The Red Wings Comeback

Down 3-0 in their series to the Sharks, conventional wisdom would have said that the Red Wings were doomed. Yet, what was lost in the Sharks' fast start to the series was that all of the games had been decided by one goal. In fact, prior to the Red Wings winning Game 6 by a score of 3-1, every game in the series had been decided by one goal, with two of the games going to overtime. Any of the games in this series could have gone to either team.

What the Red Wings are doing is not unprecedented. This is the eighth time in the history of the Stanley Cup playoffs that a team down 3-0 in the series has come back to force Game 7. In fact, this is the third time this has occurred in the past calendar year, with the Flyers doing so last year against the Bruins and the Black Hawks doing so against the Canucks this year.

Coming back from down 3-0 to win a series is considered a rare accomplishment, mainly because it has only happened once in any other American sport. However, in hockey, this has occurred in three of the previous seven times that a game seven was forced by the rallying opponent. Prior to the Flyers last year, the New York Islanders and the Toronto Maple Leafs did so in 1975 and 1942, respectively.

While getting to this point is difficult in the NHL (this is only the eighth time in the 163 times a team trailed 3-0 in a series that a Game 7 was forced) these games really can go either way. Should Detroit win, it will be an exact 50-50 proposition for the team making the comeback to win out.

The Sharks do not exactly have a glowing record when it comes to playoff hockey either. They have consistently been a disappointment, going into the playoffs as a high seed, yet being upset early. While it appeared as though they may have exorcised the demons of playoffs past, the whispers and images of such disappointments have to be in their heads. If Detroit jumps out to a fast start in Game Seven, the Sharks are done.

This has been a great comeback by an experienced hockey team that knows how to win. Vancouver had better hope the Red Wings somehow lose in Game Seven.