The 2022 Stanley Cup Final between Tampa Bay Lightning and Colorado Avalanche begins Wednesday with Game 1 at the Ball Arena in Denver (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS). To help fans prepare, the writers and editors at NHL.com have chosen their 10 greatest Stanley Cup playoffs since 1972.
Here are the results:
1. 2010 Game 6: Chicago Blackhawks 4, Philadelphia Flyers 3 (OT)
Patrick Kane‘s goal after 4:06 of overtime propelled the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup title since 1961. Kane’s low shot from the bottom of the circle eluded Flyers goalie Michael Leighton and landed on the other side of the net, and there was a delay Goal shouts and cheers because almost no one at the Wachovia Center saw it go in except for Kane. Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp and Andrew Ladd scored for Chicago, and goalkeeper Antti Niemi made 21 saves in the cup win, the only one in the best-of-7 final on the stretch.
2. 1980 Game 6: New York Islanders 5, Philadelphia Flyers 4 (OT)
Bobby Nystrom scored after 7:11 in overtime to give the Islanders their first cup win and the first of their four straight NHL championships. Nystrom at 19:46 in the second period to give the Islanders a 4-2 lead, but the Flyers forced an overtime in the third period with goals from Bob Dailey and John Paddock. Billy Smith made 21 saves for the Islanders, who won Games 1 (4-3) and 6 in overtime. New York won Games 3 (6-2) and 4 (5-2) at home to take a 3-1 lead and lost 3-6 in Game 5 in Philadelphia.
3. 1994 Game 7: New York Rangers 3, Vancouver Canucks 2
Mark Messier’s power-play goal at 1.29pm in the second period was the winner and Rangers lifted the trophy for the first time since 1940. Brian Leetch and Adam Graves scored for New York and Trevor Linden scored twice for Vancouver. Leetch led the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 23 assists and 34 points (his 11 goals were fourth) in 23 games and won the Conn Smythe Trophy, being voted postseason MVP. Rangers led the series 3-1 before losing 6-3 in Game 5 and 4-1 in Game 6.
4. 2000 Game 6: New Jersey Devils 2, Dallas Stars 1 (2OT)
Jason Arnott scored 8-20 in second overtime to give the Devils their second cup win (1995) since coming to the NHL as Kansas City Scouts in 1974-75. Scott Niedermayer (short-handed) and Mike Keane traded goals in the second period, and Devils goalie Martin Brodeur made 30 saves. Arnott had 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists) in 23 playoff games, sharing the Devils lead with Patrik Elias (seven goals, 13 assists). It was New Jersey’s second championship in five years, with the third coming in 2003. The Stars stayed alive by winning Game 5 1-0 through Mike Modano’s goal at 6:31 a.m. in third overtime.
5. 2013 Game 6: Chicago Blackhawks 3, Boston Bruins 2
Bryan Bickell scored at 1:16 in the third period and Dave Bolland scored 17 seconds later to help the Blackhawks stun the Bruins and win the trophy at Boston’s TD Garden. Boston led 1-0 and 2-1, taking their second lead with them Milan Lucic‘s goal at 12:11 in the third, only to watch Chicago’s late heroics deny him a chance in Game 7. The Blackhawks trailed 2-1 in the Finals until winning their last three games, their second cup title in three seasons and a mid-championship of three in five years (2010-2015).
6. 2009 Game 7: Pittsburgh Penguins 2, Detroit Red Wings 1
Maxime Talbot scored two goals in the first period and Marc Andre Fleury made 23 saves, none larger than a jump stop on Nicklas Lidstrom with a second remaining in the third period to help the Penguins lift the trophy for the first time since back-to-back titles in 1991 and 1992. Yevgeny Malkin, who had an assist in Game 7, was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner after leading the playoffs with 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 24 games. Center penguins Sydney Crosby He finished second with 31 points (a playoff high of 15 goals, 16 assists). The Red Wings led the series 3-2 after winning Game 5 5-0 at home but lost 1-2 in Game 6 in Pittsburgh. Game 7 was the road team’s only win.
7. 1999 Game 6: Dallas Stars 2, Buffalo Sabers 1 (3OT)
Brett Hull scored after 14:51 of third overtime by shooting a rebound onto his racquet and the Stars lifted the trophy for the first time. The winning goal was the subject of a lengthy video review, with Hull throwing the puck to the edge of Buffalo goaltender Dominik Hasek but standing to end the game and the streak. Jere Lehtinen scored at 8:09 of the first period to give Dallas a 1-0 lead until Buffalo’s Stu Barnes equalized at 18:21 of the second period. Ed Belfour made 53 saves in the cup win. He made 23 in a 2-0 win in Game 5.
8. 1993 Game 2: Montreal Canadiens 3, Los Angeles Kings 2 (OT)
Eric Desjardins had a hat-trick, including the game-winner after 51 seconds of extra time, to give the Canadians their first win in the 1993 cup final. The Canadians lost 4-1 in Game 1 but won the next four, including Games 3 and 4 in overtime. Desjardin’s second goal during a power play in Game 2 leveled it 2-2 at 18:47 of the third. Montreal had the man advantage when Kings defenseman Marty McSorley was penalized at 18:15 of the third for playing with an illegal racquet (too much curve). Up until that penalty, the Kings led through goals from Dave Taylor (undermanned) and Pat Conacher.
9. 1987 Game 7: Edmonton Oilers 3, Philadelphia Flyers 1
The Oilers won their third cup title in four seasons when Messier, Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson scored after Murray Craven’s power-play goal at 1:41 of the first period gave the Flyers a 1-0 lead. Oilers goalie Grant Fuhr made 19 saves, but Flyers goalie Ron Hextall was the main story of the series, making 40 saves in Game 7 and being voted the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy despite playing for the losing team. He stopped 204 of 226 shots in the Finals (3.09 goals against average, .903 save percentage) and was 15-11 in the playoffs (2.76 GAA, .908 save percentage). Hextall made 31 saves in a 4-3 win in Game 5 and 30 in a 3-2 win in Game 6, helping the Flyers bounce back from a 3-1 series deficit.
10. 2004 Game 6: Tampa Bay Lightning 3, Calgary Flames 2 (2OT)
Martin St. Louis scored after 33 seconds of overtime and helped the Lightning to a 3-3 tie in the finals before a 2-1 win in Game 7 on home ice secured their first Stanley Cup championship. The Lightning led Game 6 twice with two goals from Brad Richards in the second half, but the Flames responded with goals from Chris Clark and Marcus Nilson. Calgary thought Martin Gelinas scored a green goal at 6:57 in the third when his skate deflected a rebound that appeared to cross the goal line and past Tampa Bay goalie Nikolai Khabibulin. No gate was signaled and no verification took place. This was before the current goal review procedures were instituted by the NHL.