oilers defeat (5) San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2

Coming into this series, many saw this matchup as a toss-up: the underrated Oilers were riding an emotional high following their Game 6 third-period comeback over the Detroit Red Wings in the first round, while the Sharks easily dispatched an uninspired Nashville Predators club in five games. It also would be a test for two mostly young teams, as leadership from such players as Patrick Marleau and Alyn McCauley of the Sharks and Chris Pronger of Edmonton would be necessary for success.

Game 1 was a muddled, penalty-filled battle. Edmonton took a 1st period lead off a Jaroslav Spacek power-play goal, but the Patrick Marleau line was the order of the day. Marleau scored one goal (raising his playoff-leading total to eight) and assisted on the other, leading the Sharks to a convincing 2-1 win. Game 2 also saw a San Jose 2-1 victory, with Joe Thornton scoring the game-winning goal on a power play in the second period.

The site changed to Edmonton for Game 3, and the Sharks and Oilers engaged in an epic, triple-overtime thriller, the longest playoff game in this postseason to date, before Edmonton's Shawn Horcoff finally ended the game with a goal giving the Oilers a 3-2 win. Invigorated by their tense victory in Game 3, Edmonton shook off an early 3-1 deficit in Game 4 and scored five unanswered goals late in the game, including three in the final period to knock out San Jose's goalie, Vesa Toskala, to win 6-3 and even the series 2-2 going back to San Jose.

Game 5 was the first time that a road team won a game in the series with a 6-3 Edmonton victory. The teams entered a crazy third period with Edmonton up 2-1 having killed off 6 penalties in the first and second periods. Twelve seconds in, Shawn Horcoff of the Oilers managed to put in a short-handed goal past Vesa Toskala making the score 3-1. Shortly after, the Sharks scored their first power play goal in three games with Christian Ehrhoff putting it in the Edmonton net at 0:44. Less than two minutes later Cheechoo put another one past Roloson tying the game up. However, the Oilers answered back with Fernando Pisani scoring his second goal of the game. Despite the rather crazy opening, the Sharks took 6 penalties in the third period, which proved very costly. Jarret Stoll quickly capitalized on a Jonathan Cheechoo interference call and then Ryan Smyth for an Edmonton five-on-three later in the period sealing the game. The two teams headed back to Edmonton, where the Oilers took the game 2-0, with the game-winning goal from Michael Peca, to win the series, 4-2.

(6) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defeat (7) Colorado Avalanche, 4 games to 0

Fresh off of the first round's only series to go the full seven games, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim advanced to play the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. The Avalanche went 3-1 against Anaheim in the regular season, though all four games were decided by a single goal, and Anaheim's win was in overtime. This is the first playoff series between the teams.

Game 1 started slow with no goals in the first period, but Samuel Påhlsson would give Anaheim the lead early in the second. Two goals in the last minute of the period gave Anaheim a 4-0 advantage that would be extended to 5-0 by game's end, as rookie Ilya Bryzgalov recorded his second straight shutout.

Bryzgalov was at it again in Game 2, becoming the first goalie since his teammate, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, to record three straight playoff shutouts as the Ducks won 3-0. Bryzgalov joins Frank McCool as the only rookie to accomplish such a feat, which was tested late when the Avalanche pulled goalie Jose Theodore in a desperate attempt to score. Stretching back to midway through the first period of Game 6 of the previous series, the Ducks have not been scored on in 229:42, giving Bryzgalov the fourth longest playoff shutout streak in NHL history. He would break the record for longest such streak at 0:27 of the third period of Game 3 if the Avalanche did not score before then.

