The NHL should be deep into postseason action, but with the start of 2019-20 playoffs delayed, theScore's hockey editors are picking their favorite Game 7s from years past.
On Wednesday, we look back at the deciding contest of the Philadelphia Flyers' unprecedented comeback against the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals.
The setup
With several teams jockeying for playoff berths through the final weeks of the 2009-10 regular season, Boston closed out the campaign with three straight wins to comfortably secure the Eastern Conference's sixth seed. The Flyers' season, on the other hand, culminated in a win-and-you're-in contest against the New York Rangers on the final day of the campaign, a game Philadelphia won in one of the most memorable shootouts in NHL history.
The Bruins and Flyers both pulled off upsets in the opening round of the postseason. Riding the momentum of its late-season playoff push, Philadelphia steamrolled the second-seeded New Jersey Devils in five games. Boston, meanwhile, knocked off the third-seeded Buffalo Sabres in six.
The series
The Bruins took a pair of one-goal contests on home ice, including a 5-4 overtime thriller in Game 1, before pushing the Flyers to the brink with a dominant 4-1 win in Philadelphia.
Down 3-0 in the series, the Flyers faced sudden-death elimination as Game 4 went to overtime. Philly wouldn't lay down, though, as star forward Simon Gagne delivered the game-winner in the extra frame to catalyze a comeback for the ages.
Philadelphia's convincing 4-0 win in Game 5 came at a hefty cost when starting netminder Brian Boucher was forced from the tilt with a leg injury, further dampening his team's comeback chances. But in Game 6, backup Michael Leighton made 30 saves in his first career playoff start to lead the Flyers to a 2-1 victory and set up a seventh and decisive contest.
The game
It appeared the Flyers' miraculous comeback would fall short after the Bruins leapt out to a 3-0 first-period lead in front of a raucous Boston crowd. But Philadelphia's fight in the contest matched its resilience in the series: The Bruins let another 3-0 lead slip away as the Flyers stormed back to win 4-3. Philadelphia became just the third team in NHL history to win a playoff series after trailing 3 games to none, and the first to do so after facing a multi-goal deficit in Game 7.
The stars: The Flyers' game-breakers were there when the team needed them most. Despite registering just one assist between them, Chris Pronger and Mike Richards were dominant all over the ice in Game 7. Pronger led all players with 31:42 of ice time, including a 1:43 shift to end the game, while Richards paced all forwards by playing 22:21, primarily against the Bruins' top unit.
Philadelphia's line of Daniel Briere, Scott Hartnell, and Ville Leino was sensational, combining for six points in the second and third periods. Briere, undoubtedly the Flyer's most valuable player of the series with five goals and 10 points, notched the game-tying tally in Game 7.
The hero, once again, was played by Gagne. After missing Games 1-3 due to injury, Gagne potted his second game-winning goal of the series as the Flyers improved to 4-0 with him in their postseason lineup.
The X-factor: After allowing three goals on the first 13 shots he faced, Leighton locked things down to give the Flyers a chance. The backup netminder made 12 straight stops to end the game, highlighted by a point-blank save on Marc Savard with 3:50 remaining in the third period. Making just his second career postseason start, Leighton never wavered following a rocky first period.
The key moment: With nine minutes left in the third frame and the score tied 3-3, Bruins forward Milan Lucic came inches from putting Boston back on top when he clanked a heavy wrist shot off the post. Not only did the score remain even, but the Bruins were caught with too many men on the ice just 15 seconds later. With all the momentum tilted in Philadelphia's favor, that costly near-miss and subsequent error proved the difference.
The highlight
On the ensuing power play, Gagne found twine with a perfect shot over the shoulder of Tuukka Rask to put the Flyers ahead 4-3 with seven minutes left in regulation. The rest is history.
The fallout
The Flyers continued their Cinderella run, knocking off a red-hot Jaroslav Halak and the Montreal Canadiens in the third round to reach their first Stanley Cup Final since 1996-97. Unfortunately, the club's miracle season was halted by a juggernaut Chicago Blackhawks team that defeated Philadelphia in six games for the first of its three Stanley Cups of the decade.
The Bruins took their embarrassing collapse personally and came back stronger because of it. After establishing another 3-0 series lead over the Flyers in the second round of the 2011 playoffs, Boston completed the sweep with conviction, outscoring the Flyers 20-7 in the series. The Bruins rode that momentum to a third-round knockout of the Tampa Bay Lightning before upsetting the Presidents' Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in seven games to capture their first Stanley Cup since 1972.
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