This was a rematch of the 1988 Finals, albeit with the notable absence of Wayne Gretzky who was traded from Edmonton to the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 off-season.

Boston defeated the Hartford Whalers 4–3, the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 and the Washington Capitals 4–0 to advance to the Final.

The Bruins had more chances to win the opener, and at one point had a 15-4 shot advantage in game two before the Oilers came back.

[1] In Game 5 at the Boston Garden on May 24, the Oilers won 4–1, the first time they had ever clinched the Cup on the road.

However, SportsChannel America's national coverage was blacked out in the Boston area due to the local rights to Bruins games in that TV market.

The Oilers would return to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 and 2024, but they would lose both in seven games to the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers respectively.

This was the last Finals appearance for the Bruins until 2011, where they defeated the Vancouver Canucks in seven games to end a 39-year Cup drought.