Over the past 20 years, we have seen some captivating Stanley Cup Finals. These series have consisted of comebacks, tight games, outstanding performances, and all-around memorable hockey being played. Two of these series, however, stand out as the most memorable and entertaining of the past twenty years: the 2004 and 2011 Stanley Cup Finals.
2004: Lightning Defeat Flames 4-3
The two teams in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final took opposite routes on their way there. The Lightning were the top seed in the East, and they defeated the bottom two seeds in their conference before beating the third-seed Flyers in the Conference Final. The Flames were the sixth seed, making their first playoff appearance in eight years, and they defeated the top three seeds in the West on their way to the Final. The teams split the first two contests, which were held in Tampa Bay, with the Flames winning Game 1 by a score of 4-1 and the Lightning winning Game 2 by the same score. The series shifted to Calgary for Game 3, in which the Lightning were unable to generate any offense; Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff did not allow a goal, facing just 21 shots in the game.
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The Flames looked to take a 3-1 series lead in Game 4. Less than two minutes into the game, Flames teammates Chris Clark and Mike Commodore went to the box for cross-checking and holding, giving the Lightning two minutes of a 5-on-3 advantage. They capitalized on the early opportunity, as Brad Richards scored less than a minute into the two-man advantage. This goal ended up being the only one scored by either team, as Lightning goalie Nikolai Khabibulin recorded his fifth shutout of the postseason in a stellar performance.
Game 5 was intense and back-and-forth. It went into overtime tied at two after an intense third period, and Oleg Saprykin netted the game-winner just under 15 minutes into the period. Down 3-2 in the series and facing elimination, the Lightning needed to win Game 6 on the road in Calgary. After two periods, the score was tied at two, and the game headed to overtime. Both teams put seven shots on net, but neither scored, partially due to a controversial no-goal call in the last ten minutes. The first overtime mirrored the third period: again, each team had seven shots, but none went in. Just 33 seconds into the second extra frame, Martin St. Louis scored on a rebound to force a Game 7 in dramatic fashion. The Calgary faithful gave their team a standing ovation as they headed off the ice, hoping that they would be able to win the series finale on the road.
Game 7 ended up being slower than the rest, with neither team being able to put more than 17 shots on goal. Ruslan Fedotenko scored twice for the Lightning, giving them a 2-0 lead heading into the third. The Flames were got one goal back in the final period, but their deficit proved to be insurmountable. They won their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and Brad Richards’ record-setting seven game-winning goals throughout the playoffs were enough to earn him the Conn Smythe. This series had it all: multiple OT thrillers, back-and-forth play, and a 3-2 series comeback.
2011: Bruins Defeat Canucks 4-3
The 2011 Stanley Cup Final was one for the ages. The Boston Bruins, who were on a 39-year Stanley Cup drought, took on the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Vancouver Canucks in a series filled with excitement and unpredictability. Game 1 was a duel between goalies Tim Thomas and Roberto Luongo, who saved the first 69 shots they faced. The game remained scoreless until Raffi Torres beat Thomas back door to win the game with 18.5 seconds on the clock, giving the Canucks a 1-0 win and series lead.
Game 2 was also a thriller, as it was tied at the end of regulation; Alex Burrows scored a goal 11 seconds into overtime to win the game 3-2 and give the Canucks a 2-0 lead in the series. Heading back to Boston, the Bruins were on the ropes; they needed to turn the tide in the series, and did they ever. They won Game 3 by a score of 8-1, which remains the largest margin of victory in the Stanley Cup since 1996. Their domination continued in Game 4, where Thomas recorded 38 saves in a shutout victory where the Bruins scored four goals.
The series returned to Vancouver for Game 5, and Luongo’s red-hot play at home continued. He made 31 saves in the game, and it turned out that the Canucks needed every single one of them, as Maxim Lapierre’s goal in the third period was the only one scored by either team, giving the Canucks a 3-2 series lead. Facing elimination, the Bruins won Game 6 at the TD Garden handily. Luongo was pulled after allowing three goals in the first nine minutes, and the Canucks were never able to pull themselves back into the game.
Heading into Game 7, both teams had reasons to feel confident. The Canucks were at home, and the home team had won every game in the series, with Luongo shutting the Bruins out in two of the three games that had been played in Vancouver. The Bruins, however, had outscored the Canucks by a combined 19-8 over the first six games. In Game 7, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron each scored two goals, and Thomas made 37 saves on his way to a shutout victory, cementing himself as the 2011 Conn Smythe winner. The Canucks’ eight goals are the fewest a team has ever scored in a seven-game series. Though heartbreaking for Canucks fans, this series was an instant classic as it was physical, contained high-quality play by both teams, featured an all-time goaltending performance, and, like 2004, a comeback by a team that was down 3-2.
Series to Remember
Both of these series were unforgettable. They consisted of unpredictable games and high-quality play. In 2004, the Lightning were able to capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, and in 2011 the Bruins were able to break their 39-year drought. Both teams did so by overcoming 3-2 series deficits, including road wins that are hard to come by in the Final. While there have been other undeniably memorable Stanley Cup Finals in the last 20 years, these two series stand out as the most entertaining.