Schedule and 2011-12 Results
Regular Season Records: Phoenix 42-27-13=97pts, Chicago 45-26-11=101pts
Game 1 on Thursday, 12 April: Chicago loses at Phoenix, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 2 on Saturday, 14 April: Chicago wins at Phoenix, 4-goals-3 (OT)
Game 3 on Tuesday, 17 April: Phoenix wins at Chicago, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 4 on Thursday, 19 April: Phoenix wins at Chicago, 3-goals-2 (OT)
Game 5 on Saturday, 21 April: Chicago wins at Phoenix, 2-goals-1 (OT)
Game 6 on Monday, 23 April: Phoenix wins at Chicago, 4-goals-nil

SERIES NOTES:

After Game 6: The Phoenix Coyotes visited and shut out the Chicago Blackhawks 4-goals-nil to win MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 in six games. Series 1161 Game 6 is the first series 1161 game not to go to overtime. With the series 1161 win, the Phoenix Coyotes improve their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record to 1-7 overall and 1-7 in the NHL Preliminary round. With the series 1161 loss, the Chicago Blackhawks see their best-of-7 NHL playoff series record fall to 32-40 overall and 7-9 in the NHL Preliminary round. The win order for the victorious Phoenix Coyotes in series 1161 was WLWWLW: Series 1161 thus becomes the seventh NHL Preliminary-round series, the 17th NHL series (all rounds) and the 42nd MLB/NBA/NHL series (all rounds) to follow that win order to completion. The series 1161 win is the first best-of-7 NHL playoff series win in eight tries for the Phoenix Coyotes, and breaks a thirteen-series losing streak dating back to when the Phoenix Coyotes were the old Winnipeg Jets – the only best-of-7 NHL playoff series ever won by the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes was series 483, over the Calgary Flames in the 1987 NHL Preliminary round. The Phoenix Coyotes thus advance to host the Nashville Predators (winners of series 1162 over the Detroit Red Wings) in series 1166 in the 2012 NHL Quarterfinals.

After Game 5: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 back in Arizona for Game 5, the Chicago Blackhawks visited and defeated the Phoenix Coyotes 2-goals-1, once again in overtime. So it is that series 1161 joins series 84 (between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens in the 1951 NHL Finals) as the only best-of-7 NHL playoff series to go to overtime in each of the first five games. The Phoenix Coyotes now hold a 3-games-2 lead in series 1161. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Phoenix Coyotes have a 0-2 series record and a 0-2 Game 6 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-2, the Chicago Blackhawks have a 1-15 series record and a 3-13 Game 6 record – the sole Chicago series victory occurred in series 166, over the Detroit Red Wings in the 1965 NHL Semifinals. In series 1161 Game 5, Chicago tied the game at 9:15 into the third period and won it at 2:44 into the first overtime period. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2011, inclusive, road teams down a goal as late as 9:14 into the third period had a game record of 90-507 (.151).

After Game 4: Scoring the winning goal 2:15 into the first overtime period after the host Chicago Blackhawks tied the game with but 1:26 left in regulation, the Phoenix Coyotes notched a 3-goals-2 win and a 3-games-1 MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 lead. Series 1161 Game 4 thus becomes the third game in this series in which Chicago scored the tying goal with less than two minutes left in regulation. When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Phoenix Coyotes have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 5 record (at the hands of the St. Louis Blues in series 780, in the 1999 NHL Preliminary round). When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 3-games-1, the Chicago Blackhawks have a 0-10 series record and a 2-8 Game 5 record. So it is that either the Blackhawks’ 0-10 series record when down 3-games-1 or the Coyotes’ 0-7 series record under any best-of-7 NHL playoff series circumstances will fall from adverse perfection by the end of series 1161. Series 1161 is only the second best-of-7 NHL playoff series whose first four games went to overtime (the other: series 84, in which all five games between the victorious Toronto Maple Leafs and the vanquished Montreal Canadiens required extra time in the 1951 NHL Finals).

After Game 3: With MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 having shifted from the desert to the Windy City, the visiting Phoenix Coyotes scored 13:15 into the first overtime period to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-goals-2 for a 2-games-1 series 1161 lead. Series 1161 thus becomes the first best-of-7 NHL playoff series since series 1029 (which pitted the Colorado Avalanche against the Minnesota Wild in the 2008 NHL Preliminary round) in which the first three games went to overtime. Phoenix trailed the host Blackhawks by a goal as late as 9:20 into the third period: In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2011, inclusive, road teams down a goal as late as 9:20 into the third period had a game record of 90-504 (.152). When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Phoenix Coyotes have a series record of 0-3 and a Game 4 record of 1-2. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 2-games-1, the Chicago Blackhawks have a series record of 9-16 and a Game 4 record of 8-7.

After Game 2: For the second consecutive game, the visiting Chicago Blackhawks forced overtime with well under a minute remaining in regulation. This time, Chicago scored the overtime winner, thereby defeating the Phoenix Coyotes 4-goals-3 at 10:36 into the first overtime period and tying MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 at 1-game-all. When tied 1-game-all in a best-of-7 NHL playoff series, the Phoenix Coyotes have a 0-4 series record and a 3-1 Game 3 record, while the Chicago Blackhawks have a 15-10 series record (with an active three-series winning streak) and a 15-10 Game 3 record. Chicago tied series 1161 Game 2 with only six seconds left in regulation. In the history of best-of-7 NHL playoff games from 1939 through 2011, road teams down a goal with only seven seconds left in regulation had a game record of 0-422 (.000). As such, the Chicago Blackhawks set a new record for road teams trailing latest into a best-of-7 NHL playoff game but emerging victorious. The Blackhawks themselves owned the old record, set in series 704 Game 4 in Calgary against the Flames: In that game, Chicago trailed 1-goal-nil with as little as ten seconds left in regulation, scored with nine seconds left, and won the game 2-goals-1 at 10:02 into the third overtime period to sweep the Calgary Flames 4-games-nil from the 1996 NHL Preliminary round.

After Game 1: Having lost its lead with fifteen seconds remaining in regulation, the host Phoenix Coyotes scored 9:29 into the first overtime period to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 3-goals-2 for a 1-game-nil MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 lead. The Phoenix Coyotes thus take a 1-game-nil best-of-7 NHL playoff series lead for only the second time (in eight tries). When leading a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Phoenix Coyotes have a 0-1 series record and a 0-1 Game 2 record. When trailing a best-of-7 NHL playoff series 1-game-nil, the Chicago Blackhawks have a 14-31 series record and a 14-31 Game 2 record.

Pre-series assessment: In the 2011-12 regular season, Phoenix finished four points behind Chicago. From 1939 through 2011, when NHL teams led their best-of-7 playoff series opponents by four regular-season points, they have posted a 10-10 (.500) best-of-7 series record in those series against those opponents. MLB/NBA/NHL best-of-7 playoff series 1161 is the 72nd best-of-7 playoff series for Chicago, and the eighth for Phoenix. In best-of-7 playoff series, Chicago has a 32-39 series record, a 7-8 Preliminary-round series record, and a 26-45 Game 1 record, while Phoenix has a 0-7 series record, a 0-7 Preliminary-round series record, and a 1-6 Game 1 record. Series 1161 is the first best-of-7 NHL playoff series meeting between Chicago and Phoenix.