The Most Lopsided Playoff Series

It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in the early days of the NHL to see the Montreal Canadiens make other teams look like they belong in a different league. Later on, Gretzky and his Oilers would do the same to teams in the 1980s. Although the league has become more balanced since then, there are still many instances of series domination. This list will analyze the most lopsided playoff series since the 1994 playoffs, around the time when the modern era of hockey began. All series lengths are eligible for this list, although naturally there will be more four game sweeps than longer series lengths. Although there are many stats that one could point to to indicate a team’s dominance, this list will be mostly focused on the scoresheet.

1994 ECQF - Rangers beat Islanders in 4 Games

This list starts off with perhaps the most lopsided series of all time. The President's Trophy winning, and eventual cup champion New York Rangers dismantled the Islanders with back-to-back 6-0 wins in games one and two, followed by a combined 10-3 score in the latter two games. Surprisingly, the Islanders did have a 2-0 lead in game four, but that was the lone bright spot for them in this series. The Rangers outscored the Isles 22-3.

1995 WCSF - Red Wings beat Sharks in 4 Games

One of the biggest upsets in NHL history took place in 1994, when the 8th seeded Sharks, in their first ever playoff series, took down the 1st seeded Red Wings, right as they were beginning their dynasty. The Sharks completed another upset against the Flames in the first round of 1995, and were trying to do the same to the Red Wings again. Unfortunately for the Sharks, it did not go as planned the second time around.

In game one, the Wings blew out the Sharks 6-0, and won 6-2 in the remaining three games, for a combined pummelling of 24-6. Ironically, the Sharks had a good shooting percentage, but only because the Wings allowed 15.25 shots per game, and practically doubled or tripled their shots in every game. The Sharks also never had a lead in this series.

WCF 2003 - Ducks beat Wild in 4 Games

The lowest scoring series of all time in the modern era was also a lopsided one. Both teams were on cinderella underdog runs, meeting in the Western Conference Finals. The Ducks had swept the defending cup champion Red Wings and took down the 1st seeded Stars in six games, while the Wild became the only team to ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit in multiple series in a single post-season.

The Ducks would end up shutting out the Wild in three straight games, winning 1-0 in double overtime, 2-0, and 4-0. In game four, the Wild finally scored and took their first lead of the series, but it was short lived, and they would eventually fall by a combined score of 9-1, setting the record for least amount of goals scored in a series.

Least amount of goals scored in a playoff series (minimum 4 games)

Source: Records.NHL.com

ECQF 2006 - Devils beat Rangers in 4 Games

The 05-06 Devils came into the playoffs on an 11 game winning streak, and they would not slow down. The Rangers were only one point behind them in the standings, but were unable to put up a fight against their rivals.

The Devils took the first game 6-1, highlighted by a six point performance by Patrik Elias. Game two went to the Devils 4-1, partially thanks to a John Madden hat-trick, two of which came as shorthanded goals. Despite the Rangers being desperate and down 2-0 in the series, the Devils took game three in a shutout score of 3-0, followed by a 4-2 win in game four. The Devils outscored the Rangers 17-4, and the Rangers had just one lead lasting for less than 5 minutes in game four.

ECQF 2006 - Sabres beat Flyers in 6 Games

Although this series went to six games, the Sabres were undoubtedly the better team. Game one was an epic double overtime win by the Sabres. However, in game two, the Sabres obliterated the Flyers 8-2, which included hat-tricks by both J.P Dumont and Jason Pominville. Although the Flyers took games three and four when the series went back to Philadelphia, both games were close. Game five was a 3-0 Sabres shutout, and game six was another bulldozing, as the Sabres knocked off the Flyers with a 7-1 win. Funnily enough, this wasn't even the Sabres biggest victory closing out a series against Philly; they beat them 8-0 in game six in 2001.