However, the third game was a little bit more climactic than the first two, when Bryzgalov recorded two shutouts to take the Avs out of the game. Dan Hinote scored late in the 1st period for the Avs, setting Bryzgalov's streak at second all-time, clocking in at just under 250 minutes. Joffrey Lupul brought the Ducks back even in the second, but a Jim Dowd tally gave the Avs another lead. Two more from Lupul, his first career hat trick, put the Ducks in a 3-2 lead late, but a Rob Blake follow-up from a heavy Alex Tanguay shot tied the score. It took 16:30 of extra time to get a winner, and it was decided by Joffrey Lupul, whose fourth goal on the night put the Ducks in a commanding 3-0 series lead. A newspaper in Edmonton reported the final score as Lupul 4, Avs 3. [1]

The fourth game would be the Avs' last in the playoffs, as they lost 4-1 in Colorado. Joe Sakic scored the only goal for the Avs early in the first period. The Ducks equalized late in the first period via a Todd Marchant goal. Bryzgalov didn't allow the puck past him in the next two periods, with Teemu Selanne scoring the winning goal early in the second period. Also, Dustin Penner scoring in the sixth minute of the third period, and Marchant scored his second goal of the game late in the third period to secure Anaheim's berth in the Western Conference finals.

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference

(2) Carolina Hurricanes defeat (4) Buffalo Sabres, 4 games to 3

The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres began the series labeled as "mirror images" of each other. Both teams were expected to do little in the pre-season, largely because of a lack of major moves in free agency in the off-season attributed to both teams' small-market status. Yet, both teams succeeded, thanks to a successful adjustment to the new, up-tempo game played in the NHL. The two teams were separated by just two points in the regular season, and both finished with 52 wins (Carolina had more points by virtue of taking two more games to overtime than Buffalo did). In their post-season runs, both teams had won their first round series 4-2, and their second round series 4-1. Both teams' post-season success had been credited to team defense, offensive scoring depth and the outstanding play of a rookie goaltender, Ryan Miller for the Sabres, and Cam Ward for the Hurricanes.

Thus, something had to give when the two teams first took the ice for Game 1 on May 20 in Carolina. One theme that held true early was Buffalo's propensity for scoring first, as defenseman Henrik Tallinder finished off a barrage on Ward by beating the rookie goaltender three minutes in. Carolina amped up the pressure, and Rod Brind'Amour converted a turnover into a goal that ensured a 1-1 first period deadlock. Buffalo responded in the second, outshooting Carolina 13-4 and getting a beautiful goal from co-captain Daniel Briere in transition. Carolina applied plenty of pressure in the 3rd, but the Sabres took advantage of a failed power-play when Jay McKee emerged from the penalty box to beat Ward for another Buffalo transition marker. Mike Commodore cut the defecit to 3-2 with a shorthanded tally three minutes from the buzzer, but the Hurricanes failed to take advantage of opportunities down the stretch and the Sabres celebrated a 3-2 win.

Buffalo head coach Lindy Ruff expected the Hurricanes to come out and give their best effort in Game 2. Carolina did not disappoint. Urged on by a raucous RBC Center crowd, the 'Canes had the better of the play in the 1st period, climaxed by a Frantisek Kaberle power-play goal. However, Buffalo evened the game 48 seconds from intermission when a point shot pinballed past Ward. Perhaps as a result of the tie score, the 'Canes put the pedal to the medal and absolutely dominated Buffalo in the second period, outshooting the Sabres 16-4 and picking up two goals from veteran forward Ray Whitney. A near Buffalo goal, saved from trickling in the net by an alert Hurricanes defenseman Glen Wesley, and a Justin Williams tally in the third period, which should have been stopped by Miller, both seemed meaningless at the time, but two late Buffalo goals (byChris Drury and Derek Roy) made them quite important. The 4-3 Hurricanes win was not without controversy, as 'Canes boss Peter Laviolette accused the Sabres of diving in order to draw four penalty calls against Carolina in the third period. Ruff shot back that the Sabres were just following Carolina's example, beginning a war of words between the two bosses.

Game 3 was similar, except this time the two teams were reversed. Buffalo had the better of the play in the 1st, but led just 1-1, this time tieing the game when Chris Drury deflected a shot past Ward. In this second period, it would be Buffalo that dominated, unleashing a barrage on Ward that yielded three goals, two for Daniel Briere and one for Ales Kotalik. After the Kotalik goal, Ward was pulled in favor of Martin Gerber, the Hurricanes #1 goaltender during the regular season. Gerber was immediately called into duty and made two impressive saves on break-aways, giving Carolina momentum. The Hurricanes responded with tallies from Cory Stillman and Eric Staal, extending Staal's point streak to 13 games. A fourth goal would not come in spite of lots of pressure in the Buffalo zone in the final moments. The Sabres emerged with a 2-1 series lead, but lost Tallinder, one of their top defensemen, to a broken arm that would sideline him for the rest of the post-season.

