Recently, SI examined which teams have come back from a 3–1 deficit in the NBA playoffs—and noted that the magic of such a comeback in basketball rests in its rarity.
Hockey is the opposite. It's a stretch to say that 3–1 series comebacks are common—none happened from 1942 to '75, for instance—but they occur frequently enough that fans don't have to surrender all hope when their team drops three of four to start a series.
Since the advent of the National Hockey League in 1918, 32 NHL teams have successfully overturned 3–1 series deficits—more than in the NBA and MLB combined. Comebacks have been staged in the Stanley Cup finals and in the first round; they have included overtime mayhem and blowouts; they have felled favorites and underdogs.
Without further ado, here's a look at the 32 comebacks, with commentary to follow.
YEAR
ROUND
RESULT
1942
Stanley Cup finals
Maple Leafs d. Red Wings
1975
Stanley Cup quarterfinals
Islanders d. Penguins
1987
Patrick Division semifinals
Islanders d. Capitals
1987
Norris Division finals
Red Wings d. Capitals
1988
Patrick Division semifinals
Capitals d. Flyers
1989
Smythe Division semifinals
Kings d. Oilers
1990
Smythe Division semifinals
Oilers d. Jets
1991
Norris Division semifinals
Blues d. Red Wings
1992
Norris Division semifinals
Red Wings d. North Stars
1992
Smythe Division semifinals
Canucks d. Jets
1992
Patrick Division semifinals
Penguins d. Capitals
1994
Western Conference quarterfinals
Canucks d. Flames
1995
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Penguins d. Capitals
1998
Western Conference quarterfinals
Oilers d. Avalanche
1999
Western Conference quarterfinals
Blues d. Coyotes
2000
Eastern Conference finals
Devils d. Flyers
2003
Western Conference quarterfinals
Wild d. Avalanche
2003
Western Conference quarterfinals
Canucks d. Blues
2003
Western Conference semifinals
Wild d. Canucks
2004
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Canadiens d. Bruins
2009
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Capitals d. Rangers
2010
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Canadiens d. Capitals
2010
Eastern Conference semifinals
Flyers d. Bruins
2011
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
Lightning d. Penguins
2013
Western Conference semifinals
Blackhawks d. Red Wings
2014
Western Conference first round
Kings d. Sharks
2014
Eastern Conference second round
Rangers d. Penguins
2015
Eastern Conference second round
Rangers d. Capitals
2019
Western Conference first round
Sharks d. Golden Knights
2021
North Division first round
Canadiens d. Maple Leafs
2022
Eastern Conference first round
Rangers d. Penguins
2023
Eastern Conference first round
Panthers d. Bruins
The first two instances of a team coming back from 3–1 down to win an NHL playoff series were, incidentally, the first two instances of a team coming back from 3–0 down to win an NHL playoff series. The Toronto Maple Leafs got off the mat in 1942 to down the Detroit Red Wings and win the Stanley Cup, and the New York Islanders replicated the feat in an earlier round in 1975.
After a lengthy drought, the years 1987 to '92 were something of a golden age for 3–1 comebacks. Nine teams rallied from that deficit in just six years, including two Stanley Cup champions in the 1990 Edmonton Oilers and 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins. The greatest game that era produced? The Easter Epic of '87, when the Islanders beat the Washington Capitals 3–2 in quadruple overtime in the NHL's longest Game 7.
The year 2003 brought a unique clash of teams with 3–1 comebacks under their belts. In the first round of the Western Conference playoffs, both the Minnesota Wild and Vancouver Canucks pulled off the feat. They went on to meet in the conference semifinals—only for the Wild to, again, come back from a 3–1 deficit and become the first NHL team to do that twice in the same year. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim swept Minnesota in the conference finals.
A five-year run without a 3–1 comeback from 2004 to '09 marked the longest period without one since the 1980s. In 2010, the Philadelphia Flyers became the third team to come back from 3–0 down in a series against the Boston Bruins—and they also came back from a 3–0 deficit in Game 7. They went on to lose to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals.
In 2013 and 2014, the Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings became the two most recent Stanley Cup champions to overcome 3–1 playoff deficits. Chicago's comeback came against the Red Wings, who haven't advanced past the first round since. The Kings' rally, a comeback from 3–0 down, came against the San Jose Sharks.
As even casual hockey fans will remember, the most unlikely 3–1 comeback of them all may have come two years ago in 2023. The Bruins, coming off a record-breaking 65-12-5 regular season—one of the best in the history of the sport—took a 3–1 lead on the Florida Panthers' worst team in four years by point percentage. No matter: the Panthers won Games 5, 6 and 7 and eventually strode to their second Eastern Conference title.
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Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .
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