1987–88 Montreal Canadiens season

The 1987–88 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 79th season. The club qualified for the playoffs, defeated the Hartford Whalers in the first round, but were eliminated in the Adams Division finals versus the Boston Bruins four games to one.

Offseason Canadiens General Manager Serge Savard was part of the four man committee that would select players and coaches for Team Canada at the 1987 Canada Cup.Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup, p.8, Ed Willies, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007, Canadiens head coach Jean Perron would be selected as one of the assistant coaches for Team Canada.Gretzky to Lemieux: The Story of the 1987 Canada Cup, p.4, Ed Willies, McLelland and Stewart, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2007,

Regular season Defensively, the Canadiens were the best team in the league, finishing the regular season with just 238 goals against. They also allowed the fewest power-play goals, with just 64

On April 3, Stephane Richer becomes the sixth player in Montreal history to score 50 goals in a season with two in the season finale against Buffalo.Richer Pots No. 50. Our History – The Historical Website of the Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved 2013-June-19. Archived 2013-06-22.

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

|1||T||October 8, 1987||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ Philadelphia Flyers||0–0–1

|2||W||October 10, 1987||6–3 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres||1–0–1

|3||L||October 12, 1987||2–5 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques||1–1–1

|4||L||October 16, 1987||3–4 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils||1–2–1

|5||W||October 17, 1987||3–2 || align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins||2–2–1

|6||W||October 19, 1987||5–1 || align="left"| Minnesota North Stars||3–2–1

|7||W||October 21, 1987||10–3 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs||4–2–1

|8||L||October 23, 1987||3–5 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres||4–3–1

|9||W||October 24, 1987||3–2 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals||5–3–1

|10||L||October 26, 1987||3–5 || align="left"| Calgary Flames||5–4–1

|11||W||October 28, 1987||3–1 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers||6–4–1

|12||W||October 30, 1987||5–4 || align="left"| @ Detroit Red Wings||7–4–1

|13||T||October 31, 1987||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Boston Bruins||7–4–2

|14||W||November 2, 1987||6–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues||8–4–2

|15||T||November 4, 1987||4–4 OT|| align="left"| @ Chicago Blackhawks||8–4–3

|16||W||November 7, 1987||5–4 || align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers||9–4–3

|17||W||November 9, 1987||3–1 || align="left"| Toronto Maple Leafs||10–4–3

|18||T||November 11, 1987||0–0 OT|| align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers||10–4–4

|19||L||November 12, 1987||2–3 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins||10–5–4

|20||W||November 14, 1987||3–0 || align="left"| Chicago Blackhawks||11–5–4

|21||T||November 16, 1987||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Hartford Whalers||11–5–5

|22||W||November 18, 1987||5–2 || align="left"| New York Islanders||12–5–5

|23||W||November 21, 1987||2–1 || align="left"| New Jersey Devils||13–5–5

|24||L||November 23, 1987||3–4 OT|| align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques||13–6–5

|25||W||November 25, 1987||6–5 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers||14–6–5

|26||L||November 27, 1987||2–4 || align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars||14–7–5

|27||W||November 28, 1987||7–3 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets||15–7–5

|28||W||November 30, 1987||6–4 || align="left"| Boston Bruins||16–7–5

|29||T||December 2, 1987||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Vancouver Canucks||16–7–6

|30||W||December 5, 1987||6–4 || align="left"| Los Angeles Kings||17–7–6

|31||W||December 8, 1987||3–2 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders||18–7–6

|32||T||December 9, 1987||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ New York Rangers||18–7–7

|33||W||December 12, 1987||5–3 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings||19–7–7

|34||W||December 16, 1987||5–4 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques||20–7–7

|35||T||December 18, 1987||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres||20–7–8

|36||L||December 19, 1987||1–2 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres||20–8–8

|37||T||December 23, 1987||2–2 OT|| align="left"| Washington Capitals||20–8–9

|38||W||December 26, 1987||4–2 || align="left"| @ Toronto Maple Leafs||21–8–9

|39||L||December 28, 1987||3–9 || align="left"| @ Calgary Flames||21–9–9

|40||W||December 29, 1987||4–1 || align="left"| @ Vancouver Canucks||22–9–9

|41||L||January 2, 1988||2–5 || align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings||22–10–9

|42||L||January 6, 1988||5–6 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres||22–11–9

|43||T||January 9, 1988||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Philadelphia Flyers||22–11–10

