 The Whalers were never as successful in the NHL as they had been in the WHA, recording only three winning seasons.They peaked in the mid-to-late 1980s, winning their only playoff series in 1986 over the Nordiques before bowing out in the second round to the Montreal Canadiens, taking the Habs to overtime of Game 7 in the process.The next year, the club secured the regular-season Adams Division title, only to fall to the Nordiques in six games in the first round of the playoffs.