Every 2015-16 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.
Pittsburgh Penguins won the 2015-16 title from a regular season record of 48-26-8. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First round | Washington Capitals | 4-2 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 14 to April 24, 2016 |
| First round | Dallas Stars | 4-2 in games | Minnesota Wild | April 14 to April 24, 2016 |
| First round | St. Louis Blues | 4-3 in games | Chicago Blackhawks | April 13 to April 25, 2016 |
| First round | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-1 in games | New York Rangers | April 13 to April 23, 2016 |
| First round | Nashville Predators | 4-3 in games | Anaheim Ducks | April 15 to April 27, 2016 |
| First round | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | Florida Panthers | April 14 to April 24, 2016 |
| First round | San Jose Sharks | 4-1 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 14 to April 22, 2016 |
| First round | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 in games | Detroit Red Wings | April 13 to April 21, 2016 |
| Second round | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 in games | Washington Capitals | April 28 to May 10, 2016 |
| Second round | St. Louis Blues | 4-3 in games | Dallas Stars | April 29 to May 11, 2016 |
| Second round | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 in games | New York Islanders | April 27 to May 8, 2016 |
| Second round | San Jose Sharks | 4-3 in games | Nashville Predators | April 29 to May 12, 2016 |
| Conference Finals | San Jose Sharks | 4-2 in games | St. Louis Blues | May 15 to May 25, 2016 |
| Conference Finals | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-3 in games | Tampa Bay Lightning | May 13 to May 26, 2016 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 in games | San Jose Sharks | May 30 to June 12, 2016 |
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: Eastern Wild Card Western Wild Card