Every 2017-18 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.
Washington Capitals won the 2017-18 title from a regular season record of 49-26-7. 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 | Nashville Predators | 4-2 in games | Colorado Avalanche | April 12 to April 22, 2018 |
| First round | Winnipeg Jets | 4-1 in games | Minnesota Wild | April 11 to April 20, 2018 |
| First round | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 in games | New Jersey Devils | April 12 to April 21, 2018 |
| First round | Boston Bruins | 4-3 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | April 12 to April 25, 2018 |
| First round | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-0 in games | Los Angeles Kings | April 11 to April 17, 2018 |
| First round | Washington Capitals | 4-2 in games | Columbus Blue Jackets | April 12 to April 23, 2018 |
| First round | San Jose Sharks | 4-0 in games | Anaheim Ducks | April 12 to April 18, 2018 |
| First round | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4-2 in games | Philadelphia Flyers | April 11 to April 22, 2018 |
| Second round | Winnipeg Jets | 4-3 in games | Nashville Predators | April 27 to May 10, 2018 |
| Second round | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 in games | Boston Bruins | April 28 to May 6, 2018 |
| Second round | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-2 in games | San Jose Sharks | April 26 to May 6, 2018 |
| Second round | Washington Capitals | 4-2 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | April 26 to May 7, 2018 |
| Conference Finals | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-1 in games | Winnipeg Jets | May 12 to May 20, 2018 |
| Conference Finals | Washington Capitals | 4-3 in games | Tampa Bay Lightning | May 11 to May 23, 2018 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Washington Capitals | 4-1 in games | Vegas Golden Knights | May 28 to June 7, 2018 |
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