2010 Stanley Cup playoffs facts for kids

The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs were an exciting hockey tournament that happened after the regular National Hockey League (NHL) season ended on April 14, 2010. It all wrapped up on June 9, 2010, when the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. This win gave the Blackhawks their fourth Stanley Cup ever, and their first one since 1961! In a big surprise, the Washington Capitals, who were the top team, lost their series to the eighth-seeded team, even though they were winning 3-1 at one point.

Playoff Teams

After the regular season, 16 teams earned a spot in the playoffs. The Washington Capitals were the best team in the Eastern Conference and won the Presidents' Trophy for having the most points (121) in the whole league. In the Western Conference, the San Jose Sharks were the top team with 113 points.

Eastern Conference Teams

The famous Stanley Cup trophy.

• Washington Capitals – They were the champions of the Southeast Division and the Eastern Conference, and won the Presidents' Trophy with 121 points.
• New Jersey Devils – Champions of the Atlantic Division, with 103 points.
• Buffalo Sabres – Champions of the Northeast Division, with 100 points.
• Pittsburgh Penguins – Had 101 points.
• Ottawa Senators – Had 94 points.
• Boston Bruins – Had 91 points.
• Philadelphia Flyers – Had 88 points (and 41 wins).
• Montreal Canadiens – Also had 88 points (but 39 wins).

Western Conference Teams

• San Jose Sharks – Champions of the Pacific Division and the Western Conference, with 113 points.
• Chicago Blackhawks – Champions of the Central Division, with 112 points.
• Vancouver Canucks – Champions of the Northwest Division, with 103 points.
• Phoenix Coyotes – Had 107 points.
• Detroit Red Wings – Had 102 points.
• Los Angeles Kings – Had 101 points.
• Nashville Predators – Had 100 points.
• Colorado Avalanche – Had 95 points.

Playoff Bracket

This chart shows how the teams played against each other in the playoffs. The winners moved on to the next round!

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First Round: Conference Quarter-finals

This was the first round of the playoffs, where teams played to see who would move on!

Eastern Conference Quarter-finals

Washington Capitals (1) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

The top-seeded Capitals faced a tough challenge from the Canadiens. Montreal pulled off a huge upset, winning the series in seven games!

New Jersey Devils (2) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)

The Flyers, a lower-seeded team, surprised many by beating the Devils in just five games.

Buffalo Sabres (3) vs. Boston Bruins (6)

The Bruins defeated the Sabres in six games to advance to the next round.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Ottawa Senators (5)

The Penguins, led by their star players, won their series against the Senators in six games.

Western Conference Quarter-finals

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Colorado Avalanche (8)

The top-seeded Sharks managed to win their series against the Avalanche in six games.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Nashville Predators (7)

The Blackhawks defeated the Predators in six games to move on in the playoffs.

Vancouver Canucks (3) vs. Los Angeles Kings (6)

The Canucks won their series against the Kings in six games.

Phoenix Coyotes (4) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

This was a close series, but the Red Wings won in seven games against the Coyotes.

Second Round: Conference Semifinals

The winners from the first round faced off in the Conference Semifinals.

Eastern Conference Semifinals

Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

The Canadiens continued their amazing run, beating another top team, the Penguins, in a full seven-game series!

Boston Bruins (6) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)

In another exciting seven-game series, the Flyers came back from being down 3-0 to win against the Bruins! This was a huge comeback!

Western Conference Semifinals

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

The Sharks showed their strength by defeating the Red Wings in just five games.

Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)

The Blackhawks won a tough series against the Canucks in six games.

Third Round: Conference Finals

The last two teams from each conference played to see who would go to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Eastern Conference Finals

Philadelphia Flyers (7) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

The Flyers, after their incredible comeback, continued their winning streak by beating the Canadiens in five games to reach the Stanley Cup Finals!

Western Conference Finals

San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (2)

The Blackhawks played incredibly well and swept the Sharks in four straight games to earn their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals!

The Stanley Cup Finals

The final showdown! The Chicago Blackhawks from the Western Conference faced the Philadelphia Flyers from the Eastern Conference.

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to win the 2010 Stanley Cup! It was a thrilling series, and the Blackhawks celebrated their first championship in a very long time.

Top Players

Here are some of the best players from the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, based on how many points they scored. Points are given for goals and assists.

Skaters

These are the top ten players who scored the most points.

GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/– = Plus/minus

Goaltending

This table shows the best goalies who played a lot of minutes. They are ranked by their Goals Against Average (GAA), which means how many goals they let in per game on average. A lower GAA is better!

GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; SA = Shots against; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; SV% = Save percentage; SO = Shutouts; TOI = Time on ice (minutes:seconds)

Images for kids

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  The Capitals playing the Canadiens in the 2010 playoffs.

• 

  Pittsburgh's Bill Guerin playing in front of the Senators' net on April 16.