Every 1981-82 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.
New York Islanders won the 1981-82 title from a regular season record of 54-16-10. 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division Semifinals | New York Islanders | 3-2 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | April 7 to April 13, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | Los Angeles Kings | 3-2 in games | Edmonton Oilers | April 7 to April 13, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | Quebec Nordiques | 3-2 in games | Montréal Canadiens | April 7 to April 13, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | Boston Bruins | 3-1 in games | Buffalo Sabres | April 7 to April 11, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | Chicago Blackhawks | 3-1 in games | Minnesota North Stars | April 7 to April 11, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | New York Rangers | 3-1 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 7 to April 11, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | St. Louis Blues | 3-1 in games | Winnipeg Jets (1979) | April 7 to April 11, 1982 |
| Division Semifinals | Vancouver Canucks | 3-0 in games | Calgary Flames | April 7 to April 10, 1982 |
| Division Finals | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | New York Rangers | April 15 to April 23, 1982 |
| Division Finals | Quebec Nordiques | 4-3 in games | Boston Bruins | April 15 to April 25, 1982 |
| Division Finals | Vancouver Canucks | 4-1 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 15 to April 21, 1982 |
| Division Finals | Chicago Blackhawks | 4-2 in games | St. Louis Blues | April 15 to April 23, 1982 |
| Conference Finals | New York Islanders | 4-0 in games | Quebec Nordiques | April 27 to May 4, 1982 |
| Conference Finals | Vancouver Canucks | 4-1 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 27 to May 6, 1982 |
| Stanley Cup Final | New York Islanders | 4-0 in games | Vancouver Canucks | May 8 to May 16, 1982 |
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.
The races that filled this bracket: Norris Smythe Adams Patrick