1976–77 NHL season

1976–77 NHL season
1976–77 NHL season
League	National Hockey League
Sport	Ice hockey
Duration	October 5, 1976 – May 14, 1977
Number of games	80
Number of teams	18
TV partner(s)	CBC, SRC (Canada); NHL Network (United States)
Draft
Top draft pick	Rick Green
Picked by	Washington Capitals
Regular season
Season champions	Montreal Canadiens
Season MVP	Guy Lafleur (Canadiens)
Top scorer	Guy Lafleur (Canadiens)
Playoffs
Playoffs MVP	Guy Lafleur (Canadiens)
Stanley Cup
Champions	Montreal Canadiens
Runners-up	Boston Bruins

The 1976–77 NHL season was the 60th season of the National Hockey League. The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies and the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Cleveland Barons. The Montreal Canadiens once again dominated the playoffs as, for the second straight year, they swept their opponent four games to none in the final series for the Stanley Cup.

League business

Two teams relocated: The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver, Colorado, and became the Colorado Rockies and the California Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio, and became the Cleveland Barons. These were the first franchise moves since the original Ottawa Senators had relocated in 1934 to become the St. Louis Eagles. Instability and the poor performances of the Washington Capitals and the Scouts since the 1974 expansion caused the league to shelve an expansion to Denver and Seattle that had been proposed for this season. Seattle would not have a team until the expansion Seattle Kraken in the 2021–22 season.

This season was Clarence Campbell's last as NHL President. He would be succeeded by John Ziegler.

Regular season

The previous season saw the Montreal Canadiens set new records in wins and points. Both of those records were broken again by the Canadiens this season as, with the highest points percentage in post-expansion NHL history (.825), they had 60 wins and 132 points. Their home record was 33 wins, 1 loss, and 6 ties. Scoring 216 more goals than they allowed, the Canadiens were a full 20 points ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers, however, were swept in four straight games by the third-place Boston Bruins in the semi-finals. The Bruins were in turn swept by the Canadiens in four straight in the finals.

On February 2, 1977, Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Ian Turnbull became the first player in NHL history to score five goals on five shots.[1]

Final standings

Prince of Wales Conference

Adams Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Boston Bruins	80	49	23	8	312	240	106
Buffalo Sabres	80	48	24	8	301	220	104
Toronto Maple Leafs	80	33	32	15	301	285	81
Cleveland Barons	80	25	42	13	240	292	63

[2]

Norris Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Montreal Canadiens	80	60	8	12	387	171	132
Los Angeles Kings	80	34	31	15	271	241	83
Pittsburgh Penguins	80	34	33	13	240	252	81
Washington Capitals	80	24	42	14	221	307	62
Detroit Red Wings	80	16	55	9	183	309	41

[2]

Clarence Campbell Conference

Patrick Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
Philadelphia Flyers	80	48	16	16	323	213	112
New York Islanders	80	47	21	12	288	193	106
Atlanta Flames	80	34	34	12	264	265	80
New York Rangers	80	29	37	14	272	310	72

[2]

Smythe Division
	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA	Pts
St. Louis Blues	80	32	39	9	239	276	73
Minnesota North Stars	80	23	39	18	240	310	64
Chicago Black Hawks	80	26	43	11	240	298	63
Vancouver Canucks	80	25	42	13	235	294	63
Colorado Rockies	80	20	46	14	226	307	54

[2]

Playoffs

The New York Islanders won six consecutive games before the semifinal and were the only team from the preliminary round to make it to the semifinals, where they lost to the first-ranked, defending, and eventual Stanley Cup champion Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens swept the St. Louis Blues and dispatched the Islanders in six to reach the final. The losses to the Islanders were the Canadiens' only losses of their playoff run. Second-ranked Philadelphia Flyers defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs in the quarterfinals, before being swept by the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the semifinals.

Playoff structure

For the 1977 playoffs, the top three teams in each division were awarded playoff berths. These twelve teams were then ranked 1–12 according to their regular season records, regardless of divisional affiliation. The four division winners automatically qualified for the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight teams (2nd and 3rd place teams in each division) played a preliminary round. For the preliminary round, the best non-division winner played the twelfth-ranked team, the second-best non-division winner played the eleventh-ranked team, and the third-best non-division winner played the third-lowest ranked non-division winner. (This did not necessarily have to be the tenth-ranked team, as a tenth-ranked team could win its division. St. Louis did win the Smythe Division as the tenth-ranked playoff team.) The remaining two non-division winners formed the final preliminary round pairing. The preliminary round consisted of a best-of-three series with game one played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team, and game two on the home ice of the lower-ranked team. If a deciding game three was necessary, it was played on the home ice of the higher-ranked team.

