Playoff Bracket
| Conference Quarter-finals | Conference Semi-finals | Conference Finals | Stanley Cup Finals | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 4 | 1 | Montreal Canadiens | 1 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Boston Bruins | 3 | 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 |
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| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | Eastern Conference | |||||||||||||||
| 7 | Ottawa Senators | 0 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 1 | ||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Washington Capitals | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Philadelphia Flyers | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 4 | New Jersey Devils | 1 | 2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | New York Rangers | 4 | 5 | New York Rangers | 1 |
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| E2 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| W1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | |||||||||||||
| 8 | Nashville Predators | 2 | 6 | Colorado Avalanche | 0 | |||||||||||||
| 2 | San Jose Sharks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Calgary Flames | 3 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Detroit Red Wings | 4 | ||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Dallas Stars | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Minnesota Wild | 2 | ||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Colorado Avalanche | 4 | Western Conference | |||||||||||||||
| 4 | Anaheim Ducks | 2 | 2 | San Jose Sharks | 2 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Dallas Stars | 4 | 5 | Dallas Stars | 4 | |||||||||||||
- During the first three rounds home ice is determined by seeding number, not position on the bracket. In the Finals the team with the better regular season record has home ice.
In each round, the highest remaining seed in each conference is matched against the lowest remaining seed. The higher-seeded team is awarded home ice advantage, which gives them a possible maximum of four games on their home ice, with the lower-seeded team getting a possible maximum of three. In the Stanley Cup Finals, home ice is determined based on regular season points; thus, the Detroit Red Wings had home ice advantage throughout the playoffs, including in the Finals. Each best-of-seven series follows a 2–2–1–1–1 format. This means that the higher-seeded team will have home ice for Games 1 and 2, and if necessary, Games 5 and 7, while the lower-seeded team will have home ice for Games 3, 4, and, if necessary, Game 6.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs