The 1993 Stanley Cup playoffs the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) began after the conclusion of the 1992–93 NHL season on April 18 and ended with the Montreal Canadiens defeating the Los Angeles Kings four games to one to win the Stanley Cup on June 9. These playoffs featured an NHL record 28 overtime games, of which the Canadiens set a playoff record for most overtime games won and consecutively in a single postseason with ten. The Canadiens also won 11 consecutive games during the playoffs, tying an NHL record.
The Presidents' Trophy-winning Pittsburgh Penguins, who had won the Stanley Cup the previous two years, were the favorite to repeat. However, both conferences saw numerous upsets as the third place team in every division reached their respective conference finals. This was the first time since the 1979 NHL-WHA merger that the Edmonton Oilers had missed the playoffs. It was also the first time that longtime Oilers and then-New York Rangers captain Mark Messier had missed the playoffs in his career. This was the only year between 1984 and 1994 that the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens did not face each other in the playoffs. This was the last time that the New York Islanders won a playoff round before 2016. It was also the first time in the post-1967 expansion era that no team with a losing record qualified for the playoffs. Montreal's Cup championship remains the last time that a Canadian team won the Stanley Cup.
Playoff seeds This marked the final season of the NHL's division-oriented playoff format, first used in 1982, which saw the top four teams in each division qualify for the playoffs. A similar version of this playoff format would later be used for the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The following teams qualified for the playoffs:
Prince of Wales Conference
Adams Division Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 109 points Quebec Nordiques – 104 points Montreal Canadiens – 102 points Buffalo Sabres – 86 points
Patrick Division Pittsburgh Penguins, Patrick Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 119 points Washington Capitals – 93 points New York Islanders – 87 points (40 wins, 10 points head-to-head vs. New Jersey) New Jersey Devils – 87 points (40 wins, 4 points head-to-head vs. NY Islanders)
Clarence Campbell Conference
Norris Division Chicago Blackhawks, Norris Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 106 points Detroit Red Wings – 103 points Toronto Maple Leafs – 99 points St. Louis Blues – 85 points
Smythe Division Vancouver Canucks, Smythe Division champions – 101 points Calgary Flames – 97 points Los Angeles Kings – 88 points Winnipeg Jets – 87 points
Playoff bracket In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Final.
In each round, teams competed in a best-of-seven series following a 2–2–1–1–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series). Home ice advantage was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record, and played at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary); the other team then played at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary).
Division semifinals
Prince of Wales Conference
(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (A4) Buffalo Sabres
This was the sixth playoff series meeting between the Sabres and Bruins. Boston won all five previous series head-to-head, including last year's Adams Division Semifinals in seven games. Although Boston had entered the playoffs with the second best record in the entire NHL and the Sabres had the second lowest point total of any playoff team, Buffalo upset the Bruins by sweeping the heavily favored Boston squad. The fourth game saw Brad May's game-winning goal in overtime, which has become famous in NHL lore thanks to Rick Jeanneret's "May day!" call. This was the first playoff series victory for Buffalo since defeating Montreal in the 1983 Adams Division Semifinals.
(A2) Quebec Nordiques vs. (A3) Montreal Canadiens This was the fifth playoff meeting between these two rivals with the teams splitting the four previous series. This was the final playoff series between the provincial rivals before the Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995 and became the Colorado Avalanche. They last met in the 1987 Adams Division Finals, which Montreal won in seven games.
The Canadiens lost the first two games of this series against the rival Nordiques, due in part to a couple of weak goals let in by star Montreal goaltender Patrick Roy. Afterward, a newspaper in Roy's hometown district suggested he be traded, while Nordiques goaltending coach Dan Bouchard also proclaimed that his team had solved Roy. However, Montreal head coach Jacques Demers held himself to a promise he had made to Roy earlier in the season and kept him as the starting goalie.
With Montreal staring a potential 3–0 series deficit to Quebec in the face, overtime in Game 3 was marked by two disputed goals that were reviewed by the video goal judge. The first review ruled that Stephan Lebeau had knocked the puck in with a high stick, but the second upheld Montreal's winning goal as it was directed in by the skate of Quebec defenceman Alexei Gusarov and not that of a Montreal player. The Game 3 overtime victory was the first in a record-setting streak of 10 consecutive overtime victories by the Canadiens in these playoffs.
(P1) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (P4) New Jersey Devils This was the second playoff series between these two teams. Pittsburgh won the only previous meeting in the 1991 Patrick Division Semifinals in seven games.