For the quarterfinal, semifinal, and the Stanley Cup Finals, each series was a best-of-seven, with home-ice advantage in games 1, 2, 5, and 7 (if necessary) going to the team with the better regular season record. The other team hosted games 3, 4, and 6 (if necessary). The four preliminary round winners joined the four division winners for the quarterfinals. The matchups were determined according to regular season records regardless of divisional affiliations. Of the eight remaining teams, the top-ranked team played the lowest-ranked remaining team, the second-highest-ranked remaining team played the second-lowest-ranked remaining team, and so on. The four quarterfinal winners advanced to the semifinals, with the match-ups again being reseeded by regular season records. The highest-ranked remaining team played the lowest-ranked remaining team, and the other two teams formed the second semifinal. The two semifinal winners played each other in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Playoff seeds

The twelve teams that qualified for the playoffs are ranked 1–12 based on regular season points.

Note: Only teams that qualified for the playoffs are listed here.

Montreal Canadiens, Norris Division champions, Prince of Wales Conference regular season champions – 132 points
Philadelphia Flyers, Patrick Division champions, Clarence Campbell Conference regular season champions – 112 points
Boston Bruins, Adams Division champions – 106 points (49 wins)
New York Islanders – 106 points (47 wins)
Buffalo Sabres – 104 points
Los Angeles Kings – 83 points
Pittsburgh Penguins – 81 points (34 wins)
Toronto Maple Leafs – 81 points (33 wins)
Atlanta Flames – 80 points
St. Louis Blues, Smythe Division champions – 73 points
Minnesota North Stars – 64 points
Chicago Black Hawks – 63 points

Playoff bracket

Preliminary Round			Quarterfinals			Semifinals			Stanley Cup Finals

			1	Montreal	4

			8	St. Louis	0



						1	Montreal	4

						4	NY Islanders	2
1	NY Islanders	2

8	Chicago	0
			4	NY Islanders	4

			5	Buffalo	0
2	Buffalo	2

7	Minnesota	0
									1	Montreal	4

									3	Boston	0



			2	Philadelphia	4

			7	Toronto	2
4	Pittsburgh	1

5	Toronto	2
						2	Philadelphia	0

						3	Boston	4



			3	Boston	4

			6	Los Angeles	2
3	Los Angeles	2

6	Atlanta	1

Division winners earned a bye to the Quarterfinals
Teams were re-seeded based on regular season record after the Preliminary and Quarterfinal rounds

(1) New York Islanders vs. (8) Chicago Black Hawks

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams. The Black Hawks were originally scheduled as the home team for the second game, but its home rink Chicago Stadium had already been booked that night for the second of three Led Zeppelin concerts.[3]

April 5	Chicago Black Hawks		2–5	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Grant Mulvey (1) – pp – 15:22		First period		No scoring
Kirk Bowman (1) – pp – 08:24		Second period		02:31 – J.P. Parise (1)
No scoring		Third period		03:18 – pp – Denis Potvin (1) 04:53 – Billy MacMillan (1) 11:56 – Bob Bourne (1) 19:22 – en – J.P. Parise (2)
Tony Esposito 32 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats		Billy Smith 14 saves / 16 shots

April 7	Chicago Black Hawks		1–2	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Dennis Hull (1) – pp – 11:12		First period		13:56 – Jude Drouin (1)
No scoring		Second period		14:18 – Clark Gillies (1)
No scoring		Third period		No scoring
Tony Esposito 33 saves / 35 shots		Goalie stats		Billy Smith 18 saves / 19 shots

New York won series 2–0

(2) Buffalo Sabres vs. (7) Minnesota North Stars

This was the first playoff series meeting between these two teams.

April 5	Minnesota North Stars		2–4	Buffalo Sabres	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	Recap
Roland Eriksson (1) – 02:08		First period		02:55 – Rene Robert (1)
Tim Young (1) – 7:35		Second period		02:47 – Jim Lorentz (1) 04:35 – Jerry Korab (1)
No scoring		Third period		19:55 – en – Rene Robert (2)
Pete LoPresti 37 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats		Don Edwards 23 saves / 25 shots

April 7	Buffalo Sabres		7–1	Minnesota North Stars	Met Center	Recap
Jim Lorentz (2) – 04:33 Richard Martin (1) – 16:11 Jim Lorentz (3) – 17:07		First period		10:07 – Doug Hicks (1)
Gary McAdam (1) – 16:36 Jocelyn Guevremont (1) – 17:55		Second period		No scoring
Jocelyn Guevremont (2) – pp – 02:09 Jim Lorentz (4) – 15:28		Third period		No scoring
Don Edwards 24 saves / 25 shots		Goalie stats		Pete LoPresti 5 saves / 8 shots Gary Smith 11 saves / 15 shots

Buffalo won series 2–0

(3) Los Angeles Kings vs. (6) Atlanta Flames

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Preliminary Round, in which Los Angeles won in a two-game sweep.