|44||W||January 13, 1988||5–4 || align="left"| Boston Bruins||23–11–10

|45||L||January 14, 1988||2–3 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins||23–12–10

|46||W||January 16, 1988||4–3 || align="left"| New York Rangers||24–12–10

|47||W||January 18, 1988||6–4 || align="left"| Edmonton Oilers||25–12–10

|48||L||January 21, 1988||1–4 || align="left"| St. Louis Blues||25–13–10

|49||L||January 23, 1988||3–4 OT|| align="left"| Pittsburgh Penguins||25–14–10

|50||W||January 24, 1988||5–3 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques||26–14–10

|51||W||January 27, 1988||4–1 || align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres||27–14–10

|52||L||January 29, 1988||3–4 || align="left"| @ Washington Capitals||27–15–10

|53||W||January 30, 1988||6–2 || align="left"| @ New York Islanders||28–15–10

|54||W||February 1, 1988||5–4 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers||29–15–10

|55||W||February 3, 1988||5–2 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers||30–15–10

|56||L||February 4, 1988||3–7 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins||30–16–10

|57||L||February 6, 1988||4–5 || align="left"| Detroit Red Wings||30–17–10

|58||L||February 11, 1988||2–4 || align="left"| @ New Jersey Devils||30–18–10

|59||L||February 13, 1988||1–4 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers||30–19–10

|60||L||February 15, 1988||1–3 || align="left"| @ New York Rangers||30–20–10

|61||W||February 17, 1988||3–2 || align="left"| Boston Bruins||31–20–10

|62||W||February 20, 1988||5–3 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques||32–20–10

|63||W||February 23, 1988||3–1 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques||33–20–10

|64||W||February 24, 1988||5–4 || align="left"| Vancouver Canucks||34–20–10

|65||W||February 27, 1988||6–0 || align="left"| Winnipeg Jets||35–20–10

|66||W||February 29, 1988||2–1 || align="left"| @ Quebec Nordiques||36–20–10

|67||W||March 3, 1988||4–2 || align="left"| @ St. Louis Blues||37–20–10

|68||W||March 5, 1988||7–6 OT|| align="left"| @ Los Angeles Kings||38–20–10

|69||W||March 9, 1988||4–1 || align="left"| @ Edmonton Oilers||39–20–10

|70||W||March 12, 1988||5–0 || align="left"| Hartford Whalers||40–20–10

|71||T||March 14, 1988||2–2 OT|| align="left"| @ Minnesota North Stars||40–20–11

|72||W||March 16, 1988||4–1 || align="left"| @ Winnipeg Jets||41–20–11

|73||W||March 19, 1988||3–0 || align="left"| Chicago Blackhawks||42–20–11

|74||T||March 21, 1988||3–3 OT|| align="left"| Calgary Flames||42–20–12

|75||W||March 23, 1988||4–1 || align="left"| Quebec Nordiques||43–20–12

|76||L||March 25, 1988||2–5 || align="left"| @ Pittsburgh Penguins||43–21–12

|77||L||March 27, 1988||2–4 || align="left"| @ Hartford Whalers||43–22–12

|78||W||March 31, 1988||3–1 || align="left"| @ Boston Bruins||44–22–12

|79||W||April 2, 1988||9–4 || align="left"| Buffalo Sabres||45–22–12

|80||T||April 3, 1988||4–4 OT|| align="left"| @ Buffalo Sabres||45–22–13

Legend:

Playoffs

Adams Division semi-finals

Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens

The Habs almost squandered a 3–0 series lead. The deep Habs roster was the best team in the Wales Conference during the season, consisting of one 50-goal scorer, five 20–goal scorers and another six with between 10 and 20 goals. Their best assets were goaltenders Patrick Roy and backup Brian Hayward who won 23 and 22 games respectively. The Ron Francis-led Whalers went 2–4–2 against the Canadiens during the season, twice losing by just one goal. Date Away Score Home Score NotesApril 6 Hartford 3 Montreal 4April 7 Hartford 3 Montreal 7 April 9 Montreal 4 Hartford 3 April 10 Montreal 5 Hartford 7 April 12 Hartford 5 Montreal 3April 14 Montreal 4 Hartford 2 Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4–2

Adams Division finals Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

The Wales Conference's two best teams, and the NHL's two best defensive teams, met in this series with equal rest time. The Habs had beaten Boston in the Adams Division semi-finals four years in a row, sweeping the Bruins in three of the past four seasons, and beating them 3–2 in a best-of-five the other year. This time, the Bruins' defence would wear down Montreal, as Ken Linseman, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely provided the offence to finally conquer the Canadiens, this despite the fact that the Habs beat them in Game 1 by a score of 5–1. It was the first Bruins' playoff series win over the Habs since the 1942–43 season.

