Every 2020-21 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.
Tampa Bay Lightning won the 2020-21 title from a regular season record of 36-17-3. 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 | Colorado Avalanche | 4-0 in games | St. Louis Blues | May 17 to May 23, 2021 |
| First round | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-3 in games | Minnesota Wild | May 16 to May 28, 2021 |
| First round | Carolina Hurricanes | 4-2 in games | Nashville Predators | May 17 to May 27, 2021 |
| First round | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-2 in games | Florida Panthers | May 16 to May 26, 2021 |
| First round | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | Pittsburgh Penguins | May 16 to May 26, 2021 |
| First round | Montréal Canadiens | 4-3 in games | Toronto Maple Leafs | May 20 to May 31, 2021 |
| First round | Boston Bruins | 4-1 in games | Washington Capitals | May 15 to May 23, 2021 |
| First round | Winnipeg Jets | 4-0 in games | Edmonton Oilers | May 19 to May 24, 2021 |
| Second round | Vegas Golden Knights | 4-2 in games | Colorado Avalanche | May 30 to June 10, 2021 |
| Second round | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 in games | Carolina Hurricanes | May 30 to June 8, 2021 |
| Second round | New York Islanders | 4-2 in games | Boston Bruins | May 29 to June 9, 2021 |
| Second round | Montréal Canadiens | 4-0 in games | Winnipeg Jets | June 2 to June 7, 2021 |
| Semifinals | Montréal Canadiens | 4-2 in games | Vegas Golden Knights | June 14 to June 24, 2021 |
| Semifinals | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-3 in games | New York Islanders | June 13 to June 25, 2021 |
| Stanley Cup Final | Tampa Bay Lightning | 4-1 in games | Montréal Canadiens | June 28 to July 7, 2021 |
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.