Tweet
The Sabres already cracked one sliver of history with their Game Four win. They are the first team to finish with the league’s best record, fall behind by three games in a playoff series and avoid getting swept.
The 1949 Detroit Red Wings, 1970 Chicago Blackhawks, 1988 Calgary Flames and 1995 Red Wings all had the most points in the league but were swept in their elimination series.
The Sabres, of course, are trying to match the 1975 New York Islanders (against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals) and 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (against Detroit in the finals) as the only NHL teams to wipe out 3-0 deficits.
The Islanders never trailed at any point in Games Four through Seven and won Games Five (4-2) and Seven (1-0) on the road. The Leafs followed the path the Sabres hope to take with wins in Five (9-3) and Seven (3-1) on home ice.
One forgotten point about the ’75 Islanders: They almost won back-to-back series in which they trailed, 3-0. In the semifinals against Philadelphia, the Isles were shut out in two of the first three games but recovered to win Game Four in overtime, 4-3. They won Game Five at Philly, 5-1, and Game Six at home, 2-1.
The Flyers then trotted out Kate Smith for a live presentation of “God Bless America” before Game Seven and survived for a 4-1 win to advance to the finals, where they beat the Sabres to claim their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/78481.html
The 1949 Detroit Red Wings, 1970 Chicago Blackhawks, 1988 Calgary Flames and 1995 Red Wings all had the most points in the league but were swept in their elimination series.
The Sabres, of course, are trying to match the 1975 New York Islanders (against Pittsburgh in the quarterfinals) and 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs (against Detroit in the finals) as the only NHL teams to wipe out 3-0 deficits.
The Islanders never trailed at any point in Games Four through Seven and won Games Five (4-2) and Seven (1-0) on the road. The Leafs followed the path the Sabres hope to take with wins in Five (9-3) and Seven (3-1) on home ice.
One forgotten point about the ’75 Islanders: They almost won back-to-back series in which they trailed, 3-0. In the semifinals against Philadelphia, the Isles were shut out in two of the first three games but recovered to win Game Four in overtime, 4-3. They won Game Five at Philly, 5-1, and Game Six at home, 2-1.
The Flyers then trotted out Kate Smith for a live presentation of “God Bless America” before Game Seven and survived for a 4-1 win to advance to the finals, where they beat the Sabres to claim their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/78481.html
Comment