| 1987-88 Nhl Season |
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| 1987 in ice hockey | |
| 1988 in ice hockey | |
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REGULAR SEASON This was Wayne Gretzky 's final season with the Edmonton Oilers , and as injuries held him out of 20% of the season, this would be the only season of the Decade in which he was not the winner of the Hart Memorial Trophy and did not hold or share the league lead in points. Mario Lemieux would capture his first Hart Trophy and lead the league in Scoring . This season would also see the Edmonton Oilers win their 4th Stanley Cup in 5 years by sweeping the Boston Bruins 4-0 (plus one cancelled game) in the Stanley Cup finals. Final standings ''Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes'' Prince of Wales Conference Clarence Campbell Conference Scoring leaders Leading goaltenders STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS ''Note: all dates in 1988'' ''']] The 1988 Stanley Cup Playoffs started on April 6, and ended on May 26. The Presidents' Trophy winning Calgary Flames had home ice during the playoffs thanks in part to Edmonton's struggles without Gretzky. The Oilers, who had won the Cup in three of the previous four seasons, were still the favourites to repeat, with Gretzky's return.
Adams Division Semi-finals Buffalo Sabres vs. Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins were led by team Captain Ray Bourque and the goaltending duo of Reggie Lemelin and the newly acquired Andy Moog . The Buffalo Sabres returned to the playoffs thanks to added depth provided by rookie Ray Sheppard . ''Boston wins best-of-seven series 4-2'' Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens The Habs almost squadered a 3-0 series lead. The deep Habs roster was the best team in the Wales Conference during the season, consisting of six 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. ''Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4-2'' Patrick Division Semi-finals Philadelphia Flyers vs. Washington Capitals The Flyers needed to beat Washington at home in their season finale to gain home ice advantage, but only managed to tie them 2-2. The Flyers were lead by Vezina Trophy winner Ron Hextall who was playoff MVP the previous season. In a very physical series, Washington overcame a 3-1 deficit to advance to the second round for the first time in two years. ''Washington wins best-of-seven series 4-3'' New Jersey Devils vs. New York Islanders This would be the last hurrah for both the Islanders and Denis Potvin whose departure would signal dark days for the Isles, as his arrival had brought them to prominence. The Isles would be upset by the Devils, who finished 7-0-1, including two wins over Pittsburgh in which they stifled Lemieux, and a 7-2 win over the Rangers, whom they edged out for the final Patrick Division playoff spot. The physical Devils would keep former MVP Bryan Trottier pointless, as they won in six. ''New Jersey wins best-of-seven series 4-2'' Norris Division Semi-finals Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues The Chicago Blackhawks were led by their three 40-goal scorers Denis Savard , Rick Vaive , and Steve Larmer . They were poor defensively, and were matched up against a similar St. Louis Blues squad that was better defensively if not in goal. Vaive had eight points, while Larmer and Savard had seven each. ''St. Louis wins best-of-seven series 4-1''' Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Detroit Red Wings The storied rivalry continued as the Detroit Red Wings met the Toronto Maple Leafs. While the seemingly lame-duck Leafs finished 1-8, the one win was 5-3 over Detriot in the season finale that pushed them into the playoffs. Game six in Maple Leaf Gardens was future Hall of Famer Börje Salming 's final playoff game in the NHL. Toronto lost all three home games. ''Detroit wins best-of-seven series 4-2'' Smythe Division Semi-finals Winnipeg Jets vs. Edmonton Oilers The high-flying offence of the Edmonton Oilers played exactly as they were expected to, averaging five goals a game. Despite their best efforts, the team that Oilers captain Wayne Gretzky would one day own and coach just could not keep pace with his Oilers. ''Edmonton wins best-of-seven series 4-1'' Los Angeles Kings vs. Calgary Flames The Kings fourth place finish in the Smythe Division tied their best finish in their history, since being moved to the Smythe. Their defence was the worst in the league, and they relied on both their offence and the fact that the Vancouver Canucks were horrible. The Kings met Calgary twice in the week before the playoffs and triumphed 9-7 at home and 6-3 in Calgary. The Flames would make a mockery of the Kings' defence and would light the lamp 26 times, even more than the Oilers scored against the Jets. ''Calgary wins best-of-seven series 4-1''
Divisional finals :Adams Division 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. It was the first Bruins' win over the Habs in 44 seasons. ''Boston wins best-of-seven series 4-1'' :Patrick Division New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals After upsetting the Islanders, whose defence was second in the division, the Devils were now matched up with the number one defence in the division. Patrik Sundstrom and Kirk Muller led the Devils to a series win in seven games in a surprisingly high-scoring series. ''New Jersey wins best-of-seven series 4-3'' :Norris Division St. Louis Blues vs. Detroit Red Wings In another case of a team down 2-0 rallying to win game three, the Red Wings got aggressive, unafraid of the Blues' offence and won in five. ''Detroit wins best-of-seven series 4-1'' :Smythe Division Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames In the final " Battle Of Alberta " including Gretzky and Brett Hull , the Oilers would claim the first sweep of the playoffs. ''Edmonton wins best-of-seven series 4-0'' Conference Finals :Prince of Wales Conference New Jersey Devils vs. Boston Bruins The Devils would take Boston to the limit, but their offence couldn't compete with the Bruins, who would make their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals since consecutive appearances in 1976-77 and 1977-78 . This series would also have the infamous confrontation between Devils coach Jim Schoenfield and referee Don Koharski after Game 3, when, during an argument in the tunnel after the game, Koharski tripped and fell, accusing Schoenfield of pushing him. Schoenfield famously responded, "You tripped and fell you fat pig!" Then, holding a doughnut from a doughnut box in the tunnel, he yelled "Here, have another doughnut! Have another doughnut!" The incident was played repeatedly on ESPN and has become part of NHL lore. ''Boston wins best-of-seven series 4-3'' :Clarence Campbell Conference Detroit Red Wings vs. Edmonton Oilers Steve Yzerman and the Wings were no match for the Oilers in Edmonton, and were edged out in five games. ''Edmonton wins best-of-seven series 4-1'' Stanley Cup Final The 1988 Stanley Cup Final pitted the Oilers' offensive juggernaut against the Bruins' more balanced team. The Oilers showed their defensive prowess, surrendering just 9 goals in the four completed games. Game 4 is well-known for fog that interfered with the game and a power outage that caused its cancellation before a faceoff. This would allow the Oilers to win the Cup at home in the Northlands Coliseum and complete the sweep in Game 5. Michael Thelven was physical in defending against Gretzky, but that wouldn't ground the Great One on his way to claiming his second Conn Smythe Trophy and setting playoff records with 31 assists in just 19 games, and 13 points in the Finals series. Boston Bruins vs. Edmonton Oilers ''Edmonton wins best-of-seven series 4-0'' Playoff scoring leaders NHL AWARDS SEE ALSO
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