These NHL teams came down from a 3 0 deficit and

These NHL teams came down from a 3-0 deficit and won

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The challenge facing the Toronto Maple Leafs, trailing the Florida Panthers 3-0 in their series, is daunting but not impossible, as four teams in National League history have demonstrated. Hockey (NHL).

Head coach Sheldon Keefe’s side’s chances of winning were drastically reduced by a 3-2 loss in overtime on Sunday, and another loss on Wednesday means victory. However, it’s all played on the ice, not paper, so Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares and co. can all draw inspiration from these clubs who pulled off the feat in a 4 out of 7 series.

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Toronto Maple Leafs, 1942 Stanley Cup Final

So it was the Leafs who made the first decisive comeback of this kind. They were even in the cables against the Detroit Red Wings in their fourth meeting. Goalkeeper Turk Broda’s club equalized from a 2-0 deficit, then drew 3-2 in the third period and won in extra time. The result motivated the entire squad as Toronto won 9-3, 3-0 before lifting the trophy after a 3-0 win in Game 7. Meanwhile, Wings pilot Jack Adams has been suspended for the last three encounters by attacking umpire Mel Harwood.

This is the only push of this magnitude recorded in the finals.

New York Islanders Quarterfinals 1975

While they didn’t pick up the highest honors in the NHL that year, head coach Al Arbor’s men laid the foundation for a winning culture that would go on to forge an early 1980s dynasty. The Islanders dropped the game against the Pittsburgh Penguins In the first three games, Arbor made an important decision by replacing goalie Billy Smith with Glenn Resch. However, “Chico” proved tenacious, maintaining a .969 efficiency ratio during his team’s comeback.

At the time, the New York club had household names like brothers Denis and Jean Potvin, Clark Gillies and Bob Nystrom, but it was captain Ed Westfall who settled the dispute by scoring the only goal in game seven. Curiously, the Islanders almost played the same trick on the Philadelphia Flyers in the semifinals. After losing their first three games, they drew 3-3 before losing 4-1 to eventual champions Broad Street Bullies in the last game.

Philadelphia Flyers, 2010 Eastern Semifinals

Led by Claude Julien, the Boston Bruins could have faced the Montreal Canadiens in the Eastern Conference Finals, but their second-round opponents had other plans and it took the return of a Quebec player known for turning the tide. Flyers forward Simon Gagné has been out of the last four games with a broken foot and scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Game 4 before breaking the stalemate in the third period. The seventh game was a 4-3 win at TD Garden.

The series allowed Michael Leighton to make a name for himself. He replaced Brian Boucher, who injured himself in game five, won the last two games and then eliminated the Habs in the third round. However, the Chicago Blackhawks slowed Philadelphia’s momentum in the finals. On the Boston side, the defeat visibly motivated the Bruins, who redeemed themselves a year later by winning the Stanley Cup.

These NHL teams came down from a 3-0 deficit and won

Greg M. Cooper/QMI Agency

Los Angeles Kings, West Quarterfinals 2014

Still, a few weeks later, there was no sign of the San Jose Sharks losing and the Kings crowning. The Sharks notably had 6-3 and 7-2 victories in the opener of the series and seemed to have all the answers in goalie Jonathan Quick. However, he has been far less generous in the last three games, conceding just two goals to take his team to the next round.

Thanks in part to Conn Smythe Trophy winner Justin Williams, Los Angeles struggled to win its first three spring series of 2014, each time requiring seven games. After defeating the Sharks, the Anaheim Ducks and the Blackhawks, it took them just five duels to defeat the New York Rangers and Chris Kreider in the Finals, whose clash with Canada’s Carey Price in the Eastern Finals had caught the eye . The Kings secured their second trophy in three years.

These NHL teams came down from a 3-0 deficit and won