1990 Stanley Cup playoffs

**The 1990 Stanley Cup playoffs** for the NHL championship began on April 5, 1990, following the 1989–90 NHL season.

The sixteen teams that qualified from the top four teams of the four divisions played best-of-seven series with re-seeding after the division finals. The Conference Champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup.

This was the last time that the Detroit Red Wings missed the playoffs until 2017; they would make the playoffs for 25 consecutive seasons from 1991 to 2016 (excluding 2005, when the season was cancelled).

Since entering the NHL as expansion teams in the 1967–68 NHL season, this was the first and only time to date that both the Philadelphia Flyers and the Pittsburgh Penguins missed the playoffs in the same season.

The playoffs concluded on May 24, 1990 with the Edmonton Oilers winning the Stanley Cup, defeating the Boston Bruins in the final series four games to one. Edmonton goaltender Bill Ranford was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Most Valuable Player of the playoffs.

## Playoff Seeds

### Prince of Wales Conference

**Adams Division**

* Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions, Presidents' Trophy winners – 101 points
* Buffalo Sabres – 98 points
* Montreal Canadiens – 93 points
* Hartford Whalers – 85 points

**Patrick Division**

* New York Rangers, Patrick Division champions – 85 points
* New Jersey Devils – 83 points
* Washington Capitals – 78 points
* New York Islanders – 73 points

### Clarence Campbell Conference

**Norris Division**

* Chicago Blackhawks, Norris Division champions – 88 points
* St. Louis Blues – 83 points
* Toronto Maple Leafs – 80 points
* Minnesota North Stars – 76 points

**Smythe Division**

* Calgary Flames, Smythe Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 99 points
* Edmonton Oilers – 90 points
* Winnipeg Jets – 85 points
* Los Angeles Kings – 75 points

## Division Semifinals

### Prince of Wales Conference

**Boston Bruins vs. (A4) Hartford Whalers**

Boston won series 4–3.

**Buffalo Sabres vs. (A3) Montreal Canadiens**

Montreal won series 4–2.

**New York Rangers vs. (P4) New York Islanders**

New York Rangers won series 4–1.

**New Jersey Devils vs. Washington Capitals**

Washington won series 4–2.

### Clarence Campbell Conference

**Chicago Blackhawks vs. (N4) Minnesota North Stars**

Chicago won series 4–3.

**St. Louis Blues vs. (N3) Toronto Maple Leafs**

St. Louis won series 4–1.

**Calgary Flames vs. (S4) Los Angeles Kings**

Los Angeles won series 4–2.

**Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets**

Edmonton won series 4–3.

## Division Finals

### Prince of Wales Conference

**Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens**
Boston won series 4–1.

**New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals**

Washington won series 4–1.

### Clarence Campbell Conference

**Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues**

Chicago won series 4–3.

**Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings**

Edmonton won series 4–0.

## Conference Finals

### Prince of Wales Conference Final

**Boston Bruins vs. Washington Capitals**

Boston won series 4–0.

### Clarence Campbell Conference Final

**Edmonton Oilers vs. Chicago Blackhawks**

Edmonton won series 4–2.

## Stanley Cup Finals

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Boston Bruins in five games. For the Oilers, it was their fifth Cup win in seven years, and their only one without Wayne Gretzky.

In Game 1, Petr Klima scored at 15:13 of the third overtime period to give the Oilers a 3–2 win. The game broke the record for longest Final game, set in 1931 between Chicago and Montreal; this game remains the longest in Stanley Cup Final history (Longest NHL overtime games) to date, edging both Brett Hull's cup-winner in 1999 and Igor Larionov's game-winner in 2002 by less than 30 seconds. In Game 5 at the Boston Garden on May 24, 1990, the Oilers won 4–1, with Craig Simpson scoring the game-winning goal.