History of NHL Teams That Came Back From a 0–3 Deficit

There is not a more exciting time in all of sports than a playoff hockey series. There is a sense of tension on the ice throughout every game because one strange bounce of the puck can completely change the entire series. While it is rare, a few teams have proven that anything truly can happen in the NHL playoffs. Here is a breakdown of every NHL team that has comeback to win a series after losing the first three games.

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs

The first team to come back from 0–3 deficit did it at the biggest time possible. After losing the first three games to the Detroit Red Wings, the Maple Leafs stormed back in the next four to hoist the Stanley Cup trophy. The feat is even more impressive when you consider that Toronto trailed by two goals in Game 4 before winning in overtime. Toronto easily won the next three games.

1975 New York Islanders

After losing the first three games to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinals, the New York Islanders made the bold decision to swap starting goalies. Rookie Chico Resch only allowed four goals over the next four games to help the Islanders pull off the comeback. New York almost repeated their impressive feat in the next round before losing Game 7 to the Philadelphia Flyers.

2010 Philadelphia Flyers

After easily defeating the New Jersey Devils in the first round of the 2010 NHL Playoffs, the Philadelphia Flyers faced their heated rivals in Boston. The Flyers almost saw all of their hard work disappear after going down three goals in Game 7. Philadelphia showed their resolve by scoring the next four goals to win the series. The team ultimately lost to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals.

2014 Los Angeles Kings

The Los Angeles Kings won their second Stanley Cup in three years in 2014. While this was a crowing achievement for the franchise, most fans forget that they almost got eliminated in the first round. Los Angeles surrendered 17 goals in the first three games of their series against the San Jose Sharks. After getting embarrassed early in the series, the Kings won the next four games by at least three goals.