When it comes to the Stanley Cup final, fishing seven pucks out of your net on one night is never recipe for success, whether it’s short-term or long-term success that you’re pursuing.
Playing their first home Stanley Cup final game on Saturday since May 5, 1970, the St. Louis Blues were hammered 7-2 by the Boston Bruins. The Blues are now 0-7 all-time at home in Stanley Cup final play and have been outscored 29-8.
Expect to see Bobby Orr’s 1970 Cup winning OT goal a lot. But another moment from Bruins/Blues Final I’ll never forget was Jacques Plante being hit in the head and knocked unconscious by a puck shot by F. Stanfield and deflected by P. Esposito. Plante’s mask likely saved his life pic.twitter.com/1iI9EJ0HkT
— Joe Pascucci (@Pascucci015) May 22, 2019
Against the Bruins on home ice in the Cup final, St. Louis is 0-3, losing by 6-1, 6-2, and 7-2 counts.
You have to go all the way back to the 1980 final series between the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers to find a team that gave up at least seven in one game and still won the Cup. The Isles lost Game 2 8-3 at Philly but rallied to win the series in six games.
To find a team that overcame such a setback on home ice to win the Cup, you need to take the wayback machine and emerge in the spring of 1973. In Game 5 of the final, a tilt that featured two Hall of Fame netminders in Chicago’s Tony Esposito and Montreal’s Ken Dryden, the Blackhawks outscored the Canadiens 8-7 at the Montreal Forum. But Montreal rebounded to win Game 6 and take the Cup.
Overall, NHL teams giving up seven goals in a Stanley Cup final game are 4-17-2 in terms of going on to win the Cup, so history is not on the side of the Blues.
Teams Surrendering Seven+ Goals Stanley Cup Final Game
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Vancouver Canucks 1 at Boston Bruins 8 |
| 2010 | Philadelphia Flyers 4 at Chicago Blackhawks 7 |
| 2000 | Dallas Stars 3 at New Jersey Devils 7 |
| 1996 | Florida Panthers 1 at Colorado Avalanche 8 |
| 1991 | Pittsburgh Penguins 8 at Minnesota North Stars 0 |
| 1990 | Edmonton Oilers 7 at Bosston Bruins 2 |
| 1984 | New York Islanders 2 at Edmonton Oilers 7 (Game 4) |
| 1984 | New York Islanders 2 at Edmonton Oilers 7 (Game 3) |
| 1981 | New York Islanders 7 at Minnesota North Stars 5 |
| 1980 | New York Islanders 3 at Philadelphia Flyers 8 |
| 1977 | Boston Bruins 3 at Montreal Canadiens 7 |
| 1973 | Chicago Blackhawks 8 at Montreal Canadiens 7 (Game 5) |
| 1973 | Montreal Canadiens 4 at Chicago Blackhawks 7 (Game 3) |
| 1973 | Chicago Blackhawks 3 at Montreal Canadiens 8 (Game 1) |
| 1962 | Chicago Blackhawks 4 at Toronto Maple Leafs 8 |
| 1955 | Montreal Canadiens 1 at Detroit Red Wings 7 |
| 1953 | Montreal Canadiens 7 at Boston Bruins 3 |
| 1948 | Toronto Maple Leafs 7 at Detroit Red Wings 2 |
| 1942 | Detroit Red Wings 3 at Toronto Maple Leafs 9 |
| 1936 | Toronto Maple Leafs 4 at Detroit Red Wings 9 |
| 1919 | Montreal Canadiens 0 at Seattle Metropolitans 7 (Game 1)* |
| 1919 | Montreal Canadiens 2 at Seattle Metropolitans 7 (Game 3)* |
| 1917 | Vancouver Millionaires 8 at Toronto Arenas 1 |
Stanley Cup champions in bold. *No winner. Series was canceled due to Spanish infleuenza outbreak.
