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‘It’s not as dire as they think': Boudreau knows a thing or two about being down 0-2

Minnesota Wild v Arizona Coyotes

GLENDALE, AZ - APRIL 08: Head coach Bruce Boudreau of the Minnesota Wild watches from the bench during the first period of the NHL game against the Arizona Coyotes at Gila River Arena on April 8, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Bruce Boudreau has been in this position before.

It’s the fourth time in his career that his team finds themselves down 2-0 in a best-of-seven series.

In 2009, Boudreau’s Capitals dropped Games 1 and 2 at home against the New York Rangers, but they managed to storm back and win the series in seven games. They’re one of just 18 teams in NHL history to win a series after losing the first two games at home (the 2011 Bruins were the last team to do it).
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But things didn’t go as well in 2014 and 2016 when he was the head coach for the Anaheim Ducks. Both times, the Ducks were eliminated from the playoffs, but in each case, they managed to stretch the series to seven games.

Given all of his experience, you can understand why Boudreau isn’t throwing in the towel just yet.

“I mention it to draw from the experience,” he said, per the St. Louis Dispatch. “It’s the third time that it’s happened. Successfully we’ve won it once. Unsuccessfully we lost in seven both other times. Just trying to explain to (the Wild) that it’s not as dire as they think.”

As confident as Boudreau might be, dropping Game 3 on Sunday afternoon would be a huge blow to his team’s chances of mounting a comeback.

Their biggest obstacle is finding a way to put the puck in the net. Through two games, the Wild have only managed to score two goals on Jake Allen. That’ll have to change in a hurry if they want to extend this series.

Game 3 will go Sunday at 3:00 p.m. ET. To stream the game, click here.