List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks

Last updated

These are lists of active and all-time National Hockey League (NHL) franchise post-season appearance, post-season series win, Stanley Cup Finals and Stanley Cup streaks up to and including the 2022–23 NHL season and subsequent 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs. These lists do not include the canceled 2004–05 NHL season.

Contents

Longest active streaks

Post-season appearance streaks


A post-season appearance streak is continued by making the NHL playoffs in consecutive years after the regular season. Since the first round of the playoffs normally consists of eight series, there will always be sixteen teams on this list (of the thirty-two teams in the NHL).

TeamPost-season streakLast missed post-seasonStanley Cup Championships during streak
Boston Bruins 8 seasons 2015–16
Toronto Maple Leafs 8 seasons 2015–16
Colorado Avalanche 7 seasons 2016–17 1 : 2021–22
Tampa Bay Lightning 7 seasons 2016–17 2 : 2019–20, 2020–21
Carolina Hurricanes 6 seasons 2017–18
Edmonton Oilers 5 seasons 2018–19
Florida Panthers 5 seasons 2018–19
Dallas Stars 3 seasons 2020–21
Los Angeles Kings 3 seasons 2020–21
New York Rangers 3 seasons 2020–21
New York Islanders 2 seasons 2021–22
Vegas Golden Knights 2 seasons 2021–22 1 : 2022–23
Winnipeg Jets 2 seasons 2021–22
Nashville Predators 1 season 2022–23
Vancouver Canucks 1 season 2022–23
Washington Capitals 1 season 2022–23

Post-season opening round series win streaks

This is a list of teams that have active post-season series win streaks. A post-season series win streak is continued by making the post-season and winning at least the first-round series of the playoffs. Since the first round of the playoffs consists of sixteen teams in eight series, there will always be eight teams in this list, the winners of those series.

TeamPost-season series win streak
Carolina Hurricanes 6 seasons
Edmonton Oilers 3 seasons
Florida Panthers 3 seasons
Dallas Stars 2 seasons
Boston Bruins 1 season
Colorado Avalanche 1 season
New York Rangers 1 season
Vancouver Canucks 1 season

Longest all-time streaks

Post-season appearance streaks

This section has been updated to include teams who appeared in the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs.

  Active franchise streak is highlighted
TeamPost-season streakConsecutive post-season appearancesStanley Cup Championships during streak
Boston Bruins 29 seasons1 1967–68 through to 1995–96 2 : 1969–70, 1971–72
Chicago Black Hawks/Blackhawks 228 seasons 1969–70 through to 1996–97 none
St. Louis Blues 25 seasons 1979–80 through to 2003–04 none
Detroit Red Wings 25 seasons3 1990–91 through to 2015–16 4 : 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2007–08
Montreal Canadiens 24 seasons4 1970–71 through to 1993–94 8 : 1970–71, 1972–73, 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1985–86, 1992–93
Montreal Canadiens 21 seasons4 1948–49 through to 1968–69 10 : 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60, 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69
Detroit Red Wings 20 seasons 1938–39 through to 1957–58 5 : 1942–43, 1949–50, 1951–52, 1953–54, 1954–55
Philadelphia Flyers 17 seasons 1972–73 through to 1988–89 2 : 1973–74, 1974–75
Atlanta Flames/Calgary Flames 16 seasons5 1975–76 through to 1990–91 1 : 1988–89
Pittsburgh Penguins 16 seasons 2006–07 through to 2021–22 3 : 2008–09, 2015–16, 2016–17
Toronto Maple Leafs 15 seasons 1930–31 through to 1944–45 3 : 1931–32, 1941–42, 1944–45
1 The Bruins' 29 consecutive is the second longest post-season streak in North American major professional sports history, and the longest of the "Big 4". This compares to the CFL's Edmonton Elks (then named the Eskimos) 37 consecutive, the NBA's Syracuse Nationals/Philadelphia 76ers and San Antonio Spurs 22 consecutive, the MLB's Atlanta Braves 14 consecutive, the MLS' Seattle Sounders FC 12 consecutive, and the NFL's New England Patriots 11 consecutive. [1] [2]
2 The nickname of the Chicago team was the "Black Hawks" for the majority of the streak – 17 of the 28 seasons. They were renamed the "Blackhawks" in 1986.
3 No post season occurred in 2005 due to the season long NHL lockout.
4 The Montreal Canadiens only missed the playoffs once – by a tie-breaker – in the 46 seasons from 1948–49 to 1993–94. In the 1969–70 season, they tied for fourth and last playoff spot with the New York Rangers, but were eliminated on total goals scored tiebreak (they scored 244 goals to New York's 246).
5 Includes 5 seasons as the Atlanta Flames (1975–76 through 1979–80), and 11 seasons as the Calgary Flames (1980–81 through 1990–91)

Post-season series win streaks

Consecutive seasons with at least one series victory.

