Underdog up 2-0, game 3 goes to OT...

[vadim sharifijanov]

2020, defending champion Blues are down 2-0 to the young upstart Canucks. The Blues have been the better team but the Canucks have ridden some luck and opportunistic scoring to take the first two games. Game 3 goes to overtime; do the Blues go down meekly or fight back? It's the latter, and then they win game 4 in convincing fashion. This series is not over but it's a whole new series now, and it hinged on that game 3 overtime.

insofar as this thread is about momentum, that series turned again. in game five, with the canucks being absolutely dominated and trailing 3-1, j.t. miller scores a lunch pail goal totally against the grain of the play. the blues are having their way with the canucks, basically eating them for lunch, ryan o'reilly is personally outscoring the canucks 6 to 4 over the previous seven periods, and miller carries the puck from behind the net to the crease and just jams and jams until it's in. seven bodies in the slot and he manages to keep the puck alive and poke it past allen.

here's the goal, cued to start:



vancouver scores two more before the period is up, including a beauty breakaway by motte, and hang on in the third for the win. then they steamroll st louis in game six and that's the series.

another example of this, albeit by a team that wasn't the underdog, is nj vs anaheim in 2003. new jersey wins the first two games, as expected, with brodeur pitching back to back shutouts. then giguere takes games three in OT and becomes giguere again in game four, pitching a 1-0 OT shutout. midway through game five it's tied 3-3, with the teams basically trading goals. then pandolfo kicks one in and they review it but it counts.

langenbrunner scores two more in the third to take the game 6-3. anaheim wins game six in the famous kariya concussion game but game seven is never competitive and nj gets its third 3-0 win of the series. cue crying giguere.

idk, i guess maybe you could kind of call nj the underdog insofar as anaheim going into the finals had only lost two games and giguere was sporting a 1.22 GAA/.960 SV%...?

 

[Hockey Stathead]

Dallas vs. Vegas in Game 3 last night?

Vegas up 2-0 in series and Game 3 goes to OT (Dallas wins).

Vegas is not a run-of-the-mill underdog (defending champions + playoff roster better than regular season roster), but Dallas was favored pre-series in betting markets and by statistical models.

 

[seventieslord]

Dallas vs. Vegas in Game 3 last night?

Vegas up 2-0 in series and Game 3 goes to OT (Dallas wins).

Vegas is not a run-of-the-mill underdog (defending champions + playoff roster better than regular season roster), but Dallas was favored pre-series in betting markets and by statistical models.

Thank you for posting. I appreciate that people keep threads like this updated when there are new instances.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

The Sharks era of being chokers basically started with blowing that 2006 EDM series.

I think it's revisionist history to paint the Sharks before 06 as chokers because of what happened later.

Prior to 06, the Sharks were usually a darkhorse/underdog. The 04 West Finals vs CGY was the first time they were probably expected to win a series after round one, but that was a completely different Sharks team than the one we would soon remember as underachievers. I don't think the 04 team was anyone's trendy Cup pick

That 04 team was the last gasp for the Damphousse/Ricci era overachievers and weren't an overwhelming favorite to beat the Flames.

That Oiler series where they blew the 2-0 series lead really was the start of that Sharks being typecast as chokers that fell short when a trendy Cup Final pick. And if they don't blow that EDM series, the seed of doubt that was first planted may not have become what it became.

The Sharks as chokers era started with that EDM series.

If they had beaten EDM.... remember, the Ducks did not have Pronger and ANA was still riding Bryzgalov going into that series so they don't have that seed of chokers had they faced the Ducks.

Everyone tells me that the Torres hit on Michalek, which should have resulted in a suspension but didn't, had an impact on the Sharks Oilers series.

 

[Doctor Coffin]

April 11, 1987 - The Winnipeg Jets had won the first two games of the Smythe Division semifinal in Calgary. Game three went to overtime but the Flames won as Mike Bullard slipped a shot under Daniel Berthiaume's glove. The Jets would go on to win the series in six games, however, the last playoff series win by the (old) Winnipeg Jets.

 

[JianYang]

- 2006, the 7th seed Montreal Canadiens took a 2-0 series lead against the Carolina Hurricanes, and Game 3 went to Overtime. Carolina won Game 3, won the series in 6 games, and eventually won the Stanley Cup.

Boston in 2011 against montreal.

The Habs took the first two games on the road. I believe the 3rd game went to OT and the bruins won 1-0 on the road.

On second thought that may have been game 4 but correct me if wrong.

Either way, that series went to game 7 ot, and it was crucial for Boston to win that 1-0 or we are not talking about any cup for Boston at all.

 

[JianYang]

A significant factor in this series—which happened in Game 3 (!)—was Justin Williams injuring Saku Koivu in the eye. This is still well-remembered by Montreal fans. Koivu was on fire too and his injury shifted the momentum in Carolina's favor.

Unfortunately, this is the incident that pops into my head when someone says the name Justin Williams.

The other image is some bozo barging into koivu's hospital room and taking a picture of his condition. That picture made the front page of the paper.

 

[Jim MacDonald]

Devils outshoot the Flyers by significant amounts in all 6 games.

Then the Devils outshoot the Red Wings by significant amounts in all 4 games in the finals.

Boy talk about a "premonition" of the 95 finals....I'm blown away learning that the Flyers got stifled shotwise JUST like the Wings....wow.....wow does it seem stupid the Wings were heavily favored....jeez!

 

[Doctor Coffin]

Boy talk about a "premonition" of the 95 finals....I'm blown away learning that the Flyers got stifled shotwise JUST like the Wings....wow.....wow does it seem stupid the Wings were heavily favored....jeez!

I don't think so...New Jersey was just on a roll and derailed them. Consider, the Red Wings had a regular-season .729 winning percentage, were the President's trophy winners and had cruised to the finals with a 12-2 playoff record, they had won the conference final series against Chicago 4-1 while holding the lead for just over 16 minutes of the entire series, so they should have been prepared for dealing with a tough opponent. New Jersey missed the playoffs the following season, but 1995 was their year.

 

[Ace36758]

Caps pens in 2009 is another example, although I’m not sure pens were the dogs. I think the teams were pretty close in the standings, but Washington was better if I recall.
Caps take the first two games in Washington and game 3 is a hard fought battle that goes to OT. I think malkin may have only had 1 point but it’s one of the best games I’ve ever seen a player play. Letang scores off a face off to win the game and the rest is history.

 

[Hockeyville USA]

Caps pens in 2009 is another example, although I’m not sure pens were the dogs. I think the teams were pretty close in the standings, but Washington was better if I recall.
Caps take the first two games in Washington and game 3 is a hard fought battle that goes to OT. I think malkin may have only had 1 point but it’s one of the best games I’ve ever seen a player play. Letang scores off a face off to win the game and the rest is history.

I believe that shot deflected off a Capitals' stick and in. Just shows how much this game involves bounces