1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League was played between May 6 and June 24, 1995. In the Final, the New Jersey Devils swept the favored Detroit Red Wings in four games to win their first championship. The Quebec Nordiques played their last ever playoff series during this time. They would move to Denver Colorado during the summer.
The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-7 series for the Stanley Cup. 
==Playoff bracket==
==Scoring leaders==
Note: GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points
Player 	Team 	GP	G 	A 	Pts
Sergei Fedorov 	Detroit 	17	7 	17	24
Stephane Richer 	New Jersey	19	6 	15	21
Neal Broten 	New Jersey	20	7 	12	19
Ron Francis 	Pittsburgh	12	6 	13	19
Denis Savard 	Chicago 	16	7 	11	18
Paul Coffey 	Detroit 	18	6 	12	18
John MacLean 	New Jersey	20	5 	13	18
Claude Lemieux 	New Jersey	20	13	3 	16
Vyacheslav Kozlov	Detroit 	18	9 	7 	16
Nicklas Lidstrom 	Detroit 	18	4 	12	16
==Conference Quarter-finals==
===Eastern Conference Quarter-finals===
====Quebec Nordiques vs. New York Rangers====
Quebec vs. NY Rangers 	Quebec vs. NY Rangers 	Quebec vs. NY Rangers 	Quebec vs. NY Rangers
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 6 	NY Rangers 4 	5 Quebec 	
May 8 	NY Rangers 8 	3 Quebec 	
May 10 	Quebec 3 	4 NY Rangers 	
May 12 	Quebec 2 	3 NY Rangers 	OT
May 14 	NY Rangers 2 	4 Quebec 	
May 16 	Quebec 2 	4 NY Rangers 	
NY Rangers wins series 4–2	NY Rangers wins series 4–2	NY Rangers wins series 4–2	NY Rangers wins series 4–2
====Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals====
Pittsburgh vs. Washington 	Pittsburgh vs. Washington 	Pittsburgh vs. Washington 	Pittsburgh vs. Washington
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 6 	Washington 5 	4 Pittsburgh 	
May 8 	Washington 3 	5 Pittsburgh 	
May 10 	Pittsburgh 2 	6 Washington 	
May 12 	Pittsburgh 2 	6 Washington 	
May 14 	Washington 5 	6 Pittsburgh 	OT
May 16 	Pittsburgh 7 	1 Washington 	
May 18 	Washington 0 	3 Pittsburgh 	
Pittsburgh wins series 4–3	Pittsburgh wins series 4–3	Pittsburgh wins series 4–3	Pittsburgh wins series 4–3
====Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres====
Philadelphia vs. Buffalo 	Philadelphia vs. Buffalo 	Philadelphia vs. Buffalo 	Philadelphia vs. Buffalo
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 7 	Buffalo 3 	4 Philadelphia 	OT
May 8 	Buffalo 1 	3 Philadelphia 	
May 10 	Philadelphia 1 	3 Buffalo 	
May 12 	Philadelphia 4 	2 Buffalo 	
May 14 	Buffalo 4 	6 Philadelphia 	
Philadelphia wins series 4–1	Philadelphia wins series 4–1	Philadelphia wins series 4–1	Philadelphia wins series 4–1
====Boston Bruins vs. New Jersey Devils====
Boston vs. New Jersey 	Boston vs. New Jersey 	Boston vs. New Jersey 	Boston vs. New Jersey
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 7 	New Jersey 5 	0 Boston 	
May 8 	New Jersey 3 	0 Boston 	
May 10 	Boston 3 	2 New Jersey 	
May 12 	Boston 0 	1 New Jersey 	OT
May 14 	New Jersey 3 	2 Boston 	
New Jersey wins series 4–1	New Jersey wins series 4–1	New Jersey wins series 4–1	New Jersey wins series 4–1
*Game 5 would be the last game ever played in the Boston Garden.
