1983 Stanley Cup playoffs

1983 Stanley Cup playoffs
Tournament details
DatesApril 5–May 17, 1983
Teams16
Defending championsNew York Islanders
Final positions
ChampionsNew York Islanders
Runner-upEdmonton Oilers
Tournament statistics
Scoring leader(s)Wayne Gretzky (Oilers) (38 points)
MVPBilly Smith (Islanders)
← 1982
1984 →

The 1983 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 5, after the conclusion of the 1982–83 NHL season. The playoffs concluded on May 17 with the champion New York Islanders defeating the Edmonton Oilers 4–0 to win the final series four games to none and win the Stanley Cup for the fourth consecutive season.

The Stanley Cup

The 1983 playoffs marked the first time that seven NHL teams based in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, Quebec, Winnipeg, and Calgary) all qualified for the playoffs in the same season. Since the 1967–68 expansion, all the Canadian teams have qualified for the playoffs on five other occasions – 1969 (Montreal and Toronto), 1975, 1976 and 1979 (Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver), and 1986 (the same seven as in 1983), the last time to date (as of 2023) that all active Canadian teams qualified.

In the Wales Conference, the Patrick Division champion Philadelphia Flyers was upset by the New York Rangers in the first round in a three-game sweep. The defending champion Islanders had qualified second in the Patrick Division and defeated the Washington Capitals in the first round in four games and defeated the Rangers in six to qualify for the Conference Final. In the Adams Division, the first place Boston Bruins defeated the Quebec Nordiques and the Buffalo Sabres (who swept the Canadiens in their opening round series) in seven to advance to the Conference Final. In the Conference Final, the Islanders defeated Boston in six games to qualify for their fourth consecutive Cup Finals appearance.

In the Campbell Conference, the Smythe Division first seed Edmonton Oilers swept the Winnipeg Jets in the opening round and defeated the Calgary Flames (who defeated the Vancouver Canucks three games to one in the opening round) in the Smythe Final. The Norris champion Chicago Black Hawks defeated the St. Louis Blues three games to one and the Minnesota North Stars (who defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs three games to one in the opening round) in the Norris Final four games to one. Edmonton defeated the Norris Division champion Chicago Black Hawks in a four-game sweep in the Conference Final to advance to the Cup Finals.

Playoff seeds

The top four teams in each division qualified for the playoffs, as follows:

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division

  1. Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 110 points
  2. Montreal Canadiens – 98 points
  3. Buffalo Sabres – 89 points
  4. Quebec Nordiques – 80 points

Patrick Division

  1. Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Division champions – 106 points
  2. New York Islanders – 96 points
  3. Washington Capitals – 94 points
  4. New York Rangers – 80 points

Clarence Campbell Conference

Norris Division

  1. Chicago Black Hawks, Norris Division champions – 104 points
  2. Minnesota North Stars – 96 points
  3. Toronto Maple Leafs – 68 points
  4. St. Louis Blues – 65 points

Smythe Division

  1. Edmonton Oilers, Smythe Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 106 points
  2. Calgary Flames – 78 points
  3. Vancouver Canucks – 75 points
  4. Winnipeg Jets – 74 points

Playoff bracket

In the division semifinals, the fourth seeded team in each division played against the division winner from their division. The other series matched the second and third place teams from the divisions. The two winning teams from each division's semifinals then met in the division finals. The two division winners of each conference then played in the conference finals. The two conference winners then advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Home-ice advantage during the first two rounds was awarded to the team that had the better regular season record. Home-ice advantage for the conference finals had been determined by coin flips[1] prior to the start of the previous season. That event determined that home-ice advantage were granted to champions of the Adams and Smythe divisions this season. Similarly, a puck flip determined that home-ice advantage for the Stanley Cup finals would be granted to Campbell Conference champion this season.

Each division semifinals series was competed in a best-of-five playoff following a 2–2–1 format (scores in the bracket indicate the number of games won in each series), with the team with home ice advantage playing at home for games one and two (and game five, if necessary), and the other team playing at home for game three (and game four, if necessary). In the other three rounds, each series was competed in a best-of-seven playoff following a 2–2–1–1–1 format, with the team with home ice advantage playing at home for games one and two (and games five and seven, if necessary), and the other team playing at home for games three and four (and game six, if necessary).

Division semifinals Division finals Conference finals Stanley Cup Finals
            
A1 Boston 3
A4 Quebec 1
A1 Boston 4
A3 Buffalo 3
A2 Montreal 0
A3 Buffalo 3
A1 Boston 2
Prince of Wales Conference
P2 NY Islanders 4
P1 Philadelphia 0
P4 NY Rangers 3
P4 NY Rangers 2
P2 NY Islanders 4
P2 NY Islanders 3
P3 Washington 1
P2 NY Islanders 4
S1 Edmonton 0
N1 Chicago 3
N4 St. Louis 1
N1 Chicago 4
N2 Minnesota 1
N2 Minnesota 3
N3 Toronto 1
N1 Chicago 0
Clarence Campbell Conference
S1 Edmonton 4
S1 Edmonton 3
S4 Winnipeg 0
S1 Edmonton 4
S2 Calgary 1
S2 Calgary 3
S3 Vancouver 1

Division semifinals

Prince of Wales Conference

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (A4) Quebec Nordiques

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of the previous year's Adams Division Finals, in which Quebec won in seven games.


