The Florida Panthers are in serious trouble and must find a way to win four of their next five games against the Vegas Golden Knights to win the Stanley Cup, and National Hockey League (NHL) history is not in their favor.
To keep their hopes alive, head coach Paul Maurice’s men need to win Thursday’s clash at Sunrise. Should they prevail again in the third meeting of the series, Florida faces a similar affront to what happened in 1996 when the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Panthers in the last round.
In addition, the teams that secured first place after being down 0-2 in the final are rather rare: there are five, but if that can encourage the supporters of the “cats”, then in a few years the feat will be succeeded twice in this century. A quick look back at these unexpected returns.
-The Bruins 2011
The Boston Bruins, born in 2010-2011, are the latest formation to catch up on such a delay. In a showdown against Presidents’ Trophy winners the Vancouver Canucks, Claude Julien’s team rebounded after losing their first two away games; In fact, in this final, the home club always had the last word… except in the seventh and final game. Led by Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, the Bruins won 4-0 to secure their first title since the spring of 1972.
-The penguins of 2009
Previously, Marc-André Fleury and the Pittsburgh Penguins ruled the Detroit Red Wings in 2009. Many remember Game 7, a 2-1 triumph for the Pens at Joe Louis Arena. The Quebecer frustrated Nicklas Lidstrom in the dying seconds to put his team ahead while Maxime Talbot scored what are likely to be the two most important goals of his career that night. All this brought Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kristopher Letang the first of their three Stanley Cups.
The CH from 1971
In Montreal, the Canadiens did that twice, notably in 1971. Led by rookie Ken Dryden at the net, he came back from behind against the Blackhawks and their goalie Tony Esposito. Head Coach Al MacNeil’s team nearly lost four in as many games at Chicago Stadium, but in Game 7 they came back from a 2-0 deficit by scoring three goals in eight minutes. Henri Richard scored the winner and secured the tenth trophy of his career. For Jean Béliveau it was also the last game in his life.
-The CH from 1966
Five years earlier, the Glorieux made an irresistible push against the Wings in the final, winning four in a row after two defeats at the Forum. To the surprise of some, Toe Blake’s troops rolled up their sleeves at the Detroit Olympia, a brace from Gilles Tremblay allowing them to break the ice in the third game. Henri Richard decided the debate in overtime in the sixth duel by defeating Roger Crozier. Outside the Sainte-Flanelle cage, Lorne “Gump” Worsley rebounded by conceding just six goals in his side’s four wins.
-The Leafs of 1942
The story is well known here: The Toronto Maple Leafs, 1941-1942 edition, had not only lost their first two confrontations to the Wings, but three. They are the only club in history to come from a 3-0 deficit to win the final and one of four clubs to make such a comeback and win a post-season streak. Detroit seemed like an underdog and it took three games for their opponents to wake up. The Jack Adams-led team thought they would wrap up the win with a 2-0 lead in Game 4, but suffered a 4-3 defeat that opened the floodgates. Toronto followed with a 9-3 win, then a 3-0 win over Turk Broda and finally sealed the series with a 3-1 win.