2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs for the National Hockey League ( NHL ) championship began on April 21 , 2006 , following the 2005 – 06 regular season . The sixteen teams that qualified , seeded one through eight from each conference , played best - of - seven series with re - seeding after the conference quarterfinals . The Conference Champions played a best - of - seven series for the Stanley Cup The finals concluded on June 19 with the Carolina Hurricanes winning the Stanley Cup , defeating the Edmonton Oilers in the final series four games to three . Carolina goaltender Cam Ward was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs . While the 2005 – 06 NHL season introduced a shootout to break ties after 5 minutes of 4 - on - 4 overtime , the Stanley Cup playoffs retained their traditional format of unlimited 20 - minute periods of 5 - on - 5 sudden - death overtime to break ties . The Western Conference made history in the first round when all four series were won by the lower - seeded teams . The eighth and lowest seeded Edmonton Oilers proceeded to win the conference and participate in the Stanley Cup Finals . Playoff seeds . After the 2005 – 06 NHL season , a total of 16 teams qualified for the playoffs . The Detroit Red Wings were the Presidents ' Trophy winners with the best record at 124 points ( 58 wins , 16 regulation losses , 8 overtime losses ) , while the Ottawa Senators won on the last day of the regular season to earn the Eastern Conference regular season crown . Statistical leaders . Goaltending . These are the top five goaltenders based on either goals against average or save percentage with at least four games played . Conference Quarterfinals . Eastern Conference Quarterfinals . ( 1 ) Ottawa Senators vs . ( 8 ) Tampa Bay Lightning . The Senators entered the 2006 playoffs with a new head coach and a new goaltender . Bryan Murray led the Sens to a successful season . The Lightning slipped into the playoffs this year , beating out the Maple Leafs and the Thrashers by only two points . The Senators history was marked by playoff collapses , mostly to the Maple Leafs . However this series would be different . The defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning faced off against the Ottawa Senators , who held off Carolina to earn the Eastern Conference regular - season title on the final day of the regular season . The teams had never met before in the playoffs , but in four regular - season meetings , Ottawa had dominated , winning all four games in regulation . In Game 1 , Tampa Bay scored first , but in the third period , two quick powerplay goals by Martin Havlat and Jason Spezza , respectively , gave Ottawa the lead . Mike Fisher added a short - handed goal three minutes later , and the Senators went on to win , 4 – 1 . In Game 2 , the Senators held a 3 – 2 lead in the third period , but Dan Boyle tied the score , and 55 seconds later , Martin St . Louis scored his second goal of the game . The Lightning won 4 – 3 , evening the series . Two days later , the series resumed in Tampa Bay for Game 3 ; the visiting Senators scored three goals in the first period . Havlat had two goals , giving him a total of four for the series thus far , as did Antoine Vermette . The Senators routed the Lightning , 8 – 4 , in a game marked by the teams combining for 129 penalty minutes . Tampa Bay ' s Pavel Kubina earned a " Gordie Howe hat trick " , with a goal , an assist , and two misconduct penalties earned in a late fight . In Game 4 , the Lightning took a 2 – 1 lead after the first period , but a trio of second - period goals gave the Senators a lead . Dany Heatley finished with a goal and two assists in the 5 – 2 win which put Ottawa on the verge of advancing . In Game 5 , back in Ottawa , Martin Havlat continued his solid play , completing a series in which he scored in each game . He scored a power - play goal in the second period which gave Ottawa a 3 – 1 advantage . The Lightning closed the gap to 3 – 2 , but could not get the tying goal . Havlat finished the series with 6 goals and 4 assists , while Heatley and Spezza each had 2 goals and 8 assists . ( 2 ) Carolina Hurricanes vs . ( 7 ) Montreal Canadiens . The Canadiens had struggled throughout the beginning of the season , prompting GM Bob Gainey to fire Coach Claude Julien . Gainey took over behind the bench and posted a 23 – 15 – 3 record . Though the Carolina Hurricanes were disappointed to lose the race for the Eastern Conference regular - season crown to Ottawa , commentators believed they might have actually gained an advantage from that fault . They faced a seventh - seeded Montreal Canadiens team they had beaten each game in the regular season . Though the Canadiens had since traded goaltender Jose Theodore , Carolina ' s fast puck - possession game was expected to roll over the Habs easily . However , with Carolina goaltender Martin Gerber battling a then - undisclosed stomach ailment , the Canadiens beat the Canes in Game 1 in Raleigh , 6 – 1 , as Cristobal Huet continued his late - season hot streak . After three quick Montreal goals early in Game 2 , Carolina coach Peter Laviolette made what would prove to be a fateful decision , switching in 22 - year - old rookie backup Cam Ward for Gerber . Though Ward yielded a regained Carolina lead in that game and which they lost 6 – 5 in the second overtime , Laviolette stuck with him going into Montreal even with Habs fans waving brooms , signifying a possible sweep . Carolina prevailed in a 2 – 1 overtime win in Game 3 , with Eric Staal scoring the game winner . During the game , Canadiens captain Saku Koivu took an inadvertent stick blade in the eye from the Hurricanes ' Justin Williams from behind as both players lunged for a puck in the Carolina slot . The incident went unpenalized , but Koivu ' s series was over . In Game 4 , Williams scored the game - winning goal in a 3 – 2 win to tie the series . The final two games were tight - checking