EDMONTON, Alberta — The Florida Panthers find themselves in the unfathomable position of now having to play a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final after having initially mounted a 3-0 lead in the series against the Edmonton Oilers.
After winning the first three games by scores of 3-0, 4-1 and 4-3, Florida has since lost Games 4-6 by scores of 8-1, 5-3, 5-1.
How have the Panthers fallen so fast once they got into a clinching opportunity?
Here are three stats that help tell the story:
— 0:00: The amount of time the Panthers have played with a lead over the past three games. Edmonton has opened scoring in each game and as soon as the Oilers got ahead, they never looked back.
In fact, Edmonton went up by at least two goals in every game — 2-0 in Game 4 and 3-0 in both Games 5 and 6 — before Florida finally found the back of the net.
In the history of the NHL, only five teams have clinched the Stanley Cup with a multi-goal comeback win and none in the past 50 years: the Montreal Canadiens in 1944 (trailed by three in Game 4), 1971 (trailed by two in Game 7) and 1973 (trailed by two in Game 6), the 1940 New York Rangers (trailed by two in Game 6) and 1950 Detroit Red Wings in 1950 (trailed by two in Game 7).
— 5.3 percent: The Panthers’ power play has been an issue all series, scoring just once on 19 attempts for a 5.3 percent success rate.
Edmonton has actually outscored Florida when the Panthers are on the power play, scoring a pair of shorthanded goals.
According to the advanced hockey statistics website Natural Stat Trick, the Panthers have generated just 24 shots on goal, 30 scoring chances and 13 high-danger chances in a little more than 34 minutes on the power play throughout the series.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice switched things up with the power play in Game 6, moving defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to the top unit and dropping Brandon Montour to the second grouping, but it did little to remedy their struggles. Florida went on the power play three times on Saturday and generated just four shots on goal and five scoring chances.
— 0-6: Six of the Panthers’ eight losses this postseason — including all three in the Stanley Cup Final — have come when they have allowed more than three goals. When Florida holds its opponent to no more than three goals, it is 15-2.
