No team in the NHL has more Game 7 experience than the Boston Bruins, whether you look at the entire history of the Stanley Cup Playoff or the last 15 years.
The Bruins defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 in Thursday night's Game 6 at TD Garden to force a decisive Game 7 at PNC Arena on Saturday night. It will be Boston's 29th Game 7, the most of any franchise. A favorable result this weekend would give them a record 16 Game 7 wins.
Why Bruins' great response to adversity in Game 6 should help them in Game 7
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The B's are 0-3 in Raleigh during this first-round series and have been outscored 15-4 in those losses. The last time they won Game 6 at home and then Game 7 on the road was the 2011 Stanley Cup Final. Boston ended its 39-year championship drought with a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
That triumph was the Bruins' best Game 7 of the last 15 years. There have been some other high points, including a historic third-period comeback and overtime win versus the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013. The lows are pretty memorable, too, most notably a 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues in Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final on home ice.
Beginning with the 2007-08 season, the Bruins have reached the playoffs 13 times in a 15-year span, including the current run. Saturday night's matchup in Carolina will be the Bruins' 13th Game 7 over that stretch. The B's are 6-6 in those games.
Here's a recap of the results:
- 2007-08: Lost to Canadiens 5-0 on the road in Round 1
- 2008-09: Lost to Hurricanes 3-2 (OT) at home in Round 2
- 2009-10: Lost to Flyers 4-3 at home in Round 2
- 2010-11: Beat Canadiens 4-3 (OT) at home in Round 1
- 2010-11: Beat Lightning 1-0 at home in East Final
- 2010-11: Beat Canucks 4-0 on the road in SCF
- 2011-12: Lost to Capitals 2-1 (OT) at home in Round 1
- 2012-13: Beat Leafs 5-4 (OT) at home in Round 1
- 2013-14: Lost to Canadiens 3-1 at home in Round 2
- 2017-18: Beat Leafs 7-4 at home in Round 1
- 2018-19: Beat Leafs 5-1 at home in Round 1
- 2018-19: Lost to Blues 4-1 at home in SCF
Teams that tied a series 3-3 to force a Game 7 own an all-time series record of 88-96. The Bruins are 1-11 all-time in series during which they trailed 3-2 and didn't have home ice advantage. Boston's road record in Game 7s overall is 1-4.
Boston Bruins
The Bruins have played awful in Raleigh this series, but a bunch of players on their roster have competed in multiple Game 7s and know what it's like to win them. That experience should serve them well Saturday night.