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season card
adams
| TEAM |
GP
Games played - Number of games the team has played
|
W
Wins - Games the team has won, either in regulation or in overtime
|
L
Losses - Games the team has lost in regulation
|
T
Ties - Games that have ended in a tie
|
PTS
Points - Team points, calculated from W, L, T, OTL and SOL; used to determine standings
|
GF
Goals for - Number of goals the team has scored
|
GA
Goals against - Number of goals scored against the team
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montreal Canadiens | 80 | 45 | 22 | 13 | 103 | 298 | 238 |
| Boston Bruins | 80 | 44 | 30 | 6 | 94 | 300 | 251 |
| Buffalo Sabres | 80 | 37 | 32 | 11 | 85 | 283 | 305 |
| Hartford Whalers | 80 | 35 | 38 | 7 | 77 | 249 | 267 |
| Quebec Nordiques | 80 | 32 | 43 | 5 | 69 | 271 | 306 |
Season's leaders
see the complete stats
| # | SKATERS |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
G
Goals - Number of goals the player has scored
|
A
Assists - Number of goals the player has assisted in
|
PTS
Points - Scoring points, calculated as the sum of G and A
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Bobby Smith | 78 | 27 | 66 | 93 |
| 26 | Mats Naslund | 78 | 24 | 59 | 83 |
| 44 | Stéphane Richer | 72 | 50 | 28 | 78 |
| 32 | Claude Lemieux | 78 | 31 | 30 | 61 |
| 24 | Chris Chelios | 71 | 20 | 41 | 61 |
| # | #1 GOALIE |
GP
Games played - Number of games the player has set foot on the ice
|
RECORD
Record - Goalie record (W-L-T)
|
SO
Shutouts - Number of games where the goaltender has not allowed a goal
|
GAA
Goals against average - Mean goals-per-game scored on the goaltender
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | Patrick Roy | 45 | 23-12-9 | 3 | 2.90 |
Season results
| DATE | AWAY | HOME |
|---|
THE REGULAR SEASON
After scoring 21 and 20 goals in successive seasons, Stephane Richer begins the 1987-88 season on fire, scoring goals at a pace unseen since Guy Lafleur’s heyday. He helps the Habs quickly establish their position atop the Adams Division.The team has to make do without Larry Robinson for the first two months of the season after the veteran defenseman breaks his leg while playing polo in August.
At the end of October, goalie Patrick Roy is handed an eight-game suspension by the league for slashing Warren Babe of the Minnesota North Stars.
Things start to get rough for the team in late December. Wins are hard to come by and there is grumbling in the dressing room. The team drops to second place in the division behind Boston.
Several players, including Robinson and Chris Nilan, openly criticize Jean Perron’s coaching style. Tensions are particularly strained between Nilan and Perron. It comes as little surprise when Nilan is traded at the end of the month to the New York Rangers. After several players-only team meetings, the Habs rediscover their winning ways in February.
In March, with the team back in first place and firing on all cylinders, Richer suffers a hand injury while he is just five goals shy of a 50-goal season. He returns to the lineup for the final two regular season games.
In the first game of a two-game set with the Buffalo Sabres, Richer records his third career hat trick to draw within two goals of the milestone. The following day, in the final game of the season, Richer adds a pair to become the sixth Canadiens player to reach the 50-goal mark and claims the Jaguar he was promised by a Montreal car dealer if he accomplished the feat.
THE PLAYOFFS
In the first round, the Canadiens face the Hartford Whalers, one of the best defensive teams in the league.While the Habs appear to be headed to a quick series win with two straight victories, the Whalers, still led by Ron Francis, Kevin Dineen and Ray Ferraro, win two of the next three games. Montreal finally ends Hartford’s comeback bid with a 2-1 win in Game 6 to claim the series.
In the division final, the Canadiens are looking to claim their 19th straight series win over Boston, with Perron’s squad having gone 4-3-1 against the rival Bruins during the regular season.
After winning the series opener, 5-2, the Habs watch as veteran goalie Rejean Lemelin takes charge on behalf of the Bruins. Lemelin holds the Canadiens to five goals over the next four games as Boston roars back to win the series in five. The Bruins celebrate the end of their lengthy playoff series losing streak against the Canadiens, a winless drought that dates back 42 years.
The playoffs roadmap
| Adams Division semi-finals - Hartford Whalers | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 6th, 1988 | HFD 3 | MTL 4 | ||
| April 7th, 1988 | HFD 3 | MTL 7 | ||
| April 9th, 1988 | MTL 4 | HFD 3 | ||
| April 10th, 1988 | MTL 5 | HFD 7 | ||
| April 12th, 1988 | HFD 3 | MTL 1 | ||
| April 14th, 1988 | MTL 2 | HFD 1 | ||
| Canadiens won best-of-seven series 4-2 | ||||
| Adams Division finals - Boston Bruins | ||||
| Date | AWAY | HOME | ||
| April 18th, 1988 | BOS 2 | MTL 5 | ||
| April 20th, 1988 | BOS 4 | MTL 3 | ||
| April 22nd, 1988 | MTL 1 | BOS 3 | ||
| April 24th, 1988 | MTL 0 | BOS 2 | ||
| April 26th, 1988 | BOS 4 | MTL 1 | ||
| Boston won best-of-seven series 4-1 | ||||
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