Canucks Game 7 Overtime & Stanley Cup Finals

A curious correlation has emerged between playing a Game 7 overtime match against the Vancouver Canucks and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals. Specifically, to date, winning the former has ensured an appearance in the latter.

The Canucks met the Calgary Flames in three such overtime affairs and the Chicago Blackhawks once. Each time the victor qualified for the Cup Finals, hoisting once (1989) and losing three times (1994, 2004, 2011).  Interestingly, each Cup Final loss also occurred in a Game 7.

Year	Matchup	OT Winner
1989	Calgary over Vancouver	Joel Otto
1994	Vancouver over Calgary	Pavel Bure
2004	Calgary over Vancouver	Martin Gelinas
2011	Vancouver over Chicago	Alex Burrows

In 2024, the Edmonton Oilers eliminated the Canucks in Game 7 of the second round of the playoffs, by a score of 3-2. Unfortunately, the match was settled in regulation time, though Edmonton did advance to the Cup Final losing to Florida in seven games. Vancouver did not qualify for the 2026 postseason, so we'll have to wait at least another year before a Game 7 overtime opportunity presents itself and this peculiar pattern can be tested again.

* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7 History.
* See also Today In NHL History - Kirk McLean's Game 7 Save.

Today In NHL History - Maple Leafs 3-0 Comeback

On April 18th in 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 3-1 in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final becoming the first NHL team to ever recover from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series and win the round, or in this case the Stanley Cup.
In fact, only 3 of the 172 times a NHL team has trailed 3-0 in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup playoff series have they comeback to win. The other two times happened in the Quarterfinal round, first in 1975 when the New York Islanders beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and then again in 2010 when the Philadelphia Flyers caught up to the Boston Bruins.

That's today in NHL history.

* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-0.
* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-1.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7 History.

Today In NHL History - Bruins Shorthanded Record

On April 10th in 2010, the Boston Bruins set a NHL record scoring three shorthanded goals in 64 seconds against Carolina Hurricanes goalie Cam Ward during a Matt Hunwick minor penalty for hooking Jerome Samson.

The three second period penalty kill tallies from Paille, Wheeler and Begin doubled Boston's shorthanded output for the season and set up a 4-2 win over Carolina, clinching a playoff berth for the Bruins in the process.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Burrows Snaps Streak

On February 3rd in 2009, Vancouver Canucks undrafted forward Alex Burrows snapped the club's 8 game losing streak (and 9 game home losing streak) in dramatic fashion converting a shorthanded breakaway with his signature forehand-backhand move against the Carolina Hurricanes unlocking a 3-3 tie with 82 seconds to play.

Burrows celebrated the crucial marker mimicking the snapping of his stick over his knee, acknowledging the end of the streak. The Canucks killed the remaining 25 seconds of Carolina's powerplay and held on for the final 57 seconds of the game to win by a score of 4-3.

During their 2009 win-less span, the Canucks' win-loss record slipped from 22-15-5 to 22-20-8. Burrow's shorthanded goal, however, sparked the club to win 23 of their remaining 32 games, finishing the season with a 45-27-10 overall record and clinching the Northwest Division title.

Likely saving Canucks head coach Alain Vigneault's job with the win, Burrows was tested on the team's top line with twins Henrik and Daniel Sedin two games later. Sensing the chemistry between the trio, GM Mike Gillis wisely quadrupled Burrows' $525,000 salary three weeks thereafter with a four year contract paying $2 million per year.

The top-line experiment proved fruitful for all involved, with Henrik and Daniel Sedin leading the NHL in points in successive years (2010, 2011) and Burrows posting four consecutive 25+ goal seasons (2009-2012).

This streak-snapping celebration was repeated three years later when Burrows scored a game-winning shootout goal on Jimmy Howard with the same forehand-backhand move to beat the Red Wings 4-3 at the Joe, ending Detroit's NHL record setting 23 game home winning streak.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - LA Kings Clock Stoppage

On February 1st in 2012, Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty scored a game winning powerplay goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets with 0.4 seconds remaining in the third period. A closer look confirmed the Staples Center game clocked stopped for a full second moments before the goal was scored. Absent the stoppage, the match would have been tied 2-2 upon completion of regulation time and headed to overtime.