games , but Montreal had lost the mental advantage gained over two wins in Raleigh ; the Canes took Game 5 in front of their home fans , 2 – 1 , then returned to Montreal to close the series , 2 – 1 , on a long , fluttering , tipped shot by Cory Stillman over Huet ' s left shoulder at 1 : 19 of overtime . The Canes would continue their dominance , en route to winning their first ever Stanley Cup . Canadiens GM Gainey would relinquish his coaching duties , and give the reins to Guy Carbonneau . ( 3 ) New Jersey Devils vs . ( 6 ) New York Rangers . The Devils posted a 14 – 13 – 5 record in November when General Manager Lou Lamoriello took over as coach from the ailing Larry Robinson . The team turned their season around under Lou and made the playoffs . The Atlantic Division title came down to the final day of the regular season . The Devils came from behind to defeat the Montreal Canadiens for their eleventh straight win , while the Rangers lost to the Ottawa Senators for their fifth straight loss . These results capped off a record - breaking comeback , as the Devils , who had trailed the division - leading Flyers by 19 points in January , clinched the division title and the third seed in the playoffs . The Rangers , on the other hand , slipped to the sixth seed but still qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1997 . The Devils and Rangers were meeting in the playoffs for the fourth time in their respective histories , with the Rangers having won all three past meetings . The Devils jumped out to a quick lead , winning Game 1 , 6 – 1 , behind five power - play goals , and Patrik Elias ' s two goals and four assists , while Rangers star Jaromir Jagr left the game with an arm injury late in the third period . This injury kept Jagr out of Game 2 , which the Devils won , 4 – 1 , led by John Madden ' s hat trick , including two short - handed goals , making Madden the first player since Wayne Gretzky to score two shorthanded goals in the same playoff game . In Game 3 , Jamie Langenbrunner scored 68 seconds into the game , and Martin Brodeur earned his 21st career playoff shutout , with 25 saves , as the Devils won 3 – 0 . Jagr ' s injury woes continued in Game 4 , as he was knocked out with a hit in the first minute of the game . Despite this , the Rangers took their only lead of the series on Jed Ortmeyer ' s goal late in the first period . But New Jersey responded with two goals in each of the second and third periods , including two by Elias , giving him five for the series . They won , 4 – 2 , eliminating their rivals and advancing to the Conference Semifinals . ( 4 ) Buffalo Sabres vs . ( 5 ) Philadelphia Flyers . The Sabres earned a playoff spot for the first time since 2001 . In a repeat of the result of their 2001 playoff series , right down to the blowout victory in the deciding game , the Buffalo Sabres eliminated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games . Game 1 went to Buffalo , 3 – 2 , as co - captain Danny Briere ended the game with a double - overtime goal on his team - record 14th shot of the playoff game . Game 1 was also notable for a monstrous hit laid upon Philadelphia ' s R . J . Umberger by Buffalo ' s Brian Campbell during the first overtime period . Philadelphia goaltender Robert Esche was outstanding , turning aside 55 Buffalo shots before finally allowing the game - winner . The Flyers , looking for revenge from Game 1 , took 17 penalties in Game 2 , including 3 misconducts and a 5 - minute major for checking from behind . Unfortunately for the Flyers , those penalties resulted in eleven Buffalo power plays . The Sabres scored three power - play goals , rolling to an 8 – 2 victory . Jean - Pierre Dumont and rookie Jason Pominville each recorded hat tricks for Buffalo . The series then shifted to Philadelphia , and the Flyers were able to even it up with wins in Games 3 and 4 . Peter Forsberg scored two second - period goals in Game 3 to break a 1 – 1 tie . The Flyers went on to win the game , 4 – 2 . In Game 4 , the Sabres had an early 2 – 0 lead . Forsberg once again scored two goals , including an empty netter with 49 seconds remaining . The empty - netter proved to be the game - winner , as Buffalo ' s Mike Grier scored with 19 seconds left in the game to make the final score 5 – 4 in favor of the Flyers . Home - ice advantage continued to be key as the Sabres returned to the HSBC Arena for Game 5 and scored a 3 – 0 victory . Sabre goaltender Ryan Miller made 24 saves to earn his first career playoff shutout . In Game 6 , home - ice advantage was finally broken as the Sabres jumped to a 3 – 0 lead by the end of the first period in the Wachovia Center . Six different Sabres scored as they finished off the Flyers with a resounding 7 – 1 victory . The Flyers game 6 defeat seemed to continue into the next season as they would start 1 – 6 – 1 resulting in Ken Hitchcocks firing . Western Conference Quarterfinals . ( 1 ) Detroit Red Wings vs . ( 8 ) Edmonton Oilers . Craig Mactavish ' s Oilers made the playoffs for the first time since the 2002 – 2003 season . It came down to the final week to determine who would be in , and it turned out to be the Oilers who sneaked in ahead of the Canucks . After Red Wings winger Kirk Maltby scored two goals including the winner in double overtime in Game 1 , the Oilers were able to respond by winning Game 2 , 4 – 2 . The series moved to Edmonton tied 1 – 1 . Jarret Stoll provided the game - winner in double overtime in Game 3 , giving the Oilers a 2 – 1 series lead after the Red Wings had appeared to score in the first overtime , but had the goal waived off . The Red Wings responded with a Game 4 4 – 2 victory to tie the series . Back in Detroit , the Oilers jumped out to a 3 – 0 lead in the second period of Game 5 . Brendan Shanahan closed the gap to 3 – 1 , and Henrik Zetterberg added his fifth goal of the series to pull Detroit within one , but Edmonton held on to take a 3 – 2 series lead . Returning to