There's been plenty of memorable playoff hockey over the past decade, and as the calendar shifts to 2020, it's time to count down the top five series of the 2010s.
5. Flyers vs. Penguins - 2012
Result: Flyers in 6
Lasting memory: Giroux pastes Crosby then scores
Pittsburgh and Philadelphia famously hate one another, and when the two Pennsylvania sides met in the first round of the 2012 postseason, it was anarchy.
The brand of hockey gave the coaches headaches, but it was arguably the most entertaining series of the decade from a fan's perspective. The Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead, scoring eight times in Game 2 and 3, only to allow 10 in a Game 4 loss. Aside from the barrage of goals, there was endless drama. Three Penguins were suspended over the course of the series, and then-head coach Dan Bylsma was fined $10,000 for his role in instigating a fight in the final minutes of Game 3.
The circus finally ended in Game 6, when Claude Giroux set the tone off the opening draw with a massive hit on Sidney Crosby, only to top off his monstrous shift with a rocket of a goal moments later.
4. Canucks vs. Blackhawks - 2011
Result: Canucks in 7
Lasting memory: Burrows slays the dragon
At the dawn of the decade, the Chicago-Vancouver rivalry was the best in the league. The Western Conference powerhouses met in each of the two previous playoffs, with the Blackhawks winning both times.
In 2011, though, things changed. The Canucks had won the Presidents' Trophy and were the top seed in the West. But as fate would have it, the Blackhawks squeaked into the playoffs on the last day of the regular season to set up the finale of the epic postseason trilogy.
Vancouver was clearly the better squad on paper, and it jumped out to a commanding 3-0 series lead, only to let Chicago creep back in. The Hawks won Game 4 and 5 by a combined score of 12-2 and were clearly in the heads of the Canucks - so much so that Vancouver opted to start Cory Schneider over Roberto Luongo in Game 6 at a raucous United Center. Schneider got hurt on a penalty shot, and Bobby Lu took over again in goal, only for the Blackhawks to force Game 7 with a dramatic overtime win.
Game 7 was a thriller. Vancouver led 1-0 late but Jonathan Toews willed his way to a shorthanded goal in the dying minutes of the third period. However, this set the stage for Alex Burrows, who finally slayed the dragon in overtime to send his squad through to the second round.
3. Bruins vs. Canadiens - 2014
Result: Canadiens in 7
Lasting memory: Lucic's salty handshakes
When Boston and Montreal meet in the playoffs, the stakes are higher, and the NHL's fiercest rivalry put on a show when it clashed for the 34th time in postseason history in 2014.
The Bruins were loaded that year. Boston had won the Presidents' Trophy with a 54-19-9 record, was one of the top possession teams in the NHL, and its roster featured nine skaters with at least 40 points. After dismantling the Detroit Red Wings in Round 1, a date with the Habs was on the horizon.
Game 1 went to Montreal after P.K. Subban wired home the double-overtime winner to silence TD Garden. Boston evened things up in Game 2, but Subban put together a virtuoso performance in Game 3, throwing the Canadiens back in the driver's seat.
The Bruins won Game 4 and 5, but Carey Price posted a shutout in Game 6 and shut the door again with a 29-save victory in Game 7 to push Montreal through to the Eastern Conference Final. In the handshake line, former Bruins enforcer Milan Lucic reportedly told Habs forward Dale Weise he "was going to kill him next year."
2. Bruins vs. Canucks - 2011
Result: Bruins in 7
Lasting memory: Riots
Not a whole lot made sense when Boston and Vancouver met in the 2011 Stanley Cup Final, but man, was it ever fun.
The Canucks won Game 1 and 2 on home ice and looked poised to end Canada's championship drought, but they crumbled in Boston, losing Game 3 and 4 by a combined score of 12-1. When they returned to Vancouver, the real Canucks were back, winning 1-0, only to allow five goals in a Game 6 loss in Boston. The deciding Game 7 was incredibly hyped, but it was barely a contest. The Bruins blanked the Canucks 4-0 to claim the Stanley Cup.
While the hockey itself was inconsistent, this series featured a ton of dramatic and memorable moments. Luongo and Tim Thomas traded verbal jabs in press conferences, Thomas threw a legitimate body check on Henrik Sedin, Brad Marchand mercilessly tortured the twins repeatedly, and Aaron Rome received a four-game suspension for a late hit on Nathan Horton.
Above all else, the riots that broke out in Vancouver following Game 7 are the lasting legacy of this truly wild series. Stores were looted, cars were set ablaze, and a total of 101 people were arrested that night after the city lost control.
1. Kings vs. Blackhawks - 2014
Result: Kings in 7
Lasting memory: Martinez's series clincher
Los Angeles and Chicago entered the 2014 Western Conference Final having claimed three of the previous four Stanley Cups. It was the second year in a row the two sides met in the series, and both teams were so clearly superior to the rest of the league most people wished the matchup could have decided the Cup.
The Kings held a 3-1 lead after four games, but the remaining three contests were all decided by a single goal. In Game 5, unlikely hero Michal Handzus scored a double-overtime winner to keep the Hawks alive and finish off a breathtaking extra frame that at one point went five minutes without a whistle.
Game 6 saw Chicago score two goals in the final minutes to steal a win and force a Game 7, where the Kings clutched out a 5-4 victory in a back-and-forth affair cemented by Alec Martinez's overtime heroics. Unbelievably, he scored the Stanley Cup winner in OT a few weeks later.
Just missed the cut:
- Sharks vs. Golden Knights - 2019: The madness of San Jose's furious Game 7 comeback and the controversy it entailed will not soon be forgotten, but it missed out on making our list by a hair.
- Capitals vs. Bruins - 2012: Four overtime games, and Joel Ward playing hero against the defending champs in Game 7 created a highly memorable first-round clash.
- Maple Leafs vs. Bruins - 2013: It was indeed 4-1.
- Penguins vs. Capitals - 2017: A classic seven-game Crosby-Ovechkin duel that paved the way for the former to capture his third Stanley Cup.
- Flyers vs. Bruins - 2010: Philly historically erased a 3-0 series deficit en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.