The NHL's video room reviewed the goal, but somehow didn't notice the clock had stopped until minutes after the game. Colin Campbell later confirmed the goal should not have counted and the league would conduct an investigation to determine what caused the error. However, the result of the game would remain. And with that, Clockgate was born. Amazingly, a similar glitch went unnoticed eleven nights earlier.  Afterwards, an irate Blue Jackets GM Scott Howson wrote:

“It is an amazing coincidence that with the Kings on a power play at Staples Center and with a mad scramble around our net in the dying seconds of the third period of a 2-2 hockey game that the clock stopped for at least one full second. I can only think of two ways in which this would have happened. Either there was a deliberate stopping of the clock or the clock malfunctioned."

Kings GM Dean Lombardo claimed the delay was due to the clock moving too quickly during the game, citing science as the cause:

"Those clocks are sophisticated instruments that calculate time by measuring electrical charges called coulombs – given the rapidity and volume of electrons that move through the measuring device the calibrator must adjust at certain points which was the delay you see. The delay is just recalibrating for the clock moving too quickly during the 10–10ths of a second before the delay. This insures that the actual playing time during a period is exactly 20 minutes. That is not an opinion -– that is science -– amazing device quite frankly."

Commissioner Gary Bettman acknowlegded if the clock had run straight through "the game would have been at a tie at that point, would have gone to overtime." Bettman continued, "if we had any reason to believe that this was intentional we would deal with it in a whole different way, but we're going to investigate it, get to the bottom of it."

Ultimately it was determined that human error caused the pause, as the clock was found to have been manually stopped. Despite Lombardi's quasi-scientific explanation, the NHL's investigation revealed that "clocks do not know how to stop on their own".

The Los Angeles Kings finished 8th in the western conference, snagging the final playoff spot with a five point cushion above the 9th place Calgary Flames. The Columbus Blue Jackets finished the season in last place, with the next closest team nine points ahead. The Kings won the Stanley Cup and the Blue Jackets selected 2nd overall in the 2012 NHL Draft.

While the final standings and playoff picture were not directly affected by the debacle, it's safe to say the integrity of the game and reputation of timekeepers in Los Angeles suffered a significant blow.

The Kings recorded a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jackets.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Longest Road Trip

On January 27th in 2010, the Vancouver Canucks set out on the longest road trip in NHL history. The 46 day sojourn sent them to 13 cities (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston, Tampa, Sunrise, St. Paul, Columbus, Detroit, Chicago, Nashville, Denver, Phoenix) for 14 games.

The hellish trip was required to accommodate the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, marking the first time since NHL players were allowed to compete in the Games that a NHL city hosted the hockey tournament.

Unable to access GM Place during their absence, Canucks equipment managers packed almost 300 sticks and 25 additional bags of gear, including spare gloves and pants to clothe call-ups and any players joining the club at the NHL trade deadline, to endure the unexpected.

The Canucks finished the historic trip with a respectable 8-5-1 record.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Phaneuf Shatters Glass

On January 22nd in 2008, the blistering slapshot of Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf shattered two separate panes of glass behind Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding six minutes apart during the first period of play.

Phaneuf's first blast was fired from the Minnesota Wild blueline with the second emanating 120 feet away inside the Flames own end at the buzzer. Calgary beat Minnesota that night by a score of 2-1.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Mario Lemieux's Cycle

On December 31st in 1988, Mario Lemieux collected five goals in a New Year's Eve game against the New Jersey Devils, one in each of the five possible regulation time scoring situations (even strength, shorthanded, powerplay, penalty shot, empty net) in the NHL's pre-shootout era.
Bob Sauvé allowed Mario's first three markers (a hat trick in the opening period) with rookie Chris Terreri surrendering the penalty shot.