===Western Conference Quarter-finals===
====Detroit Red Wings vs. Dallas Stars====
Detroit vs. Dallas 	Detroit vs. Dallas 	Detroit vs. Dallas 	Detroit vs. Dallas
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 7 	Dallas 3 	4 Detroit 	
May 9 	Dallas 1 	4 Detroit 	
May 11 	Detroit 5 	1 Dallas 	
May 14 	Detroit 1 	4 Dallas 	
May 15 	Dallas 1 	3 Detroit 	
Detroit wins series 4–1	Detroit wins series 4–1	Detroit wins series 4–1	Detroit wins series 4–1
====St. Louis Blues vs. Vancouver Canucks====
St. Louis vs. Vancouver 	St. Louis vs. Vancouver 	St. Louis vs. Vancouver 	St. Louis vs. Vancouver
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 7 	Vancouver 1 	2 St. Louis 	
May 9 	Vancouver 5 	3 St. Louis 	
May 11 	St. Louis 1 	6 Vancouver 	
May 13 	St. Louis 5 	2 Vancouver 	
May 15 	Vancouver 6 	5 St. Louis 	OT
May 17 	St. Louis 8 	2 Vancouver 	
May 19 	Vancouver 5 	3 St. Louis 	
Vancouver wins series 4–3	Vancouver wins series 4–3	Vancouver wins series 4–3	Vancouver wins series 4–3
====Chicago Blackhawks vs. Toronto Maple Leafs====
Chicago vs. Toronto 	Chicago vs. Toronto 	Chicago vs. Toronto 	Chicago vs. Toronto
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 7 	Toronto 5 	3 Chicago 	
May 9 	Toronto 3 	0 Chicago 	
May 11 	Chicago 3 	2 Toronto 	
May 13 	Chicago 3 	1 Toronto 	
May 15 	Toronto 2 	4 Chicago 	
May 17 	Chicago 4 	5 Toronto 	OT
May 19 	Toronto 2 	5 Chicago 	
Chicago wins series 4–3	Chicago wins series 4–3	Chicago wins series 4–3	Chicago wins series 4–3
====Calgary Flames vs. San Jose Sharks====
Calgary vs. San Jose 	Calgary vs. San Jose 	Calgary vs. San Jose 	Calgary vs. San Jose
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 7 	San Jose 5 	4 Calgary 	
May 9 	San Jose 5 	4 Calgary 	OT
May 11 	Calgary 9 	2 San Jose 	
May 13 	Calgary 6 	4 San Jose 	
May 15 	San Jose 0 	5 Calgary 	
May 17 	Calgary 3 	5 San Jose 	
May 19 	San Jose 5 	4 Calgary 	2OT
San Jose wins series 4–3	San Jose wins series 4–3	San Jose wins series 4–3	San Jose wins series 4–3
==Conference Semi-finals==
===Eastern Conference Semi-finals===
====Pittsburgh Penguins vs. New Jersey Devils====
Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey	Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey	Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey	Pittsburgh vs. New Jersey
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 20 	New Jersey 2 	3 Pittsburgh 	
May 22 	New Jersey 4 	2 Pittsburgh 	
May 24 	Pittsburgh 1 	5 New Jersey 	
May 26 	Pittsburgh 1 	2 New Jersey 	OT
May 28 	New Jersey 4 	1 Pittsburgh 	
New Jersey win series 4–1	New Jersey win series 4–1	New Jersey win series 4–1	New Jersey win series 4–1
====Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers====
Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers 	Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers 	Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers 	Philadelphia vs. NY Rangers
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 21 	NY Rangers 4 	5 Philadelphia 	OT
May 22 	NY Rangers 3 	4 Philadelphia 	OT
May 24 	Philadelphia 5 	2 NY Rangers 	
May 26 	Philadelphia 4 	1 NY Rangers 	
Philadelphia wins series 4–0	Philadelphia wins series 4–0	Philadelphia wins series 4–0	Philadelphia wins series 4–0
===Western Conference Semi-finals===
====Detroit Red Wings vs. San Jose Sharks====
Detroit vs. San Jose 	Detroit vs. San Jose 	Detroit vs. San Jose 	Detroit vs. San Jose
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 21 	San Jose 0 	6 Detroit 	
May 23 	San Jose 2 	6 Detroit 	
May 25 	Detroit 6 	2 San Jose 	
May 27 	Detroit 6 	2 San Jose 	
Detroit wins series 4–0	Detroit wins series 4–0	Detroit wins series 4–0	Detroit wins series 4–0
====Chicago Blackhawks vs. Vancouver Canucks====
Chicago vs. Vancouver 	Chicago vs. Vancouver 	Chicago vs. Vancouver 	Chicago vs. Vancouver
Date 	Away 	Home 	
May 21 	Vancouver 1 	2 Chicago 	OT
May 23 	Vancouver 0 	2 Chicago 	
May 25 	Chicago 3 	2 Vancouver 	OT
May 27 	Chicago 4 	3 Vancouver 	OT
Chicago wins series 4–0	Chicago wins series 4–0	Chicago wins series 4–0	Chicago wins series 4–0
*Game 4 would be the last game ever played in the Pacific Coliseum.