April 5	Atlanta Flames		2–5	Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Guy Chouinard (1) – pp – 04:07		First period		00:23 – Glenn Goldup (1) 10:33 – pp – Mike Murphy (1) 17:38 – pp – Butch Goring (1)
Willi Plett (1) – 08:06		Second period		14:04 – Don Kozak (1)
No scoring		Third period		17:57 – Glenn Goldup (2)
Dan Bouchard 20 saves / 25 shots		Goalie stats		Rogie Vachon 20 saves / 22 shots

April 7	Los Angeles Kings		2–3	Atlanta Flames	Omni Coliseum	Recap
Marcel Dionne (1) – 15:30		First period		15:14 – Guy Chouinard (2) 16:52 – Curt Bennett (1)
Don Kozak (2) – pp – 15:13		Second period		08:47 – Eric Vail (1)
No scoring		Third period		No scoring
Rogie Vachon 31 saves / 34 shots		Goalie stats		Phil Myre 22 saves / 24 shots

April 9	Atlanta Flames		2–4	Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Bill Clement (1) – sh – 14:58		First period		03:47 – Butch Goring (2) 05:52 – Marcel Dionne (2)
No scoring		Second period		03:06 – Butch Goring (3)
Tom Lysiak (1) – pp – 05:05		Third period		19:59 – en – Butch Goring (4)
Phil Myre 19 saves / 22 shots		Goalie stats		Rogie Vachon 25 saves / 27 shots

Los Angeles won series 2–1

(4) Pittsburgh Penguins vs. (5) Toronto Maple Leafs

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Preliminary Round, in which Toronto won the series 2–1.

April 5	Toronto Maple Leafs		4–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
No scoring		First period		13:25 – Bob Kelly (1)
Don Ashby (1) – 04:12 Lanny McDonald (1) – 12:11		Second period		No scoring
Dave Williams (1) – 10:32 Darryl Sittler (1) – en – 19:52		Third period		18:34 – pp – Mario Faubert (1)
Wayne Thomas 29 saves / 31 shots		Goalie stats		Denis Herron 29 saves / 32 shots

April 7	Pittsburgh Penguins		6–4	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Jean Pronovost (1) – 01:01 Ron Stackhouse (1) – 06:37 Syl Apps Jr. (1) – pp – 12:30		First period		No scoring
Lowell MacDonald (1) – 07:38		Second period		06:10 – pp – Darryl Sittler (2) 12:38 – Stan Weir (1)
Greg Malone (1) – 13:57 Ron Stackhouse (2) – en – 19:23		Third period		03:37 – pp – Ian Turnbull (1) 07:52 – Borje Salming (1)
Denis Herron 37 saves / 41 shots		Goalie stats		Wayne Thomas 28 saves / 33 shots

April 9	Toronto Maple Leafs		5–2	Pittsburgh Penguins	Civic Arena	Recap
Borje Salming (2) – pp – 08:34 Ian Turnbull (2) – pp – 14:14		First period		19:40 – pp – Jean Pronovost (2)
Lanny McDonald (2) – 08:46 Lanny McDonald (3) – 14:17		Second period		16:06 – Blair Chapman (1)
Lanny McDonald (4) – en – 19:44		Third period		No scoring
Mike Palmateer 38 saves / 40 shots		Goalie stats		Denis Herron 37 saves / 41 shots

Toronto won series 2–1

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (8) St. Louis Blues

This was the third, and as of 2023, most recent, playoff series meeting between the two teams. Montreal won both previous meetings in four-game sweeps in both the 1968 & 1969 Stanley Cup Finals.

April 11	St. Louis Blues		2–7	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Bernie Federko (1) – 18:38		First period		00:51 – Guy Lafleur (1) 07:54 – pp – Larry Robinson (1) 16:30 – Guy Lafleur (2) 19:35 – Jacques Lemaire (1)
No scoring		Second period		11:27 – Guy Lafleur (3) 14:33 – pp – Guy Lapointe (1)
Brian Sutter (1) – 12:32		Third period		02:23 – Bill Nyrop (1)
Ed Staniowski 26 saves / 32 shots Eddie Johnston 9 saves / 10 shots		Goalie stats		Ken Dryden 18 saves / 20 shots

April 13	St. Louis Blues		0–3	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period		06:15 – Steve Shutt (1) 13:19 – Bob Gainey (1)
No scoring		Second period		18:01 – Guy Lafleur (4)
No scoring		Third period		No scoring
Eddie Johnston 38 saves / 41 shots Ed Staniowski 0 saves / 0 shots		Goalie stats		Ken Dryden 23 saves / 23 shots