The feat, dubbed the Mario Lemieux Cycle, is considered by many to be the greatest individual scoring performance in NHL history.  It has never been duplicated. Adding three assists to his five goals, Mario figured in each of the Penguins eight tallies in their 8-6 win over the Devils.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Ilya Kovalchuk's Own Goal

On December 26th in 2011, New Jersey Devils forward Ilya Kovalchuk fired an errant pass from the Carolina Hurricanes goal line past extra-attacker and intended recipient Adam Henrique and into the Devils empty net for an own goal, down 3-2 with 29 seconds to play.

Afterwards, the oft-maligned overpaid winger acknowledged "we were working hard, but a bad decision by me cost us the game." Compounding matters, it was Kovalchuk's mishandling of the puck in the first period that led to a shorthanded score by Carolina's Brandon Sutter.

Kovalchuk's own goal was awarded to Cam Ward making him the 10th NHL netminder to be credited with a goal and the first in Hurricanes history. Carolina beat New Jersey that night by a score of 4-2.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Hextall's First Goal

On December 8th in 1987, Philadelphia Flyers netminder Ron Hextall fired a puck the length of the ice into an empty Boston Bruins net becoming the first goalie to score a goal in a NHL game.
Though New York Islanders backstop Billy Smith had been credited with a goal eight years earlier, it was Colorado Rockies defenceman Rob Ramage who in fact last touched the puck. Thus, Hextall was the positional pioneer to actually shoot the puck into an opponent's net.

Hextall repeated the feat two years later in a playoff game against the Washington Capitals. He remains the only goalie to actually score twice.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Tristan Jarry's Goal

On November 30, 2023, Pittsburgh Penguins netminder Tristan Jarry became the 14th goaltender to be credited with a goal in a NHL game and the 9th goaltender to shoot the puck into the net.

Defending a 3-2 lead against Tampa Bay with a minute remaining on the road, Jarry collected an Anthony Cirelli tip in and promptly fired it 175 feet into the Lightning's empty cage. The shot reached a maximum speed of 55mph and a height of 16 feet above the ice en route to history.After the game, Jarry described the moment as "the perfect scenario", noting "it was definitely pretty cool, but the win means more".Jarry's goal marked the 17th time a goaltender has been credited with a goal in an NHL game and the first Penguin, with only two netminders (Ron Hextall, Martin Brodeur) turning the trick more than once. The Penguins held on to beat the Lightning by a score of 4-2.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Billy Smith's Goal

On November 28, 1979, New York Islanders netminder Billy Smith became the first goaltender to be credited with a goal in a NHL game.

Blindly playing the puck to the blueline, Colorado Rockies defenceman Rob Ramage watched his pass slide the length of the ice into his now empty thanks to an astute move by his goalie on a delayed penalty. Smith, being the last offensive player to touch, was credited with the marker.

It would be another eight years before a goalie scored a goal in the NHL by shooting the puck into an empty net. Ron Hextall holds that honor.

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Shorthouse Wins 50/50

On October 20th in 2005, Vancouver Canucks voices John Shorthouse and Tom Larscheid won $20,000 in the 50/50 draw benefiting local charities for children during a home game against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Having played the popular lottery at every Canucks home game since they began working together in 1998, the giddy pair celebrated their first ever 50/50 win with four minutes remaining in the third period. An audio clip of their unbridled excitement can be heard here.

Despite rumors spread by morning radio mouthpiece Neil MacRae suggesting the pair engaged in fisticuffs over the winnings, Shorthouse dispelled the nonsense explaining "there was enough hugging between two grown men to make even the cast of Will & Grace uncomfortable".

The Canucks beat the Coyotes 3-2 that night in what Shorty described as "the greatest night of hockey ever at GM Place".

That's today in NHL history.

