This was the only time in franchise history that the Whalers finished above fourth place in their division before their relocation to North Carolina.
At the 1986 NHL Entry Draft held at the Montreal Forum on June 21, the Whalers selected Scott Young from Boston University of Hockey East.
On July 10, Hartford signed free agent Dallas Gaume, who had played with the University of Denver of the WCHA for the past four seasons.
On October 3, the Whalers signed free agent Greg Britz, who was previously in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.
In 49 AHL games split between the Springfield Indians and Nova Scotia Oilers, Sherven scored 17 goals and 41 points.
The Nordiques fought back with goals by John Ogrodnick and Lane Lambert, however, Hartford hung on for the 5–4 victory and took a 2–0 series lead.
The Nordiques once again opened the scoring, as Jeff Brown put the puck past Mike Liut, giving Quebec a 1–0 lead at the 4:53 mark.
Goulet would record the hat trick with a power play goal at 9:44 in the third period, as Quebec defeated the Whalers 4–1 to even the series at two games each.
In the second period, the Nordiques John Ogrodnick scored the lone goal, as he connected on the power play, tying the game 3-3.
In the third period, the Whalers Ray Ferraro and Kevin Dineen each took a two-minute penalty 2:27 into the third, giving Quebec a five-on-three advantage.
Hartford's comeback attempt was then stopped, as the Nordiques John Ogrodnick scored with 1:07 left in the game, giving Quebec a 6–5 lead.
The Nordiques Mike Eagles then scored an empty net goal, as Quebec won the game 7–5, and took a 3–2 series lead.
In the third period, after a holding penalty to the Whalers Dave Babych, the Nordiques tied the game on a power play goal by Jason Lafreniere, making the score 4-4.