Chicago Blackhawks: Quenneville-Era Game 7s At A Glance

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Chicago Blackhawks A Mixed Bag In Game 7s

The Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues are heading to a Game 7 matchup in St. Louis tonight. That is the case after the Blackhawks were able to come back from an early 3-1 deficit in Game 6 to eventually win 6-3, and force the seventh and decisive game in the series.

Is the 3-1 comeback win in Game 6 a predecessor for another 3-1 comeback for the Blackhawks, who faced that issue in the series heading into Game 5? That’s still to be worked out, but the Blackhawks have shown tremendous confidence as they try to fight back from being down two games in the series against the Blues and win a Game 7 on the road. Let’s take a look back at how the Blackhawks have fared in Game 7 situations during the Joel Quenneville era (2008-present).

2011: Defending Champion Blackhawks Eliminated By Canucks

In 2010, the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years by beating the Philadelphia Flyers. Then the roster was dismantled due to salary-cap restrictions. The quest to defend the Stanley Cup would be an uphill battle for the young Blackhawks team as it nearly missed the chance to defend said Cup. It took until the final day of the regular season, and some help from the Minnesota Wild, for the Blackhawks to squeak in as the eighth seed in the Western Conference.

Check it out: Blackhawks Rolling Into Game 6

It would be the third time in as many seasons the Canucks and Blackhawks would meet in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, with Chicago winning the previous two series in 2009 and 2010. Vancouver was on a mission to avoid a third straight series loss to the Blackhawks, evidenced by winning the first three games of the series.

Chicago wouldn’t go down easily though, as it came back to win Games 4, 5, and 6 to force a Game 7 in Vancouver. It marked the seventh time in NHL history that a team forced a seventh game after trailing 3–0 in a playoff series. However, Vancouver won the Game 7 in overtime to avoid becoming the fourth team in NHL history to lose a series after taking a 3–0 series lead.

2013: Blackhawks Eliminate Red Wings, Complete 3-1 Series Comeback

After back-to-back first-round Stanley Cup Playoffs exits for the Blackhawks, 2013 would have to be a special season or more changes may have been on their way to the Windy City. 2013 was that special season. First, the NHL lockout forced the league to miss half of the season and begin play in January.

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The Blackhawks then went on a historic 24-game point streak, going 21-0-3 to begin the season, an NHL record. Backed by stellar goaltending from both

Corey Crawford

and

Ray Emery

, the Blackhawks would go on to win the Presidents’ Trophy in the lockout-shortened season.

After dispatching of the Minnesota Wild in the first round, the Blackhawks would come up against their bitter rivals, the Detroit Red Wings. It would mark the final time the Blackhawks and Red Wings would meet in the Western Conference portion of the playoffs before Detroit moved to the Eastern Conference in the NHL’s realignment plan ahead of the 2013-14 season. After taking Game 1 in convincing fashion, the Blackhawks lost their next three in a row to go down 3-1 in the series, with Game 5 back in Chicago. The Blackhawks controlled Game 5 en route to a 4-1 win, and took Game 6 back in Detroit to force a Game 7 in Chicago with a spot in the Western Conference finals on the line.

The Blackhawks would get “two game-winners.” The game was tied 1-1 late in the third period when Niklas Hjalmarsson scored a goal with less than two minutes to play. It was waved off, however, because of coincidental minor penalties being called before the goal. The game would head to overtime, when Brent Seabrook beat Jimmy Howard with a wrist shot to complete the series comeback and send Chicago to the next round, and eventually the Stanley Cup.

Next: The Next Two Game 7s

November 29, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane (88) controls the puck against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

2014: Defending Champion Blackhawks Eliminated By Kings

Another Game 7 overtime goal, but this one would sting more than anything in the Blackhawks’ 2013-14 season. Defending the Stanley Cup is no easy task (see 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs). But the Blackhawks in 2013-14 came as close as you could without making back-to-back trips to the Stanley Cup Final.

When the Blackhawks and Kings met for the Western Conference finals, it would be the third Stanley Cup Playoffs meeting for the two franchises, with Chicago having won both of their previous meetings. It was also the third straight Western Conference finals appearance for the Kings, and the Blackhawks’ third trip since 2009.

Check it out: Pat Foley is dead on about late starts

Chicago would win Game 1, but drop the next three to be in a familiar spot: down 3-1 in a series. With a double-overtime win in Game 5 in Chicago and a one-goal win in Game 6 in Los Angeles, the Blackhawks were able to force a Game 7 back at the United Center with the Stanley Cup Final within reach. The teams battled to overtime, when Alec Martinez would float a shot on goal that bounced off Nick Leddy and over the shoulder of Crawford to send the Kings to the Stanley Cup Final. They would eventually beat the New York Rangers in five games.

2015: Blackhawks Eliminate Ducks After Trailing Series 3-2

Last season was a season for redemption in Chicago, having come so close to a shot at repeating as Stanley Cup champions. The Blackhawks would take advantage of the play of their acquisitions at the NHL trade deadline and overcame a late-season injury to Patrick Kane to advance through the Stanley Cup Playoffs to the Western Conference finals, yet again.

There they would face the Anaheim Ducks in a hard-fought series, as Anaheim was looking to get back to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since winning it all back in 2007. Chicago and Anaheim would trade wins through the first five games of the series, giving the Ducks a 3-2 advantage going into a Game 6 that Chicago would be able to win at the United Center to force Game 7 back in California.

This would be the most dominant Game 7 that Chicago has played out of the four in the Quenneville Era. The Blackhawks worked a 4-0 lead into the second period before the Ducks got on the board. It wouldn’t be enough though, and Chicago would advance to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final after dispatching the Ducks 5-3. It goes without saying, but the Blackhawks would top the Lightning in six games to win their third Stanley Cup in six seasons.

Next: Blackhawks On A Roll After Game 6 Win

Now Chicago is faced with its fifth Game 7 situation under Quenneville, and is yet again looking to complete a 3-1 series comeback, like it did in 2013 against Detroit. With another chance to defend the Stanley Cup, Chicago must eliminate the Blues in the first round, something St. Louis has had happen to it over the last three postseasons.

So what do you think? Is history on the Blackhawks’ side? What do you think will happen in tonight’s Game 7? Let us know in the comment section below.

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