Today In NHL History - Gordie Howe Hat Trick

On October 11th in 1953, Gordie Howe recorded his first ever Gordie Howe Hat Trick accumulating a goal, assist, and a fight in the same game. Despite defining the deed, the four-time Cup champ ('50, '52, '54, '55) and six-time Hart ('52, '53, '57, '58, '60, '63) and Art Ross ('51-'54, '57, '63) recipient turned only two such tricks and wasn't the first to do it.

Mr. Hockey's inaugural occurred when he scored, assisted on a Red Kelly goal, and fought Fernie Flaman in a 4-0 Detroit Red Wings win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. His other came in the same season when the teams met again on March 21, 1954, scoring, assisting on a pair of Ted Lindsay tallies, and fisticuffing with Ted Kennedy in a 6-1 victory.

The first ever Gordie Howe Hat Trick is credited to Harry Cameron of the Toronto Arenas who collected the components some 36 years earlier on December 26, 1917 in a 7-5 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Brendan Shanahan is widely believed to lead the category with 17 though uncertainty exists owing to incomplete statistics on the accomplishment.

That's today in NHL history.

NHL League Size And Regular Season Length

With this week's release of the regular season schedule for the NHL's 108th season of operation (107th season of actual play), it's a good time to consider this season's offering in the historical context of the number of participating teams and regular season games played since the league's inception 108 years ago.

Years	Games	Teams		Years	Games	Teams
1917-1918	22	4		1978-1979	80	17
1918-1919	18	3		1979-1991	80	21
1919-1924	24	4		1991-1992	80	22
1924-1925	30	6		1992-1993	84	24
1925-1926	36	7		1993-1994	84	26
1926-1931	44	10		1994-1995	48	26
1931-1932	48	8		1995-1998	82	26
1932-1935	48	9		1998-2000	82	28
1935-1938	48	8		2000-2004	82	30
1938-1942	48	7		2004-2005	0	30
1942-1946	50	6		2005-2012	82	30
1946-1949	60	6		2012-2013	48	30
1949-1967	70	6		2013-2017	82	30
1967-1968	74	12		2017-2020	82	31
1968-1970	76	12		2020-2021	56	31
1970-1972	78	14		2021-2025	82	32
1972-1974	78	16
1974-1978	80	18

Rising from 3 to 32 teams and 18 to 84 games since 1918, the NHL regular season now sits at 32 teams playing a 82 times a piece for a total of 1,312 games. Aside from three work stoppages - abbreviating, canceling and abbreviating the proceedings respectively (1994-1995, 2004-2005, 2012-2013), a fire finishing a team (Montreal Wanderers) part-way through the year (1917-1918), and COVID-19 suspending the 2019-2020 season and abbreviating the 2020-2021 season, most NHL regular season schedules have been played as planned with few, if any, interruptions.

Amidst endless stories of financially troubled clubs, the league has done well to mitigate NHL relocation, embracing NHL expansion in Las Vegas (2017-2018) and Seattle (2021-2022) to achieve a 32 team league with division and conference balance.  

On the heels of 2013's NHL realignment, expect regular season length to remain at 82 games for the foreseeable future in order to preserve their commitment to extended divisional play, every team visiting every rink each year, and the pursuit of the all-mighty dollar which directly influences player salaries.

* See also Fewest And Most Games Needed to Win Stanley Cup.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Length By Days And Games.
* See also History of NHL Expansion.
* See also History of NHL Relocation.
* See also History of NHL Contraction.
* See also History of NHL Team Renaming.

NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-1

Eight teams took a 3-1 series lead in their best-of-seven series in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Seven teams advanced (Carolina [2], Florida, Toronto, Vegas [3]) and one went home (Boston). While a 3-1 lead is always a good thing, it's never a sure thing.

Through 2023, teams have trailed 3-1 in a best-of-seven series 333 times. Only 32 times has the trailing team comeback to win the series. Put another way, the team with a 3-1 series lead wins 90% of the time with the down-and-nearly-out team recovering only 10% of the time.

The chart below describes all 32 comebacks by year, team and round.

