1979 Stanley Cup playoffs

The playoffs concluded on May 21, with the three-time defending champion Montreal Canadiens defeating the New York Rangers 4–1 to win the final series four games to one, for their fourth consecutive Stanley Cup championship.

They met in previous year's Stanley Cup Semifinals, which Montreal won in a four-game sweep.

Boston's Rick Middleton scored the go-ahead goal with four minutes remaining in regulation.

However, with time winding down to less than three minutes remaining, Boston committed a series-defining penalty for having too many men on the ice.

With Montreal on the power play, Guy Lafleur scored the game-tying goal with 1:14 remaining to force overtime.

Approaching the midway point of the first overtime, Yvon Lambert would score the series-winning goal to send the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Finals for the fourth straight year.

This marked the 14th straight playoff meeting between the two teams that ended with the Canadiens defeating the Bruins.