1988 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1988 Stanley Cup playoffs , the championship of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) , began with sixteen teams on April 6 , 1988 . It concluded on May 26 , with the Edmonton Oilers defeating the Boston Bruins to win the Stanley Cup . Series . " Note : all dates in 1988 " The 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 thought to have a good chance at repeating with Gretzky ' s return . The clash between the Flames and Oilers in the Smythe Divsion Final was highly anticipated . Adams Division semi - finals . Buffalo Sabres vs . Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins were led by team co - captain s Ray Bourque , Rick Middleton 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 squandered 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 led 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 . Game 7 was a classic ending with Dale Hunter beating Hextall on a breakaway in overtime . " 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 , just 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 Detroit in the season finale that pushed them into the playoffs , even though they had the second - worst record in the league . However , the Norris Division was very weak that year ; only the Red Wings had a winning record . Game six in Maple Leaf Gardens was future Hall of Famer Borje 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 franchise 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 offence . 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 . Four months after this series mercifully ended , the only NHL franchise in California would undergo a massive makeover , thanks to new uniforms and a savior from the north . " Calgary wins best - of - seven series 4 – 1 " Divisional finals . 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 ' playoff series win over the Habs in 44 seasons . " Boston wins best - of - seven series 4 – 1 " 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 . Sundstrom ' s eight - point effort in Game 3 ( 4 goals , 4 assists ) set a new Stanley Cup playoff record . " New Jersey wins best - of - seven series 4 – 3 " 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 " Edmonton Oilers vs . Calgary Flames In the " Battle of Alberta " the Oilers would claim the first sweep of the playoffs . In Game 2 , Wayne Gretzky scored a short - handed overtime goal on a brilliant slapshot while streaking down the left wing . " Edmonton wins best - of - seven series 4 – 0 " Conference finals . New Jersey Devils vs . Boston Bruins The Devils would take Boston to the limit , but their offence could not 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 also featured the infamous confrontation between Devils coach Jim Schoenfeld 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 , he yelled " Have another doughnut ! Have another doughnut ! " The incident was played repeatedly on ESPN and has since become part of NHL lore . Schoenfeld was suspended by NHL president John Ziegler for Game 4 , but the Devils received an injunction from a New Jersey court , allowing Schoenfeld to coach the fourth game . In protest , the officials scheduled to work that game in the Meadlowands refused to take the ice , forcing the NHL to scramble for amateur officials to call the contest . The injunction was lifted and Schoenfeld served his suspension during Game 5 in the Boston Garden . " Boston wins best - of - seven series 4 – 3 " Detroit Red Wings vs . Edmonton Oilers Steve Yzerman and the Wings were no match for the Oilers again , and were edged out in five games . " Edmonton wins best - of - seven series 4 – 1 " Final . The series 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 a rescheduled Game 4 . Ray Bourque 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 18 games , and 13 points in the Finals series . Boston Bruins vs . Edmonton Oilers " Edmonton wins best - of - seven series 4 – 0 "