Year	Matchup	Round
1942	Toronto over Detroit	Final
1975	New York* over Pittsburgh	Preliminary
1987	New York* over Washington	Preliminary
	Detroit over Toronto	Quarterfinal
1988	Washington over Philadelphia	Quarterfinal
1989	Los Angeles over Edmonton	Preliminary
1990	Edmonton over Winnipeg	Preliminary
1991	St. Louis over Detroit	Preliminary
1992	Detroit over Minnesota^	Preliminary
	Vancouver over Winnipeg	Preliminary
	Pittsburgh over Washington	Preliminary
1994	Vancouver over Calgary	Preliminary
1995	Pittsburgh over Washington	Preliminary
1998	Edmonton over Colorado	Preliminary
1999	St. Louis over Phoenix	Preliminary
2000	New Jersey over Philadelphia	Semifinal
2003	Minnesota^^ over Colorado	Preliminary
	Vancouver over St. Louis	Preliminary
	Minnesota^^ over Vancouver	Quarterfinal
2004	Montreal over Boston	Preliminary
2009	Washington over New York**	Preliminary
2010	Montreal over Washington	Preliminary
	Philadelphia over Boston	Quarterfinal
2011	Tampa Bay over Pittsburgh	Preliminary
2013	Chicago over Detroit	Quarterfinal
2014	Los Angeles over San Jose	Preliminary
	New York** over Pittsburgh	Quarterfinal
2015	New York** over Washington	Quarterfinal
2019	San Jose over Vegas	Preliminary
2021	Montreal over Toronto	Preliminary
2022	New York** over Pittsburgh	Preliminary
2023	Florida over Boston	Preliminary

*   New York Islanders
** New York Rangers
^   Minnesota North Stars
^^ Minnesota Wild

In the 36 seasons since all playoff rounds were expanded to best-of-seven series in 1987, 30 teams have comeback from a 3-1 deficit to win their series. In the 18 postseasons since the 2004 NHL Lockout, however, only 12 teams (Washington 2009, Montreal 2010, Philadelphia 2010, Tampa Bay 2011, Chicago 2013, Los Angeles 2014, New York 2014, New York 2015, San Jose 2019, Montreal 2021, New York 2022, Florida 2023) have turned the trick. Breaking it down by round, such comebacks have happened only once in the Stanley Cup Final (Toronto 1942) and Semifinal (New Jersey 2000), and 7 times in the Quarterfinal (Detroit 1987, Washington 1988, Minnesota 2003, Philadelphia 2010, Chicago 2013, New York 2014, New York 2015), with the remaining 23 comebacks occurring during the Preliminary round.

Of the 32 teams that completed the comeback, six won the Stanley Cup (Toronto 1942, Edmonton 1990, Pittsburgh 1992, New Jersey 2000, Chicago 2013, Los Angeles 2014) and five more made it to the Final but failed to hoist the hardware (Vancouver 1994, Philadelphia 2010, New York 2014, Montreal 2021, Florida 2023).

Only one team has ever recovered from a 3-1 deficit twice in the same playoff (Minnesota 2003). Similarly, only one team has ever comeback down 3-1 and blown a 3-1 lead in the same postseason (Vancouver 2003).

The chart below lists all teams involved in such 3-1 series comebacks, showing the total number of series involving such circumstances and their overall win/loss record.

Team	Series	Record
Washington	7	2-5
Pittsburgh	6	2-4
Detroit	5	2-3
New York**	4	3-1
Vancouver	4	3-1
Montreal	3	3-0
Edmonton	3	2-1
St. Louis	3	2-1
Philadelphia	3	1-2
Toronto	3	1-2
Boston	3	0-3
Los Angeles	2	2-0
Minnesota^^	2	2-0
New York*	2	2-0
San Jose	2	1-1
Colorado	2	0-2
Winnipeg	2	0-2
Chicago	1	1-0
Florida	1	1-0
New Jersey	1	1-0
Tampa Bay	1	1-0
Arizona	1	0-1
Calgary	1	0-1
Minnesota^	1	0-1
Vegas	1	0-1

*   New York Islanders
** New York Rangers
^   Minnesota North Stars
^^ Minnesota Wild

Only Anaheim, Buffalo, Carolina, Columbus, Dallas, Nashville, Ottawa, Seattle and Winnipeg (formerly the Atlanta Thrashers) have never comeback from a 3-1 series deficit or blown a 3-1 series lead. Montreal, Vancouver and the New York Rangers lead all teams in comebacks trailing a series 3-1 with three series wins.  Conversely, Washington has blown more 3-1 series leads than any other team, squandering five such series.