Once more, the past game's result would have no reflection on the next game, as Game 4 provided, as of yet, the series' first large margin of victory for either side. The game went Carolina's way, as the 'Canes emerged with a 4-0 shutout win. Much of the pregame conjecture centered around whom Laviolette would turn to in net. In the end, the call went to the veteran Gerber, and the Switzerland native responded. Gerber made big save after big save in the first period, keeping the score deadlocked before Mark Recchi and Staal tallied to give the 'Canes a 2-0 1st period lead. Andrew Ladd and Bret Hedican added their first goals of the post-season to provide the final margin. The goals and the result were largely blamed on a Buffalo defense missing Talinder, Dmitri Kalinin and Teppo Numminen, who had been injured in Game 1, forcing seldom-used Jeff Jillson and Doug Janik into the line-up.

Ruff was miffed that these individuals received so much blame in Game 4, and wanted his team to respond in Game 5. Once more, Gerber started in net for the Hurricanes, but on this night he was not on his game. Drury scored his ninth of the post-season to open the scoring and, after a Williams goal 17 seconds later tied the score, Derek Roy beat Gerber on a seemingly stoppable shot to give the Sabres a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Things got worse two minutes into the second when a fallen Wesley and a Commodore turnover allowed Sabre defenseman Toni Lydman to break-away in and beat Gerber, giving Buffalo a 3-1 lead. Laviolette once more made a mid-game switch, this time turning back to Ward, who had not played poorly in his Game 3 ousting. Momentum would swing Carolina's way once more, and within 10 minutes the Hurricanes had evened the score thanks to goals from Recchi and Brind'Amour. A tense thirty minutes followed, with neither team wanting to make a pivotal mistake. As a result, the Hurricanes registered only one shot on goal in the entire 3rd period. The best scoring opportunity in this frame was a Maxim Afinogenov break-away that Ward turned aside. Buffalo had an opportunity to win the game when Hedican was whistled for hooking 41 seconds from the final gun. The Sabres failed to score in regulation, sending the series to overtime for the first time. Though the power play would pass without a score, Buffalo exhibited continued pressure on the Hurricane net, forcing Ward to make a game-saving stop on Jochen Hecht. Momentum from this stop built when Sabre forward J.P. Dumont was sent to the penalty box for hooking. The Hurricanes would make Dumont and Buffalo pay, as Stillman beat Miller with a rebound goal. With the 4-3 win, the Hurricanes earned their first lead of the series.

Post-game, Ruff accused the Hurricanes of embellishing penalties and looking for calls. Also, Eric Staal received an assist on the Brind'Amour goal to push his consecutive points streak to 15 games. The record is 19 games, set by Bryan Trottier for the New York Islandersin1981.

With Teppo Numminen returning to the bench as a spiritual leader for the Sabres, Game 6 started out comfortably for the home side, as J.P. Dumont scored on a rebound early in the first period to give the Sabres a lead. It held until late in the third period, when Bret Hedican put a shot into the top corner to level the sides and send it into overtime. After Doug Weight was given a penalty early in the extra session, Daniel Brière sent the series to a Game 7 by putting a shot in that went off Cam Ward's glove and into the net.

In Game 7, the Sabres remained competitive despite the loss of defenseman Jay McKee, leaving them with four defenders sidelined because of injury. Entering the third, however, Buffalo led, 2-1, however, Carolina tied it and then took the lead on a power-play goal that resulted when Brian Campbell unintentionally fired the puck over the glass in his own end. Carolina scored another goal with less than a minute left to win the game, 4-2, and earn a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Western Conference

(8) Edmonton Oilers defeat (6) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 4 games to 1

The Oilers opened up the scoring in the first game of the series in the first period when Michael Peca scored his second short-handed goal of the playoffs with a long pass from Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson. The Ducks quickly answered back with a goal on a power play, tying the game. The Oilers took the lead in the middle of the second period when Ales Hemsky knocked in a high rebound. The Oilers then sealed the deal in the third period with an empty-netter by Todd Harvey.

