NHL Teams to Come Back from 0-3 Down to Win a 7-Game Playoff Series

More than 200 teams have fallen behind 0-3 in an NHL playoff series, and just four have come back to win it.

That gives a 1.99 percent chance of success in that situation, while six other NHL teams have evened a series after being down 3-0, only to lose Game 7.

The most recent example of a failed 0-3 comeback was in the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, when the Edmonton Oilers roared back from the brink, only to fall in the win-or-go-home decider.

Toronto Maple Leafs over Detroit Red Wings (1942)

The Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team to successfully come back from a three-game deficit in a Stanley Cup Final.

Not only did they recover from being three games down, but their opponents - the Detroit Red Wings - also led Game 4 by a 2-0 score and then 3-2 in the third period before Toronto won 4-3 in OT.

The Leafs then turned the tables decisively, winning 9-3, 3-0, and 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup at home.

The attendance for Game 7 further added to the sport's history as 16,218 turned up at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens, a record for a hockey crowd in Canada at the time.

Sweeney Schriner led the Leafs and series in goals with five, including two in Game 7, while Syl Apps had the most points with seven.

Toronto's turnaround was helped by the absence of Jack Adams from Detroit's bench for the final three games of the series.

Adams, for whom the award for the NHL's best coach is now named, was suspended indefinitely for engaging referee Mel Harwood in a fight at the end of Game 4.

New York Islanders over Pittsburgh Penguins (1975)

After losing the first three games of their NHL Playoffs quarterfinals series to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1975, New York Islanders coach Al Arbour benched goalie Billy Smith and instead turned to Glenn "Chico" Resch, who became a major factor in their recovery.

Resch won the next four games and allowed just four goals with a stunning .969 save percentage.

Smith went on to win four Stanley Cups from 1980-83 as the Islanders' number-one goalie, but Resch's run will long be remembered too.

The series' first six games produced an average of over six goals per game, but in Game 7, it took just one — from Ed Westfall with just over five minutes to go — to complete the comeback at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.

Westfall's four goals were a series high for the Islanders, who went on to lose to the eventual champion Philadelphia Flyers in the semifinals, forcing a Game 7 after again falling behind three games to none.

Philadelphia Flyers over Boston Bruins (2010)

The Philadelphia Flyers not only came from 3-0 down in the 2010 Eastern Conference quarter finals to beat the Boston Bruins, but they also overturned a 3-0 scoreline in the decisive Game 7 to win.

Simon Gagne missed the first three games of the series with a broken foot, but returned to score in overtime of Game 4 to spark the turnaround.

Later, the 11-year Flyer scored the game-winner on the powerplay to win Game 7 by a 4-3 score.

The resilient Flyers were led by current general manager Daniel Briere, who had five goals in the series. Back-up netminder Michael Leighton won the final two games for the Flyers while deputizing for starter Brian Boucher, who got injured in Game 5.

The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Chicago Blackhawks in seven games.

Los Angeles Kings over San Jose Sharks (2014)

The Los Angeles Kings were beaten heavily in Games 1 and 2 of the 2014 Western Conference First Round by San Jose Sharks, 6-3 and 7-3.

They then fell to a 4-3 overtime defeat in Game 3, after which the remarkable recovery began.

Los Angeles won all four of the remaining games by no less than three goals each time, completing the triumph with a 5-1 win in Game 7.

Netminder Jonathan Quick was the difference-maker, allowing two goals over the final three contests.

Centre Anze Kopitar had four goals and six assists in the series, while "Mr. Game 7" Justin Williams also scored four times.

The Kings went on to win the next two series in seven games, before beating the New York Rangers in five games to win the Stanley Cup Final. Los Angeles' run of seven wins in elimination games remains a record for a Stanley Cup champion.