April 5 Quebec Nordiques 3–4 OT Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Peter Stastny (1) – 01:26
Peter Stastny (2) – pp – 07:18
Peter Stastny (3) – 16:00 		First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 03:24 – Barry Pederson (1)
05:54 – pp – Mike O'Connell (1)
No scoring Third period 08:14 – Mike O'Connell (2)
No scoring First overtime period 01:46 – Barry Pederson (2)
Dan Bouchard 33 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 18 saves / 21 shots
April 7 Quebec Nordiques 2–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Anton Stastny (1) – 16:33 First period 01:08 – Rick Middleton (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Dale Hunter (1) – 04:35 Third period 09:59 – Ray Bourque (1)
10:43 – pp – Mike O'Connell (3)
18:00 – Rick Middleton (2)
Dan Bouchard 33 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 16 saves / 18 shots
April 9 Boston Bruins 1–2 Quebec Nordiques Quebec Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 07:43 – sh – Dale Hunter (2)
Rick Middleton (3) – pp – 04:52 Second period 16:50 – pp – Randy Moller (1)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Pete Peeters 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Dan Bouchard 31 saves / 32 shots
April 10 Boston Bruins 2–1 Quebec Nordiques Quebec Coliseum Recap  
Barry Pederson (3) – 00:57 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Luc Dufour (1) – 12:02 Third period 03:45 – Anton Stastny (2)
Pete Peeters 38 saves / 39 shots Goalie stats Dan Bouchard 13 saves / 15 shots
Boston won series 3–1


(A2) Montreal Canadiens vs. (A3) Buffalo Sabres

This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. The teams split their previous two meetings. They last met in the 1975 Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Buffalo won in six games.


April 6 Buffalo Sabres 1–0 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Brent Peterson (1) – 02:30 Third period No scoring
Bob Sauve 24 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Rick Wamsley 25 saves / 26 shots
April 7 Buffalo Sabres 3–0 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum Recap  
Dale McCourt (1) – 01:47 First period No scoring
Gilles Hamel (1) – pp – 06:03
Mal Davis (1) – 06:39 		Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period No scoring
Bob Sauve 22 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Rick Wamsley 11 saves / 14 shots
Richard Sevigny 7 saves / 7 shots
April 9 Montreal Canadiens 2–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Mats Naslund (1) – pp – 07:25 Second period 16:21 – pp – John Van Boxmeer (1)
17:26 – Lindy Ruff (1)
Steve Shutt (1) – 08:21 Third period 15:50 – Tony McKegney (1)
19:35 – en – Mike Ramsey (1)
Rick Wamsley 22 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Bob Sauve 28 saves / 30 shots
Buffalo won series 3–0


(P1) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (P4) New York Rangers

This was the fifth playoff series meeting between these two teams. The teams had split their previous four meetings. This was a rematch of last year's Patrick Division Semifinals, in which New York won 3–1.


April 5 New York Rangers 5–3 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
Anders Hedberg (1) – 06:06
Mark Pavelich (1) – pp – 15:05
Ander Hedberg (2) – pp – 18:21 		First period No scoring
Mike Backman (1) – 06:23
Eddie Johnstone (1) – 18:44 		Second period 09:55 – pp – Ron Flockhart (1)
No scoring Third period 01:14 – Dave Poulin (1)
17:25 – pp – Bill Barber (1)
Eddie Mio 39 saves / 42 shots Goalie stats Pelle Lindbergh 30 saves / 35 shots
April 7 New York Rangers 4–3 Philadelphia Flyers Spectrum Recap  
No scoring First period 06:16 – pp – Brian Propp (1)
George McPhee (1) – 02:50
Tom Laidlaw (1) – 07:40 		Second period No scoring
Mark Pavelich (2) – 04:05
Reijo Ruotsalainen (1) – 06:12 		Third period 00:51 – Ilkka Sinisalo (1)
11:16 – Tim Kerr (1)
Eddie Mio 32 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Pelle Lindbergh 18 saves / 22 shots
April 9 Philadelphia Flyers 3–9 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Bobby Clarke (1) – 15:43 First period 04:01 – Rob McClanahan (1)
05:24 – pp – Ron Greschner (1)
19:48 – Barry Beck (1)
No scoring Second period 03:55 – Rob McClanahan (2)
15:54 – Anders Hedberg (3)
Darryl Sittler (1) – 01:09
Tim Kerr (2) – 06:48 		Third period 08:01 – Anders Hedberg (4)
09:34 – pp – Reijo Ruotsalainen (2)
12:12 – Mike Backman (2)
16:49 – Eddie Johnstone (2)
Pelle Lindbergh 19 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Eddie Mio 27 saves / 30 shots
New York won series 3–0


(P2) New York Islanders vs. (P3) Washington Capitals

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.


