1991:The Pittsburgh Penguins get the jump on the North Stars in Game 4 of the Final at Met Center by
scoring three goals during a two-minute span
in the first 2:58.
Kevin Stevens
scores 58 seconds into the game,
Ron Francis
makes it 2-0 at 2:36 and
Mario Lemieux
beats
Jon Casey
22 seconds later. The early three-goal lead sparks Pittsburgh to a series-tying 5-3 victory.
1992:Stevens, a Boston-area native, scores four goals, three in a 5:55 span of the first period, and the
Penguins defeat the Bruins 5-1
at Boston Garden. The victory gives Pittsburgh a 3-0 lead in the best-of-7 Wales Conference Final.
1993:
Jari Kurri
scores his 100th career playoff goal to help the Los Angeles Kings
defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2
in Game 3 of the Campbell Conference Final at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Kurri reaches the milestone by scoring a shorthanded goal 9:26 into the second period.
1995:
Mike Vernon
makes 15 saves in a 6-0 victory
by the Detroit Red Wings against the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals at Joe Louis Arena. It's the fourth NHL playoff shutout for Vernon but his first since 1989.
Sergei Fedorov
has a goal and three assists for Detroit.
2009:Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins becomes the third player in the history of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to score the first goal of the game six times in one playoff year. Crosby
opens the scoring 1:51 after the opening faceoff
and the Penguins defeat the Carolina Hurricanes 7-4 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at Mellon Arena. Evgeni Malkin scores three goals for the Penguins, who go on to sweep the series.
2014:The Los Angeles Kings score
five goals in the third period
to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 6-2 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at United Center. The Kings become the second team in NHL history and the first in 23 years to win a playoff game by four or more goals in a game it trailed after two periods. The Blackhawks lead 2-0 late in the second period, but a goal by Justin Williams with 1:46 remaining gives Los Angeles some life. Jeff Carter scores three times during the third period, helping Los Angeles win in Chicago for the first time in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games. It's the first time a team wins by four or more goals when trailing after two periods since 1991, when the Boston Bruins score six third-period goals to overcome a 1-0 deficit in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Hartford Whalers.