April 16	Montreal Canadiens		5–1	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Serge Savard (1) – pp – 02:57 Serge Savard (2) – 19:45		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
Steve Shutt (2) – 01:35 Rick Chartraw (1) – 08:46 Jacques Lemaire (2) – 13:10		Third period		16:50 – Claude Larose (1)
Ken Dryden 36 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats		Eddie Johnston 30 saves / 35 shots

April 17	Montreal Canadiens		4–1	St. Louis Blues	St. Louis Arena	Recap
Steve Shutt (3) – pp – 18:21		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		02:46 – Larry Patey (1)
Guy Lafleur (5) – 02:34 Peter Mahovlich (1) – 14:49 Bob Gainey (2) – sh-en – 19:55		Third period		No scoring
Ken Dryden 24 saves / 25 shots		Goalie stats		Ed Staniowski 27 saves / 30 shots

Montreal won series 4–0

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (7) Toronto Maple Leafs

This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won both previous meetings in the last two seasons. The latter of which Philadelphia won in seven games in last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals.

April 11	Toronto Maple Leafs		3–2	Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Darryl Sittler (3) – pp – 04:10 Tiger Williams (2) – 07:11 Errol Thompson (1) - 8:52		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		13:25 – pp – Rick MacLeish (1)
No scoring		Third period		10:27 – pp – Bob Dailey (1)
Mike Palmateer 17 saves / 18 shots Wayne Thomas 10 saves / 11 shots		Goalie stats		Bernie Parent 21 saves / 24 shots

April 13	Toronto Maple Leafs		4–1	Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Bob Neely (1) – pp – 06:55 Stan Weir (2) – pp – 11:15		First period		No scoring
Tiger Williams (3) – 00:37 Darryl Sittler (4) – 15:08		Second period		06:07 – Bill Barber (1)
No scoring		Third period		No scoring
Mike Palmateer 27 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats		Bernie Parent 11 saves / 15 shots Wayne Stephenson 5 saves / 5 shots

April 15	Philadelphia Flyers		4–3	OT	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
No scoring		First period			03:48 – pp – Darryl Sittler (5) 18:27 – pp – Ian Turnbull (3)
Ross Lonsberry (1) – 03:18 Orest Kindrachuk (1) – pp – 12:53		Second period			No scoring
Rick MacLeish (2) – 19:22		Third period			15:41 – Errol Thompson (2)
Rick MacLeish (3) – 02:55		First overtime period			No scoring
Wayne Stephenson 25 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Palmateer 33 saves / 37 shots

April 17	Philadelphia Flyers		6–5	OT	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
Bobby Clarke (1) – pp – 13:28		First period			No scoring
Reggie Leach (1) – 11:21		Second period			04:03 – Lanny McDonald (5) 06:16 – pp – Borje Salming (3) 18:45 – pp – Lanny McDonald (6)
Mel Bridgman (1) – sh – 14:11 Tom Bladon (1) – 18:11 Bobby Clarke (2) – 18:27		Third period			06:24 – Lanny McDonald (7) 12:44 – pp – Lanny McDonald (8)
Reggie Leach (2) – 19:10		First overtime period			No scoring
Wayne Stephenson 37 saves / 42 shots		Goalie stats			Mike Palmateer 39 saves / 45 shots

April 19	Toronto Maple Leafs		0–2	Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
No scoring		First period		14:12 – Reggie Leach (3)
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		15:07 – Reggie Leach (4)
Mike Palmateer 37 saves / 39 shots		Goalie stats		Wayne Stephenson 21 saves / 21 shots

April 21	Philadelphia Flyers		4–3	Toronto Maple Leafs	Maple Leaf Gardens	Recap
No scoring		First period		11:43 – pp – Ian Turnbull (4)
Bobby Clarke (3) – 04:10 Bob Dailey (2) – 15:36		Second period		07:17 – Lanny McDonald (9)
Rick MacLeish (4) – pp – 07:37 Jimmy Watson (1) – 17:22		Third period		05:06 – pp – Lanny McDonald (10)
Wayne Stephenson 21 saves / 24 shots		Goalie stats		Wayne Thomas 26 saves / 30 shots

Philadelphia won series 4–2

(3) Boston Bruins vs. (6) Los Angeles Kings

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which Boston won in seven games.