Edmonton , the Oilers found themselves trailing 2 – 0 after two periods . Fernando Pisani tied the game with two goals , his fourth and fifth of the series , before Detroit reclaimed the lead . With 3 : 53 to play , Ales Hemsky tied the game on a controversial power - play goal which was reviewed for several minutes , questioning whether it was kicked into the goal . The goal was counted after it was determined that no kicking motion was made . Hemsky subsequently provided the game - winning goal with 1 : 06 left in the third period . ( 2 ) Dallas Stars vs . ( 7 ) Colorado Avalanche . The first upset of the 2006 playoffs came in this series when the seventh - seeded Avalanche defeated the second - seeded Stars in five games . The Stars had won three of the teams ' four regular - season meetings , although two of those wins were in overtime . In Game 1 , the Stars came out quickly , going up 2 – 0 on goals by Brenden Morrow and Bill Guerin , but five different Colorado players scored , allowing the Avalanche to claim a 5 – 2 win . Colorado continued its momentum with three first - period goals to open Game 2 , but Dallas responded with four goals in the second period , including two goals by Jere Lehtinen and a goal in the closing seconds by Mike Modano . Brett Clark tied the game with a short - handed goal with 2 : 04 to play in regulation . Four minutes into overtime , Jason Arnott got a shot past Colorado goalie Jose Theodore but it hit the post . The Avs quickly counter - attacked , and Joe Sakic scored his NHL - record seventh career overtime goal to end the game . Returning to Denver with a 2 – 0 series lead , Sakic scored the first goal of Game 3 . Stu Barnes tied the game with a short - handed goal , but Colorado led , 2 – 1 , after one period . Dallas took a 3 – 2 lead in the second period , but Andrew Brunette scored with 57 seconds remaining in the third period to tie the game , and Alex Tanguay tallied his second goal of the game at 1 : 09 of the first overtime to give the Avalanche a 4 – 3 win and a 3 – 0 series lead . Dallas staved off elimination in Game 4 as Niklas Hagman scored two goals in a 4 – 1 win . However , the Avalanche denied the Stars a chance at a continued comeback by winning Game 5 to clinch the series . Joe Sakic scored with just two seconds to play in the second period to give his team a 2 – 1 lead . The Stars tied it in the third period , but Sergei Zubov ' s attempted game - winner late in the period glanced off the goal post . After nearly 14 minutes of overtime , Andrew Brunette scored to finish the game and the series . ( 3 ) Calgary Flames vs . ( 6 ) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim . The entire series was a back - and - forth affair with the teams trading victories throughout the first six games . Game 1 saw an overtime win thanks to Darren McCarty to gain the upper hand , but the Ducks responded back to tie the series . Game 3 was a blowout on the Flames part when Giguere seemed to open the floodgates in the third period . In Game 4 , the Ducks jumped ahead 2 – 0 in the first period and managed to hold a lead for two periods , but two quick goals by Iginla would tie it . It would end on a slap shot from Duck defenceman Sean O ' Donnell in overtime shortly after a power play expired . In Game 5 , Giguere played poorly , allowing three consecutive goals , so coach Randy Carlyle boldly put in backup goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov . Bryzgalov , despite not allowing any goals causing the momentum seemingly to shift late in Game 5 , the Flames jumped ahead for the third time . Bryzgalov actually started Game 1 because of an injury to Jean - Sebastien Giguere , who played extremely well despite losing , 2 – 1 in overtime . When Giguere proved ineffective through the next four games , Bryzgalov returned to the net . Game 6 saw the Flames jump ahead in the first period thanks to Stephane Yelle , but Selanne would tie the game , and Niedermayer scored a short handed goal from a deflection off of the Flames goalie to tie the series once again . The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim ended the Calgary Flames ' season by winning a decisive Game 7 , 3 – 0 , behind the stellar play of Bryzgalov . ( 4 ) Nashville Predators vs . ( 5 ) San Jose Sharks . The 4 – 5 matchup in the West pitted the Nashville Predators against the San Jose Sharks , the first playoff meeting between the two teams . Nashville had dominated much of the season on their way to the fourth seed in the conference , while San Jose rallied back from an early - season slump all the way to the fifth seed , thanks to a November trade for Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins that resulted in Thornton winning the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring . Linemate Jonathan Cheechoo won the Rocket Richard Trophy for leading the NHL in goals . The teams split their regular season series , with both of San Jose ' s wins coming in overtime . Both teams came into the series with alternate goaltenders . After Sharks starter Evgeni Nabokov stumbled through most of the regular season , backup Vesa Toskala earned the spot as playoff starter with his impressive play during San Jose ' s stretch run to clinch a playoff spot . Nashville ' s star goaltender Tomas Vokoun would be diagnosed with a blood disorder in early April that kept him sidelined for the rest of the season , forcing backup Chris Mason to become Nashville ' s goaltender for the playoffs . The Predators won the first game at home , 4 – 3 , with four power - play goals , three of them coming in the first period . In Game 2 , San Jose scored three first - period power play goal s from Patrick Marleau , Jonathan Cheechoo and Mark Smith . Toskala earned a shutout on the Sharks in a 3 – 0 victory . The series went to San Jose for Games 3 and 4 , but the Predators ' tendency for penalties continued to be taken advantage of by the Sharks . In Game 3 , a short - handed