It's worth noting that in the 18 postseasons since the 2004 NHL Lockout, 16 teams have squandered a 3-1 series lead only to stave off elimination by winning Game 7. They are Carolina (2006, 2009), Vancouver (2007, 2011), Montreal (2008), Philadelphia (2008), San Jose (2011), Boston (2013, 2018), Los Angeles (2014), St. Louis (2016), Pittsburgh (2017), Dallas (2020), New York Islanders (2020) and Vegas (2020, 2021). Eight of these games were decided by one goal and six in overtime. In sum, with a 10% chance of recovery for teams trailing their series 3-1, it's statistically likely their season will soon end.

* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-0.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7 History.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff First Round Upsets.

NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-0

Three teams found themselves in a 3-0 series deficit in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs (Toronto, Carolina, Dallas). None survived. History tells us they had a 1 in 50 chance of completing the comeback, despite two teams overcoming such odds in the past twelve. 

Through 2023, only 4 times in 204 tries (2%) has a team comeback to win a series trailing 3-0 in the playoffs. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the first to turn the trick, doing so in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings. The New York Islanders followed suit 33 years later, during their franchise first playoff run, uncharacteristically catching the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 1975 Quarterfinals.
The Philadelphia Flyers were the third such club 35 years after that, beating the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference Final. Most recently, the Los Angeles Kings became the fourth squad when they upset the San Jose Sharks in the 2014 Western Conference Quarterfinals.

Breaking it down by playoff round, teams have held a 3-0 lead 57 times in the Preliminary round, 69 times in the Quarterfinals, 49 times in the Semifinal, and 29 times in the Stanley Cup Final. In 125 of 204 times (61%), leading teams finished off the series in Game 4. Of the 79 teams that have survived the sweep, only 9 (11%) lived to skate in a Game 7.

Once in Game 7, the aforementioned four clubs completed the improbable comeback (44%) while the 3-0 series leaders won the remaining 5 times (56%). Of these 9 Game 7s, 6 were decided by one goal, 5 were won by the home team, and 2 were decided in overtime. Teams to lead a series 3-0 and eventually win in Game 7 include the Bruins (1939), Leafs (1945), Flyers (1975), Sharks (2011) and Canucks (2011).
Time will tell if any other teams can replicate the gargantuan task of winning four straight postseason games while facing elimination and join this historic list of clutch playoff performances. Rare air to be sure.

* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-1.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7 History.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff First Round Upsets.

NHL Stanley Cup Playoff Game 7 History

When two teams split the first six games of a best-of-seven playoff series, a 'winner take all' Game 7 is staged. Heroes are born and victors crowned in this high-stakes affair. Not surprisingly, Game 7s have produced some of the most memorable moments in NHL postseason history.
Once reserved solely for the Semifinal and Final rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the best-of-seven format was expanded to include the Quarterfinals in 1968 and Preliminary round in 1987. Of the 756 best-of-seven NHL playoff series played through 2023, 191 (25%) have resulted in a Game 7 with the home team holding a healthy 111-80 (58%) edge. The team that scores first has a 145-46 (75%) edge, including a 4-0 record in the 2023 postseason. 47 of the 191 (25%) Game 7s have gone to overtime, with the home side surviving 23 times and the visitors stealing 24.

Of the 191 Game 7s, 35 times a team trailing their series 3-1 won Game 7 and 4 times a team down 3-0 in their series won Game 7.  The most Game 7s in single playoff season is seven (1994, 2011, 2014). Only three times has a postseason gone without (1970, 1973, 1977).