The second game of the series was one which many declared a "must-win" for Anaheim ^{[2] [3]} in order to avoid going down 2-0 in the series heading to Rexall Place, where they had not won since 1999. However, the Oilers opened with another special-teams goal in the first period as Chris Pronger scored on a power-play with a rocket of a shot coming off the blue line thirteen minutes in. However, the Ducks responded in the second with Jeff Friesen putting a rebound past Roloson. Roloson remained solid after that, stopping 33 shots on the night. Fernando Pisani, who led the Oilers in goals, notched his eighth of the playoffs through the five-hole of Ilya Bryzgalov with three minutes left in the second period. During the third period, the Ducks pressured Edmonton, much like Game 1, but were unable to beat Roloson as well as the Edmonton shot-blocking. Michael Peca notched his second goal of the series with an empty-netter as time ran out to make sure the Oilers would return to Rexall Place with a 2-0 series lead.

The third and perhaps most exciting game of the series brought the game back to Rexall Place in Edmonton. The Ducks sought to break the Oilers six-game playoff win streak in a building they have not won in since 1999. The first period was marred with over 40 penalty minutes assessed in total. However, Toby Peterson managed to put the Oilers in the lead on a failed Bryzgalov clearing attempt which left the net wide open. Both teams could not score in the second as things seemed to calm down a little. However, the third period was a complete roller coaster ride. First, Michael Peca scored his fourth goal in as many games on a breakaway. Just over a minute later, Steve Staios scored his first goal of the playoffs on a power play giving the Oilers a 3-0 lead. Chris Pronger seemed to put this out of reach on a five-on-three power play goal. The Oilers had scored three goals in two and a half minutes giving them a seemingly safe 4-0 lead. However, the Ducks refused to bow out. Sean O'Donnell opened up the scoring for the Ducks at just past the seven-minute mark of the third. Teemu Selanne, who had been quiet for much of the series, put the Ducks right back in with his first goal of the series. Chris Kunitz then put the Ducks within a goal as momentum completely shifted over. However, Pisani scored his ninth goal of the playoffs off a bad Anaheim faceoff putting the Oilers back ahead by two. This tied him for the most goals in the playoffs with Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks with nine. Teemu Selanne then scored his second goal of the game with less than two minutes left bringing it back to a one-goal game. However, the Oilers managed to hang on in the dying seconds and secure a 3-0 series lead with a chance to sweep at Rexall Place in Game 4. The game had a total of 76 penalty minutes handed out by the time everything was done.

After a less than stellar performance in Game 3, Ducks coach Randy Carlyle replaced Bryzgalov with Jean-Sebastien Giguere for Game 4, hoping the shakeup would energize his team. It worked quite well, as the Ducks allowed only three shots in the first period, scoring three goals to jump out quickly and take the wild Edmonton crowd out of the game. Edmonton did lead a comeback in the second period, coming within one of the Ducks, but an inspired Joffrey Lupul saw a return to form, scoring two insurance goals to take the series back to Orange County.

Game 5 returned to Anaheim, where the first period saw several more penalties called against the Oilers. Although the Oilers successfully killed off the penalty to Matt Greene, Jaroslav Spacek's hooking minor led to a power play goal for the Ducks, scored by Francois Beauchemin. The first period ended with the Ducks up 1-0 and outshooting the Oilers, 14-8. Early in the second period, the Ducks took a penalty that was successfully killed off, but immediately after the penalty expired, the Oilers tied the game with a rebound goal from Ethan Moreau. Five minutes later, Raffi Torres tipped in a shot from Marc-Andre Bergeron to take the lead in the game. Although several good chances for both teams followed, including a shot by Ducks player Rob Niedermayer at 1:30 of the third period that went off the crossbar, the lead was held by the Oilers. Despite late pressure by the Ducks, the Oilers held on to win the Western Conference and move on to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1990. They are also the first eighth-seeded team to reach the Finals under the current playoff format (which was introduced in 1994).

