It Might Be 'the Most Significant Hockey Game Ever'

The NHL championship will be decided Monday night, and an extra dose of drama comes along with the game. The Florida Panthers led the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in the best-of-seven finals, but the Oilers have won three straight to force Game 7.

• 82 years: No team has come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NHL finals since the Toronto Maple Leafs did so against Detroit in 1942, reports NHL.com. In fact, that's the only time any team has rebounded from a 3-0 finals deficit to win a championship in the NHL, the MLB, or the NBA, per the Athletic.

• Biggest bust? If the Panthers were to lose Monday, would it qualify as the biggest collapse in league history? No question about it, writes Sean McIndoe at the Athletic. The 1942 comeback was so long ago (and Detroit had finished fifth in a seven-team league) that there's no comparison. The tougher question is whether it would be the biggest collapse in sports history. Should the Panthers lose, it would at least be in the conversation, argues McIndoe.
• The hype: Consider this opening from Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox: "The most significant NHL game ever? Probably. Rarely, perhaps never, has so much history and consequence been riding on a single NHL contest. Game 7 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, whether it's won by the Florida Panthers or the Edmonton Oilers, will make history." (For Florida, the history would be the franchise's first Cup.)
• Connor vs. Bob: The Oilers are led by Connor McDavid, arguably the best player in the game. Does he need a Stanley Cup to secure his legacy? The Edmonton Journal explores. Much attention in Florida, meanwhile, is focused on elite goalie Sergei Bobrovsky—aka "Bob." He was "conspicuously absent" from a team practice on Sunday, notes NHL.com, though the Panthers say the 35-year-old was just getting some extra rest.

(More NHL stories.)