April 11	Los Angeles Kings		3–8	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period		01:49 – Bobby Schmautz (1) 02:45 – Brad Park (1) 04:50 – Bobby Schmautz (2) 12:15 – sh – Gregg Sheppard (1) 19:24 – Bobby Schmautz (3)
Don Kozak (3) – 09:45 Vic Venasky (1) – pp – 18:37		Second period		11:30 – Terry O'Reilly (1)
Dave Hutchison (1) – 10:24		Third period		02:06 – Stan Jonathan (1) 15:52 – pp – Peter McNab (1)
Rogie Vachon 24 saves / 32 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 19 saves / 22 shots

April 13	Los Angeles Kings		2–6	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period		06:14 – Stan Jonathan (2) 07:28 – Terry O'Reilly (2) 09:53 – Bobby Schmautz (4)
No scoring		Second period		17:03 – Jean Ratelle (1) 17:59 – Bobby Schmautz (5)
Tom Williams (1) – pp – 14:11 Marcel Dionne (3) – pp – 19:29		Third period		03:09 – Gregg Sheppard (2)
Rogie Vachon 11 saves / 16 shots Gary Simmons 6 saves / 7 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 17 shots

April 15	Boston Bruins		7–6	Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Bobby Schmautz (6) – pp – 05:49		First period		03:40 – Mike Murphy (2) 10:51 – pp – Bob Murdoch (1) 19:20 – Butch Goring (5)
Terry O'Reilly (3) – 01:59 Don Marcotte (1) – 03:39		Second period		07:00 – Gary Sargent (1) 16:33 – Tom Williams (2)
Bobby Schmautz (7) – pp – 00:10 Wayne Cashman – 11:27 Don Marcotte (2) – 17:08 Stan Jonathan (3) – 19:47		Third period		18:05 – Marcel Dionne (4)
Gerry Cheevers 18 saves / 24 shots		Goalie stats		Rogie Vachon 22 saves / 29 shots

April 17	Boston Bruins		4–7	Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period		00:06 – Don Kozak (4) 18:39 – Frank St. Marseille (1)
Peter McNab (2) – 01:30		Second period		15:56 – pp – Butch Goring (6) 18:40 – pp – Gary Sargent (2)
Jean Ratelle (2) – pp – 03:26 Bobby Schmautz (8) – 05:51 Rick Middleton (1) – 15:08		Third period		10:08 – Marcel Dionne (5) 10:51 – Mike Murphy (3) 14:45 – Gene Carr (1)
Gerry Cheevers 11 saves / 15 shots Gilles Gilbert 4 saves / 7 shots		Goalie stats		Rogie Vachon 30 saves / 34 shots

April 19	Los Angeles Kings		3–1	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Dave Schultz (1) – pp – 16:22		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		13:42 – Rick Middleton (2)
Bob Murdoch (2) – 01:00 Mike Murphy (4) – en – 19:59		Third period		No scoring
Rogie Vachon 39 saves / 40 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 18 saves / 20 shots

April 21	Boston Bruins		4–3	Los Angeles Kings	The Forum	Recap
Rick Middleton (3) – 03:42 Stan Jonathan (4) – 07:35 Rick Middleton (4) – 07:46		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
Gregg Sheppard (3) – pp – 12:58		Third period		00:42 – pp – Gary Sargent (3) 05:39 – Tom Williams (3) 08:51 – pp – Butch Goring (7)
Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 18 shots		Goalie stats		Rogie Vachon 34 saves / 38 shots

Boston won series 4–2

(4) New York Islanders vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which New York won in six games.

April 11	Buffalo Sabres		2–4	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
No scoring		First period		12:28 – Garry Howatt (1) 18:44 – Billy Harris (1)
Gilbert Perreault (1) – 09:38 Rene Robert (3) – 11:39		Second period		12:04 – Clark Gillies (2) 18:33 – Jude Drouin (2)
No scoring		Third period		No scoring
Don Edwards 24 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats		Billy Smith 37 saves / 39 shots

April 13	Buffalo Sabres		2–4	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Don Luce (1) – 11:26 Rene Robert (4) – pp – 15:40		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		13:50 – Bob Bourne (2) 16:31 – Bryan Trottier (1)
No scoring		Third period		08:30 – Clark Gillies (3) 11:35 – Dave Lewis (1)
Don Edwards 18 saves / 22 shots		Goalie stats		Billy Smith 24 saves / 26 shots

April 15	New York Islanders		4–3	Buffalo Sabres	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	Recap
Billy Harris (2) – 17:39		First period		02:18 – pp – Rick Martin (2) 06:29 – pp – Jerry Korab (2)
Jude Drouin (3) – 10:55 Jude Drouin (4) – pp – 13:40		Second period		No scoring
Clark Gillies (4) – 00:09		Third period		10:10 – pp – Don Luce (2)
Billy Smith 45 saves / 48 shots		Goalie stats		Don Edwards 19 saves / 23 shots

April 17	New York Islanders		4–3	Buffalo Sabres	Buffalo Memorial Auditorium	Recap
Billy Harris (3) – pp – 10:29		First period		02:49 – Jocelyn Guevremont (3)
Ed Westfall (1) – sh – 09:54 Denis Potvin (2) – 18:51		Second period		06:16 – pp – Don Luce (3)
Billy MacMillan (2) – 07:42		Third period		04:57 – Rene Robert (5)
Billy Smith 26 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Desjardins 17 saves / 21 shots

New York won series 4–0

(1) Montreal Canadiens vs. (4) New York Islanders

This was the second playoff series meeting between these two teams. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Montreal won in five games.