Over the past 36 postseasons since the 1987 expansion of all series to best-of-seven, a Game 7 has been played in 147 of the 540 series. Put another way, 27% or approximately every 1 in 3.6 playoff series have gone to seven games. The chart below describes Game 7s by year, noting the number and round in which a seventh game(s) occurred.

Year: Game 7s (Round)	Year: Game 7s (Round)
1987: 5 (1P, 3Q, F)	2010: 4 (2P, 2Q)
1988: 3 (1P, 1Q, 1S)	2011: 7 (4P, 1Q, 1S, F)
1989: 3 (2P, 1Q)	2012: 4 (3P, 1Q)
1990: 4 (3P, 1Q)	2013: 5 (3P, 2Q)
1991: 4 (3P, 1Q)	2014: 7 (3P, 3Q, 1S)
1992: 6 (6P)	2015: 5 (2P, 1Q, 2S)
1993: 4 (1P, 2Q, 1S)	2016: 5 (2P, 2Q, 1S)
1994: 7 (4P, 1Q, 1S, F)	2017: 3 (2Q, 1S)
1995: 4 (4P)	2018: 3 (1P, 1Q, 1S)
1996: 2 (1Q, 1S)	2019: 6 (3P, 2Q, F)
1997: 3 (3P)	2020: 3 (3Q)
1998: 1 (1Q)	2021: 3 (2P, 1S)
1999: 3 (2P, 1S)	2022: 6 (5P, 1Q)
2000: 3 (1P, 2S)	2023: 4 (1P, 1Q
2001: 4 (3Q, F)
2002: 5 (2P, 2Q, 1S)
2003: 6 (3P, 1Q, 1S, F)
2004: 5 (3P, 1S, F)
2006: 3 (1P, 1S, F)
2007: 1 (1P)
2008: 3 (3P)
2009: 6 (2P, 3Q, F)

(P = Preliminary, Q = Quarterfinal, S = Semifinal, F = Final)

Breaking it down by round, the most Game 7s over the past 36 seasons on a percentage basis have occurred in the Quarterfinal (42/144 = 29%), Preliminary (80/288 = 27%), Semifinal (19/72 = 26%), followed by the Stanley Cup Final (9/36 = 25%) round. Interestingly, 7 of the past 22 Finals and 7 of the past 18 Semifinals have been decided by a seventh game. In sum, the likelihood of a Game 7 in a NHL playoff series since 1987 is 1 in 3.4 for the Quarterfinal with a slight decrease to roughly 1 in 3.6 for the Preliminary round and Semifinal, and 1 in 4 for the Final.

The charts below show the total number of Game 7s played by each NHL team along with their win/loss records, with all-time statistics on the lefthand side and data since 1987 on the righthand side.