Stanley Cup Finals

(E2) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (W8) Edmonton Oilers

Hurricanes lead series 3-2

This series marks the first time that the Oilers advanced this far since 1990 when they won their fifth Stanley Cup in team history. Meanwhile, the Hurricanes advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2002 when they fell to the heavily favoured Detroit Red Wings in 5 games. A series win over Edmonton would be the first time that Carolina is awarded the Stanley Cup.

This series also marks the first time that two former World Hockey Association teams are playing against each other for the Stanley Cup since they merged with the NHL in 1979. The Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes team are the only former WHA club to have never contested a Finals. As a result of the new scheduling formula that was implemented before the 2005-06 NHL season, the Hurricanes and the Oilers did not meet during the regular season.

In Game 1, Carolina tied the biggest comeback in Stanley Cup Finals history, overcoming a three-goal deficit to win, 5-4. Edmonton scored first, 8:18 into the first period, with a goal from Fernando Pisani. In the second period, Chris Pronger scored the first penalty shot goal in Stanley Cup finals history after defenseman Niclas Wallin illegally covered the puck inside his own goal crease, and Ethan Moreau's goal at 16:23 gave the Oilers a 3-0 lead. But at the 17:17 mark, Rod Brind'Amour scored the Hurricanes' first goal of the game. Carolina then tied the game in the third period with two scores by Ray Whitney. The Hurricanes jumped ahead, 4-3, on a shorthanded goal by Justin Williams, but Edmonton's Ales Hemsky scored on a power play to tie the game with 6:29 remaining. Late in the final period, Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson suffered a series-ending knee injury in a collision, and was replaced with Ty Conklin. With 32 seconds to go in regulation, Conklin misplayed the puck, and it deflected off of Jason Smith's stick to the front of the empty net, allowing Brind'Amour to score the winning goal.

With Roloson's injury, Jussi Markkanen started for the Oilers in Game 2. Although Markkanen had played 37 games in the regular season - sharing the job with Ty Conklin and minor-leaguer Mike Morrison - he had watched from the bench the entire post-season; he also hadn't played a game since March 1, 2006. The Hurricanes took advantage, while their own goaltender, Cam Ward, continued his outstanding postseason play. The Hurricanes shut out the Oilers, 5-0, with five different Carolina players scoring goals. Markkanen was Edmonton's third goaltender in the series. It was the first time three goaltenders had been used in a Cup Finals since May of 1970, when the St. Louis Blues employed Jacques Plante, Glenn Hall and Ernie Wakely on their way to being swept by the Boston Bruins.

Game 3 was a must-win for Edmonton to avoid going down 3-0 in the series. Markkanen once again started in net with Roloson still out. However, the Oilers came out strong with Shawn Horcoff scoring just over two minutes in. During the second period, a short-handed goal was waved off by the referee, as he had lost sight of the puck and had blown the whistle, despite the fact that the puck had not yet been covered. The Hurricanes responded midway through the third period with their captain, Rod Brind'Amour, taking a rebound off a blocked shot past Markkanen. However, with 2:15 left, Edmonton's Ryan Smyth scored the controversial winning goal after crashing into Ward inside the crease as they both tried to get control of a rebound off of a shot by Ales Hemsky. Hurricanes head coach Peter Laviolette and many other Carolina players complained that Smyth should have been penalized for interference, but no penalty was called as the referees felt that he did not make enough contact with Ward to prevent him from attempting a save. [4] [5] [6] Both Ward and Markkanen made great saves on both sides of the ice but the Oilers had new life in the series after this crucial win.

Game 4 was another seemingly must-win for the Oilers. Edmonton got off to a good start when Sergei Samsonov opened the scoring at 8:40 of the first period. However, the lead was short-lived as Cory Stillman replied just 29 seconds later to tie the game, 1-1. Mark Recchi scored the eventual game-winner with just over four minutes to go in the second period. Once again Edmonton's power-play was futile, failing to capitalize on five chances, including a 2-man advantage in the first period. When the game ended, the Oilers were 1-for-25 on the power play to this point in the series.