TeamPost-season win streakConsecutive post-season winsStanley Cup Championships during streak
Montreal Canadiens 10 seasons 1950–51 through to 1959–60 6 : 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60
10 seasons 1983–84 through to 1992–93 2 : 1985–86, 1992–93
Philadelphia Flyers 9 seasons 1972–73 through to 1980–81 2 : 1973–74, 1974–75
New York Islanders 7 seasons 1978–79 through to 1984–85 4 : 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
Chicago Black Hawks 6 seasons 1969–70 through to 1974–75 none
Montreal Canadiens 6 seasons 1974–75 through to 1979–80 4 : 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79
Edmonton Oilers 6 seasons 1982–83 through to 1987–88 4 : 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88
Detroit Red Wings 6 seasons 1994–95 through to 1999–2000 2 : 1996–97, 1997–98
Carolina Hurricanes 6 seasons 2018–19 through to presentnone
Montreal Canadiens 5 seasons 1964–65 through to 1968–69 4 : 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69
Toronto Maple Leafs 5 seasons 1974–75 through to 1978–79 none
Boston Bruins 5 seasons 1975–76 through to 1979–80 none
New York Rangers 5 seasons 1978–79 through to 1982–83 none
Boston Bruins 5 seasons 1987–88 through to 1991–92 none
Detroit Red Wings 5 seasons 2006–07 through to 2010–11 1 : 2007–08

Stanley Cup Finals appearance streaks

TeamStanley Cup Finals appearance streakConsecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearancesStanley Cup Championships during streak
Montreal Canadiens 10 seasons 1950–51 through to 1959–60 6 : 1952–53, 1955–56, 1956–57, 1957–58, 1958–59, 1959–60
5 seasons 1964–65 through to 1968–69 4 : 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69
New York Islanders 5 seasons 1979–80 through to 1983–84 4 : 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
Montreal Canadiens 4 seasons 1975–76 through to 1978–79 4 : 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 seasons 1937–38 through to 1939–40 none
Detroit Red Wings 3 seasons 1940–41 through to 1942–43 1 : 1942–43
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 seasons 1946–47 through to 1948–49 3 : 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49
Detroit Red Wings 3 seasons 1947–48 through to 1949–50 1 : 1949–50
3 seasons 1953–54 through to 1955–56 2 : 1953–54, 1954–55
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 seasons 1961–62 through to 1963–64 3 : 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64
St. Louis Blues 3 seasons 1967–68 through to 1969–70 none
Philadelphia Flyers 3 seasons 1973–74 through to 1975–76 2 : 1973–74, 1974–75
Edmonton Oilers 3 seasons 1982–83 through to 1984–85 2 : 1983–84, 1984–85
Tampa Bay Lightning 3 seasons 2019–20 through to 2021–22 2 : 2019–20, 2020–21

Stanley Cup win streaks

TeamStanley Cup
win streak
Consecutive Stanley Cup wins
Montreal Canadiens 5 seasons 1955–56 through to 1959–60
4 seasons 1975–76 through to 1978–79
New York Islanders 4 seasons 1979–80 through to 1982–83
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 seasons 1946–47 through to 1948–49
3 seasons 1961–62 through to 1963–64
Ottawa Senators 12 seasons 1919–20, 1920–21
Montreal Canadiens 2 seasons 1929–30, 1930–31
Detroit Red Wings 2 seasons 1935–36, 1936–37
2 seasons 1953–54, 1954–55
Montreal Canadiens 2 seasons 1964–65, 1965–66
2 seasons 1967–68, 1968–69
Philadelphia Flyers 2 seasons 1973–74, 1974–75
Edmonton Oilers 2 seasons 1983–84, 1984–85
2 seasons 1986–87, 1987–88
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 seasons 1990–91, 1991–92
Detroit Red Wings 2 seasons 1996–97, 1997–98
Pittsburgh Penguins 2 seasons 2015–16, 2016–17
Tampa Bay Lightning 2 seasons 2019–20, 2020–21
1 Not the current Ottawa franchise. This franchise, an original member of the NHL, folded following the 1934–35 NHL season after playing one year as the St. Louis Eagles.

See also

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References

Notes
  1. CFL.ca Staff (November 11, 2010). "By the Numbers: Playoffs???!!!". Canadian Football League. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  2. "L.A. Galaxy secure tenth consecutive MLS Cup Playoff appearance". MLSSoccer.com. January 22, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2014.