April 6 Washington Capitals 2–5 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Bobby Gould (1) – pp – 04:01 First period 09:31 – pp – Bryan Trottier (1)
No scoring Second period 02:46 – pp – Anders Kallur (1)
03:50 – John Tonelli (1)
16:05 – pp – Bryan Trottier (2)
Bobby Gould (2) – 00:19 Third period 08:18 – Bobby Nystrom (1)
Pat Riggin 32 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 27 saves / 29 shots
April 7 Washington Capitals 4–2 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Bobby Gould (3) – 13:46
Dennis Maruk (1) – 18:47 		Second period 15:50 – Bobby Nystrom (2)
Bobby Gould (4) – 02:15
Bobby Carpenter (1) – 16:08 		Third period 14:29 – Denis Potvin (1)
Al Jensen 30 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 35 saves / 39 shots
April 9 New York Islanders 6–2 Washington Capitals Capital Centre Recap  
Bob Bourne (1) – 09:31
Bob Bourne (2) – 14:48 		First period No scoring
Bryan Trottier (3) – 12:39
Bryan Trottier (4) – 18:04 		Second period No scoring
John Tonelli (2) – 06:31
Bobby Nystrom (3) – 18:05 		Third period 03:04 – Craig Laughlin (1)
17:34 – Scott Stevens (1)
Roland Melanson 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Al Jensen 13 saves / 17 shots
Pat Riggin 9 saves / 11 shots
April 10 New York Islanders 6–3 Washington Capitals Capital Centre Recap  
Mike Bossy (1) – 02:10 First period No scoring
Bob Bourne (3) – 06:41
Mike Bossy (2) – 09:53
Mats Hallin (1) – 10:37 		Second period 03:13 – Gaetan Duchesne (1)
16:58 – Bobby Gould (5)
Mike Bossy (3) – 17:14
John Tonelli (3) – en – 18:49 		Third period 11:34 – Ken Houston (1)
Roland Melanson 28 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Al Jensen 23 saves / 27 shots
Pat Riggin 8 saves / 9 shots
New York won series 3–1


Clarence Campbell Conference

(N1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (N4) St. Louis Blues

This was the fourth playoff series meeting between these two teams. Chicago won all three previous meetings. This was a rematch of last year's Norris Division Finals, in which Chicago won in six games.


April 6 St. Louis Blues 4–2 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 03:24 – Tom Lysiak (1)
No scoring Second period 05:19 – pp – Steve Larmer (1)
Brian Sutter (1) – pp – 03:08
Blake Dunlop (1) – pp – 08:38
Mike Zuke (1) – 11:35
Larry Patey (1) – en – 19:59 		Third period No scoring
Mike Liut 30 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Murray Bannerman 25 saves / 28 shots
April 7 St. Louis Blues 2–7 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 05:09 – Denis Savard (1)
09:23 – Rich Preston (1)
13:00 – Tom Lysiak (2)
17:34 – pp – Denis Savard (2)
Jorgen Pettersson (1) – pp – 15:22
Perry Turnbull (1) – 19:26 		Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 02:30 – Steve Ludzik (1)
09:36 – Curt Fraser (1)
16:20 – Darryl Sutter (1)
Mike Liut 39 saves / 46 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 24 saves / 26 shots
April 9 Chicago Black Hawks 2–1 St. Louis Blues Checkerdome Recap  
Doug Wilson (1) – 14:25
Denis Savard (3) – 18:22 		First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 02:49 – Mark Reeds (1)
Murray Bannerman 26 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Mike Liut 25 saves / 27 shots
April 10 Chicago Black Hawks 5–3 St. Louis Blues Checkerdome Recap  
Tim Higgins (1) – 03:15
Dave Feamster (1) – 08:31 		First period 12:16 – Bernie Federko (1)
17:13 – pp – Brian Sutter (2)
Steve Ludzik (2) – 03:47 Second period No scoring
Steve Larmer (2) – pp – 09:39
Darryl Sutter (2) – en – 19:26 		Third period 05:48 – pp – Bernie Federko (2)
Murray Bannerman 32 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Mike Liut 39 saves / 43 shots
Chicago won series 3–1


(N2) Minnesota North Stars vs. (N3) Toronto Maple Leafs

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. Minnesota won the only previous meeting in the 1980 preliminary round in a three-game sweep.


April 6 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–5 Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
Gaston Gingras (1) – 07:37 First period 00:34 – Brian Bellows (1)
12:36 – Dino Ciccarelli (1)
Borje Salming (1) – pp – 00:59 Second period 15:18 – pp – Neal Broten (1)
Jim Benning (1) – 00:44
Walt Poddubny (1) – pp – 14:36 		Third period 06:35 – Brad Maxwell (1)
19:38 – pp – Bobby Smith (1)
Mike Palmateer 40 saves / 44 shots
Rick St. Croix 0 saves / 1 shot 		Goalie stats Don Beaupre 27 saves / 31 shots
April 7 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–5 OT Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
Miroslav Frycer (1) – 01:05
Bill Derlago (1) – pp – 07:48 		First period 18:43 – Steve Payne (1)
Walt Poddubny (2) – 14:51 Second period 03:43 – Ron Friest (1)
09:29 – Gordie Roberts (1)
Dave Shand (1) – 08:01 Third period 17:32 – Bobby Smith (2)
No scoring First overtime period 05:03 – Bobby Smith (3)
Mike Palmateer 40 saves / 45 shots Goalie stats Don Beaupre 35 saves / 39 shots
April 9 Minnesota North Stars 3–6 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period 06:49 – Greg Terrion (1)
Brad Maxwell (2) – pp – 05:35
Brian Bellows (2) – 13:03
Steve Payne (2) – 16:08 		Second period 10:59 – pp – John Anderson (1)
15:46 – Miroslav Frycer (2)
No scoring Third period 05:51 – pp – Walt Poddubny (3)
10:42 – Bruce Boudreau (1)
18:53 – en – John Anderson (2)
Don Beaupre 32 saves / 37 shots Goalie stats Mike Palmateer 47 saves / 50 shots
April 10 Minnesota North Stars 5–4 OT Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Brad Maxwell (3) – pp – 10:59 Second period 05:17 – pp – Bill Derlago (2)
19:17 – Bill Derlago (3)
Bobby Smith (4) – 00:12
Brian Bellows (3) – pp – 10:41
Brian Bellows (4) – 19:38 		Third period 06:22 – Rick Vaive (1)
17:13 – Rick Vaive (2)
Dino Ciccarelli (2) – 08:05 First overtime period No scoring
Gilles Meloche 23 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Mike Palmateer 38 saves / 43 shots
Minnesota won series 3–1


(S1) Edmonton Oilers vs. (S4) Winnipeg Jets

This was the first playoff meeting between these two teams. This was the first playoff series to feature two former WHA teams.