April 23	New York Islanders		3–4	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Billy Harris (4) – pp – 08:39 Billy Harris (5) – 12:56		First period		12:14 – Peter Mahovlich (2)
Billy Harris (6) – 00:49		Second period		09:40 – Murray Wilson (1)
No scoring		Third period		02:25 – Guy Lafleur (6) 04:07 – Steve Shutt (4)
Billy Smith 34 saves / 38 shots		Goalie stats		Ken Dryden 16 saves / 19 shots

April 26	New York Islanders		0–3	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		07:46 – sh – Jimmy Roberts (1) 11:31 – Larry Robinson (2) 19:24 – pp – Peter Mahovlich (3)
Billy Smith 30 saves / 33 shots		Goalie stats		Ken Dryden 19 saves / 19 shots

April 28	Montreal Canadiens		3–5	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Guy Lapointe (2) – 11:10 Jimmy Roberts (2) – 17:29		First period		12:49 – pp – Denis Potvin (3) 19:50 – Denis Potvin (4)
No scoring		Second period		06:04 – J.P. Parise (3)
Guy Lapointe (3) – 16:20		Third period		11:09 – Andre St. Laurent (1) 19:49 – en – Bryan Trottier (2)
Ken Dryden 19 saves / 23 shots		Goalie stats		Billy Smith 35 saves / 38 shots

April 30	Montreal Canadiens		4–0	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Steve Shutt (5) – 01:04 Guy Lafleur (7) – 02:23 Jimmy Roberts (3) – 08:18		First period		No scoring
Steve Shutt (6) – 17:31		Second period		No scoring
No scoring		Third period		No scoring
Ken Dryden 18 saves / 18 shots		Goalie stats		Billy Smith 18 saves / 22 shots Chico Resch 11 saves / 11 shots

May 3	New York Islanders		4–3	OT	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
J.P. Parise (4) – pp – 08:11		First period			09:08 – Jacques Lemaire (3)
Denis Potvin (5) – 18:11		Second period			03:27 – Mario Tremblay (1)
Jude Drouin (5) – 13:09		Third period			11:38 – Yvon Lambert (1)
Billy Harris (7) – 03:58		First overtime period			No scoring
Chico Resch 26 saves / 29 shots		Goalie stats			Ken Dryden 15 saves / 19 shots

May 5	Montreal Canadiens		2–1	New York Islanders	Nassau Coliseum	Recap
Bob Gainey (3) – 00:07		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		No scoring
Bob Gainey (4) – 9:12		Third period		19:51 – Denis Potvin (6)
Ken Dryden 27 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats		Chico Resch 18 saves / 20 shots

Montreal won series 4–2

(2) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (3) Boston Bruins

This was the third playoff series meeting between these two teams. Philadelphia won both previous meetings. This was a rematch of last year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, in which Philadelphia won in five games.

April 24	Boston Bruins		4–3	OT	Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Jean Ratelle (3) – 11:36		First period			No scoring
Bobby Schmautz (9) – pp – 06:56 Don Marcotte (3) – sh – 15:31		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			01:45 – pp – Bobby Clarke (4) 16:33 – Bob Dailey (3) 19:31 – Bobby Clarke (5)
Rick Middleton (5) – 02:57		First overtime period			No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 35 saves / 38 shots		Goalie stats			Wayne Stephenson 17 saves / 20 shots Bernie Parent 3 saves / 4 shots

April 26	Boston Bruins		5–4	2OT	Philadelphia Flyers	Spectrum	Recap
Peter McNab (3) – 13:45		First period			14:53 – Andre Dupont (1)
Gregg Sheppard (4) – 14:01 Mike Milbury (1) – 15:01 Jean Ratelle (4) – 15:39		Second period			05:35 – Orest Kindrachuk (2) 07:58 – Paul Holmgren (1) 15:16 – Gary Dornhoefer (1)
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Terry O'Reilly (4) – 10:07		Second overtime period			No scoring
Gerry Cheevers 43 saves / 47 shots		Goalie stats			Wayne Stephenson 28 saves / 33 shots

April 28	Philadelphia Flyers		1–2	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Bob Dailey (4) – pp – 08:59		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		12:07 – Peter McNab (4)
No scoring		Third period		07:51 – Mike Milbury (2)
Wayne Stephenson 26 saves / 28 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 14 saves / 15 shots

May 1	Philadelphia Flyers		0–3	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		10:45 – Jean Ratelle (5)
No scoring		Third period		14:05 – Don Marcotte (4) 19:13 – en – Don Marcotte (5)
Wayne Stephenson 35 saves / 37 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 21 saves / 21 shots

Boston won series 4–0

Stanley Cup Finals

This was the 16th playoff series meeting between these two teams. Montreal lead 13–2 in previous meetings. They last met in the 1971 Stanley Cup Quarterfinals, in which Montreal upset Boston in seven games.

