The Coyotes made the 1998 Stanley Cup playoffs, losing in the first round to the Detroit Red Wings.
This was the team's final season of its original tenure in the Central Division, which it had joined while still based in Winnipeg, before being realigned into the Pacific Division the following season.
The series then shifted to Phoenix, where the Coyotes were victorious in Game 3, 3–2.
However, the Coyotes' 2–1 series lead was short lived, as Detroit won 4–2 in Game 4.
For Game 5 back in Detroit, the Red Wings won 3–1.