April 6 Winnipeg Jets 3–6 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Brian Mullen (1) – 17:51 First period 14:10 – Ken Linseman (1)
14:17 – Dave Hunter (1)
15:58 – sh – Wayne Gretzky (1)
No scoring Second period 00:09 – pp – Wayne Gretzky (2)
05:52 – Wayne Gretzky (3)
12:48 – sh – Wayne Gretzky (4)
Bryan Maxwell (1) – pp – 06:13
Ron Wilson (1) – 11:16 		Third period No scoring
Brian Hayward 20 saves / 26 shots
Doug Soetaert 10 saves / 10 shots 		Goalie stats Andy Moog 26 saves / 29 shots
April 7 Winnipeg Jets 3–4 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Moe Mantha (1) – pp – 04:51
Norm Dupont (1) – pp – 09:12 		First period 07:40 – pp – Mark Messier (1)
14:53 – Ken Linseman (2)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Moe Mantha (2) – pp – 03:26 Third period 02:57 – sh – Paul Coffey (1)
18:16 – Mark Messier (2)
Brian Hayward 23 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 25 saves / 28 shots
April 9 Edmonton Oilers 4–3 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Arena Recap  
Paul Coffey (2) – 07:59 First period 17:59 – pp – Paul MacLean (1)
No scoring Second period 06:56 – pp – Dale Hawerchuk (1)
Kevin Lowe (1) – 14:04
Willy Lindstrom (1) – 17:08
Ken Linseman (3) – 18:46 		Third period 17:38 – Ron Wilson (2)
Andy Moog 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Brian Hayward 27 saves / 31 shots
Edmonton won series 3–0


(S2) Calgary Flames vs. (S3) Vancouver Canucks

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Smythe Division Semifinals, in which Vancouver won in a three-game sweep.


April 6 Vancouver Canucks 3–4 OT Calgary Flames Stampede Corral Recap  
No scoring First period 10:24 – Guy Chouinard (1)
Stan Smyl (1) – 08:59
Gary Lupul (1) – 13:12 		Second period No scoring
Doug Halward (1) – 02:14 Third period 04:45 – Phil Russell (1)
09:25 – Jim Peplinski (1)
No scoring First overtime period 12:27 – Eddy Beers (1)
Richard Brodeur 34 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Don Edwards 20 saves / 23 shots
Rejean Lemelin 10 saves / 10 shots
April 7 Vancouver Canucks 4–5 Calgary Flames Stampede Corral Recap  
Thomas Gradin (1) – 05:38 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period 08:18 – pp – Lanny McDonald (1)
15:20 – Steve Konroyd (1)
Ivan Hlinka (1) – 06:52
Lars Lindgren (1) – 18:05 		Third period 03:55 – Lanny McDonald (2)
04:43 – Jim Jackson (1)
14:42 – pp – Mel Bridgman (1)
Richard Brodeur 18 saves / 23 shots Goalie stats Rejean Lemelin 21 saves / 24 shots
April 9 Calgary Flames 4–5 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Kent Nilsson (1) – pp – 11:53
Kevin LaVallee (1) – 16:43 		Second period 01:51 – Harold Snepsts (1)
03:05 – Rick Lanz (1)
10:29 – Kevin McCarthy (1)
13:13 – pp – Rick Lanz (2)
Richie Dunn (1) – 08:00
Mel Bridgman (2) – 15:57 		Third period 19:03 – Stan Smyl (2)
Rejean Lemelin 33 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats John Garrett 26 saves / 30 shots
April 10 Calgary Flames 4–3 OT Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum Recap  
Greg Meredith (1) – 15:07 First period No scoring
Doug Risebrough (1) – 16:00
Tim Hunter (1) – pp – 17:33 		Second period 12:16 – Mark Kirton (1)
13:56 – pp – Stan Smyl (3)
No scoring Third period 17:38 – Garth Butcher (1)
Gregory Meredith (2) – 01:06 First overtime period No scoring
Rejean Lemelin 33 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Richard Brodeur 21 saves / 25 shots
Calgary won series 3–1


Division finals

Prince of Wales Conference

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (A3) Buffalo Sabres

This was the second playoff series meeting between the two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Adams Division Semifinals, in which Boston won 3–1.

Rick Middleton set an NHL record for most points in one series with 19 (5 goals and 14 assists).

Brad Park scored the game-winner in game seven on a slapshot off a rebound of his own shot just seconds earlier.


