It's May 30, 2018. The Vegas Golden Knights find themselves down to the Washington Capitals in game two of the Stanley Cup Final, 3-2. But there's no panic because Vegas won the first game and was charging to tie it in the second. Shea Theodore scored a power play goal with just over two minutes left to play beforehand
Here comes Alex Tuch with a golden opportunity to tie the game. He stands before the net, getting his shot off with two minutes left. Washington Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby is out of position and with no way to recover. Tuch shoots! He...
...Doesn't score. Holtby makes a miraculous stick save to preserve the Capitals' lead, winning them the game. It turns out that this was the momentum shift Washington needed, for they would come back and win the series, 4-1. The Golden Knights missed an opportunity to finish their "Cinderella" story, with the team being burned by another comeback the next season.
This led to head coach Gerard Gallant being fired and a massive shakeup hitting the team. Granted, Vegas would win the Stanley Cup in 2023, finishing their story. However, the franchise was denied a chance to bring it home the first time because of an awe-inspiring save.
But back to the comeback angle. The Washington Capitals comeback in that series wasn't even close to being the largest in Stanley Cup Final history. There's been plenty of teams to regain their composure after losing the first game to win it all. So what is the largest comeback in the championship round? Which NHL team pulled off the biggest miracle of them all?
The Toronto Maple Leafs pulled off a 3-0 comeback in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final against the Detroit Red Wings
Times were drastically different in 1942 than they were today. Streaming, let alone color television, wasn't even a thought, nor were the Vegas Golden Knights. The Canadian hockey teams actually won Stanley Cups compared to their southern neighbors. It also involved the Toronto Maple Leafs completing the biggest comeback in Stanley Cup Final history.
Down 3-0, the Maple Leafs won their next four games to stun the Detroit Red Wings. The victory would be the fourth Stanley Cup for the franchise, with head coach Hap Day winning his first title. Granted, the Red Wings finished that season 19-25-4, indicating the bottom would eventually fall out. But Toronto's fortunes would change in the third period of game four, where they would score the next two goals to win, 4-3.
Currently, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves down, 1-0, to the Florida Panthers. Compared to the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final next season, they couldn't solve Sergei Bobrovsky (32 saves on Saturday). However, there's still time in the series to make a good comeback. Just ask the Washington Capitals in 2018.