goal by Kimmo Timonen gave the Predators an early lead , but San Jose bounced back with four unanswered goals , two of them by Marleau and one on the power play by Steve Bernier , en route to a 4 – 1 San Jose victory . In Game 4 , Marleau scored a hat trick , with two of his goals coming on the power play ( and another by Smith scored right after another Nashville penalty expired ) . San Jose won the game , 5 – 4 , as the series changed back to Nashville for Game 5 . Unfortunately for Nashville , a Paul Kariya goal was not enough to combat power - play goals by Marleau and Bernier in a 2 – 1 victory for San Jose in Game 5 , giving the Sharks the series . Conference Semifinals . Eastern Conference Semifinals . ( 1 ) Ottawa Senators vs . ( 4 ) Buffalo Sabres . In a battle of the top two teams from the Northeast Division in 2006 , the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres squared off in this series . The Senators won five of the eight meetings between the teams in the regular season , including several lopsided results early in the season . Game 1 of the series was a back - and - forth affair , with the Sabres tying the game five separate times - including a goal by Tim Connolly with just 10 . 7 seconds left in regulation to tie the game at 6 - before winning just 18 seconds into overtime on a goal by Chris Drury . The remainder of the series was tightly played defensively , though . Goaltending by both Buffalo ' s Ryan Miller and Ottawa ' s Ray Emery became the key to the series . A 2 – 1 victory by the Sabres in Game 2 was highlighted by 43 Miller saves - including one on a breakaway by Jason Spezza - which allowed Buffalo to take a 2 – 0 series lead home . Game 3 went to overtime and was won once again by the Sabres on a shot by Jean - Pierre Dumont . In Game 4 Sabre fans were prepared for a sweep , but were disappointed when the Senators were able to stave off elimination with a 2 – 1 victory . Ottawa returned home for Game 5 with hopes of pulling even closer . The game went to overtime but ended quickly as Jason Pominville scored a shorthanded goal just 2 : 26 in to end the Senators ' season . There had been six short - handed overtime goals in Stanley Cup Playoff history up to this point , but this was the first one to ever end a series . This put the Sabres into the Eastern Conference Finals for the third time in the past eight seasons . ( 2 ) Carolina Hurricanes vs . ( 3 ) New Jersey Devils . The Carolina Hurricanes and New Jersey Devils , both division champions , met in the Conference Semifinals . The teams had met twice before in the playoffs : In 2001 , the top - seeded Devils dispatched the Hurricanes in six games in the first round ; Carolina won the following year as the third seed ( the Hurricanes had an inferior record but held home advantage as a division champion ) . In the 2005 – 06 season , the Hurricanes won both games in 2005 , while the Devils won both games in 2006 , the last towards the beginning of their 15 - game winning streak . Game 1 of the series , in Carolina , featured sloppy play by the Devils . Ray Whitney scored a power - play goal in the first period and added another in the second period . Frustration set in for New Jersey as the Hurricanes scored two quick power - play goals late in the second , and then two more power - play goals midway through the third period , leading to Martin Brodeur , on his birthday , being pulled from his position , as Devils ' goalie in favor of Scott Clemmensen . The game went to Carolina , 6 – 0 . Game 2 , also in Carolina , was a much cleaner and low - scoring affair than the first game . After Zach Parise pushed the Devils ahead 2 – 1 with twenty seconds to go in the third period , Eric Staal scored a game - tying goal with just three seconds left to send the game into overtime . Niclas Wallin tallied the game - winner 3 : 09 into overtime . Back in New Jersey for Game 3 , the Devils lost another 3 – 2 game , with Carolina ' s Rod Brind ' Amour scoring the game - winner with 1 : 01 to play in the second period . The third period featured stellar play from goalies Cam Ward of Carolina and Martin Brodeur of New Jersey . New Jersey jumped out to a 5 – 0 lead and won Game 4 with a final score of 5 – 1 , including two goals by Scott Gomez and Jay Pandolfo ' s first goal of the postseason . Goalie Cam Ward of Carolina was pulled after the fourth goal for Martin Gerber , the man that he displaced behind the goal in Game 3 of Carolina ' s first - round series with Montreal . Ward returned a day later back in Carolina in Game 5 , and it looked like he might have a similarly short outing after Brian Gionta tallied in the game ' s first minute . However , Ward and the Carolina defense clamped down on the Devils attack as the Hurricanes killed off five straight New Jersey penalties . Hurricanes defenceman Frantisek Kaberle also added a goal to tie the score at 1 . When the Hurricanes received their first power - play over halfway into the game , Carolina rushed up ice , with Brind ' Amour and Justin Williams passing to an open Cory Stillman who beat Brodeur . Whitney and Staal added late goals to make the final game and series totals 4 – 1 in favor of the Hurricanes . Western Conference Semifinals . ( 5 ) San Jose Sharks vs . ( 8 ) Edmonton Oilers . Game 1 was a muddled , penalty - filled battle . Edmonton took a first - period lead off a Jaroslav Spacek power - play goal . Patrick Marleau scored one goal ( raising his playoff - leading total to eight ) and assisted on another , leading the Sharks to a 2 – 1 win . Game 2 was also a 2 – 1 San Jose victory , with Joe Thornton scoring the game - winning goal on a power play in the second period . The site changed to Edmonton for Game 3 , and the Sharks and Oilers engaged in a triple - overtime match , the longest playoff game in the postseason to date , before Edmonton ' s Shawn Horcoff finally ended the game with a goal giving the Oilers a 3 – 2 win . Edmonton came back from an