April 14 Buffalo Sabres 7–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Mike Ramsey (2) – 16:33 First period 04:49 – Ray Bourque (2)
10:51 – pp – Barry Pederson (4)
Lindy Ruff (2) – 01:17
Lindy Ruff (3) – 02:19
Tony McKegney (2) – 09:37
Tony McKegney (3) – pp – 15:35 		Second period 00:40 – Peter McNab (1)
Craig Ramsay (1) – 01:08
Gilles Hamel (2) – 03:27 		Third period 17:44 – Steve Kasper (1)
Bob Sauve 12 saves / 16 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 22 saves / 29 shots
April 15 Buffalo Sabres 3–5 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 00:52 – Mike Krushelnyski (1)
10:30 – Rick Middleton (4)
No scoring Second period 12:05 – pp – Keith Crowder (1)
19:36 – Ray Bourque (3)
Phil Housley (1) – 12:19
Mike Ramsey (3) – 15:03
Mike Foligno (1) – 16:01 		Third period 12:45 – Mike Krushelnyski (2)
Bob Sauve 29 saves / 34 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 37 saves / 40 shots
April 17 Boston Bruins 3–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
No scoring First period 03:57 – Craig Ramsay (2)
Bruce Crowder (1) – 06:14
Tom Fergus (1) – 07:47 		Second period 09:16 – pp – Dale McCourt (2)
Barry Pederson (5) – 05:59 Third period 04:25 – Dave Andreychuk (1)
17:02 – Mike Ramsey (4)
Pete Peeters 20 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Bob Sauve 21 saves / 24 shots
April 18 Boston Bruins 6–2 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Rick Middleton (5) – 05:00
Barry Pederson (6) – 12:49 		First period 14:53 – pp – Paul Cyr (1)
Rick Middleton (6) – 12:04 Second period 06:09 – pp – Dale McCourt (3)
Mike Krushelnyski (3) – 00:31
Barry Pederson (7) – 12:48
Mike Gillis (1) – 17:29 		Third period No scoring
Pete Peeters 26 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Bob Sauve 22 saves / 28 shots
April 20 Buffalo Sabres 0–9 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 02:16 – Bruce Crowder (2)
03:14 – pp – Rick Middleton (7)
13:00 – Barry Pederson (8)
14:51 – sh Rick Middleton (8)
18:50 – Mike Krushelnyski (4)
No scoring Second period 07:08 – Barry Pederson (9)
16:00 – Gord Kluzak (1)
No scoring Third period 07:04 – sh – Steve Kasper (2)
17:15 – Peter McNab (2)
Phil Myre 22 saves / 29 shots
Bob Sauve 0 saves / 2 shots 		Goalie stats Pete Peeters 27 saves / 27 shots
April 22 Boston Bruins 3–5 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium Recap  
Brad Park (1) – 09:45
Tom Fergus (2) – 10:17 		First period 19:34 – pp – Phil Housley (2)
No scoring Second period 01:25 – Hannu Virta (1)
16:39 – Mike Foligno (2)
Mike Krushelnyski (5) – 08:36 Third period 09:25 – Lindy Ruff (4)
13:15 – Phil Housley (3)
Pete Peeters 22 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Bob Sauve 22 saves / 25 shots
April 24 Buffalo Sabres 2–3 OT Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Ric Seiling (1) – 10:42 First period No scoring
Ric Seiling (2) – 03:50 Second period 06:32 – Barry Pederson (10)
09:21 – pp – Brad Park (2)
No scoring Third period No scoring
No scoring First overtime period 01:52 – Brad Park (3)
Bob Sauve 26 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 20 saves / 22 shots
Boston won series 4–3


(P2) New York Islanders vs. (P4) New York Rangers

This was the fifth playoff series meeting between these two teams. The Islanders won three of the previous four series, including both over the past two seasons. The latter of which the Islanders won in six games in the last year's Patrick Division Finals.


April 14 New York Rangers 1–4 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Ron Greschner (2) – pp – 13:01 First period No Scoring
No Scoring Second period 05:43 – pp – Stefan Persson (1)
No Scoring Third period 01:44 – Denis Potvin (2)
04:27 – Brent Sutter (1)
08:05 – pp – Duane Sutter (1)
Eddie Mio 29 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 19 saves / 20 shots
April 15 New York Rangers 0–5 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No Scoring First period 00:54 – John Tonelli (4)
08:10 – pp – Duane Sutter (2)
15:33 – Duane Sutter (3)
No Scoring Second period 08:02 – pp – Brent Sutter (2)
15:26 – Duane Sutter (4)
No Scoring Third period No Scoring
Glen Hanlon 42 saves / 47 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 23 saves / 23 shots
April 17 New York Islanders 6–7 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
Mike Bossy (4) – pp – 05:06
Bob Bourne (4) – sh – 11:03 		First period 07:14 – pp – George McPhee (2)
08:46 – pp – Eddie Johnstone (3)
13:08 – Ron Duguay (1)
17:45 – Barry Beck (2)
No Scoring Second period 02:11 – Dave Maloney (1)
04:12 – sh – Eddie Johnstone (4)
13:20 – pp – Mark Pavelich (3)
Billy Carroll (1) – sh – 02:33
Mike Bossy (5) – 04:55
Anders Kallur (2) – sh – 08:36
Denis Potvin (3) – pp – 19:17 		Third period No Scoring
Billy Smith 18 saves / 23 shots
Roland Melanson 17 saves / 19 shots 		Goalie stats Eddie Mio 27 saves / 33 shots
April 18 New York Islanders 1–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 02:51 – George McPhee (3)
No scoring Second period No scoring
Greg Gilbert (1) – 18:22 Third period 10:40 – Mark Pavelich (4)
12:44 – Reijo Ruotsalainen (3)
Roland Melanson 19 saves / 22 shots Goalie stats Eddie Mio 36 saves / 37 shots
April 20 New York Rangers 2–7 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Reijo Ruotsalainen (4) – 18:45 First period 13:18 – Bryan Trottier (5)
Robbie Ftorek (1) – 19:40 Second period 04:01 – pp – Mike Bossy (6)
09:22 – Gord Lane (1)
11:42 – Duane Sutter (5)
18:35 – Bob Bourne (5)
No scoring Third period 02:32 – Brent Sutter (3)
10:20 – Denis Potvin (4)
Eddie Mio 36 saves / 43 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 18 saves / 20 shots
April 22 New York Islanders 5–2 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden Recap  
No scoring First period Ron Duguay (2) – 12:45
John Tonelli (5) – 03:02
Butch Goring (1) – 05:03 		Second period 09:31 – pp – Mikko Leinonen (1)
Butch Goring (2) – 05:21
Brent Sutter (4) – 08:09
Ken Morrow (1) – 14:09 		Third period No scoring
Billy Smith 28 saves / 30 shots Goalie stats Eddie Mio 39 saves / 44 shots
New York Islanders won series 4–2


Clarence Campbell Conference

(N1) Chicago Black Hawks vs. (N2) Minnesota North Stars

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Norris Division Semifinals, in which Chicago won in an upset 3–1.