NHL Game 7s All-Time	NHL Game 7s Since 1987
Team: Series (Record)	Team: Series (Record)
Boston: 30 (15-15)	Boston: 19 (10-9)
Toronto: 26 (12-14)	Pittsburgh: 17 (10-7)
Detroit: 25 (14-11)	New Jersey: 16 (8-8)
Montreal: 24 (15-9)	Washington: 16 (4-12)
New York*: 18 (11-7)	Toronto: 15 (6-9)
Pittsburgh: 18 (10-8)	New York*: 14 (11-3)
St. Louis: 18 (10-8)	Detroit: 14 (7-7)
Philadelphia: 17 (9-8)	Colorado: 13 (4-9)
New Jersey: 16 (8-8)	San Jose: 12 (8-4)
Washington: 16 (4-12)	Philadelphia: 12 (6-6)
Chicago: 14 (7-7)	St. Louis: 12 (6-6)
Calgary: 13 (6-7)	Montreal: 11 (8-3)
Colorado: 13 (4-9)	Vancouver: 11 (6-5)
San Jose: 12 (8-4)	Tampa Bay: 10 (7-3)
Los Angeles: 12 (7-5)	Edmonton: 9 (6-3)
Edmonton: 11 (7-4)	Los Angeles: 9 (6-3)
Vancouver: 11 (6-5)	Dallas: 9 (4-5)
Tampa Bay: 10 (7-3)	Anaheim: 9 (3-6)
Dallas: 9 (4-5)	Calgary: 9 (3-6)
New York**: 9 (4-5)	Chicago: 8 (5-3)
Anaheim: 9 (3-6)	Carolina: 7 (6-1)
Carolina: 7 (6-1)	New York**: 7 (3-4)
Minnesota^: 7 (3-4)	Buffalo: 6 (1-5)
Buffalo: 7 (1-6)	Ottawa: 6 (0-6)
Ottawa: 6 (0-6)	Minnesota^^: 4 (3-1)
Minnesota^^: 4 (3-1)	Florida: 3 (2-1)
Florida: 3 (2-1)	Vegas: 3 (2-1)
Quebec: 3 (2-1)	Nashville: 2 (1-2)
Vegas: 3 (2-1)	Arizona: 3 (0-3)
Nashville: 3 (1-2)	Seattle: 2 (1-1)
Arizona: 3 (0-3)	Hartford: 2 (0-2)
Hartford: 3 (0-3)	Minnesota^: 2 (0-2)
Seattle: 2 (1-1)	Winnipeg~: 2 (0-2)
Winnipeg~: 2 (0-2)	Winnipeg+: 1 (1-0)
Winnipeg+: 1 (1-0)	Quebec: 1 (0-1)
Oakland: 1 (0-1)

*   New York Rangers
** New York Islanders
^   Minnesota North Stars
^^ Minnesota Wild
~  Winnipeg Jets (1979-1996)
+  Winnipeg Jets (2011-Present)

Boston has skated in the most Game 7s (30) in NHL history with Boston and Montreal winning the most (15). Over the past 36 seasons, Boston has played more Game 7s (19) than anyone else but the New York Rangers have won the most (11). The Winnipeg Jets (2011-Present) have never lost a Game 7; Ottawa, Arizona, Hartford, Winnipeg (1979-1996) and Oakland have never won a Game 7; and Columbus has never skated in one.

In terms of winning more than one Game 7 in a single postseason, 25 teams have done it twice with only two teams winning three best-of-seven series in a Game 7 in a single playoff (Boston 2011, Los Angeles 2014). The chart below lists all NHL teams that have ever won two or more Game 7s in a single postseason, indicating year and rounds in which they turned the trick.

NHL Game 7s Won Same Year
Year: Team (Round)
1950: Detroit (S, F)*
1964: Toronto (S, F)*
1968: St. Louis (Q, S)
1990: Chicago (P, Q)
1993: Toronto (P, Q)
1994: New York^ (S, F)*
2001: Colorado (Q, F)*
2002: Colorado (P, Q), Toronto (P, Q)
2003: Minnesota (P, Q), New Jersey (S, F)*
2004: Tampa Bay (S, F)*
2006: Carolina (S, F)*
2009: Carolina (P, Q), PIT (Q, F)*
2010: Montreal (P, Q)
2011: Boston (P, S, F)*
2012: New York^ (P, Q)
2014: Los Angeles (P, Q, S)*
2015: Tampa Bay (P, S)
2016: St. Louis (P, Q)
2017: Pittsburgh (Q, S)*
2019: San Jose (P, Q), St. Louis (Q, F)*
2022: Carolina (P, Q), New York^ (P, Q)

* Stanley Cup Champion
^ New York Rangers

(P = Preliminary, Q = Quarterfinal, S = Semifinal, F = Final)

The 2023 postseason featured four Game 7s, with the team that scores first going 4-0, home teams holding a 2-2 record, and one recovering from a 3-1 series deficit.
Game 7 ... kill or be killed.

* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-0.
* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-1.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff First Round Upsets.
* See also Canucks Game 7 Overtime & Stanley Cup Finals.