1987–88 Montreal Canadiens season
| 1987–88 Montreal Canadiens | |
|---|---|
|
Adams Division champions
|
|
| Division | 1st Adams |
| Conference | 1st Wales |
| 1987–88 record | 45-22-13 |
| Goals for | 298 |
| Goals against | 238 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Serge Savard |
| Coach | Jean Perron |
| Captain | Bob Gainey |
| Alternate captains |
Mats Naslund Larry Robinson |
| Arena | Montreal Forum |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Stephane Richer (50) |
| Assists | Bobby Smith (66) |
| Points | Bobby Smith (93) |
| Penalties in minutes | Chris Nilan (209) |
| Plus/minus | Petr Svoboda (+46) |
| Wins | Patrick Roy (23) |
| Goals against average | Brian Hayward (2.86) |
The 1987–88 Montreal Canadiens season was the team's 79th season. The club qualified for the playoffs, defeated the Hartford Whalers in the first round, but were eliminated in the Adams Division finals versus the Boston Bruins four games to one.
Defensively, the Canadiens were the best team in the league, finishing the regular season with just 238 goals against. They also allowed the fewest power-play goals, with just 64
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Hartford Whalers vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Habs almost squandered a 3–0 series lead. The deep Habs roster was the best team in the Wales Conference during the season, consisting of six 20–goal scorers and another six with between 10 and 20 goals. Their best assets were goaltenders Patrick Roy and backup Brian Hayward who won 23 and 22 games respectively. The Ron Francis-led Whalers went 2–4–2 against the Canadiens during the season, twice losing by just one goal.
Montreal wins best-of-seven series 4–2
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
The Wales Conference's two best teams, and the NHL's two best defensive teams, met in this series with equal rest time. The Habs had beaten Boston in the Adams Division Semi-Finals four years in a row, sweeping the Bruins in three of the past four seasons, and beating them 3–2 in a best-of-five the other year. This time, the Bruins' defence would wear down Montreal, as Ken Linseman, Ray Bourque and Cam Neely provided the offence to finally conquer the Canadiens. It was the first Bruins' playoff series win over the Habs in 44 seasons.
Boston wins best-of-seven series 4–1
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