April 14 Minnesota North Stars 2–5 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Tom McCarthy (1) – 08:31
Bobby Smith (5) – pp – 13:17 		Second period 08:00 – Steve Ludzik (3)
18:52 – Doug Crossman (1)
No scoring Third period 13:06 – Curt Fraser (2)
17:41 – Denis Savard (4)
19:14 – en – Doug Wilson (2)
Gilles Meloche 23 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Murray Bannerman 27 saves / 29 shots
April 15 Minnesota North Stars 4–7 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 05:46 – Al Secord (1)
16:10 – Steve Larmer (3)
17:18 – pp – Doug Crossman (2)
Craig Hartsburg (1) – pp – 12:56
Al MacAdam (1) – 16:44 		Second period 06:06 – pp – Bob Murray (1)
06:41 – Tom Lysiak (3)
Dino Ciccarelli (3) – 03:47
Willi Plett (1) – pp – 17:14 		Third period 11:56 – Denis Savard (5)
16:26 – Denis Savard (6)
Don Beaupre 22 saves / 29 shots Goalie stats Murray Bannerman 24 saves / 28 shots
April 17 Chicago Black Hawks 1–5 Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
No scoring First period 13:51 – Al MacAdam (2)
17:36 – pp – Dino Ciccarelli (4)
Al Secord (2) – 14:00 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 01:54 – Craig Hartsburg (2)
03:07 – pp – Bobby Smith (6)
18:35 – pp – Steve Payne (3)
Murray Bannerman 31 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Gilles Meloche 24 saves / 25 shots
April 18 Chicago Black Hawks 4–3 OT Minnesota North Stars Met Center Recap  
No scoring First period 13:05 – pp – Brian Bellows (5)
Tom Lysiak (4) – pp – 13:02
Doug Wilson (3) – 18:29 		Second period 01:12 – pp – Craig Hartsburg (3)
10:50 – Brad Maxwell (4)
Tom Lysiak (5) – 02:27 Third period No scoring
Rich Preston (2) – 10:34 First overtime period No scoring
Tony Esposito 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Gilles Meloche 34 saves / 38 shots
April 20 Minnesota North Stars 2–5 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period 07:24 – pp – Denis Savard (7)
19:22 – sh – Doug Wilson (4)
Brad Maxwell (5) – 10:22 Second period 04:13 – sh – Rick Paterson (1)
15:07 – Darryl Sutter (3)
Tom McCarthy (2) – 09:12 Third period 09:45 – Curt Fraser (3)
Gilles Meloche 30 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 37 saves / 39 shots
Chicago won series 4–1


(S1) Edmonton Oilers vs. (S2) Calgary Flames

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.

Game four was the last game played at Stampede Corral.


April 14 Calgary Flames 3–6 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 01:38 – Mark Messier (3)
17:12 – pp – Mark Messier (4)
Paul Reinhart (1) – pp – 06:26 Second period No scoring
Paul Reinhart (2) – pp – 10:04
Paul Reinhart (3) – sh – 13:01 		Third period 02:00 – Mark Messier (5)
02:08 – Pat Hughes (1)
07:30 – Paul Coffey (3)
08:58 – sh – Mark Messier (6)
Rejean Lemelin 27 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 33 saves / 36 shots
April 15 Calgary Flames 1–5 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Kari Eloranta (1) – 04:36 First period 00:31 – Jari Kurri (1)
15:23 – Randy Gregg (1)
18:29 – Don Jackson (1)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 06:06 – pp – Paul Coffey (4)
13:45 – pp – Willy Lindstrom (2)
Don Edwards 33 saves / 38 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 26 saves / 27 shots
April 17 Edmonton Oilers 10–2 Calgary Flames Stampede Corral Recap  
Paul Coffey (5) – sh- 08:18
Wayne Gretzky (5) – 13:42
Wayne Gretzky (6) – 14:37 		First period 13:57 – Paul Reinhart (4)
Glenn Anderson (1) – 00:36
Wayne Gretzky (7) – sh – 04:23
Mark Messier (7) – 14:53
Wayne Gretzky (8) – 19:06 		Second period 16:44 – Kari Jalonen (1)
Mark Messier (8) – sh – 09:10
Ray Cote (1) – 13:16
Mark Messier (9) – 18:40 		Third period No scoring
Andy Moog 15 saves / 17 shots
Grant Fuhr 4 saves / 4 shots 		Goalie stats Rejean Lemelin 15 saves / 22 shots
Don Edwards 6 saves / 9 shots
April 18 Edmonton Oilers 5–6 Calgary Flames Stampede Corral Recap  
Jari Kurri (2) – pp – 08:20
Wayne Gretzky (9) – 13:19 		First period 06:05 – pp – Paul Reinhart (5)
11:32 – Lanny McDonald (3)
No scoring Second period 12:17 – pp – Paul Reinhart (6)
17:40 – Jim Jackson (2)
Ken Linseman (4) – pp – 10:08
Ken Linseman (5) – 12:45
Tom Roulston (1) – 17:32 		Third period 02:56 – pp – Mel Bridgman (3)
09:50 – sh – Greg Meredith (3)
Andy Moog 27 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Don Edwards 28 saves / 33 shots
April 20 Calgary Flames 1–9 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 12:09 – pp – Paul Coffey (6)
17:40 – Mark Messier (10)
No scoring Second period 01:39 – Paul Coffey (7)
03:42 – sh – Randy Gregg (2)
07:03 – Pat Hughes (2)
15:16 – Don Jackson (2)
16:27 – Wayne Gretzky (10)
Steve Konroyd (2) – 09:32 Third period 13:49 – Glenn Anderson (2)
18:53 – Ray Cote (2)
Rejean Lemelin 18 saves / 21 shots
Don Edwards 15 saves / 21 shots 		Goalie stats Andy Moog 39 saves / 40 shots
Edmonton won series 4–1


