Stanley Cup playoffs

(2009 - 2010 Finals Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 2 )

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The Stanley Cup playoffs is an elimination tournament consisting of four rounds of best-of-seven series. The first three rounds determine which team from each conference will advance to the final round, dubbed the Stanley Cup Final. The first round of the playoffs, or Conference Quarterfinals, consists of four match-ups in each conference, based on the seedings (# 1 vs. # 8, # 2 vs. # 7, # 3 vs. # 6, and # 4 vs. # 5). In the second round, or Conference Semifinals, the top remaining conference seed plays against the lowest remaining seed, and the other two remaining conference teams pair off (unlike the NBA, for example, where the 1–8 winner always plays the 4–5 winner, regardless of who wins). In the third round, the Conference Finals, the two remaining teams in each conference play each other, with the conference champions proceeding to the Stanley Cup Final. For the first three rounds, the higher-seeded team has home-ice advantage (regardless of point record). In the Stanley Cup Final, it goes to the team with the better regular season record. The team with home-ice advantage hosts Games 1, 2, 5 and 7, while the opponent hosts Games 3, 4 and 6 (Games 5–7 are played "if necessary").

The 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 14, 2010, after the conclusion of the 2009–10 NHL season. The Montreal Canadiens became the first eighth-seeded team in NHL history to win a series against the first-seeded team after being down 3–1 in a series. The Canadiens are also the first eighth-seeded team to compete in the Eastern Conference Finals since the current playoff format was implemented in 1994. The Philadelphia Flyers became the third NHL team to win a seven game series after being down 3–0 (the others being the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs and the 1975 New York Islanders). The Finals ended on June 9, 2010, with the Chicago Blackhawks defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4 games to 2 to win their fourth championship and their first since 1961. Blackhawks center and team captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' most valuable player.