The Blackhawks try to become the fourth NHL team to come back from a 3-0 series deficit when they faceoff against the Canucks in Game 7 Tuesday night in Vancouver.
The bad news for the Hawks is none of the teams that pulled off the miracle were coming off a Stanley Cup. The good news is it happened as recently as last year. Here’s a look at those other series and reasons for Hawks optimism.
The 1942 Maple Leafs pulled it off against the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals. The Leafs finished second overall in the Original Seven (don’t forget the Brooklyn Americans), so they had home-ice advantage for Game 7 against the fifth-place finishers. Worth noting, however, is the turnaround began when Leafs coach Hap Day benched some big names in favor of inexperienced players, such as Don Metz, who scored four goals in four playoff games after potting just two in 25 regular-season matches. Hawks coach Joel Quenneville hasn’t benched goal-less captain Jonathan Toews but has gotten huge contributions from rookies Corey Crawford in goal, Nick Leddy on defense and Ben Smith up front.
The 1975 Islanders came back on the Penguins in the second round in only their third season of existence. Expectations for the Isles were low, similar to the Hawks’ struggle to qualify for the postseason. Also similar to the Hawks, the Isles had to win Game 7 on the road. One more thing: This Isles did it with a rookie goalie, Glenn “Chico” Resch.
The 2010 Flyers did it to the Bruins in the second round, but this might be the series most similar to the Hawks’ situation. The Flyers earned a playoff berth on the last day of the season. They won Game 7 on the road with a rookie playoff goalie who completed a shutout during the comeback. They survived some Bruins cheap shots in Game 5 the way the Hawks absorbed Canucks nonsense. The Flyers scored an overtime goal to buy them another shot to win an elimination game the way Smith gave the Hawks this chance. The Flyers’ comeback included the return of key forward Simon Gagne the way the Hawks welcomed back Dave Bolland in what seems like a Conn Smythe tour. But the key to the Flyers was the dominant play of defenseman Chris Pronger the way the Hawks have ridden defending Norris Trophy winner Duncan Keith’s game-controlling ability the last week. One more thing: The Flyers trailed 3-0 in Game 7 and came back on that too. The Hawks aren’t there yet, but just in case.
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