Schedule and 2005-06 Results
Regular Season Records: Detroit 58-16-8=124pts, Edmonton 41-28-13=95pts
Game 1 on Friday, 21 April: Edmonton loses at Detroit, 3-goals-2 (2OT)
Game 2 on Sunday, 23 April: Edmonton wins at Detroit, 4-goals-2
Game 3 on Tuesday, 25 April: Detroit loses at Edmonton, 4-goals-3 (2OT)
Game 4 on Thursday, 27 April: Detroit wins at Edmonton, 4-goals-2
Game 5 on Saturday, 29 April: Edmonton wins at Detroit, 3-goals-2
Game 6 on Monday, 01 May: Detroit loses at Edmonton, 4-goals-3

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Edmonton Oilers hosted and defeated the Detroit Red Wings 4-goals-3 to post a 4-games-2 win in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 961. With the series 961 win, Edmonton improves its best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 27-12; that for the Detroit Red Wings falls to 43-36. The win order for series 961 was LWWLWW: Series 961 thus becomes the eighth NHL Preliminary-round series, the 18th NHL series (all rounds), and the 24th MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow a LWWLWW win order. Edmonton trailed Detroit by 29 regular-season points but nevertheless won series 961: In terms of series won by teams trailing their opponents in regular-season points, Edmonton thus achieves a tie for the seventh-biggest upset in best-of-7 NHL playoff series history, and the biggest since the 1993 NHL Quarterfinals (in which the New York Islanders trailed the two-time defending NHL champion Pittsburgh Penguins by 32 regular-season points but nevertheless defeated Pittsburgh in series 635).

After Game 5: The Edmonton Oilers visited and defeated the Detroit Red Wings 3-goals-2 to take a 3-games-2 lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 961. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Edmonton Oilers have a 9-1 series record with a six-series winning streak. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 7-13. In the history of best-of-7 NHL and NBA Preliminary-round playoff series from 1987 through 2005, teams with a win order of LWWLW after five games (such as Edmonton) have a perfect 15-0 series record.

After Game 4: The Detroit Red Wings visited and defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-goals-2 to even best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 961 at 2-games-all. When tied 2-games-all in an NHL best-of-7 playoff series, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 16-11, while the Edmonton Oilers have a series record of 4-3.

After Game 3: With best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 961 now in Edmonton, the host Oilers defeated the visiting Detroit Red Wings 4-goals-3, on a goal 8:44 into the second overtime (this, after Detroit tied the game with two goals 18 seconds apart in the third period). Thus far through series 961, there have been two games in which the home team won in an overtime period past the first overtime period. The only other best-of-7 NHL playoff series in which home teams at least twice won multiple-overtime games was series 876 (in the 2003 NHL Preliminary round), in which the host Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the visiting Philadelphia Flyers with goals in periods beyond the first overtime in Games 3 and 6. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Edmonton Oilers have a 15-2 series record (even though they lost the last such series in 2003). When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Detroit Red Wings have a 9-17 series record.

After Game 2: Having lost Game 1 of best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 961 in the second period of overtime on Detroit ice, the Edmonton Oilers rebounded to take Game 2, 4-goals-2. Series 961 is thus knotted at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 17-14, while the Edmonton Oilers have a series record of 13-6 with a three-series losing streak.

After Game 1: The Detroit Red Wings hosted and defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-goals-2 with a goal 2:39 into the second overtime. Detroit thus takes a 1-game-nil lead in best-of-7 MLB/NBA/NHL playoff series 961. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Edmonton Oilers have a series record of 6-10 with an active 5-series losing streak. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Detroit Red Wings have a series record of 29-11 with an active 3-series winning streak.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2005-06 regular season, Detroit finished 29 points ahead of Edmonton. From 1939 through the 2005 MLB Finals, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by 29 regular-season points, they have posted a 3-1 (.750) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 series 961 is the 39th best-of-7 playoff series for Edmonton, and the 79th for Detroit. In best-of-7 playoff series, Edmonton has a 26-12 series record, a 7-5 Prelim-round series record, and a 22-16 Game 1 record, while Detroit has a 43-35 series record, a 11-6 Prelim-round record, and a 40-38 Game 1 record. Series 961 is the third best-of-7 NHL meeting between Edmonton and Detroit; Edmonton won the previous two best-of-7 playoff series between these two clubs.