(3-0) Series/Staving Off Elimination Notes

Other than the 4 game sweeps by the two conference top seeds, Colorado (‘Lanche) vs L.A. (Kings) and Carolina (Hurricanes) vs Ottawa (Sens), NHL teams facing elimination are (4-0) in those games thus far, this ‘offs season.

Telling, perhaps very telling, and certainly evoking history, is that two of those games were Pittsburgh Penguins’ wins vs the Philadelphia Flyers, making the series standing (3-2) Philly, with #6 a home Flyers’ game tonight, but an ominous #7 at Pittsburgh looming, on Saturday.

Four NHL teams have overcome (3-0) series deficits, which of course is what the Pens are hoping to do and the Flyers desperately want to avoid (by the way, I refuse the initials and recall the great Shirley MacLaine expressing her dislike of such usage, the NBA Philadelphia 76ers, huge underdogs in the tilt, won for a second time at Boston, facing elimination last night. Can I “trust” the Celtics, who so often beat my teams, but lost to ones I wanted them to record victories “vs.” , ) two of those series involving “opposite” results and these two teams (the Flyers and Penguins).

In 1975 , the upstart New York Islanders though down 3 games to none in that “quarter,” won game 7 at Pittsburgh (Ed Westfall had the game’s lone goal, Glenn “Chico” Resch was in goal for the Isles and it marked the first of what would be nine Isles semis appearances in ten seasons, missing only in ’78 (Lanny McDonald’s #7/OT goal sinking that).

Conversely the Flyers down three games to none and also (3-0) in #7, vs the Boston Bruins, managed to prevail, that in 2010. The 2026 Bruins avoided elimination winning (2-1) in OT at Buffalo last night, however the Sabres, who as is the case with the Celts, won both road tilts contested thus far in the current series (each now has a #6 such upcoming), still lead the prelim 3 games to 2.

Finally, Edmonton (Oilers) won (4-1) at home last night but trail the Anaheim Ducks 3 games to 2.