The NHL playoffs are, perhaps, the most unpredictable of all major league sports in North America. So rare is it that the clear favourite or Presidents’ Trophy winner manages to go all the way.
In fact, it’s more likely that fans get treated to a couple of upsets than the very best of the regular season managing to raise the Stanley Cup.
As such, there are plenty of upsets to pick from NHL playoff history, but here, we’re looking at the very biggest that managed to rock even those who quietly hoped for an underdog triumph.
2019 First Round: Lightning vs Blue Jackets
This was the year that it finally all came together for the star-studded Tampa Bay Lightning, having set regular season records and matching the win count of the 1995/96 Detroit Red Wings.
Against the Bolts were a scrappy Columbus Blue Jackets side that managed to secure the eighth spot a full 30 points back of the Presidents’ Trophy winners.
Naturally, the Lightning were the overwhelming favourites and remained as such even after their first-period 3-0 lead in Game 1 evaporated into a 4-3 loss.
Still, Tampa Bay was stupidly overpowered by the likes of Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, Ryan McDonagh, Ryan Callahan, and Ondrej Palat – and even Steven Stamkos managed to stay healthy.
This didn’t matter, though, as the Blue Jackets’ sucker punch clearly rocked the Bolts, allowing them to reel off three more wins to the tune of 5-1, 3-1, and an emphatic 7-3 cherry on top in Game 4 to sweep the series.
It marked the first time that a Presidents’ Trophy winner had been swept out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs by the eight-seed, as well as the first since the Expansion Era to be swept in Round 1.
The 2019 Lightning vs Blue Jackets series was made all the more explosive by marking Columbus’ first-ever win in a playoff series, but their momentum only took them as far as Game 6 of the Second Round.
Eventually, the Bolts would have the last laugh. Tampa Bay won the Cup in 2020 and 2021, made it to the final in 2022, and as a playoff team again, they’re always favoured in the betting online over the basement-dwelling Blue Jackets.
2003 Conference Quarterfinals: Avalanche vs Wild
Complete newcomers to the NHL playoffs, the 2000-founded Minnesota Wild got off to an unexpectedly good start by taking Game 1 on the road against Northwest Division winner Colorado Avalanche.
Quickly, those celebrations for the Wild were cut short, with the Avs reeling off three straight wins and scoring thrice in each contest.
Game 5, however, defied the script. Despite boasting the likes of Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg, the Avs went 3-0 down after 40 minutes, scored twice in the third, but the resolute Wild held out to the final buzzer.
Suddenly, progress from what was the first round was on the table. In the final two games, each period ended even, and both were marked up as 2-2 games in regular time.
Thanks to overtime goals from Richard Park and Andrew Brunette, however, the star-studded Avalanche found itself out of the 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs in seven games.
If all stays the same in 2023, the Avs will once again face the Wild in the opening game of the playoffs.
While Minnesota’s not a complete newcomer to the postseason now, Colorado is the reigning champ and +650 second-favourite to do the double in the NHL odds.
1982 Division Semifinals: Oilers vs Kings
In 1982, this opening round of the NHL playoffs was contested over a five-game series, with the absurdly powerful Edmonton Oilers heavily favoured after a 111-point campaign.
The Los Angeles Kings, also of the Smythe Division, entered the postseason with 63 points and had to faceoff against the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr.
It’d be fair to say that, entering the playoffs, hope was in short supply for the California club. Yet, the Kings came out swinging.
In this first meeting between the two in the postseason, the Kings and Oilers duelled to an incredible 10-8 Game 1 scoreline, with the black jerseys running away with the win.
Edmonton levelled it up with a much more reserved 3-2 overtime win in the second game, but with that seemingly being a recovery match, the Oilers flew out to a 5-0 lead by the end of the second in Game 3.
With a mere 20 minutes on the clock against the indomitable Oilers, the Kings did the seemingly impossible and scored five on the bounce to take it to overtime.
To top off this tremendous single-game NHL playoff upset, Daryl Evans netted at 2:35 of overtime to secure the emphatic comeback victory.
It’d be forever known as the “Miracle on Manchester” – with LA’s then-home being on Manchester Boulevard – and while the Oilers won the next match 3-2, another mighty Kings showing won the series with a 7-4 victory on the road.
1994 Conference Quarterfinals: Red Wings vs Sharks
Founded in 1991, the San Jose Sharks had struggled through the early years of the franchise to truly build momentum toward competing at the top end of the Western Conference.
After two weak first seasons, Kevin Constantine came in to improve San Jose’s record by a whole 58 points in just one campaign – but this was only good for 82 points, a 33-35-16 record, and the eighth seed.
This put the Sharks on a collision course with an incredibly stacked Detroit Red Wings for their debut postseason series.
Very little was expected of the team in teal devoid of true superstar power, especially as the Red Wings could roll out the likes of Paul Coffey, Nicklas Lidström, Sergei Fedorov, Ray Sheppard, Vyacheslav Kozlov, and Steve Yzerman.
Immediately demonstrating that the jaws had teeth, the Sharks went 3-0 up in the first period of the team’s first-ever playoff series against the 100-point Red Wings.
The Red Wings would level it at 4-4, but a snipe from Vlastimil Kroupa with under five minutes left and some near-heroic goaltending from Arturs Irbe throughout sealed the 5-4 triumph for San Jose.
The upset didn’t stop there for this Red Wings vs Sharks series. Next, the Red Wings won two games, and then the Sharks returned fire with a brace of victories before a 7-1 thumping by Detroit tied it up at 3-3 in the series.
Two days after being obliterated at the Joe Louis Arena, San Jose returned for Game 7 and never let the home team take the lead, running out 3-2 winners after scoring less than a minute into the game.
Former Shark Jamie Baker discusses what he appreciates most about the Sharks team that upset the Red Wings in the 1994 playoffs 💪
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) February 22, 2023
Fun fact: The #SJSharks became the first NHL team to defeat a #1 seed in the playoffs as a #8 seed
Join the 1991 Club ➡️ https://t.co/XiIcWzE5ao pic.twitter.com/0Y3VWhmOuY
1993 Division Finals: Penguins vs Islanders
The size of Goliath in this NHL playoff upset was cemented over the course of three seasons. Approaching the 1993 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins were the back-to-back champions and residing Presidents’ Trophy winners with 119 points.
For the Pens, goals could come from just about anywhere. Jaromir Jágr, Joe Mullen, Rick Tocchet, and Kevin Stevens all finished the season with between 33 and 55 goals.
The star of the show was, of course, Mario Lemieux, who only played 60 regular season games but managed to tally 69 goals and 160 points in that spell, being hailed as the only true competition to Wayne Gretzky’s crown as the greatest at the time.
Having already despatched New Jersey in five games, the Penguins looked to be on the warpath for a third consecutive Stanley Cup triumph, so few expected what came next.
The Islanders jumped out to a 3-2 lead, successfully stunning the star-studded reigning champions by leading 3-1 five minutes into the second period. Pittsburgh would, of course, fight back to take Games 2 and 3.
In what triggered a scoring frenzy to define the series, New York won the fourth game 6-5, the Pens returned fire with a 6-3 win in the following home game, and then, back at the Coliseum, the Isles walked out 7-5 victors.
Everything was on the line in Game 7, and the two teams went blow-for-blow in each period, ending the three regular time brackets 0-0, 1-1, and 3-3.
Glenn Healy had been the hero of the day for New York, saving 42 of the 45 shots that came his way. It all ended a little over five minutes into overtime, with David Volek netting his second of the game to send home the Penguins.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs never fail to produce an upset or two, but these stand out among the greatest upsets in NHL playoff history.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 5th April 2023
