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In the Stanley Cup playoffs, there is nothing quite like a Game 7 scenario.
And this postseason will be like few others with an amazing five hockey Game 7’s playing out over the weekend amidst the backdrop of the eight first round playoff series where only the Florida Panthers, St. Louis Blues and the Colorado Avalanche have already advanced.
It's the second-best Stanley Cup playoff first round since all the way back in 1992 when six of the opening round playoff series got all the way to a full seven games.
Instead, there will be a do-or-die day of Game 7’s on Saturday with the Boston Bruins/Carolina Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs/Tampa Bay Lightning and Edmonton Oilers/LA Kings on tap, and then two more on Sunday with Calgary Flames/Dallas Stars and New York Rangers/Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s true that some of the most electric hockey playoff series only arrive in the first round, but it’s not every postseason we are treated to so many where anything could happen.
It's also indicative of the kind of parity that we saw all season in the Eastern Conference where there was just a sliver of a difference between those top eight teams, and now three of the four games will be pushed to the brink. For the NHL players, these Game 7 scenarios are exactly why they play the game and what they dreamed about firing pucks in the driveway as kids.
“It’s what’s at stake, right? Everything is on the line. It brings back memories of why you play the game…for those moments,” said Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron. “It’s a do-or-die game scenario. It’s fun to be a part of.”
The Bruins and Hurricanes have served out beatdowns to the other at their home barn in each of the first six games, so it will be interesting to see how it plays out on Saturday afternoon at the loud, raucous PNC Arena.
Perhaps the most interesting of them all on Saturday will be the Maple Leafs and Lightning, a battle between a team of Toronto players looking to be the next great NHL team against a Tampa Bay group trying to hang on after back-to-back Stanley Cup titles. There are jobs and legacies riding on things in Toronto as likely Hart Trophy winner Auston Matthews needs to at least win a playoff series before he can ever be considered one of the NHL’s generational players.
"What's in the past is in the past, man," said Matthews, after the Leafs couldn’t close things in Game 6 vs. Tampa Bay. "We can't change that now. It's about this next game and going out there with a purpose, and with details, and just competing for 60 minutes or whatever it takes. We just gotta put our balls on the line and go for it.
"We have a great opportunity on home ice, Game 7, do or die, win or go home, and we should be excited about that opportunity.”
If the Maple Leafs don’t at least win a round or two this postseason, you can bet there will be changes coming.
There’s a similar undercurrent with the Oilers/Kings showdown where Edmonton has all the pressure on them to advance with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. There have been doubters all season-long when it comes to McDavid’s ability to carry a team in a playoff series, and thus far he’s leading all NHL players with 12 playoff points while Evander Kane has exploded for seven goals in the seven-game series.
The fiery Kane even gave out the hand signal after the 7th one for those that haven’t been keeping track at home.
Across all these games, there will be a ripple of excitement as it’s a one-game playoff where there will be heroes and goats, and legacies built, questioned or even torn down based on the way players respond to the mounting pressure.
For a player like Bergeron participating in his 13th career Game 7, it comes down to relishing the moment and remembering that these are opportunities NHL players work year-round to be ready for when the times comes.
“You’ve got to enjoy it. That’s why we play the game,” said Bergeron, who has three goals and six points in six games thus far in the series. “You need to make sure you relish the moment and make sure you make the most of it, obviously. Obviously, the adrenaline and the energy is increased, but at the end of the day it’s still a game of hockey.
“It’s a game of inches and one bounce can change everything, but what I’ve learned is you need to stay with it and stay the course from the first whistle to the end. It’s not always the easiest thing to do, but it’s the biggest thing you need to concentrate on. I’ve played in a lot of them. It’s what it is…staying the course and sticking to the program.”
So sit back, relax (if you can) and enjoy on Saturday, hockey fans, because it will seventh heaven all weekend with Game 7s as far as the eye can see. It doesn’t happen often at all, so drink it all in while it’s here.