The defending champion Montreal Canadiens took on the "Original Six" rival, the third-ranked Boston Bruins in the Finals. Both teams had swept a series and had lost only two games in the earlier rounds. The Canadiens swept the series in four games to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

May 7	Boston Bruins		3–7	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
Brad Park (2) – 05:23		First period		01:45 – Doug Risebrough (1) 04:23 – pp – Yvon Lambert (2) 14:35 – Mario Tremblay (2)
Terry O'Reilly (5) – 11:54 Bobby Schmautz (10) – pp – 16:35		Second period		05:08 – Jacques Lemaire (4)
No scoring		Third period		00:59 – Rick Chartraw (2) 02:04 – Mario Tremblay (3) 13:58 – Yvon Lambert (3)
Gerry Cheevers 17 saves / 24 shots		Goalie stats		Ken Dryden 17 saves / 20 shots

May 10	Boston Bruins		0–3	Montreal Canadiens	Montreal Forum	Recap
No scoring		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		07:43 – pp – Peter Mahovlich (4) 12:07 - Doug Risebrough (2)
No scoring		Third period		05:40 – Steve Shutt (7)
Gerry Cheevers 16 saves / 19 shots		Goalie stats		Ken Dryden 22 saves / 22 shots

May 12	Montreal Canadiens		4–2	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
Guy Lafleur (8) – pp – 04:08 Steve Shutt (8) – pp – 07:58 Jacques Lemaire (5) – pp – 18:29		First period		No scoring
No scoring		Second period		06:32 – Gregg Sheppard (5)
Guy Lafleur (9) – 12:52		Third period		18:34 – pp – Peter McNab (5)
Ken Dryden 23 saves / 25 shots		Goalie stats		Gerry Cheevers 15 saves / 19 shots

May 14	Montreal Canadiens		2–1	OT	Boston Bruins	Boston Garden	Recap
No scoring		First period			11:38 – Bobby Schmautz (11)
Jacques Lemaire (6) – 01:34		Second period			No scoring
No scoring		Third period			No scoring
Jacques Lemaire (7) – 04:32		First overtime period			No scoring
Ken Dryden 25 saves / 26 shots		Goalie stats			Gerry Cheevers 26 saves / 28 shots

Montreal won series 4–0

Awards

1977 NHL awards
Prince of Wales Trophy: (Wales Conference regular season champion)	Montreal Canadiens
Clarence S. Campbell Bowl: (Campbell Conference regular season champion)	Philadelphia Flyers
Art Ross Trophy: (Top scorer, regular season)	Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy: (Perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication)	Ed Westfall, New York Islanders
Calder Memorial Trophy: (Top first-year player)	Willi Plett, Atlanta Flames
Conn Smythe Trophy: (Most valuable player, playoffs)	Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Hart Memorial Trophy: (Most valuable player, regular season)	Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Jack Adams Award: (Best coach)	Scotty Bowman, Montreal Canadiens
James Norris Memorial Trophy: (Best defenceman)	Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship)	Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings
Lester B. Pearson Award: (Outstanding player, regular season)	Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens
Vezina Trophy: (Goaltender(s) of team(s) with best goaltending record)	Ken Dryden & Michel Larocque, Montreal Canadiens
Lester Patrick Trophy: (Service to hockey in the U.S.)	John Bucyk, Murray Armstrong, John Mariucci

All-Star teams

First Team	Position	Second Team
Ken Dryden, Montreal Canadiens	G	Rogie Vachon, Los Angeles Kings
Larry Robinson, Montreal Canadiens	D	Denis Potvin, New York Islanders
Borje Salming, Toronto Maple Leafs	D	Guy Lapointe, Montreal Canadiens
Marcel Dionne, Los Angeles Kings	C	Gilbert Perreault, Buffalo Sabres
Guy Lafleur, Montreal Canadiens	RW	Lanny McDonald, Toronto Maple Leafs
Steve Shutt, Montreal Canadiens	LW	Rick Martin, Buffalo Sabres

Player statistics

Scoring leaders

GP = Games Played, G = Goals, A = Assists, Pts = Points, PIM = Penalties In Minutes

