Playoff bracket The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs. In the quarterfinals, the third
seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and fourth place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's first round series then met in the Stanley Cup Semifinals. The two winners of the Semifinals then advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. In each round, teams competed in a
best-of-seven series (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each best-of-seven series).
Quarterfinals (E1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E3) Detroit Red Wings The Chicago Black Hawks finished as the NHL's best regular season team with 99 points. Detroit finished third in the East Division with 95 points. This was the ninth playoff meeting between these two teams, and they split their eight previous meetings. They last met in the 1966 semifinals which Detroit won in six games. These teams each won four games of their eight-game regular season series. In the Chicago-Detroit series, the Black Hawks swept the series, winning all four games by 4–2 scores.
(E2) Boston Bruins vs. (E4) New York Rangers The Boston Bruins finished second in the East Division, earning 99 points. The New York Rangers earned 92 points to finish fourth in the East. This was the seventh playoff meeting between these two teams, with Boston winning four of their six previous meetings. They last met in the 1958 semifinals which Boston won in six games. These teams each won four games of their eight-game regular season series. The Bruins clobbered the Rangers 8–2 in game one; Ranger coach
Emile Francis replaced
Ed Giacomin when the score reached 7–1, in favor of
Terry Sawchuk. Sawchuk replaced Giacomin as the starter in game two, but Boston won 5–3. Game three at
Madison Square Garden featured a hostile crowd, with the New York fans booing, shouting obscenities and throwing objects at the Boston players. Giacomin – back in goal for the Rangers – reportedly told Bruin
Derek Sanderson "We're being paid to get you tonight." A subsequent brawl erupted into both benches clearing, as well as fans littering the ice with debris; it took 19 minutes to play the first 91 seconds of the game. By the end of the Rangers' 4–3 win, the teams had set a new NHL playoff record for penalties (38) and penalty minutes (174). Game four had
Rod Gilbert score two goals in a 4–2 Ranger win. Giacomin was brilliant in goal for the Rangers and one of the highlights was stopping Derek Sanderson on a shorthanded breakaway. Game five was won by Boston 3–2 as Esposito scored two goals.
Bobby Orr set up the winner when he stole a pass at center ice when the Rangers were caught on a line change. Game six was won easily by the Bruins and featured another display of fan abuse.
Bobby Orr scored two goals, including the winner. Fans threw eggs and ball bearings on the ice, and when the outcome was no longer in doubt, set fires in the mezzanine of Madison Square Garden.
(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W3) Minnesota North Stars The St. Louis Blues finished first in the West Division with 86 points. The Minnesota North Stars earned 60 points to finish third in the West. This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 1968 semi-finals which St. Louis won in seven games. St. Louis won this year's eight-game regular season series, earning ten of sixteen points. The St. Louis Blues ousted the Minnesota North Stars in six games, with the home team winning the first five. The Blues won the first two games at the
St. Louis Arena. Game three at the
Metropolitan Sports Center featured
Gump Worsley's sharp goaltending and
Bill Goldsworthy scoring two goals in a 4–2 win for the North Stars.
Cesare Maniago played in goal for Minnesota in game four and picked up a 4–0 shutout, tying the series. Game five at St. Louis Arena was tied 3–3 when St Louis scored three goals in the third period by
Red Berenson,
Terry Gray, and
Jim Roberts and the Blues won 6–3. In game six,
Ab McDonald scored two goals as the Blues eliminated the North Stars by a score of 4–2.
(W2) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (W4) Oakland Seals Pittsburgh finished second in the West Division, earning 64 points. Oakland earned 58 points to finish fourth in the West. This was the first and only series between these two teams. Oakland won this year's eight-game regular season series, earning nine of sixteen points. In game one,
Nick Harbaruk's goal midway through the third period was the winner as Pittsburgh won 2–1. In game two,
Gary Jarrett gave Oakland a 1–0 lead, but Pittsburgh came back to win 3–1. Game three at Oakland featured a hat trick by
Ken Schinkel of the Penguins as Pittsburgh won 5–2. Game four saw Oakland holding 1–0 and 2–1 leads, but the Seals just couldn't hold on and the game was tied 2–2 at the end of regulation time, with
Michel Briere scoring the series winning goal at 8:28 of overtime for Pittsburgh. It was the final time the Seals made the playoffs. The Stanley Cup playoffs did not return to the Bay Area until
1994 when the
San Jose Sharks made the playoffs for the first time. This also marks only the second of three times ever a team in any of the four North American major sports have swept a team in their first playoff series.
Semifinals (E1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (E2) Boston Bruins This was the third meeting between these two teams with Boston winning both of their meetings. They last met in the 1942 quarter-finals where Boston won the best-of-three series in three games. These two teams split their eight-game regular season series, each earning eight points. Boston beat Chicago in four straight games to win the East Division final for the first time.
(W1) St. Louis Blues vs. (W2) Pittsburgh Penguins This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. St. Louis won this year's eight-game regular season series, earning twelve of sixteen points. The St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to have won every West Division Final, as there were no Division Finals the following season. The Pens did not get to the semifinals again until
their championship season in 1991.
Stanley Cup Finals This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was St. Louis' third Stanley Cup Finals, having advanced to the round every season since entering the league. In both of their previous appearances, they lost to the Montreal Canadiens in four games. This was Boston's eleventh Stanley Cup Final appearance, having won the championship three times previously. They last advanced to the Finals in 1958 where they lost to Montreal in six games. Boston won this year's six-game regular season series, earning eight of twelve points.
Phil Esposito of the Bruins led all playoff scorers with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points, at the time a new NHL playoff record, followed by Orr with 20 points and
Johnny Bucyk of the Bruins with 19 points.
Gerry Cheevers of the Bruins led all goaltenders with twelve wins, while
Jacques Plante of the Blues led all goaltenders in goals against average in the playoffs with 1.48. ==Awards==