YOU BLEW IT! Teams blowing 2-0, 3-1 or 3-0 series leads

[sonic92]

In the playoffs, getting an early lead in the series can usually put you in a good position to ultimately win. However, it's no guarantee, even when it's 2-0, 3-1 or hell even a 3-0 lead. We're looking at every team and how many series they lost after having one of those leads.

Montreal Canadiens
- 1962 vs Chicago (up 2-0)
- 1984 vs NY Islanders (up 2-0)
- 1996 vs NY Rangers (up 2-0)
- 2006 vs Carolina (up 2-0)
- 2011 vs Boston (up 2-0)

Toronto Maple Leafs
- 1977 vs Philadelphia (up 2-0)
- 1987 vs Detroit (up 2-0 and 3-1)
- 1995 vs Chicago (up 2-0)

Boston Bruins
- 1945 vs Detroit (up 2-0)
- 1959 vs Toronto (up 2-0)
- 1982 vs Quebec (up 2-0)
- 1991 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0)
- 1994 vs New Jersey (up 2-0)
- 2004 vs Montreal (up 2-0 and 3-1)
- 2010 vs Philadelphia (up 3-0)

Chicago Blackhawks
- 1963 vs Detroit (up 2-0)
- 1971 vs Montreal (up 2-0)

Detroit Red Wings
- 1942 vs Toronto (up 3-0)
- 1965 vs Chicago (up 2-0)
- 1966 vs Montreal (up 2-0)
- 1991 vs St. Louis (up 3-1)
- 1993 vs Toronto (up 2-0)
- 1999 vs Colorado (up 2-0)
- 2001 vs Los Angeles (up 2-0)
- 2009 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0)
- 2013 vs Chicago (up 3-1)

New York Rangers
- 1968 vs Chicago (up 2-0)
- 2009 vs Washington (up 2-0 and 3-1)

Los Angeles Kings
- 1968 vs Minnesota (up 2-0)

Dallas Stars/Minnesota North Stars
- 1972 vs St. Louis (up 2-0)
- 1992 vs Detroit (up 2-0 and 3-1)

Philadelphia Flyers
- 1988 vs Washington (up 3-1)
- 2000 vs New Jersey (up 3-1)

Pittsburgh Penguins
- 1975 vs NY Islanders (up 3-0)
- 2000 vs Philadelphia (up 2-0)
- 2011 vs Tampa Bay (up 3-1)
- 2014 vs NY Rangers (up 3-1)

St. Louis Blues
- 2003 vs Vancouver (up 3-1)
- 2013 vs Los Angeles (up 2-0)
- 2014 vs Chicago (up 2-0)

Buffalo Sabres
- 1976 vs NY Islanders (up 2-0)

Vancouver Canucks
- 2002 vs Detroit (up 2-0)
- 2003 vs Minnesota (up 3-1)
- 2011 vs Boston (up 2-0)

Calgary Flames
- 1994 vs Vancouver (up 3-1)

New York Islanders
- 1978 vs Toronto (up 2-0)

New Jersey Devils
- none

Washington Capitals
- 1985 vs NY Islanders (up 2-0)
- 1987 vs NY Islanders (up 3-1)
- 1992 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0 and 3-1)
- 1995 vs Pittsburgh (up 3-1)
- 1996 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0)
- 2003 vs Tampa Bay (up 2-0)
- 2009 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0)
- 2010 vs Montreal (up 3-1)
- 2013 vs NY Rangers (up 2-0)
- 2015 vs NY Rangers (up 3-1)
- 2019 vs Carolina (up 2-0)

Edmonton Oilers
- 1989 vs Los Angeles (up 3-1)
- 2017 vs Anaheim (up 2-0)

Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers
- 1987 vs Quebec (up 2-0)

Colorado Avalanche/Quebec Nordiques
- 1987 vs Montreal (up 2-0)
- 1993 vs Montreal (up 2-0)
- 1998 vs Edmonton (up 3-1)
- 2003 vs Minnesota (up 3-1)
- 2014 vs Minnesota (up 2-0)

Arizona/Phoenix Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets 1.0
- 1990 vs Edmonton (up 3-1)
- 1992 vs Vancouver (up 3-1)
- 1999 vs St. Louis (up 3-1)

San Jose Sharks
- 2006 vs Edmonton (up 2-0)
- 2014 vs Los Angeles (up 3-0)

Ottawa Senators
- none

Tampa Bay Lightning
- none

Anaheim Ducks
- none

Florida Panthers
- none

Nashville Predators
- none

Winnipeg Jets 2.0
- none

Columbus Blue Jackets
- 2018 vs Washington (up 2-0)

Minnesota Wild
- none

Vegas Golden Knights
- 2019 vs San Jose (up 3-1)

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[HisIceness]

The Hurricanes were a Bruins OT goal away from blowing a 3-1 series lead in 2009. Thank God for Scott Walker, and Cam Ward. The 2006 Finals also took 7 games after Carolina took a 3-1 series lead.