The overall score in the series was 27-11 in favour of Buffalo, not to mention none of the 27 goals were empty netters. Although the Flyers had two good games, they also lost two by a margin of six goals, and were shutout once, worthy to be on the wrong side of one of the most lopsided playoff series.

ECF 2010 - Flyers beat Canadiens in 5 Games

The Eastern Conference was filled with upsets in the 2010 playoffs. By the time the Eastern Conference Finals rolled around, the two teams left were the 7th and 8th seeded teams, the Flyers and Canadiens. Unfortunately for Montreal, their magical run of upsets came to an end.

Game one was a 6-0 stomping, followed by another 3-0 shutout in game two. Although Montreal did badly outplay Philly in game three, resulting in a 5-1 win, the Flyers responded with their 3rd shutout in the series in game four, winning 3-0. Game five was closer, but the Flyers still took it 4-2 with an empty netter. Although Montreal had one great game and put up a fight in game five, the three shutouts, resulting in a combined 12-0 score in those three games, makes this series worthy to land on the list.

Instances of 3 shutouts in one series since 2000.

Source: Records.NHL.com

ECSF 2011 - Bruins beat Flyers in 4 Games

The Bruins were embarrassed by the Flyers in the 2010 ECSF, blowing a 3-0 series lead, and a 3-0 lead within game seven. The Bruins learned their lesson and showed no mercy on the Flyers in the following year.

Game one was a 7-3 Bruins win, and in game two the Bruins came back after being down 2-0 to win 3-2 in overtime. When the series went to Boston, the dominance ramped up, as the Bruins won 5-1 in both games. Granted, game four featured two empty net goals, but it was nonetheless an exclamation point on what was an extremely lopsided series. The Bruins outscored the Flyers 20-7, with three of the games being a four goal margin of victory.

SCF 2011 - Bruins beat Canucks in 7 Games

The Bruins were not done with lopsided series in 2011. In the Stanley Cup Finals, very few would have predicted that the Bruins would be on the positive end of this series after Alex Burrows scored the overtime winner in game two to put the Canucks up 2-0 in the series.

What seemed to have woke up the Bruins in game three was a hit by Aaron Rome on Nathan Horton, knocking out one of the Bruins best forwards. The Bruins responded by scoring eight goals in the latter two periods, winning game three 8-1. In game four, the Bruins didn't let off the gas, winning 4-0. The Canucks took their second 1-0 victory of the series in game five, but failed to follow up that performance when the Bruins chased Luongo with four goals in the first 10 minutes of game six, ultimately winning 5-2. Game seven was a 4-0 Bruins win, resulting in all four games being won by a three or more goal margin, while the Canucks won their three games by one goal each. The combined score was 23-8 for the Bruins. The Canucks set the record, which still remains, as the least amount of goals scored by a single team in a series that went to seven games.

It is important to note that part of the Canucks low scoring was Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas, who had one of the most impressive goaltending performances of all time throughout the entire 2010-2011 season. However, it was still quite a let down after the magical season the Canucks were having heading into the finals.

Bruins won by an average margin of 4.5 goals, whereas the Canucks won all three games by 1 goal

ECQF 2013 - Senators beat Canadiens in 5 Games

The 2nd seeded Canadiens were the favourites going into the series against the 7th seeded Senators, but things did not go Montreal’s way. The Sens won game one by a score of 4-2, and the Habs responded with a 3-1 win of their own in game two. However, the Senators dominance came in the last three games. Game three was won 6-1 thanks to a J.G Pageau hat-trick and great goaltending. Game four saw the Habs up 2-0 halfway through the 3rd period, before allowing a goal with approximately eight minutes left, and the tying goal with 23 seconds left. The Senators would then win quickly into overtime. The Canadiens couldn't recover, as they suffered another 6-1 loss in game five. The combined score was 20-9 in favour of the Sens; although the one thing the Habs had going for them was outshooting Ottawa in four of the five games.

