Three Teams That Overcame 3-2 Stanley Cup Finals Deficits

For the second straight year, the Edmonton Oilers find themselves in quite the pickle in the Stanley Cup finals. This time last year, the Canadian outfit was rallying to overturn a 3-0 series deficit against the Florida Panthers, a task they were successful in. Well, that was until the Cats downed them in Game 7 to claim a 4-3 series victory and a first championship in franchise history. 

This year, the two sides reached the Finals once again, marking the first immediate championship rematch in 16 years. And it looked as though the story would follow a different narrative when the Oilers won game one. However, once again, just as they did 12 months ago, Edmonton find themselves trailing. 

Heading into Game Five, online sportsbooks made last season's beaten finalists the favorites to secure the series lead. Websites such as the popular Thunderpick Sportsbook listed the Oilers as the 2.38 betting favorite to secure the victory on home turf and hopefully go on to claim the title. Instead, they suffered a humbling 5-2 loss at Rogers Place, and they are now staring down the barrel at a daunting 3-2 series deficit once again. 

With Game 6 looming in Sunrise, the Canadian side is grappling with a stark reality—only 26 teams in Finals history have rebounded from this position to claim the Cup. But don’t fret, Oil Country, this isn’t uncharted territory. With the star power of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, all hope is not lost, and your team could yet follow in the footsteps of these three teams who successfully managed to overturn a 3-2 deficit and claim the championship. 

Boston Bruins

If there’s one team that knew how to claw its way out of tight spots, it was the 2011 Boston Bruins. They had already built up a reputation for theatrics, having battled through a nail-biting first-round clash against Montreal and a game thriller against Tampa Bay in the conference finals. By the time they reached the Finals, they had another mountain to climb in the form of the Vancouver Canucks, the best team in the league that year. 

By Game 5, the Beantown outfit's situation was bleak. The Canucks had stifled their offense on Vancouver ice, holding them to a mere two goals across three losses. Down 3-2 in the series, the Bruins returned to the TD Garden with their backs against the wall. What followed was nothing short of electric. 

Under a mountain of pressure in Game 6, they secured a thumping 5-2 win. Returning to Rogers Arena for a decider? A Tim Thomas masterclass, shutting out the Canucks in a 4-0 statement victory. 

Net-minder Thomas became a living legend following his exploits, ensuring his name would forever be etched on the Conn Smythe Trophy. Fast forward to 2025's Oilers, and the Bruins offer a valuable blueprint for getting the job done away from home and believing in your goaltender. Although considering this season's displays, you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes Stuart Skinner has a little Thomas-like magic in him. 

Pittsburgh Penguins

Throughout the late 2000s, the Detroit Red Wings were the NHL's undisputed dynasty. With a roster brimming with Hall of Famers and one of the most menacing forechecks the league has ever known, the Motor City side romped to the 2008 title, defeating Sidney Crosby's Pittsburgh Penguins to claim the crown. The following year, much like with the Oilers and the Panthers 16 years on, the two teams met in a rematch, and Sid the Kid and Co. were determined to get revenge. 

By Game 5, however, it looked like history might repeat itself. The Penguins were humiliated in Detroit, slumping to a 5-0 defeat and handing the reigning champions a 3-2 series lead. At that point, most teams would have folded, but not this lot. Rallying on home ice in the penultimate game, they managed to eke out a hard-fought 2-1 win to keep the series alive. The real magic, though, came in Game 7. 

Playing on enemy territory, Max Talbot delivered a stunning pair of goals to give his side a surprise 2-1 lead. Then, deep into the game's dying embers, netminder Marc-Andre Fleury cemented his legacy with a game-saving block on Nicklas Lidstrom to protect the lead and help his side to a first Stanley Cup in 17 years. 

The message for Edmonton? Superstars are great, but unsung heroes and timely goaltending can flip the script. 

Tampa Bay Lightning

Before they were a dynasty, the Tampa Bay Lightning were underdogs, scrapping and clawing their way to their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2004. That season’s matchup paired them with the Calgary Flames, a squad that seemingly ran on grit and Miikka Kiprusoff’s goaltending alone. In Game 5, the Canadian side secured a 3-2 grip on the series, thanks to Oleg Saprykin's last-gasp overtime winner, and it seemed as though they had their opponents' gritty underdog narrative firmly in check. 

Enter more overtime, nay double-overtime, dramatics. Undersized dynamo Martin St. Louis delivered an unforgettable winner in Game 6 in front of a raucous home crowd, forcing a decider that was less about skills and more about sheer willpower. Back in Tampa, the Russian double act of Ruslan Fedotenko and Nikolai Khabibulin came to the fore, with the former bagging a brace and the latter standing tall between the pipes to secure a 2-1 victory and the championship.