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Devils aim to become first team in 70 years to overcome 3-0 series deficit in finals

Staples Center

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 4: A general view prior to the game between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils in Game Three of the 2012 Stanley Cup Final at Staples Center on June 4, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NHLI via Getty Images)

History is against the New Jersey Devils.

That much is obvious given the Los Angeles Kings have a 3-0 series lead in the 2012 Stanley Cup finals.

But just how bad are things for the Devils?

The Kings are the 26th team to take a 3-0 series lead in the Cup finals. Of the previous 25, 20 have won Game 4. Four weren’t able to complete the sweep of their opponents, but still won it all.

The only group to ever overcome a 3-0 series deficit in the Stanley Cup finals is the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. Seventy years ago, the league had seven teams, including the now defunct Brooklyn Americans (in previous seasons they were known as the New York Americans). That’s right, the last time a team accomplished what the New Jersey Devils need to do was before the Original Six era.

Of course, a history lesson won’t be enough to get the Devils to give in.

“We’re not going to quit until someone’s won a fourth game, so we start over,” captain Zach Parise said. “We’ve got to win four straight. That’s it.”

Parise does still have a reason to be optimistic, because the news isn’t all doom-and-gloom. It’s true that no team to has won Games 4 through 7 of the Stanley Cup finals since World War II, but what about the playoffs in general?

Just last year, both the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings managed to force a Game 7 after dropping the first three games of their respective series. Neither team could seal the deal, but it does show that a 3-0 lead can be squandered.

Then, factor in that a mere two years ago, the Philadelphia Flyers were able to defeat the Boston Bruins in the second round of the playoffs after falling down 3-0 in the series and 3-0 in Game 7.

The moral of the story is that the Los Angeles Kings haven’t won anything yet.

That being said, they’re very very close.