Date Away Score Home Score Notes April 18 Boston 1 Montreal 5 April 20 Boston 4 Montreal 3 April 22 Montreal 1 Boston 3 April 24 Montreal 0 Boston 2 April 26 Boston 4 Montreal 1 Boston wins best-of-seven series 4–1

Player statistics

Regular season Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM +/- PPG SHG GWG C 78 27 66 93 7813804 LW 78 24 59 83 1417402 RW 72 50 28 78 721216011 RW 78 31 30 61 13716603 D 71 20 41 61 172141015 LW 77 23 20 43 5319024 D 53 6 34 40 3026201 LW 71 12 27 39 15222202 C 80 17 21 38 6114031 C/LW 61 13 23 36 3912603 C 79 12 24 36 11214013 D 69 7 22 29 14946201 RW 48 13 12 25 65202 LW 78 11 11 22 148001 LW 53 7 14 21 1019100 D 74 4 10 14 6917000 D 59 2 11 13 3321100 RW 50 7 5 12 209-2001 C 17 5 6 11 06201 D 66 1 10 11 1134000 RW 60 2 6 8 1590000 D 30 2 4 6 192100 RW 5 1 1 2 20000 RW 16 0 2 2 61000 G 39 0 2 2 240000 G 45 0 2 2 140000 RW 1 1 0 1 0-1000 D 2 0 1 1 21000 D 8 0 1 1 20000 G 1 0 0 0 00000 D 4 0 0 0 2-1000

Goaltending PlayerMINGPW LTGAGAA SOSASVSV% 2586 45 23 12 9 125 2.90 312481123.900 2247 39 22 10 4 107 2.86 21032925.896 36 1 0 0 0 5 8.33 02217.773 Team: 4869 80 45 22 13 237 2.92 523022065.897

Playoffs Scoring Player Pos GP G A Pts PIM PPG SHG GWG RW 8 7 5 12 6102 LW 11 4 3 7 8010 C 11 3 4 7 8100 LW 6 0 7 7 2000 C 8 3 3 6 2100 RW 11 2 4 6 2000 C/LW 11 2 4 6 6201 C 11 1 5 6 24000 RW 11 3 2 5 20002 D 11 1 4 5 4000 D 10 0 5 5 12000 D 11 3 1 4 29100 RW 7 2 2 4 26000 C 11 0 4 4 2000 D 11 1 1 2 6000 D 11 0 2 2 2000 LW 6 0 2 2 16000 LW 3 1 0 1 12000 RW 3 0 1 1 2000 LW 6 0 1 1 6000 RW 8 0 0 0 4000 LW/D 1 0 0 0 5000 G 4 0 0 0 0000 D 11 0 0 0 11000 G 8 0 0 0 0000

Goaltending PlayerMINGPW LGAGAA SOSASVSV% 430 8 3 4 24 3.35 0218194.890 230 4 2 2 9 2.35 08576.894 Team: 660 11 5 6 33 3.00 0303270.891

Awards and records Frank J. Selke Trophy: Guy Carbonneau Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: Mats Naslund William M. Jennings Trophy: Patrick Roy/Brian Hayward Patrick Roy, goaltender, NHL Second Team All-Star

Draft picks Montreal's draft picks at the 1987 NHL entry draft held at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Round # Player Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)117Andrew CasselsOttawa 67's (OHL)233John LeClairBellows Free Academy (USHS-VT)238Eric DesjardinsGranby Bisons (QMJHL)344Mathieu SchneiderCornwall Royals (OHL)358Francois GravelShawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)480Kris MillerGreenway High School (USHS-MN)5101Steve McCoolThe Hill School (USHS-PA)6122Les KuntarNichols School (USHS-NY)7143Robert KelleyMatignon High School (USHS-MA)8164Will GeistSt. Paul Academy and Summit School (USHS-MN)9185Eric TremblayDrummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL)10206Barry McKinlayUniversity of Illinois at Chicago (CCHA)11227Ed RonanPhillips Andover Academy (USHS-MA)12248Bryan HerringDubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)S218Wayne GagneWestern Michigan University (CCHA)

See also 1987–88 NHL season

References Canadiens on Hockey Database Canadiens on NHL Reference