early 3 – 1 deficit in Game 4 and scored five unanswered goals late in the game - including three in the final period to force goalie Vesa Toskala from the game - to win , 6 – 3 , and to even the series , 2 – 2 . In San Jose , Game 5 was the first time that a road team won a game in the series , the result being a 6 – 3 Edmonton victory . The teams entered the third period with Edmonton up 2 – 1 , having killed off six penalties in the first and second periods . Twelve seconds into the period , Shawn Horcoff of the Oilers managed to put in a short - handed goal past Vesa Toskala making the score 3 – 1 . Shortly after , the Sharks scored their first power - play goal in three games with Christian Ehrhoff scoring 44 seconds into the period . Less than two minutes later , Jonathan Cheechoo scored another goal to tie the game , 3 – 3 . However , the Oilers answered back with Fernando Pisani scoring his second goal of the game . The Sharks took six penalties in the third period , which proved very costly . Jarret Stoll quickly capitalized on a Cheechoo interference call and then Ryan Smyth scored later in the period , sealing the game . The two teams headed back to Edmonton for Game 6 , where the Oilers took the game , 2 – 0 , with the game - winning goal from Michael Peca , to win the series , 4 – 2 . ( 6 ) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim vs . ( 7 ) Colorado Avalanche . The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim advanced to play the Colorado Avalanche in the second round . The Avalanche went 3 – 1 against Anaheim in the regular season , though all four games were decided by a single goal , and Anaheim ' s win was in overtime . The series was the first playoff series between the teams . Game 1 started slow with no goals in the first period , but Samuel Pahlsson gave Anaheim the lead early in the second period . Two goals in the last minute of the period gave Anaheim a 4 – 0 advantage that extended to 5 – 0 by game ' s end , as rookie Ilya Bryzgalov recorded his second straight shutout . In Game 2 , Bryzgalov became the first goalie since his teammate , Jean - Sebastien Giguere , to record three straight playoff shutouts as the Ducks won , 3 – 0 . Bryzgalov joins Frank McCool as the only rookie to accomplish such a feat , which was tested late when the Avalanche pulled goalie Jose Theodore in a desperate attempt to score . Stretching back to midway through the first period of Game 6 of the previous series , the Ducks had not been scored upon in 229 : 42 , giving Bryzgalov the fourth longest playoff shutout streak in NHL history . In Game 3 , Dan Hinote scored late in the first period for the Avs , setting Bryzgalov ' s shutout streak at second all - time , with just under 250 minutes . Joffrey Lupul brought the Ducks back even in the second , but a Jim Dowd score gave the Avs another lead . Two more from Lupul , his first career hat trick , put the Ducks in a 3 – 2 lead late , but a Rob Blake follow - up goal from a heavy Alex Tanguay shot tied the score . At 16 : 30 of overtime , Joffrey Lupul scored his fourth goal of the night to put the Ducks at a 3 – 0 series lead . A newspaper in Edmonton reported the final score as Lupul 4 , Avs 3 . In the fourth game , the Avs lost 4 – 1 , in Colorado . Joe Sakic scored the only goal for the Avs early in the first period . The Ducks equalized late in the first period via a Todd Marchant goal . Bryzgalov did not allow the puck past him in the next two periods , with Teemu Selanne scoring the winning goal early in the second period . Also , Dustin Penner scoring in the sixth minute of the third period , and Marchant scored his second goal of the game late in the third period to secure Anaheim ' s berth in the Western Conference Finals . Conference Finals . Eastern Conference Finals . ( 2 ) Carolina Hurricanes vs . ( 4 ) Buffalo Sabres . The Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres began the series labeled as " mirror images " of each other . Both teams were expected to do little in the pre - season , largely because of a lack of major moves in free agency in the off - season attributed to both teams ' small - market status . Yet , both teams succeeded , thanks to a successful adjustment to the new , up - tempo game played in the NHL . The two teams were separated by just two points in the regular season , and both finished with 52 wins ( Carolina had more points by virtue of taking two more games to overtime than Buffalo did ) . In their post - season runs , both teams had won their first - round series 4 – 2 and their second - round series 4 – 1 . Both teams ' post - season success had been credited to team defense , offensive scoring depth and the outstanding play of a rookie goaltender : Ryan Miller for the Sabres , and Cam Ward for the Hurricanes . Thus , something had to give when the two teams first took the ice for Game 1 on May 20 in Raleigh . One theme that held true early was Buffalo ' s propensity for scoring first , as defenceman Henrik Tallinder finished off a barrage on Ward by beating the rookie goaltender three minutes into the period . Rod Brind ' Amour scored to tie the first period at 1 – 1 . Buffalo responded in the second period , outshooting Carolina , 13 – 4 , and getting a goal from co - captain Danny Briere in transition . Carolina applied plenty of pressure in the third period , but the Sabres took advantage of a failed power - play when Jay McKee emerged from the penalty box to beat Ward for another Buffalo score . Mike Commodore cut the deficit to 3 – 2 with a shorthanded goal with three minutes left in the game , but the Sabres won with no more goals scored . Urged on by a raucous RBC Center crowd , the Hurricanes played well in the first period of Game 2 , which was climaxed by a Frantisek Kaberle power - play goal . However , Buffalo evened the game 48 seconds from intermission . Perhaps as a result of the tie score , the Hurricanes dominated Buffalo in the second period , outshooting