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2008 Stanley Cup playoffs

The 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 9, 2008, after the 2007–08 regular season. The 16 teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-seven series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup. The Buffalo Sabres became the second team to miss the playoffs after winning the Presidents' Trophy in the prior season. This would not happen again until 2015. The Finals ended on June 4, 2008, with the Detroit Red Wings defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games to win their eleventh championship and their fourth in eleven seasons. Red Wings winger Henrik Zetterberg was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs' Most Valuable Player. Sidney Crosby and Zetterberg led the tournament with 27 points. As of 2026, this is the most recent season that a Presidents' Trophy winner went on to also win the Stanley Cup in a full 82-game season, let alone making the Final, and the only time it has happened since the implementation of a salary cap as a result of the 2004–05 NHL lockout.