Remember when the Vegas Golden Knights were up, 3-0, against the Dallas Stars in the Stanley Cup playoffs last season? Then the Stars won the next two games before being pummeled by the Golden Knights in the sixth game, 6-0. It was a crisis averted as Vegas won the Stanley Cup Final after that matchup.
However, they weren't as lucky this season, for those same Stars eliminated them in seven games. Behind a dominant neutral zone game and Jake Oettinger, the defending champions were bounced. But that leads to another question regarding this year's championship round. What do both of these series have to do with the matchup between the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers?
For one, the Oilers stopped a clean sweep from the Panthers, demolishing them in the fourth game, 8-1. Connor McDavid finally broke through in the series, scoring a goal and adding three assists. Sergei Bobrovsky was chased and the series heads back to the Sunshine State for the fifth game on Tuesday, June 18.
There will be some Edmonton fans that suddenly believe in a 4-3 victory (which has only once in the Stanley Cup Final; Toronto defeated Detroit in seven games and came back from a 3-0 deficit in 1942). So let's entertain the thought of a series going seven games in the championship round. How many times has it happened?
The Stanley Cup Final has gone to limit 17 times
The Stanley Cup Final has been decided in seven games 17 times, with the most recent occurrence being the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins. That happened in 2019 when the Blues defeated the Bruins in the deciding game, 4-1. It was the franchise's first Stanley Cup, prompting one of the funniest speeches of all time.
"WE. WENT. BLUES."
Never change, Brett Hull.
As far as the Vegas Golden Knights are concerned, both Stanley Cup Final appearances ended in five games. Last season, the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in five games, while they lost in five during their inaugural season to the Washington Capitals. Therefore, Vegas doesn't know much about losing or winning the final game of the series.
However, there have been some heartbreaking moments in the limit during the Stanley Cup playoffs, this year included. In 2018-19, Vegas lost in overtime to the San Jose Sharks in the seventh game, 5-4. This was where the controversial cross-checking call on Cody Eakin happened, prompting a San Jose power play that swung the momentum toward the Sharks.
Anyways, here's the list of Stanley Cup Final matchups to go the distance. This includes the team that won and the date.
Year | Result |
|---|---|
1942 | |
1945 | Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 |
1950 | Detroit Red Wings defeat the New York Rangers in double overtime, 4-3 |
1954 | Detroit Red Wings defeat the Montreal Canadiens in overtime, 2-1 |
1955 | Detroit Red Wings defeat the Montreal Canadiens, 3-1 |
1964 | Toronto Maple Leafs defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 4-0 |
1965 | Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Black Hawks, 4-0 |
1971 | Montreal Canadiens defeat the Chicago Black Hawks, 3-2 |
1987 | Edmonton Oilers defeat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1 |
1994 | New York Rangers defeat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 |
2001 | Colorado Avalanche defeat the New Jersey Devils, 3-1 |
2003 | New Jersey Devils defeat the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, 3-0 |
2004 | Tampa Bay Lightning defeat the Calgary Flames, 2-1 |
2006 | Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Edmonton Oilers, 3-1 |
2009 | Pittsburgh Penguins defeat the Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 |
2011 | Boston Bruins defeat the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0 |
2019 | St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins, 4-1 |