Conference finals

See also: NHL conference finals

Prince of Wales Conference final

(A1) Boston Bruins vs. (P2) New York Islanders

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. New York won the only previous meeting in five games in the 1980 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals.


April 26 New York Islanders 5–2 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Brent Sutter (5) – 03:36 First period No scoring
Tomas Jonsson (1) – 08:37
Mike Bossy (7) – pp – 14:08
Duane Sutter (6) – 15:15 		Second period No scoring
Bob Bourne (6) – 17:27 Third period 05:51 – Barry Pederson (11)
06:08 – Ray Bourque (4)
Billy Smith 30 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 29 saves / 34 shots
April 28 New York Islanders 1–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
No scoring First period 03:05 – pp – Mike Krushelnyski (6)
16:33 – sh – Brad Palmer (1)
Denis Potvin (5) – pp – 03:57 Second period 16:51 – sh – Barry Pederson (12)
No scoring Third period 10:15 – Barry Pederson (13)
Billy Smith 27 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Pete Peeters 32 saves / 33 shots
April 30 Boston Bruins 3–7 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Craig MacTavish (1) – 04:28 First period 03:00 – Bobby Nystrom (4)
08:39 – pp – Brent Sutter (6)
13:21 – Bryan Trottier (6)
Ray Bourque (5) – pp – 06:53 Second period 16:27 – pp – Mike Bossy (8)
Ray Bourque (6) – 01:24 Third period 05:06 – Ken Morrow (2)
17:56 – pp – Denis Potvin (6)
19:04 – Butch Goring (3)
Pete Peeters 19 saves / 26 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 33 saves / 36 shots
May 3 Boston Bruins 3–8 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Mike Krushelnyski (7) – pp – 04:21
Mike Krushelnyski (8) – 16:07 		First period 07:23 – John Tonelli (6)
10:04 – Denis Potvin (7)
No scoring Second period 04:05 – Mike Bossy (9)
Rick Middleton (9) – pp – 12:41 Third period 02:53 – Mike Bossy (10)
05:25 – Duane Sutter (7)
06:41 – pp – Mike Bossy (11)
08:12 – pp – Denis Potvin (8)
08:52 – Bobby Nystrom (5)
Pete Peeters 23 saves / 31 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 27 saves / 30 shots
May 5 New York Islanders 1–5 Boston Bruins Boston Garden Recap  
Bobby Nystrom (6) – 03:12 First period 05:07 – Craig MacTavish (2)
06:15 – Barry Pederson (14)
No scoring Second period 09:29 – pp – Ray Bourque (7)
12:06 – Peter McNab (3)
19:27 – Bruce Crowder (3)
No scoring Third period No scoring
Billy Smith 28 saves / 33 shots
Roland Melanson 12 saves / 12 shots 		Goalie stats Pete Peeters 21 saves / 22 shots
May 7 Boston Bruins 4–8 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
Rick Middleton (10) – 10:42
Craig MacTavish (3) – 16:34 		First period 00:33 – Butch Goring (4)
08:09 – pp – Mike Bossy (12)
19:36 – Brent Sutter (7)
Ray Bourque (8) – 05:01
Rick Middleton (11) – pp – 17:39 		Second period 00:59 – Mike Bossy (13)
05:51 – Mike Bossy (14)
10:03 – Mike Bossy (15)
13:14 – Bryan Trottier (7)
No scoring Third period 07:41 – Wayne Merrick (1)
Pete Peeters 24 saves / 32 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 16 saves / 20 shots
New York won series 4–2


Clarence Campbell Conference final

(S1) Edmonton Oilers vs. (N1) Chicago Black Hawks

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.


