According to the Washington Post, this marks the 10th instance in 210 attempts where an NHL team has managed to come back from a 3-0 deficit.
What’s surprising is that this gives a 4.7% chance of tying the series after being down 3-0, which seems quite high, equating to roughly 20 to 1 odds.
For context, the Leafs lost 11 consecutive games where they could have clinched a playoff series, a situation with less than a 1% probability. Buster Douglas knocking out Mike Tyson was even more improbable than a 3-0 comeback. Additionally, the chance of a perfect game in baseball is just 0.1%.
So, a 3-0 comeback isn’t exceptionally rare; it’s the circumstances of being down 3-0 that are less common. Yet, only one hockey team has ever achieved this in the Finals, and that team is the Leafs.
While it’s notable to hold a unique accomplishment, I’d much rather see the Florida Panthers become infamous for the biggest choke in history than celebrate a Leafs’ feat from 40 years before I was born.
I hope the Oilers pull it off. I don’t care if they’re packed with former Leafs or if I have to hear about the Zach Hyman contract every day forever—this potential comeback is thrilling.
I hope Zach Hyman scores a hat trick and sets an all-time goals record as the Oilers win the best Stanley Cup Final in decades.