How many times has a team come back from a 3-0 deficit?

How many NHL teams have come back from a 3-0 series deficit? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Hockey miracles aren’t exclusive to the Olympics.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs are routinely one of the year’s most intense and unpredictable sporting events. Even when something appears certain, a game, series or championship can turn in an instant.

One of the rarest accomplishments in the NHL postseason is a 3-0 series comeback. Ahead of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final, 204 teams in NHL history have fallen behind 3-0 in a seven-game series. Nine of those teams were able to force a Game 7 and four completed the comeback for a series win.

A 2% chance does not bode well for the trailing team, but the NHL still has a more favorable history with 3-0 comebacks compared to the NBA and MLB. Only one MLB team has accomplished the feat and no team has ever done it in the NBA.

For any team seeking inspiration after falling behind 3-0, here are the four NHL squads to complete the turnaround:

The first 3-0 comeback in NHL history happened on the league’s biggest stage.

The Red Wings got off to a speedy start in the 1942 Stanley Cup Final. They picked up two wins in Toronto and scored five unanswered goals in Game 3 to take a 3-0 series lead.

The Maple Leafs countered with a come-from-behind win in Game 4 to finally get on the board. Game 5 was much easier, as the offense erupted for nine goals. Turk Broda followed that up with a shutout in Game 6 and put the Leafs on the precipice of the first 3-0 series comeback in playoff history.

Toronto completed the comeback and earned its fourth Stanley Cup with a 3-1 win at home in Game 7. Detroit opened the scoring in the second period, but the Maple Leafs netted three goals in the third en route to the title and the only 3-0 series comeback in Stanley Cup Final history.

Head coach Al Arbour’s decision to bench Billy Smith for Glenn “Chico” Resch saved the Islanders’ season and propelled them to an improbable comeback.

Smith…