The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 14, 2010, after the conclusion of the 2009–10 NHL season. The Finals ended on June 9, 2010 when the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to win the team's fourth Stanley Cup and their first Cup since 1961. The Washington Capitals became the first team seeded first to lose a series to the eighth-seeded team after having a 3–1 lead in the series.

Playoff seeds 
After the regular season, the standard of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs. The Washington Capitals were the Eastern Conference regular season champions and the Presidents' Trophy winners with the best record at 121 points. The San Jose Sharks earned a number 1 seed in the Western Conference with 113 points.

Eastern Conference 

Washington Capitals – Southeast Division and Eastern Conference regular season champions; Presidents' Trophy winners, 121 points
New Jersey Devils – Atlantic Division champions, 103 points
Buffalo Sabres – Northeast Division champions, 100 points
Pittsburgh Penguins – 101 points 
Ottawa Senators – 94 points 
Boston Bruins – 91 points 
Philadelphia Flyers – 88 points (41 wins)
Montreal Canadiens – 88 points (39 wins)

Western Conference 
San Jose Sharks – Pacific Division champions and Western Conference regular season champions, 113 points
Chicago Blackhawks – Central Division champions, 112 points
Vancouver Canucks – Northwest Division champions, 103 points
Phoenix Coyotes – 107 points
Detroit Red Wings – 102 points
Los Angeles Kings – 101 points
Nashville Predators – 100 points
Colorado Avalanche – 95 points

Playoff bracket

Conference Quarter-finals

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals

(1) Washington Capitals vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

(2) New Jersey Devils vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

(3) Buffalo Sabres vs. (6) Boston Bruins

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Ottawa Senators

Western Conference Quarter-finals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (8) Colorado Avalanche

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (7) Nashville Predators

(3) Vancouver Canucks vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

(4) Phoenix Coyotes vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

Conference Semifinals

Eastern Conference Semifinals 
All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

(6) Boston Bruins vs. (7) Philadelphia Flyers

Western Conference Semifinals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (5) Detroit Red Wings

(2) Chicago Blackhawks vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

Conference Finals

Eastern Conference Finals

(7) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (8) Montreal Canadiens

Western Conference Finals

(1) San Jose Sharks vs. (2) Chicago Blackhawks

Stanley Cup Finals 
All times are in Eastern Daylight Time (UTC−4)

Statistical leaders

Skaters 
These are the top ten skaters based on points. If the list exceeds ten skaters because of a tie in points, goals will take precedence.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus

Goaltending 
This is a combined table of the top five goaltenders based on goals against average and the top five goaltenders based on save percentage with at least 420 minutes played. The table is sorted by GAA, and the criteria for inclusion are bolded.

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds)

References

2010 in Canada
2010 in ice hockey
2010 in the United States
Stanley Cup playoffs