# 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2011 [Stanley Cup playoffs](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup-playoffs) were the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league)'s postseason for the 2010–11 season, beginning on April 13, 2011, and ending on June 15, when the [Boston Bruins](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-bruins) defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games in the Final to win their sixth Stanley Cup and their first in 39 years.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011) Goaltender Tim Thomas won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP, and the series was followed in Vancouver by a riot after Game 7.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html) • [3](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/about-bc-justice-system/inquiries/report.pdf)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Boston Bruins, beating the Vancouver Canucks 4 games to 3 in the Final; sixth Cup, first since 1972[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011) |
| Dates | Began April 13, 2011; Game 7 of the Final played June 15, 2011 in Vancouver[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) • [3](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/about-bc-justice-system/inquiries/report.pdf) |
| Playoff MVP | Tim Thomas (Conn Smythe Trophy), 16-9 record, 1.98 GAA; NHL records of 798 saves in one playoff year and 238 in one Final[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html) • [1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011) |
| Scoring leaders | David Krejčí led with 23 points and 12 goals; Henrik Sedin led with 19 assists[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html) |
| Game 7 | Boston won 4-0 on the road, the fourth team to win Game 7 of the Final away from home[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011) |
| Final scoring | Vancouver scored 8 goals in the seven-game series, the fewest by a team in a seven-game Final[5](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2011/) |
| Aftermath | A riot broke out in downtown Vancouver after Game 7, the city's second Stanley Cup riot (after 1994)[3](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/about-bc-justice-system/inquiries/report.pdf) • [6](https://council.vancouver.ca/20110906/documents/specAppendixA1.pdf) |
## Format and participants
Sixteen teams qualified, eight per conference, and each round was a best-of-seven series played in a 2–2–1–1–1 format: the higher-seeded team hosted games one, two, five, and seven, and the lower-seeded team hosted games three, four, and six.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) Vancouver entered as the NHL's best regular-season team and the top Western Conference seed; Boston was the third seed in the East.[7](https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-bruins/2019/06/12/game-7-stanley-cup-final-vancouver-canucks-2011/) • [4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule)
## Road to the Final
**Eastern Conference.** Boston opened against Montreal and lost the first two games at home before winning the series in seven, taking Game 7 in double overtime 4-3.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) The Bruins then swept Philadelphia 4-0 in the second round, outscoring the Flyers 20-7 across the four games.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) In the Eastern Conference Final against [Tampa Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/tampa-bay), Boston fell behind early, lost Games 1, 4, and 6, and closed the series with a 1-0 win in Game 7.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) Tampa Bay had reached the third round by sweeping top-seeded Washington 4-0.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule)
**Western Conference.** Vancouver needed seven games to eliminate Chicago, winning Game 7 in overtime 2-1 after holding a 3-0 series lead.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) The Canucks beat Nashville 4-2 in the second round and then defeated San Jose 4-1 in the Conference Final, clinching the series with a 3-2 double-overtime win in Game 5.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule) San Jose had eliminated Detroit 4-3 in the other second-round series.[4](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule)
## The Stanley Cup Final
Vancouver won the first two games at home, 1-0 and 3-2 in overtime, both by one-goal margins.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html) The series then turned sharply in Boston: the Bruins won Games 3 and 4 by scores of 8-1 and 4-0, outscoring Vancouver 12-1 in the two home games.[7](https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-bruins/2019/06/12/game-7-stanley-cup-final-vancouver-canucks-2011/) Vancouver took Game 5 at home 1-0, but Boston won Game 6 in Vancouver 5-2 to force a decisive seventh game on June 15.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html)
In Game 7, Boston won 4-0 on the road. Boston became the fourth club, after the [Toronto Maple Leafs](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-maple-leafs) in 1945, the Montréal Canadiens in 1971, and the [Pittsburgh Penguins](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-penguins) in 2009, to capture a Game 7 in the Final on the road.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011) Vancouver's 8 goals over the seven games were the fewest scored by a team in a seven-game Final series.[5](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2011/) Every Boston loss in the series was by one goal, while Boston's four wins came by a combined margin of 20 goals.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html)
## Individual performances and records
**Tim Thomas** had one of the most decorated goaltending runs in playoff history. He established NHL single-playoff records with 798 saves overall and 238 in the Stanley Cup Final, compiled an 11-1 record when opponents reached the 35-shot mark, and was the first NHL netminder ever to record a road shutout in a Game 7 of the Final.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011) He finished the playoffs 16-9 with a 1.98 goals-against average and won the [Conn Smythe Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/conn-smythe-trophy) as playoff MVP.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html)
**Brad Marchand** scored five goals in the championship series, including two in Game 7, tying the record for a rookie since NHL teams began exclusively competing for the [Stanley Cup](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup) in 1927. He matched former Bruin Roy Conacher, who set the mark in 1939.[1](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011)
David Krejčí led all playoff scorers with 23 points and 12 goals, and [Henrik Sedin](https://www.edgepedia.org/henrik-sedin) led the playoffs with 19 assists.[2](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html) Sedin also recorded three assists in a single period, the second period at San Jose on May 22, 2011, a mark last equaled before him by Joe Primeau of Toronto in 1932.[8](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
## Aftermath
[The Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-game) 7 loss triggered a riot in downtown Vancouver on June 15, 2011, the second time a Stanley Cup playoff loss had been followed by a riot in the city, after 1994. The [British Columbia](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-columbia) government commissioned an independent review of the event, and the City of Vancouver's internal review noted that 13 of the 14 fan-zone activations during the playoffs had been largely successful, with the June 15 final one presenting significant challenges.[3](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/about-bc-justice-system/inquiries/report.pdf) • [6](https://council.vancouver.ca/20110906/documents/specAppendixA1.pdf) The loss was Vancouver's third defeat in a Stanley Cup Final, after losses to the [New York Islanders](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-islanders) and the New York Rangers.[3](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/about-bc-justice-system/inquiries/report.pdf)
The Final also held a geographic distinction: the distance between the Vancouver and Boston home arenas was the farthest between two Final teams in NHL history until the 2024 Edmonton-Florida Final, whose 2,543 miles (4,092 kilometers) between home arenas surpassed the 2011 record.[9](https://apnews.com/article/093861d059af4cf849b790c37ceecd4e)
## References
1. [2010-11 Stanley Cup Winner, NHL Records](https://records.nhl.com/playoff-summary/stanley-cup-winner?season=20102011)
2. [2011 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Summary, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/NHL_2011.html)
3. [The Night the City Became a Stadium: Independent Review of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup Playoffs Riot, Government of British Columbia](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/law-crime-and-justice/about-bc-justice-system/inquiries/report.pdf)
4. [2011 NHL Playoffs Series-by-Series Schedule, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nhl/2011/04/13/nhl-playoff-schedule)
5. [2011 Stanley Cup Final, Pro Stock Hockey](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2011/)
6. [Appendix: Internal Review of the Stanley Cup Riot, City of Vancouver, September 6, 2011](https://council.vancouver.ca/20110906/documents/specAppendixA1.pdf)
7. [What happened when the Bruins last played in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, Boston.com](https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-bruins/2019/06/12/game-7-stanley-cup-final-vancouver-canucks-2011/)
8. [Total Stanley Cup 2012: NHL Playoffs and Stanley Cup Final Media Guide, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/nhl/en/v3/ext/pdfs/2012TotalStanleyCup.pdf)
9. [Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers is a Stanley Cup Final of teams far apart in every way, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/093861d059af4cf849b790c37ceecd4e)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › National Hockey League › NHL seasons, playoffs, and Finals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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