I didn't know the Whalers blew a 2-0 series lead in 1987. That was the first year the league introduced the best of 7 in the first round wasn't it?

 

[bobholly39]

Lol at Washington

 

[LeafsNation75]

In 2019 Vegas also lost Game 6 in double overtime on a shorthanded goal against which set up that Game 7 against San Jose.

So even though they got screwed on that 5:00 major which should have been no more then a 2:00 penalty, it's their own fault for even having to play a Game 7 to start with.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

So teams don't often blow even 2-0 leads.

 

[Sadekuuro]

So teams don't often blow even 2-0 leads.

Nope, a 2-0 lead results in a series win 86.4% of the time.

 

[Langdon Alger]

2011 Canucks baby!

 

[Mandar]

Rangers didn’t play Chicago in the 1968 playoffs.

 

[Doctor No]

Rangers didn’t play Chicago in the 1968 playoffs.

They not only played Chicago in the 1968 playoffs, they had a 2-0 series lead before dropping four straight:
1967-1968 New York Rangers Goaltender Game-by-Game Performance

 

[VanIslander]

Washington Capitals
- 1992 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0 and 3-1)
- 1995 vs Pittsburgh (up 3-1)
- 1996 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0)
...
- 2009 vs Pittsburgh (up 2-0)

Us Caps fans know this well.

 

[GMR]

Man, that hurts.

Three of Detroit's happened in the Finals. I don't see any other team with two such losses in the Finals. Not as bad when it happens in an earlier round. Good indication that team wasn't going far anyway.

 

[Breakers]

I paid more attention to the team on the right, and how many times in their history they have come back.

 

[BlueBull]

How common is it for a Team to have a 3-1 Lead and the series goes to 7 games?

Because I feel it's relatively common, like every 2 Years or so.

 

[brachyrynchos]

Washington oh Washington.
I don't know what was worse, blowing those leads when they had home ice or when they didn't.
Maybe this is the year! Nope. (Sigh)

 

[c9777666]

They not only played Chicago in the 1968 playoffs, they had a 2-0 series lead before dropping four straight:
1967-1968 New York Rangers Goaltender Game-by-Game Performance

The best year by any Rangers team since the 40s and they blow a 2-0 lead against a CHI team that fell off from 1st place in 67 and lost Glenn hall. This was before Tony O. so they blew a 2-0 lead to...... Denis Dejordy, a transition year in between HOF Blackhawks goalies.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

one thing that might be interesting is collecting a list of "turning points" in these series and seeing if they tell us anything about momentum or the rhythm of a series, or whether these kinds of narratives are overblown and/or more imagined than real.

from vancouver, one was 1992, game five against winnipeg, seconds left in the first period, sandlak gets his stick on a bure point shot, this is from memory but the tip is from way out and it gets by tabaracci, who had been playing like a superstar up to that point. that puts vancouver up 2-0 going into the intermission. they score four more to open the third, before winnipeg finally gets on the board late in the second. 8-2 final score, tabaracci got pulled after goal #5. subsequent games were 8-3 and 5-0, both with tabaracci in net. he never started for anyone ever again.

then there was 2011 against boston, when, as the narrative goes, aaron rome "woke up" the bruins by rocking horton with a slightly late hit. that happened minutes into game three with the canucks up 2-0 in the series. game remained scoreless through one before boston opened the second with a goal by ference eleven seconds in, then three more before the period was up. ultimately, an 8-1 shellacking, including a bloodbath in the third period with 98 penalty minutes handed out. boston ultimately wins it in seven.

in 2002, we were up 2-0 on the ringer red wings and tied 1-1 at the end of the second when



shanahan adds one in the third to seal the victory, detroit doesn't lose again.

