Fansided

5 best NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game sevens of the 2010s

By Griffin Youngs

BOSTON, MA - MAY 13: Members of the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs shake hands following the Bruins overtime win in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 13, 2013 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MAY 13: Members of the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs shake hands following the Bruins overtime win in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2013 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 13, 2013 at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 5
Next
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 01: Tyler Toffoli #73 of the Los Angeles Kings jumps on Alec Martinez #27 and teammates after Martinez scored the game winning goal against Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime 5 to 4 to win Game Seven of the Western Conference Final in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center on June 1, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – JUNE 01: Tyler Toffoli #73 of the Los Angeles Kings jumps on Alec Martinez #27 and teammates after Martinez scored the game winning goal against Corey Crawford #50 of the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime 5 to 4 to win Game Seven of the Western Conference Final in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs at United Center on June 1, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Heiman/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Kings vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 2014 West Conference Final

Every once in a while, you get a matchup between two championship caliber teams in their primes. That is what hockey fans were treated to in the 2014 Western Conference Final, when they two previous Stanley Cup champions met for what was eventually named the best series of the decade when the Los Angeles Kings and the Chicago Blackhawks met for the second consecutive season, capped off by a memorable Game 7

The Blackhawks won the previous season’s meeting in the Conference Final in five games, ending the Kings’ chance at a repeat before going on to win the Stanley Cup themselves. After completing a 3-0 series comeback in the first round and beating their two biggest rivals on the way, the Kings were ready for some revenge on a Blackhawks team that was poised for a repeat of their own.

The Kings took a 3-1 series lead, but the Blackhawks battled back to narrowly win games 5 and 6 to force a Game 7 back in Chicago. Unlike most other games on this list, this Game 7 with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals was wild from the very first puck drop.

A Championship Game 7

Brandon Saad opened the scoring just a little over five minutes into the game, followed just three minutes later by a power play goal from Jonathan Toews. Despite the Blackhawks having full control in the third period, a shot from Dustin Brown bounced into the air off Corey Crawford to be batted in by Jeff Carter, followed by Justin Williams tying the game just a minute later. Despite the change in momentum, Patrick Sharp took the lead back for Chicago just twelve seconds later. By the end of the first period, there were already five goals on just thirteen combined shots.

Both sides were able to calm things down by the second period, namely Jonathan Quick started to find his game and make the stops that he needed too. Tyler Toffoli tied the game halfway through the period on a wide open net, before Patrick Sharp gave the Blackhawks the lead for the third time on a late period power play, setting up a tense third period.

The Kings so far in this postseason have come back from a 3-0 series deficit to the San Jose Sharks in the first round, down 3-2 in the second round to the Anaheim Ducks, and had already tied this game twice when the Blackhawks were ready to pull away with the game. Coming back in the third period was almost a certainty with this edition of the Kings, and Marian Gaborik did just that with just over seven minutes to go in the third period, with Quick making a phenomenal stop with five seconds to go, sending what was already a spectacular game to overtime.

Both sides had their chances in overtime, but as always in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it usually just comes down to who gets a bounce their way first. Alec Martinez fired a shot from the point that deflected off of Blackhawks defenseman Nick Leddy to beat Crawford, stunning the Chicago crowd and sending the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final.

The Kings would steamroll the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final, winning in five games with Martinez scoring the Stanley Cup clinching goal in double overtime in Game 5. The Kings capped off three Game 7 wins against their biggest rivals with an overtime Stanley Cup clinching goal on home ice. It was truly a run that every team dreams of.

The Blackhawks would win the Stanley Cup the following season, but they would never meet the Kings again in the playoffs. It was truly a one of a kind series between two proven championship teams at their best, and it’ll be a long time before we get another playoff series like it.

Home/NHL