the Sabres , 16 – 4 , and picking up two goals from veteran forward Ray Whitney . A near Buffalo goal , saved going in the net by defenceman Glen Wesley , and a Justin Williams goal in the third period both seemed meaningless at the time , but two late Buffalo goals ( by Chris Drury and Derek Roy ) made them quite important . The 4 – 3 Hurricanes win was not without controversy ; Hurricanes coach Peter Laviolette accused the Sabres of diving in order to draw four penalty calls against Carolina in the third period . Sabres coach Lindy Ruff replied that the Sabres were just following Carolina ' s example . Game 3 was similar , except this time the two teams were reversed . Buffalo had the better of the play in the first period but the game was tied at 1 when Chris Drury deflected a shot past Ward . In this second period , Buffalo dominated , unleashing a barrage on Ward that yielded three goals : two Briere and one for Ales Kotalik . After the Kotalik goal , Ward was pulled in favor of Martin Gerber . Gerber made two saves on break - aways , giving Carolina momentum . The Hurricanes responded with goals from Cory Stillman and Eric Staal , extending Staal ' s point streak to 13 games . The Sabres emerged with a 2 – 1 series lead but lost Tallinder , one of their top defensemen , to a broken arm . Game 4 provided the series ' first large margin of victory for either side . The game went Carolina ' s way , as the Hurricanes emerged with a 4 – 0 shutout win . Much of the pregame conjecture centered around who Laviolette would turn select for goaltender . In the end , the call went to the veteran Gerber , and the Swiss native responded . Gerber kept the score deadlocked before Mark Recchi and Staal scored to give the Hurricanes a 2 – 0 first - period lead . In the second period , Andrew Ladd and Bret Hedican added their first goals of the post - season . In Game 5 , Gerber started in net for the Hurricanes , but he did not play well . Drury scored his ninth of the post - season to open the scoring and , after a Williams goal 17 seconds later tied the score , Derek Roy scored on Gerber to give the Sabres a 2 – 1 lead at the first intermission . Two minutes into the second period , Toni Lydman scored , giving Buffalo a 3 – 1 lead . Laviolette once more made a mid - game switch , this time turning back to Ward . Within 10 minutes , the Hurricanes had evened the score thanks to a goal from Recchi and then a power play goal off the crossbar from Brind ' Amour . The Hurricanes registered only one shot on goal in the entire third period . The game went to overtime for the first time in the series . In overtime , Stillman recovered a shot that went wide off the boards and beat Miller low to give Carolina a momentum - grabbing 4 – 3 win . The Hurricanes earned their first lead of the series . Eric Staal received an assist on the Brind ' Amour goal to push his consecutive points streak to 15 games . The record is 19 games , set by Bryan Trottier for the New York Islanders in 1981 . With Teppo Numminen returning to the bench , Game 6 started out comfortably for the Sabres , as Jean - Pierre Dumont scored on a rebound early in the first period to give the Sabres a lead . It held until late in the third period , when Bret Hedican put a shot into the top corner to send the game into overtime . After Doug Weight was given a boarding penalty for his hit on Pominville early in overtime , Danny Briere sent the series to a Game 7 by putting a shot in that went off Cam Ward ' s glove and into the net . In Game 7 , the Sabres remained competitive despite the loss of defenceman Jay McKee , leaving them with four defenders sidelined , and seven players overall , missing from the roster because of injury . Buffalo took a 2 – 1 lead with 2 seconds left in the second period on Jochen Hecht ' s wraparound bank shot off Ward ' s pads . But Carolina answered early in the third with a goal by Weight , atoning for his penalty that cost the Hurricanes in the previous game , and then took the lead on a power play goal by Brind ' Amour with about seven minutes left . Justin Williams would tally an insurance goal on a rebound from Brind ' Amour with a minute left , and the Hurricanes took the game 4 – 2 and the series 4 – 3 , securing their second trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in four seasons . Western Conference Finals . ( 6 ) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim vs . ( 8 ) Edmonton Oilers . The Oilers opened up the scoring in the first game of the series in the first period , when Michael Peca scored his second short - handed goal of the playoffs on a long pass from Edmonton goalie Dwayne Roloson . The Ducks quickly answered back with a goal on a power play , tying the game . The Oilers took the lead in the middle of the second period when Ales Hemsky knocked in a high rebound . The Oilers ' Todd Harvey scored on an empty net to clinch the game . The second game of the series was one which many declared a " must - win " for Anaheim in order to avoid going down 2 – 0 in the series heading to Rexall Place , where they had not won since 1999 . However , the Oilers opened with another special - teams goal in the first period when Chris Pronger scored on a power - play with a shot off the blue line thirteen minutes into the first period . However , the Ducks responded in the second period with Jeff Friesen putting a rebound past Roloson . Roloson stopped 33 shots on the night . Fernando Pisani , who led the Oilers in goals , scored his eighth of the playoffs with three minutes left in the second period . During the third period , the Ducks pressured Edmonton , much like Game 1 , but were unable to beat Roloson as well as the Edmonton shot - blocking . Michael Peca scored his second goal of the series on an empty net as time ran out , giving the Oilers a 2 – 0 series lead . Game 3 was played at Rexall Place in Edmonton . The Ducks sought to break the Oilers ' six - game playoff win streak in a building