Entering this postseason, there have 182 playoff series in which a team has fallen behind 3-0. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, the 1975 New York Islanders, the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers and the 2014 Los Angeles Kings, all did the impossible and came back from that deficit. That gives the Jackets a roughly 2.2% chance of coming back in their series.
So you’re telling me there’s a chance?
The first three games haven’t provided much optimism and with Zach Werenski done for the playoffs things look bleak. But this is a team that is capable of going on a winning streak. They won 16 straight games, and have won four games in a row on two other occasions. It would not be unprecedented to see the Jackets win four games in a row.
There have only been five 3-0 come backs in North American pro sports, the four mentioned above and the 2004 Boston Red Sox. It could be just a coincidence, but I think there is something to be said for the 2-2-1-1-1 playoff format hockey uses and why there has been a couple recent come backs. For any team to comeback it starts by winning your home games, winning a tough game on the road and then relying on the fact that anything can happen in a Game 7.
How do the Jackets do it?
For starters they need Sergei Bobrovsky to be Sergei Bobrovsky. In the three games Bobrovsky had an .897 save percentage, the third lowest in the playoffs just ahead of Craig Anderson and Brian Elliott. The Jackets need Bobrovsky to return to his Vezina level form his showed during the regular season, where he led the NHL with a .931 sv%. Bobrovsky is going to have to steal a couple games for this to happen.
Secondly the fresh faces in the line-up have to come in and provide a spark. They have fresh legs and give the Jackets a slightly different look.
Torts: Nutivaara and Quincey will be in on defense. Harrington is out.
— Alison (@AlisonL) April 18, 2017
Torts on forwards: Hartnell out, Lukas Sedlak returns to the lineup.
— Alison (@AlisonL) April 18, 2017
Calvert back after one game suspension
Matt Calvert replaces Sonny Milano who played all 6:47 in Game 3. The fourth line will be one to watch with Calvert, Sam Gagner and Sedlak. They have a bit more speed now with Hartnell out and perhaps that will help give them an offensive edge.
The defence is also going to have a completely new look with two new players coming in. John Tortorella finally came to his senses and took out Scott Harrington. Harrington never should have been in the line-up in the first place, he hardly played this season and it was clear right away he did not have the speed to keep up. Getting Markus Nutivaara in their helps but unfortunately it comes at the expense of Werenski. Personally I’d like to see Nutivaara up on the top pair with Jones. Getting Quincey in the line-up should help as well. He was brought in as veteran with playoff experience, we will see if he can help shutdown the dynamic Pittsburgh offense.
It’s not very likely but if the Blue Jackets can get the Sergei Bobrovsky from the regular season, and these new faces give the team some new energy maybe just maybe they can make this a series. A comeback is a longshot but at this point it would at least be nice to see the Jackets get their first ever regulation playoff win.
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