List of NHL franchise post-season appearance streaks

For an explanation of the NHL season and post-season, see Season structure of the NHL.

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.

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 in this list (of the thirty-two teams in the NHL).

Further information: List of NHL franchise post-season droughts

Team	Post-season streak	Last missed post-season	Stanley Cup Championships during streak
Boston Bruins	7 seasons	2015–16
Toronto Maple Leafs	7 seasons	2015–16
Colorado Avalanche	6 seasons	2016–17	1 : 2021–22
Tampa Bay Lightning	6 seasons	2016–17	2 : 2019–20, 2020–21
Carolina Hurricanes	5 seasons	2017–18
Edmonton Oilers	4 seasons	2018–19
Florida Panthers	4 seasons	2018–19
Minnesota Wild	4 seasons	2018–19
Dallas Stars	2 seasons	2020–21
Los Angeles Kings	2 seasons	2020–21
New York Rangers	2 seasons	2020–21
New Jersey Devils	1 season	2021–22
New York Islanders	1 season	2021–22
Seattle Kraken	1 season	2021–22
Vegas Golden Knights	1 season	2021–22	1 : 2022–23
Winnipeg Jets	1 season	2021–22

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.

Team	Post-season series win streak
Carolina Hurricanes	5 seasons
Edmonton Oilers	2 seasons
Florida Panthers	2 seasons
Dallas Stars	1 season
New Jersey Devils	1 season
Seattle Kraken	1 season
Toronto Maple Leafs	1 season
Vegas Golden Knights	1 season

Longest all-time streaks

Post-season appearance streaks

This section has been updated to include teams who appeared in the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs.

  Active franchise streak is highlighted

Team	Post-season streak	Consecutive post-season appearances	Stanley Cup Championships during streak
Boston Bruins	29 seasons1	1967–68 through to 1995–96	2 : 1969–70, 1971–72
Chicago Black Hawks/Blackhawks 2	28 seasons	1969–70 through to 1996–97	none
St. Louis Blues	25 seasons	1979–80 through to 2003–04	none
Detroit Red Wings	25 seasons7	1990–91 through to 2015–16	4 : 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2007–08
Montreal Canadiens	24 seasons3	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 seasons3	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 seasons4	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
New York Islanders	14 seasons	1974–75 through to 1987–88	4 : 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
Washington Capitals	14 seasons	1982–83 through to 1995–96	none
Edmonton Oilers	13 seasons	1979–80 5 through to 1991–92	5 : 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1989–90
New Jersey Devils	13 seasons7	1996–97 through to 2009–10	2 : 1999–2000, 2002–03
Buffalo Sabres	11 seasons	1974–75 through to 1984–85	none
Pittsburgh Penguins	11 seasons	1990–91 through to 2000–01	2 : 1990–91, 1991–92
Philadelphia Flyers	11 seasons7	1994–95 through to 2005–06	none
Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche	11 seasons6, 7	1994–95 through to 2005–06	2 : 1995–96, 2000–01
Ottawa Senators	11 seasons7	1996–97 through to 2007–08	none
Chicago Black Hawks	10 seasons	1958–59 through to 1967–68	1 : 1960–61
New York Rangers	10 seasons	1977–78 through to 1986–87	none
San Jose Sharks	10 seasons7	2003–04 through to 2013–14	none

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 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).

⁴ Includes 5 seasons as the Atlanta Flames (1975–76 through 1979–80), and 11 seasons as the Calgary Flames (1980–81 through 1990–91)

⁵ The Edmonton Oilers streak is the longest run from the NHL debut of a franchise, starting from the first year they were in the NHL (1979–80); although they aren't included in the NHL streak, they also made the WHA playoffs the preceding 4 seasons (1975–76 through 1978–79), for a streak of 17 consecutive playoff appearances in major professional hockey.

⁶ Includes 1 season as the Quebec Nordiques (1994–95), and 10 seasons as the Colorado Avalanche (1995–96 through 2005–06)

⁷ No post season occurred in 2005 due to the season long NHL lockout.

Post-season series win streaks

Consecutive seasons with at least one series victory.

Team	Post-season win streak	Consecutive post-season wins	Stanley 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	09 seasons	1972–73 through to 1980–81	2 : 1973–74, 1974–75
New York Islanders	07 seasons	1978–79 through to 1984–85	4 : 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
Chicago Black Hawks	06 seasons	1969–70 through to 1974–75	none
Montreal Canadiens	06 seasons	1974–75 through to 1979–80	4 : 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79
Edmonton Oilers	06 seasons	1982–83 through to 1987–88	4 : 1983–84, 1984–85, 1986–87, 1987–88
Detroit Red Wings	06 seasons	1994–95 through to 1999–2000	2 : 1996–97, 1997–98
Montreal Canadiens	05 seasons	1964–65 through to 1968–69	4 : 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69
Toronto Maple Leafs	05 seasons	1974–75 through to 1978–79	none
Boston Bruins	05 seasons	1975–76 through to 1979–80	none
New York Rangers	05 seasons	1978–79 through to 1982–83	none
Boston Bruins	05 seasons	1987–88 through to 1991–92	none
Detroit Red Wings	05 seasons	2006–07 through to 2010–11	1 : 2007–08
Carolina Hurricanes	05 seasons	2018–19 through to present	none

Stanley Cup Finals appearance streaks

Team	Stanley Cup Finals appearance streak	Consecutive Stanley Cup Finals appearances	Stanley 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
	05 seasons	1964–65 through to 1968–69	4 : 1964–65, 1965–66, 1967–68, 1968–69
New York Islanders	05 seasons	1979–80 through to 1983–84	4 : 1979–80, 1980–81, 1981–82, 1982–83
Montreal Canadiens	04 seasons	1975–76 through to 1978–79	4 : 1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79
Toronto Maple Leafs	03 seasons	1937–38 through to 1939–40	none
Detroit Red Wings	03 seasons	1940–41 through to 1942–43	1 : 1942–43
Toronto Maple Leafs	03 seasons	1946–47 through to 1948–49	3 : 1946–47, 1947–48, 1948–49
Detroit Red Wings	03 seasons	1947–48 through to 1949–50	1 : 1949–50
	03 seasons	1953–54 through to 1955–56	2 : 1953–54, 1954–55
Toronto Maple Leafs	03 seasons	1961–62 through to 1963–64	3 : 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64
St. Louis Blues	03 seasons	1967–68 through to 1969–70	none
Philadelphia Flyers	03 seasons	1973–74 through to 1975–76	2 : 1973–74, 1974–75
Edmonton Oilers	03 seasons	1982–83 through to 1984–85	2 : 1983–84, 1984–85
Tampa Bay Lightning	03 seasons	2019–20 through to 2021–22	2 : 2019–20, 2020–21

Stanley Cup win streaks

Team	Stanley 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 1	2 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

• List of NHL franchise post-season droughts
• List of Stanley Cup appearances
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of Major League Baseball franchise postseason streaks
• List of NBA franchise post-season streaks
• List of NFL franchise post-season streaks

References

• Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000). Total Stanley Cup . Total Sports. ISBN   1-892129-07-8.

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.