==Conference Finals==
===Eastern Conference Final===
Philadelphia vs. New Jersey 	Philadelphia vs. New Jersey 	Philadelphia vs. New Jersey 	Philadelphia vs. New Jersey
Date 	Away 	Home 	
June 3 	New Jersey 4 	1 Philadelphia 	
June 5 	New Jersey 5 	2 Philadelphia 	
June 7 	Philadelphia 3 	2 New Jersey 	OT
June 10 	Philadelphia 4 	2 New Jersey 	
June 11 	New Jersey 3 	2 Philadelphia 	
June 13 	Philadelphia 2 	4 New Jersey 	
New Jersey wins series 4–2and Prince of Wales Trophy	New Jersey wins series 4–2and Prince of Wales Trophy	New Jersey wins series 4–2and Prince of Wales Trophy	New Jersey wins series 4–2and Prince of Wales Trophy
The Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils met in the 1995 Eastern Conference Final. The Flyers were fresh off their surprising four-game sweep of the defending Stanley Cup-champion New York Rangers, while the Devils had just completed their unlikely upset of the Pittsburgh Penguins in five games. The Flyers were looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1987, while the Devils were hoping to make it to the Cup Finals for the first time in team history.
New Jersey shocked the Philadelphia and their home crowd in game one at the Spectrum, taking a commanding 3–0 lead after the first two periods. They made it 4–0 on Bill Guerin's second goal of the game, at 2:04 of the third period. Martin Brodeur's shutout bid was erased, however, as Craig MacTavish got the Flyers on the board with 1:54 remaining in regulation. The Devils won the game 4–1 to take a 1–0 lead in the series. The Flyers fought back in game two, as Mikael Renberg's goal at 13:54 of the first period gave his team a 2–1 lead; its first lead in the series. However, Devils forward John MacLean would score with just 12 seconds remaining in the period to tie the game at 2–2. New Jersey then went on to score three times in the second period, and won the game 5–2. After dominating the first two games at the Spectrum, the Devils headed home for game three, up two games to none in the series. In game three, Philadelphia played with a sense of urgency. Trailing 2–1, the Flyers tied the game on Rod Brind'Amour's goal with 6:03 to go in regulation. They went on to win the game 3–2 on captain Eric Lindros' goal at 4:19 of the first overtime period. Playing with their newfound confidence, the Flyers won game four as well, 4–2, despite being outshot 34–19. Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall made 32 saves. The win tied the series at 2–2 and set up a crucial game five on Sunday, June 11th at the Spectrum. The Devils took a 2–1 lead into the second period, which ended up scoreless. The Flyers tied the game on Kevin Dineen's second goal of the game at 3:13 of the third period. The Devils almost regained the lead on Stephane Richer's breakaway shot that hit the crossbar with less than four minutes to go in regulation. Then, with less than a minute remaining, Devils forward Claude Lemieux picked up the puck on a backcheck in the New Jersey zone and skated up the ice. Once over the Flyers' blue line, Lemieux fired a slap shot that beat Hextall blocker side. The goal silenced the Spectrum crowd and gave New Jersey a 3–2 lead with just 44.2 seconds to play. The Devils hung on to win the game 3–2. 
In game six on June 13th, Philadelphia opened the scoring on Jim Montgomery's goal at 4:05 of the first period. The Devils, however, calmly utilized their neutral-zone Trap to shut down the Flyers' offense while their forwards took advantage and got their team on the board. Stephane Richer tied the game with a power-play goal at 10:25 and Brian Rolston put the Devils up 2–1 with a goal at 18:15. The scored remained 2–1 for New Jersey until midway through the second period. Flyers forward Craig MacTavish, skating over the Devils' blue line, took a slap shot that was blocked by New Jersey defenceman Shawn Chambers. New Jersey forward Bobby Holik then picked up the puck and skated up the ice with forward Randy McKay on the right side and Claude Lemieux as the trailer. Once over the Flyers' blue line, Holik feathered the puck under the legs of the diving Flyers defenseman Kevin Haller and it went right to the stick of Randy McKay, who one-timed it into the net behind Flyers goaltender Ron Hextall. The goal came at 11:58 and gave New Jersey a 3–1 lead. They made it 4–1 at 10:11 of the third period when Bobby Carpenter passed the puck past Flyers defenceman Karl Dykhuis up to Claude Lemieux at center ice who went in on a breakaway and scored his league-leading 11th goal of the playoffs. He had been tied with Pittsburgh's Jaromir Jagr, who had scored 10 goals in the Penguins' 12 playoff games of 1995. With the goal, Lemieux also broke his personal record for most goals scored in a playoff year that he had set in 1986 as a member of the Montreal Canadiens. The Flyers fought back as Mikael Renberg scored on the power play at 16:29 to cut the Devils' lead to 4–2, but New Jersey held its lead and went on to win the game and advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in team history.