The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions were a heavy favorite to be the first team since the 1980–1983 New York Islanders to win more than two consecutive Cups. Entering the playoffs as the Presidents' Trophy winner, the Penguins faced off against the fourth place team from their division the New Jersey Devils. By winning the first three games of the series, Pittsburgh extended its playoff winning streak to 14 games; this dated back to Game 4 of the 1992 Patrick Division Final against the New York Rangers and set an NHL playoff record for longest winning streak. The streak ended in Game 4 when the Devils defeated Pittsburgh, 4–1. The Penguins quickly closed out the Devils in the next game by a score of 5–2 to advance to the second round.
(P2) Washington Capitals vs. (P3) New York Islanders This was the sixth playoff series between these two teams. New York previous won four of the first five meetings all from 1983 to 1987. The last of those meetings was won by New York in the famed "Easter Epic" in the 1987 Patrick Division Semifinals.
Game six of this series was marred by a vicious hit by the Capitals' Dale Hunter on the Islanders' leading scorer, Pierre Turgeon, moments after Turgeon had scored a third-period goal to put the game and the series out of reach for Washington. Turgeon suffered a separated shoulder on the play and missed almost all of the next round. For his actions, Hunter was suspended for the first 21 games of the 1993–94 season. This was the Islanders first playoff series victory since their 1987 triumph over Washington.
Clarence Campbell Conference
(N1) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (N4) St. Louis Blues
This was the ninth playoff series meeting between these two teams, with Chicago previously winning seven of the prior eight playoff meetings. This was a rematch of the previous year's Norris Division Semifinals, which Chicago won in six games.
Although Chicago had entered the playoffs with the best record in the Campbell Conference and the third-best record in the entire NHL and the Blues had the lowest point total of any playoff team, the Blackhawks became the second division champion to get swept in the first round of the playoffs after the Bruins. On the series-winning overtime goal in game four, Chicago goaltender Ed Belfour complained that St. Louis star Brett Hull had interfered with him on the play, but to no avail, as the goal stood as the game and series winner. Belfour famously went on a rampage after the game, smashing his stick against the net, and breaking a hot tub, coffee maker and a television in the visitors' locker room at the St. Louis Arena. Belfour and Hull later became teammates on the Dallas Stars Stanley Cup winning team in 1999.
(N2) Detroit Red Wings vs. (N3) Toronto Maple Leafs This was the 23rd playoff series meeting between these two teams. Both teams split the prior 22 playoff meetings. Detroit won the most recent meeting in six games in the 1988 Norris Division Semifinals.
In a revival of the heated Original Six rivalry, Nikolai Borschevsky's game seven overtime goal gave Toronto the series and made them the sixth club to eliminate a team with a better regular season record in the first round of the playoffs. This was also Toronto's first playoff series win over Detroit since the Maple Leafs beat the Red Wings in the 1964 Stanley Cup Final. Until 2009, this was the last Clarence Campbell/Western Conference playoff series to be played entirely within the Eastern Time Zone.
(S1) Vancouver Canucks vs. (S4) Winnipeg Jets
This was the second overall playoff series between these two teams and was a rematch of last year's Smythe Division Semifinals, which Vancouver won in seven games.
Vancouver managed to defeat the Jets in six games and eliminate them in the first round for a second consecutive year. Game six was not without controversy as Greg Adams scored the first goal for the Canucks, however video replay showed the goal was clearly scored with a high-stick, the goal was allowed to stand. Adams went on to score the game winner in overtime and once again the goal was surrounded with controversy as video replay showed Adams crashing into the net and goalie Bob Essensa. This sent the puck into the net with the back of Essensa's skate. The goal also counted and Jet fans in attendance began to throw debris onto the ice in frustration with the call.
(S2) Calgary Flames vs. (S3) Los Angeles Kings
This was the sixth playoff series between these two teams. Los Angeles won three of the previous five meetings, including their most recent meeting in six games in the 1990 Smythe Division Semifinals.
The Kings upset the Flames in a high scoring six-game series. The winning team scored nine goals in three of the six games. Trailing two games to one and having lost two straight, Kings head coach Barry Melrose inserted backup goaltender Robb Stauber for the struggling Kelly Hrudey, who had allowed 17 goals against in 3 games. Stauber played brilliantly in the Kings 3–1 win in Game 4 as the series was tied at two wins apiece. The Kings offense was largely responsible for winning the series scoring nine goals in both Game 5 and 6.
Division finals
Prince of Wales Conference
(A3) Montreal Canadiens vs. (A4) Buffalo Sabres
This was the sixth playoff series between these two teams. Montreal won three of the first five playoff meetings, including their most recent meeting in the 1991 Adams Division Semifinals in six games.
Montreal swept the series winning every game by a score of 4–3. A pivotal moment came in the second period of Game 3 when Sabres star Alexander Mogilny suffered a badly broken leg, ending what had been a tremendous campaign of 76 goals in 77 regular season games followed by seven goals in seven playoff games. As in their previous series, Montreal played three overtime games, this time winning all three of them.