Player	Team	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
Guy Lafleur	Montreal Canadiens	80	56	80	136	20
Marcel Dionne	Los Angeles Kings	80	53	69	122	12
Steve Shutt	Montreal Canadiens	80	60	45	105	28
Rick MacLeish	Philadelphia Flyers	79	49	48	97	42
Gilbert Perreault	Buffalo Sabres	80	39	56	95	30
Tim Young	Minnesota North Stars	80	29	66	95	58
Jean Ratelle	Boston Bruins	78	33	61	94	22
Lanny McDonald	Toronto Maple Leafs	80	46	44	90	77
Darryl Sittler	Toronto Maple Leafs	73	38	52	90	89
Bobby Clarke	Philadelphia Flyers	80	27	63	90	71

Source: NHL.[4]

Leading goaltenders

Note: GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; GAA = Goals against average; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; SO = Shutouts

Player	Team	GP	MIN	GA	GAA	W	L	T	SO
Michel Larocque	Montreal Canadiens	26	1525	53	2.09	19	2	4	4
Ken Dryden	Montreal Canadiens	56	3275	117	2.14	41	6	8	10
Chico Resch	N.Y. Islanders	46	2711	103	2.28	26	13	6	4
Billy Smith	N.Y. Islanders	36	2089	98	2.50	21	8	6	2
Don Edwards	Buffalo Sabres	25	1480	62	2.51	16	7	2	2
Gerry Desjardins	Buffalo Sabres	49	2871	126	2.63	31	12	6	3
Bernie Parent	Philadelphia Flyers	61	3525	159	2.71	35	13	12	5
Rogatien Vachon	Los Angeles Kings	68	4059	184	2.72	33	23	12	8
Denis Herron	Pittsburgh Penguins	34	1920	94	2.94	15	11	5	1
Dunc Wilson	Pittsburgh Penguins	45	2627	129	2.95	18	19	8	5

Coaches

Patrick Division

Atlanta Flames: Fred Creighton
New York Islanders: Al Arbour
New York Rangers: John Ferguson, Sr.
Philadelphia Flyers: Fred Shero

Adams Division

Boston Bruins: Don Cherry
Buffalo Sabres: Floyd Smith
Cleveland Barons: Jack Evans
Toronto Maple Leafs: Red Kelly

Norris Division

Detroit Red Wings: Larry Wilson
Los Angeles Kings: Bob Pulford
Montreal Canadiens: Scotty Bowman
Pittsburgh Penguins: Ken Schinkel
Washington Capitals: Tom McVie

Smythe Division

Chicago Black Hawks: Billy Reay and Bill White
Colorado Rockies: Johnny Wilson
Minnesota North Stars: Ted Harris
St. Louis Blues: Emile Francis
Vancouver Canucks: Phil Maloney and Orland Kurtenbach

Debuts

The following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1976–77 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):

Mike Palmateer, Toronto Maple Leafs
Don Edwards, Buffalo Sabres
Bob Sauve, Buffalo Sabres
Reed Larson, Detroit Red Wings
Brian Engblom*, Montreal Canadiens
Don Murdoch, New York Rangers
Bernie Federko, St. Louis Blues
Brian Sutter, St. Louis Blues
Randy Carlyle, Toronto Maple Leafs
Rick Green, Washington Capitals

Last games

The following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1976–77 (listed with their last team):

Pat Quinn, Atlanta Flames
Gilles Villemure, Chicago Black Hawks
Jim Pappin, Cleveland Barons
Simon Nolet, Colorado Rockies
Bob Berry, Los Angeles Kings
Ed Van Impe, Pittsburgh Penguins
Vic Hadfield, Pittsburgh Penguins
Barclay Plager, St. Louis Blues
Roger Crozier, Washington Capitals

Broadcasting

Hockey Night in Canada on CBC Television televised Saturday night regular season games and Stanley Cup playoff games. CTV stopped regularly airing HNIC-produced Wednesday night regular season game telecasts, and started to give the rights to these midweek games back to local stations.

In the U.S., this was the second season that NHL games aired in national broadcast syndication under the NHL Network package.

References

Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Hockey. Kingston, NY: Total Sports. ISBN 1-892129-85-X.
Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Toronto, ON: Dan Diamond & Associates. ISBN 978-1-894801-22-5.
Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000). Century of hockey. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd. ISBN 0-7710-4179-9.
Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003). The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League. Lincolnwood, IL: Publications International Inc. ISBN 0-7853-9624-1.

Notes

Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9
Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.
Herman, Robin. "Islanders Get Home Ice for All Hawk Games," The New York Times, Tuesday, April 5, 1977. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
Dinger 2011, p. 150.

External links

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[1] Hockey's Book of Firsts, p.27, James Duplacey, JG Press, ISBN 978-1-57215-037-9

[nhl-gd-standings-2] Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 151. ISBN 9781894801225.

[3] Herman, Robin. "Islanders Get Home Ice for All Hawk Games," The New York Times, Tuesday, April 5, 1977. Retrieved March 13, 2023.

[FOOTNOTEDinger2011150-4] Dinger 2011, p. 150.