===Western Conference Final===
Detroit vs. Chicago 	Detroit vs. Chicago 	Detroit vs. Chicago 	Detroit vs. Chicago
Date 	Away 	Home 	
June 1 	Chicago 1 	2 Detroit 	OT
June 4 	Chicago 2 	3 Detroit 	
June 6 	Detroit 4 	3 Chicago 	2OT
June 8 	Detroit 2 	5 Chicago 	
June 11 	Chicago 1 	2 Detroit 	2OT
Detroit wins series 4–1 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl	Detroit wins series 4–1 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl	Detroit wins series 4–1 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl	Detroit wins series 4–1 and Clarence S. Campbell Bowl
The Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks met in the 1995 Western Conference Finals. The Red Wings had just completed a four-game sweep of the San Jose Sharks, and the Blackhawks had just completed their sweep of the Vancouver Canucks. Detroit was having its best playoff since 1988, and was hoping to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1966. Chicago, on the other hand, was back in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992, when they last made it to the Cup Finals.
Game one of the series at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit saw a goaltending battle between Ed Belfour of Chicago and Mike Vernon of Detroit. The two teams skated to a 1–1 tie after regulation before Nicklas Lidstrom scored the game-winning goal for Detroit at 1:01 of the first overtime period. It was the first overtime playoff game that Detroit had won at home since Tuesday, March 29, 1960. In game two, Chicago led by a score of 2–1 after two periods on goals by Chris Chelios and Tony Amonte. However, Detroit kept pressing and eventually tied the game on Doug Brown's goal. Kris Draper scored the winner for Detroit with just 1:45 remaining in regulation. In game three of the series at the United Center in Chicago, Detroit led 3–2 going into the third period, where Jeff Shantz scored at 8:33 to tie the game for Chicago. The game went to double overtime where Vladimir Konstantinov scored the game-winner for Detroit at 9:25. The win gave the Red Wings a commanding three-games-to-none series lead. The Blackhawks responded to the urgency and came out flying in game four. Denis Savard and Joe Murphy both scored twice and captain Dirk Graham had a goal to give Chicago a dominating 5–0 lead after 40 minutes. Detroit scored twice in the third period on goals by Kris Draper and Ray Sheppard, as the Blackhawks went on to win the game 5–2. They now trailed in the series 3 games to 1. In game five in Detroit on Sunday, June 11th, Chicago jumped out to a 1–0 lead on Denis Savard's power play goal at 10:18 of the first period. Detroit then tied the game on Steve Yzerman's goal at 11:36 of the second. After a scoreless third period, the game went into double overtime where Vyacheslav Kozlov scored at 2:25 to give the Red Wings a 2–1 win and a four-games-to-one series win.
==Stanley Cup Final==
The Red Wings were making their 19th appearance in a Stanley Cup Final, and first since 1966. The Devils were making their first appearance in the final, in their 20th season. The Devils would blanket the Red Wings with defense to win their first Cup title.
Detroit Red Wings vs. New Jersey Devils 	Detroit Red Wings vs. New Jersey Devils 	Detroit Red Wings vs. New Jersey Devils 	Detroit Red Wings vs. New Jersey Devils 	Detroit Red Wings vs. New Jersey Devils 	Detroit Red Wings vs. New Jersey Devils
Date 	Away 	Score 	Home 	Score 	Notes
June 17 	New Jersey 	2 	Detroit 	1 	
June 20 	New Jersey 	4 	Detroit 	2 	
June 22 	Detroit 	2 	New Jersey 	5 	
June 24 	Detroit 	2 	New Jersey 	5 	
New Jersey wins series 4–0and Stanley Cup 	New Jersey wins series 4–0and Stanley Cup 	New Jersey wins series 4–0and Stanley Cup 	New Jersey wins series 4–0and Stanley Cup 	New Jersey wins series 4–0and Stanley Cup 	New Jersey wins series 4–0and Stanley Cup
Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)wins Conn Smythe Trophy	Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)wins Conn Smythe Trophy	Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)wins Conn Smythe Trophy	Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)wins Conn Smythe Trophy	Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)wins Conn Smythe Trophy	Claude Lemieux (New Jersey)wins Conn Smythe Trophy
==See also==
*1994–95 NHL season
Category:1995 in hockey
Category:Stanley Cup Playoffs