 

[seventieslord]

Lol at Washington

They are the runaway leaders in this and haven't even existed for half of NHL history

 

[Kyle McMahon]

It's mind blowing to realize that Philadelphia/New Jersey in 2000 is the only time a 3-1 lead has been blown in a Final OR semi-final since 1942. And yeah, that includes the Original Six years where the first round was of course the semi final. A 2-0 lead has been blown 11 times in comparison, though strangely enough only two 2-0 leads have been blown in the semi-final specifically since the 1968 expansion (Montreal 1984, Boston 1991).

I wouldn't say those Habs and Bruins teams are really thought to have blown those series. Certainly not Montreal, losing to the powerful Islanders after a bit of a surprise run to that point. Boston losing to all those Hall of Famers on Pittsburgh isn't exactly something to be ashamed of. Are the Flyers the only team since expansion to really blow a semi final series? Just one of those weird quirks I guess.

 

[VictoriaJetsFan]

This is a fantastic piece of research...well done.

 

[plusandminus]

Is being down 0-2 really that alarming, considering it might have just been two away games?
Winning two road games to go 2-0, and then blowing it, seems far "worse".

 

[c9777666]

It's mind blowing to realize that Philadelphia/New Jersey in 2000 is the only time a 3-1 lead has been blown in a Final OR semi-final since 1942. And yeah, that includes the Original Six years where the first round was of course the semi final. A 2-0 lead has been blown 11 times in comparison, though strangely enough only two 2-0 leads have been blown in the semi-final specifically since the 1968 expansion (Montreal 1984, Boston 1991).

We’ve had more almost blown 3-1 leads in the last two rounds since 1942 than actual blown 3-1 leads. The 2000 instance did happen, but there haven’t been THAT many 3-1 series going seven games in the finals/semis since the 40s. (1954 SCF, 2006 SCF, 2003 ECF, 2014 WCF).

for whatever reason, 2-0 and 3-1 series deficits in the last two rounds are usually the kiss Of death in a way it isn’t the first two rounds (Sharks last year, possibly Colorado this year)

 

[c9777666]

We may add a new team to this list in 24-48 hours

 

[HisIceness]

We may add a new team to this list in 24-48 hours

Well it won't be the Stars who like the 2009 'Canes, survive in OT.

We'll see how the Knights and Islanders do.

Edit: Knights survive, up to you now Islanders.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

We’ve had more almost blown 3-1 leads in the last two rounds since 1942 than actual blown 3-1 leads. The 2000 instance did happen, but there haven’t been THAT many 3-1 series going seven games in the finals/semis since the 40s. (1954 SCF, 2006 SCF, 2003 ECF, 2014 WCF).

for whatever reason, 2-0 and 3-1 series deficits in the last two rounds are usually the kiss Of death in a way it isn’t the first two rounds (Sharks last year, possibly Colorado this year)

Add SCF 1994 and 1987 to the almost blown list. 2003 East Final. 1975 Semi Final (almost a blown 3-0 lead). Could be another one or two I can't recall off hand.

There's some cases where an underdog jumped ahead 3-1 only for the favourite to get things sorted out and ultimately dodge a bullet, but it has actually been slightly more common for the favorite to blow a 3-1 lead than an underdog. Possibly a function of favourites building 3-1 leads more frequently, and therefore having more opportunities to blow them, but still interesting.

San Jose 2014, Washington 2010, Boston 2004, Colorado 2003 and 1998, Calgary 1994 stand out to me as particularly inexcusable collapses.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

Add SCF 1994 and 1987 to the almost blown list. 2003 East Final. 1975 Semi Final (almost a blown 3-0 lead). Could be another one or two I can't recall off hand.

There's some cases where an underdog jumped ahead 3-1 only for the favourite to get things sorted out and ultimately dodge a bullet, but it has actually been slightly more common for the favorite to blow a 3-1 lead than an underdog. Possibly a function of favourites building 3-1 leads more frequently, and therefore having more opportunities to blow them, but still interesting.

San Jose 2014, Washington 2010, Boston 2004, Colorado 2003 and 1998, Calgary 1994 stand out to me as particularly inexcusable collapses.

I remember the Montreal-Boston series in 2004. The Bruins were the better team and dictated the play those last three games. But Jose Theodore briefly reverted to his form from 2002 (stopping 97 of 100 shots) and Andrew Raycroft demonstrated the type of goalie he'd soon become.

That was the year Joe Thornton played with cracked or fractured ribs and was held scoreless. Nobody said much when the Bruins were up 3-1, but he faced intense criticism after the series.