SCF 2016 - Penguins beat Sharks in 6

This entry might be the most controversial, and likely the least lopsided series on this list, but this is an example of when the scoresheet doesn't tell the whole story.

To start, no team won by more than a two goal margin in any game this series. The Penguins never scored more than three goals in a game, and the Sharks scored four in game five with an empty netter. The combined score was 15-12 in favour of the Penguins. However, what prevented Pittsburgh from putting up 5+ goals every game was Martin Jones, goaltender of the Sharks, putting his team on his back. By using the “eye test” and ignoring the scoresheet, the Penguins dominated possession, and the Sharks were truly struggling to find their scoring chances. The Penguins had 40+ shots in three games, and outshot the Sharks by at least seven shots in five of the six games. Ironically, the two games that the Sharks won were games that they were severely outshot; they got outshot by 16 in game three and by more than double in game five, where Martin Jones had one of the best goaltending performances in a Stanley Cup Finals game. To conclude, the Sharks only had a lead in game five, where they led for a portion of the first, and then for the remainder of the game after the first period. Every other game, the Penguins scored first and held the lead, with the exception of game three where the Sharks’ only lead was the overtime winner.

Overall, this is a perfect example of when the scoresheet doesn't tell the full story. Using the “eye test”, it was evident how much better the Penguins were playing, and how it may have even been a sweep if not for Martin Jones.

WCQF 2017 - Predators beat Blackhawks in 4 Games

Very few expected the 2nd Wild Card Nashville Predators to beat the 1st in the West Chicago Blackhawks heading into this series, let alone sweep them. Game one was a tight 1-0 victory, but game two was a lopsided 5-0 Predators win. In game three, the Blackhawks seemed to have found their game again, leading 2-0 after two periods. However, Nashville came back, winning 3-2 in overtime. Game four was a 4-1 Predators victory, outscoring the Blackhawks 13-3 in the series. To the Blackhawks credit, they outshot the Predators overall, but Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne was fantastic. The back-to-back shutouts at the United Center, which at the time was one of the toughest buildings to win in, qualifies this series to be on the list.

ECQF 2018 - Penguins beat Flyers in 6

Although the Penguins were the favourites heading into this series, having just won back-to-back Stanley Cups, this series was expected to be closer than it was given that the Flyers were just two points back of the Penguins in the standings.

Game one was a 7-0 Penguins blowout, which included a Sidney Crosby hat-trick. Although the Flyers responded quite well with a 5-1 win in game two, The Penguins matched that in game three with their own 5-1 victory, and then did even better in game four, winning 5-0. Game five was a 4-2 Flyers win, but game six was a wild game that resulted in an 8-5 Penguins victory, which included a hat-trick and five points from Flyers’ Sean Couturier, which was matched by Jake Guentzel and his four goals for Pittsburgh. In the games that Pittsburgh won, they averaged 6.25 goals for and 1.5 goals against, with three goals being the lowest margin of victory. The final score in this series was 28-15, where the one saving grace for the Flyers was their 5-1 win.

ECF 2019 - Bruins beat Hurricanes in 4 Games

The Hurricanes had an underdog run in 2019, but it unfortunately came to an abrupt end when they ran into the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Game one was a 5-2 Bruins victory, after the Bruins were down 2-1 heading into the 3rd. In game two, the Bruins outdid themselves, this time winning 6-2, having been up up 6-0 until the Hurricanes scored two late goals. Game three was a tight 2-1 Bruins win, but any hope would be lost, as the Bruins shut down the Canes 4-0 in game four. The combined score was 17-5, and outside of game three, all of the Bruins victories were rather lopsided.

WCQF 2020 - Avalanche beat Coyotes in 5 Games

From the stretch of 2020-2022, the Avalanche dominated their opponents in each of their first round series, the first being the Coyotes in 2020.

