Every 1977-78 NHL playoff series, three ways: the season race carried on into the postseason, who beat their seeding, and the bracket.
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The same race these clubs ran all season, carried on through the postseason on one scale and on real dates.
Where each club finished the season against how far it went, ranked on record rather than seed.
Who played whom, round by round, which no line chart can say.
Montréal Canadiens won the 1977-78 title from a regular season record of 59-10-11. 12 teams reached the playoffs and the bracket ran 4 rounds. Every series below is taken from the NHL API; nothing on this page is estimated.
| Round | Won by | Result | Opponent | Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary Round | Buffalo Sabres | 2-1 in games | New York Rangers | April 11 to April 15, 1978 |
| Preliminary Round | Philadelphia Flyers | 2-0 in games | Colorado Rockies | April 11 to April 13, 1978 |
| Preliminary Round | Toronto Maple Leafs | 2-0 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 11 to April 13, 1978 |
| Preliminary Round | Detroit Red Wings | 2-0 in games | Atlanta Flames | April 11 to April 13, 1978 |
| Quarterfinals | Montréal Canadiens | 4-1 in games | Detroit Red Wings | April 17 to April 25, 1978 |
| Quarterfinals | Boston Bruins | 4-0 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 17 to April 23, 1978 |
| Quarterfinals | Toronto Maple Leafs | 4-3 in games | New York Islanders | April 17 to April 29, 1978 |
| Quarterfinals | Philadelphia Flyers | 4-1 in games | Buffalo Sabres | April 17 to April 25, 1978 |
| Semifinals | Montréal Canadiens | 4-0 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | May 2 to May 9, 1978 |
| Semifinals | Boston Bruins | 4-1 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | May 2 to May 11, 1978 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Montréal Canadiens | 4-2 in games | Boston Bruins | May 13 to May 25, 1978 |
The left column ranks this field by regular season record, not by seed number: seeding rules differ by era, so this site uses records everywhere instead. The right column groups clubs by the round they went out in, which is not the same as the number of rounds they won, because a bye carries a club further without it winning anything. The figure beside a name is places moved between the two columns, and part of it is only where a club sat inside its band. Nothing here is a prediction. The data notes carry the whole method.