Yahoo Sports Edmonton Oilers look to join rare company by overcoming 3-0 deficit vs. Florida Panthers
A team coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series is so rare that it never has been done in the NBA.
It has happened only once in Major League Baseball.
The NHL has had more frequency but only on four occasions. There was a 33-year gap between the first two instances, then 35, then four years.
The Edmonton Oilers will try to become the first team in 10 years to pull off the feat after they clawed back from a 3-0 series deficit against the Florida Panthers to tie the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. Game 7 is Monday (8 p.m. ET, ABC) in Sunrise, Florida.
Here are the history-making teams:
NHL
1942 Toronto Maple Leafs
The Maple Leafs rallied against the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final after coach Hap Day benched regular-season leading scorer Gordie Drillon. His replacement, Don Metz, had four goals and three assists as Toronto outscored Detroit 19-7 in the final four games.
1975 New York Islanders
The Islanders, making their first playoff appearance, showed the resilience under coach Al Arbour that would eventually lead to four consecutive Stanley Cup championships in the 1980s. They overcame a 3-0 deficit against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, winning Game 7 on a shutout by Glenn "Chico" Resch. Then they nearly did the same the following round against the defending champion Philadelphia Flyers before falling in Game 7. They went 8-1 in elimination games that year.
2010 Philadelphia Flyers
The Flyers stayed alive in Game 4 of the second round against the Boston Bruins when Simon Gagne scored in overtime. Philadelphia then lost starting goalie Brian Boucher to injury in the next game, and backup Michael Leighton stopped 44 of 45 Bruins shots to win Games 5 and 6. The Bruins, playing at home, took a 3-0 lead in Game 7 before the Flyers rallied to win 4-3 on Gagne's second game-winner of the series. The Flyers eventually reached the Final, losing to the Chicago Blackhawks.
2014 Los Angeles Kings
The San Jose Sharks won the first two games of the first-round series in blowouts and won Game 3 in overtime. Then Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who was pulled in Game 1, stopped 130 of 135 shots over the final four games to advance. The Kings won three Game 7s that year to capture the Stanley Cup for the second time in three seasons.
MLB
2004 Boston Red Sox
The New York Yankees took a 3-0 lead with a 19-8 win in Game 3 of the ALCS. But the Red Sox stayed alive with extra-inning wins in the next two games, tying the game off Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera both times. Boston's Curt Schilling pitched a four-hitter in Game 6 to tie the series. Game 7 was a blowout as Johnny Damon had six RBI in a 10-3 victory. The Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals in the World Series to end an 86-year championship drought.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Oilers look to join exclusive 3-0 comeback club in Game 7 vs. Panthers