In game one, the Avs shut them out 3-0, followed by a closer 3-2 victory in game two. Game three was a 4-2 Coyotes win, however, the Avs outshot them by more than double. Darcy Kuemper of the Coyotes made 49 saves on 51 shots, a lot of which were high quality chances. The score could have easily been a blowout in the Avs’ favour if not for Kuemper standing on his head. However, the Avs would finish off the series with back-to-back 7-1 wins, where this time Darcy Kuemper would be pulled in both games.

Game three of this series is another example where the scoresheet doesn't tell the whole story. This game coupled with the game one shutout and the multiple 7-1 wins proved this series to be extremely one-sided.

WCQF 2021 - Avalanche beat Blues in 4 Games

The very next year, the Avs were up against the Blues, a team that won the Stanley Cup two years prior and had a great regular season in 2019-2020. However, they were unable to keep up with the Avalanche, who at this point were arguably the top cup contender heading into the playoffs. Game one was a 4-1 Avs win, and game two was 6-3, although they did score two empty netters. These first two games weren't necessarily blowouts, but the Avalanche were still clearly the better team, as game one saw the Avs with more than double the amount of shots that the Blues had. When the series went to St. Louis, the gap separated further. Game three was a 5-1 win, and game four was a 5-2 win, although once again, there were two empty netters. The Blues only led for about seven minutes in game four, which was their only lead of the series.

The final score in this series was 20-7 for the Avalanche. Although six of these 20 goals were empty netters, the Avs controlled the play for the entire series and never left much of any doubt for who was going to win the series.

WCQF 2022 - Avalanche beat Predators in 4 Games

The Avs’ 2021 win over the Blues was no doubt lopsided, but the Avs took it a step further the next year against the Predators. 

It only took a a couple of minutes to see what was about to happen, as the Avs would score early, and lead 5-0 after the first period. They would let off the gas and win game one by a 7-2 score after goalie Connor Ingram took over in net for Nashville. Game two was also Colorado domination, but the score didn't reflect it. They would win 2-1 in overtime, but needed 51 shots just to beat Ingram twice. Ingram's unbelievable play could only last so long, as the Avs put six past him plus an empty netter to win game three by a score of 7-3. The Predators finally took their first lead of the series in game four when they went up 3-2 in the third, but it was short lived, as the Avalanche would come back to win 5-3. 

The Avalanche outscored Nashville 21-9, and outshot them by a wide margin every game, finalizing the three consecutive years of first round dominance for the Colorado Avalanche.

Comparing the combined goals and shots among the 13 games between the Avalanche and their opponents in the 2020, 2021, and 2022 first round opponents.

SCF 2023 - Golden Knights beat Panthers in 5 Games

Without a doubt the most lopsided Stanley Cup Finals in recent history, the cinderella run by the Florida Panthers, the 2nd Wild Card team, came to an abrupt end at the hands of the 1st seeded Vegas Golden Knights. The Panthers went into the finals having eliminated the best regular season team of all time, the 2022-2023 Boston Bruins, as well as other contending teams in the Maple Leafs and Hurricanes. They were even on an 11-1 run heading into the finals.

Game one saw some hope for the Panthers until the Knights took it up a notch in the third, winning 5-2. Game two was even more lopsided, and saw the Knights win 7-2, which included a 4-0 lead after the first two periods. Game three was the lone Panthers win, but it required an extra attacker goal and an overtime goal for a tight 3-2 overtime win. Game four once again saw Vegas jump ahead, up 3-0 and ultimately holding on to win 3-2. With the season on the line for the Panthers, game five was surprisingly the most lopsided game of the series. Vegas jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first period, lead 6-1 after the second, and ultimately won 9-3, setting the record for most goals scored by a team in a Stanley Cup clinching game. In just five games, Vegas outscored Florida 26-12, and 21-7 among games in Vegas.

There are many other series that could be argued onto this list, especially if looking at other metrics and advanced statistics such as expected goals percentage. However, these are the list of series that I felt were the most notably lopsided since the 1994 playoffs.

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