they had not won in since 1999 . The first period was marred with over 40 penalty minutes assessed in total . However , Toby Petersen managed to put the Oilers in the lead on a failed Bryzgalov clearing attempt which left the net wide open . Both teams could not score in the second period as things seemed to calm down a little . The third period had much more scoring . First , Michael Peca scored on a breakaway . Just over a minute later , Steve Staios scored his first goal of the playoffs on a power play , giving the Oilers a 3 – 0 lead . Chris Pronger seemed to put this out of reach on a 5 - on - 3 power - play goal . The Oilers had scored three goals in two and a half minutes , giving them a seemingly safe 4 – 0 lead . However , the Ducks ' Sean O ' Donnell scored at just past the seven - minute mark of the third period . Teemu Selanne , who had been quiet for much of the series , put the Ducks right back in the game with his first goal of the series . Chris Kunitz then put the Ducks within a goal as the momentum had completely shifted over . However , Pisani scored his ninth goal of the playoffs off a bad Anaheim faceoff putting the Oilers back ahead by two . This tied him for the most goals in the playoffs with Patrick Marleau of the San Jose Sharks with nine . Selanne then scored his second goal of the game with less than two minutes left , bringing it back to a one - goal game . However , the Oilers managed to hang on in the dying seconds and secure a 3 – 0 series lead with a chance to sweep at Rexall Place in Game 4 . The game had a total of 76 penalty minutes handed out by the time everything was done . After a less - than - stellar performance in Game 3 , Ducks coach Randy Carlyle replaced Bryzgalov with Jean - Sebastien Giguere for Game 4 , hoping the shakeup would energize his team . It worked quite well , as the Ducks allowed only three shots in the first period , scoring three goals . Edmonton did lead a comeback in the second period , coming within one of the Ducks , but Joffrey Lupul scored two goals to win the game , 5 – 2 . Game 5 returned to Anaheim , and the Oilers had several penalties called against them in the first period . Although the Oilers successfully killed off the penalty to Matt Greene , Jaroslav Spacek ' s hooking minor led to a power play goal for the Ducks , scored by Francois Beauchemin . The first period ended with the Ducks up 1 – 0 and outshooting the Oilers , 14 – 8 . Early in the second period , the Ducks took a penalty that was successfully killed off , but immediately after the penalty expired , the Oilers tied the game with a rebound goal from Ethan Moreau . Five minutes later , Raffi Torres tipped in a shot from Marc - Andre Bergeron to take the lead in the game . Although several good chances for both teams followed , the lead was held by the Oilers . Despite late pressure by the Ducks , including a 6 - on - 3 power play in the final minute of play , the Oilers held on to win the Western Conference and move on to the Stanley Cup Finals . They were the first eighth - seeded team to reach the Finals under the current playoff format ( which was introduced in 1994 ) . Stanley Cup Finals . ( E2 ) Carolina Hurricanes vs . ( W8 ) Edmonton Oilers . This series marked the first time that the Oilers advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1990 , when they won their fifth Stanley Cup in team history . Meanwhile , the Hurricanes advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2002 , when they fell to the heavily favored Detroit Red Wings in five games . This series marked the first time that two former World Hockey Association teams played against each other for the Stanley Cup since they merged with the NHL in 1979 . The Winnipeg Jets / Phoenix Coyotes team is the only former WHA club to have never contested a Finals . As a result of the new scheduling formula that was implemented before the 2005 – 06 NHL season , the Hurricanes and the Oilers did not meet during the regular season . These were also the second Finals contested by two teams that had both missed the playoffs the previous season ( assuming one skips the unplayed 2005 Stanley Cup playoffs ) , after Pittsburgh / Minnesota 1991 . Even more interestingly , it would also prove to be the first Finals contested by teams that would both go on to miss the following years ' playoffs . Prior to these Finals only one team , the 1938 – 39 Chicago Blackhawks , had ever missed the playoffs one year , then played in the Stanley Cup Finals ( win or lose ) the following season , and then missed the playoffs again the season after that . Both the Hurricanes and Oilers have now accomplished this dubious feat . In Game 1 , Carolina tied the biggest comeback in Stanley Cup Finals history , overcoming a three - goal deficit to win , 5 – 4 . Edmonton scored first , 8 : 18 into the first period , with a goal from Fernando Pisani . In the second period , Chris Pronger scored the first penalty shot goal in Stanley Cup Finals history after defenceman Niclas Wallin illegally covered the puck inside his own goal crease , and Ethan Moreau ' s goal at 16 : 23 gave the Oilers a 3 – 0 lead . But at the 17 : 17 mark , Rod Brind ' Amour scored the Hurricanes ' first goal of the game . Carolina then tied the game in the third period with two scores by Ray Whitney . The Hurricanes jumped ahead , 4 – 3 , on a shorthanded goal by Justin Williams , but Edmonton ' s Ales Hemsky scored on a power play to tie the game with 6 : 29 remaining . Late in the final period , Oilers goalie Dwayne Roloson suffered a series - ending knee injury in a collision and was replaced with Ty Conklin . With 32 seconds to go in regulation , Conklin misplayed the puck , and it deflected off Jason Smith ' s stick to the front of the empty net , allowing Brind ' Amour to score the winning goal . With Roloson ' s injury , Jussi Markkanen started for the Oilers in Game 2 . Although Markkanen had played 37 games in the regular season - sharing