Carolina entered Game 5 with a 3-1 lead in the series and a chance to win the Stanley Cup on home ice. However, Edmonton scored first on Fernando Pisani's goal 16 seconds into the game. The Hurricanes then went ahead, 2-1, on two power-play goals by Staal and Whitney before the Oilers finally scored a power-play goal of their own by Hemsky to tie the game. Peca then gave Edmonton a 3-2 lead with 17.4 seconds left in the first period. In the second period, Staal scored another power play goal to tie the game. With 7:47 remaining in the third period, Whitney missed what might have been the Hurricanes' best chance to close out the series with a shot that just hit the post. Another post was hit in the overtime period, this time by Edmonton's Michael Peca---immediately before Edmonton's Steve Staios was called for tripping at 3:03. But about 28 seconds later, Pisani stole the puck at the Carolina blue line, and beat Ward on a breakaway, scoring the first short-handed overtime goal in finals history to give the Oilers the win. [7]

The start time for all Stanley Cup Final games is 8 p.m. ET.

* - If necessary

Game 1

• Carolina 5, Edmonton 4
  • EDM - Fernando Pisani 10 (Raffi Torres, Jaroslav Spacek)
  • EDM - Chris Pronger 5 penalty shot
  • EDM - Ethan Moreau 2 (Matt Greene)
  • CAR - Rod Brind'Amour 10 (Justin Williams, Cory Stillman)
  • CAR - Ray Whitney 7 (Doug Weight, Andrew Ladd)
  • CAR - Ray Whitney 8 (Mark Recchi, Eric Staal) power play
  • CAR - Justin Williams 6 (Chad LaRose, Aaron Ward) shorthanded
  • EDM - Ales Hemsky 5 (Jarrett Stoll, Chris Pronger) power play
  • CAR - Rod Brind'Amour 11
    • Saves:
      • EDM - Dwayne Roloson 19, Ty Conklin 2
      • CAR - Cam Ward 34

Game 2

• Carolina 5, Edmonton 0
  • CAR - Andrew Ladd 2 (Eric Staal, Frantisek Kaberle)
  • CAR - Frantisek Kaberle 3 (Ray Whitney, Matt Cullen) power play
  • CAR - Cory Stillman 8 (Niclas Wallin, Justin Williams)
  • CAR - Doug Weight 3 (Mark Recchi, Matt Cullen) power play
  • CAR - Mark Recchi 6 (Frantisek Kaberle, Matt Cullen) power play
    • Saves:
      • EDM - Jussi Markkanen 21
      • CAR - Cam Ward 25 (SO)

Game 3

• Edmonton 2, Carolina 1
  • EDM - Shawn Horcoff 6 (Jaroslav Spacek, Ales Hemsky)
  • CAR - Rod Brind'Amour 12 (Cory Stillman)
  • EDM - Ryan Smyth 6 (Ales Hemsky, Jaroslav Spacek)
    • Saves:
      • CAR - Cam Ward 28
      • EDM - Jussi Markkanen 24

Game 4

• Carolina 2, Edmonton 1
  • EDM - Sergei Samsonov 4 (Radek Dvorak, Jarret Stoll)
  • CAR - Cory Stillman 9 (Frantisek Kaberle, Eric Staal) power play
  • CAR - Mark Recchi 7 (Eric Staal, Cory Stillman)
    • Saves:
      • CAR - Cam Ward 20
      • EDM - Jussi Markkanen 18

Game 5

• Edmonton 4, Carolina 3 (OT)
  • EDM - Fernando Pisani 11 (Chris Pronger, Raffi Torres)
  • CAR - Eric Staal 8 (Doug Weight, Bret Hedican) power play
  • CAR - Ray Whitney 9 (Eric Staal, Mark Recchi) power play
  • EDM - Ales Hemsky 6 (Dick Tarnstrom, Steve Staios) power play
  • EDM - Michael Peca 6 (Ales Hemsky, Chris Pronger)
  • CAR - Eric Staal 9 (Ray Whitney, Cory Stillman) power play
  • EDM - Fernando Pisani 12 shorthanded
    • Saves:
      • EDM - Jussi Markannen 21
      • CAR - Cam Ward 25

See also

• 2005-06 NHL season
• List of NHL seasons
• 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs