On the 1975 Islanders

This story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune is two years old, but nothing has changed. The 1975 Islanders are still the most recent team to come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series, a team that included Hurricanes scout Bert Marshall.

"I know it's cliché, but you really do have to come together where everybody's on the same page, you believe and you take it shift to shift and do the little things to get through the first period, then the second," said (Denis) Potvin, a Hall of Fame defenseman. "If you win that fourth game, you've got something going, but it's tough because it's so much easier just to give up."

The Hurricanes face that deficit tonight, and here's guessing that they'll still be alive tomorrow. While it's extremely unlikely they'll even make it to a Game 7, this team has a history of fighting to the last.

Part of that is the unique nature of this team, which has displayed a magnificent never-say-die attitude. Part of that is human nature — it's difficult for a hockey team to produce the kind of extreme effort required to win at this point in the playoffs when there's always a tomorrow. Teams up 3-0 in the conference finals are 18-12 in Game 4s on the road (and 78-43 in all rounds), so a sweep is historically likely, but hardly assured.

The Canes needed three games (and overtime) to close out the Boston Bruins; the New Jersey Devils couldn't close out the Hurricanes in Game 6 and paid the price. The Penguins have doubled up the Hurricanes in this series, but anyone who has watched the games knows it was closer than that (although not close enough to say the margin was much smaller). Had Eric Staal scored in the closing seconds of Game 1, who knows where this series would stand now.

In any case, he didn't, and the Hurricanes face elimination tonight — and may again Friday … and Monday … and Wednesday.