the job with Ty Conklin and Mike Morrison - he had watched the entire post - season from the bench ; he also had not played in a game since March 1 , 2006 . The Hurricanes shut out the Oilers , 5 – 0 , with five different Carolina players scoring goals . Markkanen was Edmonton ' s third goaltender in the series . It was the first time three goaltenders had been used in a Cup Finals since May 1970 , when the St . Louis Blues employed Jacques Plante , Glenn Hall and Ernie Wakely on their way to being swept by the Boston Bruins . In Game 3 , Markkanen once again started in net with Roloson still out . Shawn Horcoff scored just over two minutes into the first period . During the second period , a short - handed goal was waved off by the referee , because he had lost sight of the puck and had blown the whistle , despite the fact that the puck had not yet been covered . The Hurricanes responded midway through the third period with their captain , Rod Brind ' Amour , taking a rebound off a blocked shot past Markkanen . However , with 2 : 15 left in the game , Edmonton ' s Ryan Smyth scored the winning goal after crashing into Ward inside the crease as they both tried to get control of a rebound off of a shot by Ales Hemsky . Hurricanes head coach Peter Laviolette and many other Carolina players complained that Smyth should have been penalized for interference , but no penalty was called since the referees felt that he did not make enough contact with Ward to prevent him from attempting a save . In , Game 4 , Edmonton got off to a good start when Sergei Samsonov opened the scoring at 8 : 40 of the first period . However , the lead was short - lived as Cory Stillman replied just 29 seconds later to tie the game , 1 – 1 . Mark Recchi scored the eventual game - winner with just over four minutes to go in the second period . Once again Edmonton ' s power - play was futile , failing to capitalize on five chances , including a 2 - man advantage in the first period . When the game ended , the Oilers were 1 - for - 25 on the power play to this point in the series . Carolina entered Game 5 with a 3 – 1 lead in the series and a chance to win the Stanley Cup on their home ice . However , Edmonton scored first on Fernando Pisani ' s goal 16 seconds into the game . The Hurricanes then went ahead , 2 – 1 , on two power - play goals by Staal and Whitney before the Oilers scored a power - play goal by Hemsky to tie the game . Peca then gave Edmonton a 3 – 2 lead with 17 . 4 seconds left in the first period . In the second period , Staal scored another power play goal to tie the game . With 7 : 47 remaining in the third period , Whitney missed what might have been the Hurricanes ' best chance to close out the series with a shot that just hit the post . The game went to overtime , and Pisani scored the first short - handed overtime goal in Finals history to give the Oilers the win . Edmonton , in Game 6 , shut out Carolina , 4 – 0 , scoring three power - play goals and limiting the Hurricanes to only 16 shots on goal . Edmonton held Carolina to seven shots through 40 minutes of play . Fernando Pisani got his post - season high fifth game winning goal ( and 13th in total , also tops amongst scorers in this playoffs ) . The Hurricanes returned to their home ice to defeat the Oilers in Game 7 , 3 – 1 , to win the Cup . Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle gave Carolina a 2 – 0 lead before Pisani scored for Edmonton at 1 : 03 of the third period to cut the lead . With a minute and a half to go in regulation , the Oilers pulled Markkanen in hopes of tying the game . Seconds later , a loose puck wound up on the stick of Bret Hedican . Hedican dumped the puck to Eric Staal , who fed it to Justin Williams . Williams sprinted down the ice and tapped the puck into the empty net at 18 : 59 of the third period , sealing the Stanley Cup for the Hurricanes . Cam Ward became the first NHL rookie goalie to win a Stanley Cup Finals series since Patrick Roy lead the Montreal Canadiens in 1986 , and he was also the first rookie since the Philadelphia Flyers ' Ron Hextall in 1987 to be awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player in the playoffs . Cory Stillman earned a Stanley Cup title for the second straight season , having won in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Lightning , becoming the first player to win back - to - back titles with different teams since Claude Lemieux ( 1995 New Jersey Devils , 1996 Colorado Avalanche ) . The Hurricanes ' victory ended Glen Wesley ' s 18 - year drought without winning the Cup . He had played close to 1 , 500 regular season and playoff games before winning the Cup , the longest such drought in the NHL . Wesley was the last player remaining from the franchise ' s days as the Hartford Whalers . Other notable veterans to win their first Cup were Rod Brind ' Amour , Doug Weight , Ray Whitney , and Bret Hedican . Mark Recchi won the second Cup of his career , having won 15 years prior as a member of the 1991 Pittsburgh Penguins . The Hurricanes became the third former World Hockey Association franchise to win the Stanley Cup , following the Oilers and Quebec Nordiques , who won as the Colorado Avalanche . The 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs marked the second time in a row that an Alberta - based team had made it to the NHL finals only to lose in seven games to the Southeast Division champions ; the Calgary Flames were defeated by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 . , where since the last time the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in 2002 , the Western Conference team that defeated the Detroit Red Wings during the playoffs went on to the finals , and lost the series to the Eastern Conference team in seven games . In each game of the Finals , the team that won the opening faceoff went on to win that game . This was the first major - league professional championship for the state of North Carolina .