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Top 3 NHL Stanley Cup playoff series with the most overtime games
Considering that overtime games are a part of Stanley Cup history and folklore, it is unsurprising that so many good teams require extra time to win. So far, the New York Rangers and Florida Panthers have only played three games of the 2024 Eastern Conference final, and two have required overtime.
Although this series is only three games old, the teams could find themselves chasing Stanley Cup playoff history. Fifty-five series have gone to at least three overtime games, while 18 have seen four contests with extra hockey.
However, out of the 279 Stanley Cup playoff series with at least two overtime games, the following three series featured five, which remains the NHL record, initially set in 1951 and tied in 2012 and 2017.
Top 3 NHL Stanley Cup playoff series with the most overtime games
#1. Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens (1951)
The 1951 Stanley Cup Final is the only time in NHL history that the entire championship series, which lasted five games, went into overtime. Ultimately, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 to capture their fourth title in five seasons, with previous wins in 1947, 1948, and 1949.
In Game 1 at Maple Leafs Gardens, Toronto secured a 3-2 overtime win with a game-winner by Sid Smith. They would drop Game 2 by a final score of 3-2 when Maurice Richard secured Montreal's only win in the series.
At the Montreal Forum for Game 3, Ted Kenney gave the Maple Leafs a series lead with a 2-1 win. Two nights later, Toronto took a stranglehold on the series with another 3-2 overtime victory, this time thanks to Harry Watson.
Back home for Game 5, the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in overtime when Bill Barilko scored at 2:53 of the fourth period.
#2. Phoenix Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks (2012)
The Arizona Coyotes only appeared in the Western Conference Final once, in 2012, when they lost to the eventual champion Los Angeles Kings. During their first-round series against the Chicago Blackhawks, which they won 4-2, the two teams battled to five overtime contests in the best of seven series.
In Game 1, the Coyotes, who were "Phoenix" at the time, escaped with a 3-2 overtime win thanks to Martin Hanzal's game-winner. Their series lead was short-lived, as the Blackhawks tied things up with a 4-3 overtime victory in Game 2, thanks to Bryan Bickell's winner.
Naturally, the two teams went to overtime in Game 3, with Mikkel Bodker giving Phoenix their second series win, 3-2. However, it was a similar performance from the previous match in front of the United Center fans as Bodker won Game 4 in overtime, 3-2, to give the Coyotes a commanding 3-1 series lead headed home.
In the closest game of the series, the Blackhawks won Game 5 at Desert Diamond Arena when Jonathan Toews scored in the first overtime to send the series back to Chicago. In Game 6, the home team was rolled by a Coyotes team who pitched a 4-0 shutout, securing their first Stanley Cup playoff series win since 1993.
#3. Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs (2017)
Alex Ovechkin and Auston Matthews have met once in the Stanley Cup playoffs, with The Great 8 earning a 4-2 series win in 2017. This series is just one of three in NHL history to feature five overtimes and the only one on this list to feature double overtime.
In Game 1, Tom Wilson gave the Capitals a 3-2 win with a goal just five minutes into overtime. However, the Maple Leafs bounced back and secured a 4-3 double overtime win in Game 2, thanks to Kasperi Kapanen's goal at 31:53 of extra time.
As the series shifted to Canada for Games 3 and 4, the Maple Leafs won their second consecutive overtime game by a 4-3 score thanks to Tyler Bozak's power play goal less than two minutes into the extra period.
Washington tied the series at 2-2 with a 5-4 victory in Game 4, the only match that didn't require extra time. With one game not exceeding 60 minutes, it only seemed fitting that these two teams would return to overtime in Game 5. The Capitals won 2-1 thanks to Justin Williams' goal at 1:04.
The series ended in Game 6 at Air Canada Centre when Marcus Johansson broke a 1-1 tie at 6:31 of overtime to send the hometown Maple Leafs packing and the Capitals into the next round. They would lose to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
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