April 24 Chicago Black Hawks 4–8 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Al Secord (3) – 13:38 First period 18:17 – Ray Cote (3)
No scoring Second period 01:13 – Dave Hunter (2)
06:58 – Ken Linseman (6)
07:47 – Glenn Anderson (3)
12:59 – pp – Wayne Gretzky (11)
Doug Crossman (3) – 03:06
Al Secord (4) – pp – 11:53
Bill Gardner (1) – pp – 18:43 		Third period 00:25 – pp – Mark Messier (11)
12:17 – sh – Jari Kurri (3)
14:52 – sh – Jari Kurri (4)
Tony Esposito 28 saves / 36 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 24 saves / 28 shots
April 26 Chicago Black Hawks 2–8 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Bob Murray (2) – 02:54
Tom Lysiak (6) – pp – 11:07 		First period 03:58 – Mark Messier (12)
06:39 – Mark Messier (13)
11:50 – Glenn Anderson (4)
18:15 – Glenn Anderson (5)
No scoring Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 00:35 – Dave Hunter (3)
08:47 – Glenn Anderson (6)
15:09 – pp – Mark Messier (14)
15:54 – Glenn Anderson (7)
Murray Bannerman 19 saves / 27 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 26 saves / 28 shots
May 1 Edmonton Oilers 3–2 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
No scoring First period No scoring
Charlie Huddy (1) – 04:18
Don Jackson (3) – 11:52 		Second period No scoring
Glenn Anderson (8) – 13:05 Third period 03:49 – Steve Larmer (4)
07:56 – pp – Denis Savard (8)
Andy Moog 39 saves / 41 shots Goalie stats Tony Esposito 25 saves / 28 shots
May 3 Edmonton Oilers 6–3 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium Recap  
Wayne Gretzky (12) – 02:46
Jaroslav Pouzar (1) – pp – 03:46
Glenn Anderson (9) – pp – 15:01
Jaroslav Pouzar (2) – 16:49 		First period 17:12 – Darryl Sutter (4)
Jari Kurri (5) – 02:38
Dave Hunter (4) – 18:20 		Second period 04:51 – Steve Larmer (5)
No scoring Third period 11:23 – pp – Curt Fraser (4)
Andy Moog 21 saves / 24 shots Goalie stats Murray Bannerman 23 saves / 29 shots
Edmonton won series 4–0


Stanley Cup Finals

Main article: 1983 Stanley Cup Finals

This was the second playoff meeting between these two teams. Their only previous meeting was in the 1981 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, which New York won in six games. This was the Oilers' first Finals appearance in their fourth season since entering the league in 1979–80; they also became the first former WHA team to make the Finals after the NHL–WHA merger in 1979. New York made their fourth consecutive and overall Stanley Cup Finals appearance; they won in the previous year sweeping the Vancouver Canucks in four games. The Oilers became the first team to represent Edmonton in the Finals since the 1922–23 Edmonton Eskimos who were defeated by the original Ottawa Senators. New York won all three games in this year's regular season series.


May 10 New York Islanders 2–0 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Duane Sutter (8) – 05:36 First period No scoring
No scoring Second period No scoring
Ken Morrow (3) – en – 19:48 Third period No scoring
Billy Smith 35 saves / 35 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 22 saves / 23 shots
May 12 New York Islanders 6–3 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum Recap  
Tomas Jonsson (2) – 14:21
Bobby Nystrom (7) – 17:55
Mike Bossy (16) – 19:17 		First period 08:39 – Dave Semenko (1)
Bob Bourne (7) – 08:03
Brent Sutter (8) – 08:41 		Second period 05:07 – Jari Kurri (6)
Brent Sutter (9) – 14:11 Third period 04:48 – Glenn Anderson (10)
Billy Smith 30 saves / 33 shots Goalie stats Andy Moog 19 saves / 25 shots
May 14 Edmonton Oilers 1–5 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 19:41 – Anders Kallur (3)
Jari Kurri (7) – pp – 01:05 Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 05:11 – Bob Bourne (8)
06:21 – Ken Morrow (4)
16:43 – Duane Sutter (9)
19:02 – pp – Brent Sutter (10)
Andy Moog 23 saves / 28 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 33 saves / 34 shots
May 17 Edmonton Oilers 2–4 New York Islanders Nassau Coliseum Recap  
No scoring First period 11:02 – pp – Bryan Trottier (8)
11:45 – John Tonelli (7)
12:39 – Mike Bossy (17)
Jari Kurri (8) – 00:35
Mark Messier (15) – 19:39 		Second period No scoring
No scoring Third period 18:51 – en – Ken Morrow (5)
Andy Moog 22 saves / 25 shots Goalie stats Billy Smith 24 saves / 26 shots
New York won series 4–0


Player statistics

Skaters

These are the top ten skaters based on points.[2]

Player Team GP G A Pts +/– PIM
Wayne Gretzky Edmonton Oilers 16 12 26 38 +20 4
Rick Middleton Boston Bruins 17 11 22 33 +13 6
Barry Pederson Boston Bruins 17 14 18 32 +10 21
Bob Bourne New York Islanders 20 8 20 28 +19 14
Mike Bossy New York Islanders 19 17 9 26 +7 10
Jari Kurri Edmonton Oilers 16 8 15 23 +16 8
Ray Bourque Boston Bruins 17 8 15 23 +15 10
Mark Messier Edmonton Oilers 15 15 6 21 +11 14
Brent Sutter New York Islanders 20 10 11 21 +18 26
Duane Sutter New York Islanders 20 9 12 21 +16 43

Goaltenders

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.[3]

Player Team GP W L SA GA GAA SV% SO TOI
Billy Smith New York Islanders 17 13 3 494 43 2.69 .913 2 960:02
Andy Moog Edmonton Oilers 16 11 5 461 48 3.04 .896 0 946:16
Bob Sauve Buffalo Sabres 10 6 4 234 28 3.08 .880 2 545:06
Pete Peeters Boston Bruins 17 9 8 481 61 3.58 .873 1 1022:10
Murray Bannerman Chicago Black Hawks 8 4 4 238 32 4.01 .866 0 479:04

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wales at Home". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. Canadian Press. September 17, 1981. p. B4. Retrieved April 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ NHL.com - Skater Stats
  3. ^ NHL.com - Goalie Stats
Preceded by Stanley Cup playoffs Succeeded by