There are more twists and turns in the NHL playoffs than in a full season of an Emmy Award-winning soap opera.
With momentum swings more common than the number of chances Connor McDavid creates for his teammates, how many teams come back from a 0-2 series deficit, and what is the probability of pulling off the uncommon feat?
NHL Playoffs: Odds of Winning Series After Losing First 2 Games?
The hockey odds of prevailing are well and truly stacked against teams that lose the first two games of a playoff series.
The team that has fallen behind 0-2 has won just 13.9% of the seven-game series in NHL playoff history. That equated to odds of +619, about the same as the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Stanley Cup odds (+700).
How Many Teams Have Come Back From 0-2 in First Round Since 2000?
Since 2000, 17 teams in the first round have overcome a 0-2 deficit and advanced.
Three teams (Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Chicago Blackhawks) pulled off the improbable in 2014, the most 0-2 comebacks in a first round in NHL playoff history.
Five teams since the turn of the millennium won the Stanley Cup after trailing their first-round series 0-2, including the 2002 Detroit Red Wings, the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes, the 2011 Boston Bruins, the 2014 Kings, and the 2018 Washington Capitals.
The 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins and 1993 Montreal Canadiens accomplished the same feat.
The Edmonton Oilers, who beat the Kings despite losing the first two games, are the only team to overcome a 0-2 deficit in the first round, eventually advance to the Stanley Cup Final, and lose.
Playoffs With Most 0-2 First Round Comebacks
Three teams came back from a 0-2 deficit in the first round of the 2014 playoffs.
How Many Teams Have Come Back From 0-2 in the Stanley Cup Final?
Since 1971, only the Pittsburgh Penguins and Bruins defied the Stanley Cup odds and won the final after losing the first two games.
The Bruins are the only team to do the double, winning both the first round and the Stanley Cup Final after losing the first two games.
Last Time a Team Won the Stanley Cup After Losing First Two Games
In 2011, the Bruins lost the first two games on the road to the Vancouver Canucks before winning four of five to secure the Stanley Cup.
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