1998 Stanley Cup playoffs


The 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League, began on April 22, 1998 following the 1997–98 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the Stanley Cup.
The playoffs concluded on June 16 with the Detroit Red Wings winning their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, defeating the Washington Capitals, who appeared in their very first Finals, in a four-game sweep. Red Wings captain Steve Yzerman was named playoff MVP, and awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. The 1997–98 Detroit Red Wings were the last team to defend their Stanley Cup Championship until the Pittsburgh Penguins successfully defended their Stanley Cup title in 2017.
In the Eastern Semis, the Buffalo Sabres made history as they became the first team in NHL history to complete a four-game sweep of the Montreal Canadiens on Montreal ice.
For the first time since 1969 the Chicago Blackhawks missed the playoffs. Also, both the Islanders and Rangers missed the playoffs in the same season for the first time.
, awarded to the champion of the NHL.

Playoff seeds

The following teams qualified for the playoffs:

Eastern Conference

  1. New Jersey Devils, Atlantic Division champions, Eastern Conference regular season champions – 107 points
  2. Pittsburgh Penguins, Northeast Division champions – 98 points
  3. Philadelphia Flyers – 95 points
  4. Washington Capitals – 92 points
  5. Boston Bruins – 91 points
  6. Buffalo Sabres – 89 points
  7. Montreal Canadiens – 87 points
  8. Ottawa Senators – 83 points

    Western Conference

  9. Dallas Stars, Central Division champions, Western Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 109 points
  10. Colorado Avalanche, Pacific Division champions – 95 points
  11. Detroit Red Wings – 103 points
  12. St. Louis Blues – 98 points
  13. Los Angeles Kings – 87 points
  14. Phoenix Coyotes – 82 points
  15. Edmonton Oilers – 80 points
  16. San Jose Sharks – 78 points

    Playoff bracket

Conference Quarterfinals

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

(1) New Jersey Devils vs. (8) Ottawa Senators

(2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (7) Montreal Canadiens

(3) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (6) Buffalo Sabres

(4) Washington Capitals vs. (5) Boston Bruins

Western Conference Quarterfinals

(1) Dallas Stars vs. (8) San Jose Sharks

(2) Colorado Avalanche vs. (7) Edmonton Oilers

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs. (6) Phoenix Coyotes

(4) St. Louis Blues vs. (5) Los Angeles Kings

Game four was the last playoff game at the Great Western Forum.

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference Semifinals

(4) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Ottawa Senators

(6) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) Montreal Canadiens

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) Dallas Stars vs. (7) Edmonton Oilers

(3) Detroit Red Wings vs. (4) St. Louis Blues

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Final

(4) Washington Capitals vs. (6) Buffalo Sabres

Western Conference Final

(1) Dallas Stars vs. (3) Detroit Red Wings

Stanley Cup Finals

This was the first and to date only playoff series between these two teams. Detroit made their twenty-first and second consecutive Finals appearance, while Washington made their first Finals appearance in their twenty-fourth season. Until 2017 this was the last time that the Stanley Cup was successfully defended by the previous year's champion and as of 2019, this is the most recent sweep in the Finals.

Playoff statistics

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.
PlayerTeam
Steve YzermanDetroit Red Wings2261824+1022
Sergei FedorovDetroit Red Wings22101020012
Tomas HolmstromDetroit Red Wings2271219+916
Nicklas LidstromDetroit Red Wings2261319+128
Joe JuneauWashington Capitals2171017+68
Adam OatesWashington Capitals2161117+88
Martin LapointeDetroit Red Wings219615+620
Larry MurphyDetroit Red Wings2231215+122
Vyacheslav KozlovDetroit Red Wings226814+410
Mike ModanoDallas Stars1741014+412

Goaltenders

This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage, with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.
PlayerTeam
Dallas Stars17107399311.79.9221 1039:02
Edmonton Oilers1257319231.93.9283 715:52
Washington Capitals21129740441.95.9414 1351:04
Boston Bruins624159141.99.9121 421:59
Buffalo Sabres15105514322.03.9381 947:55