When two teams split the first six games of a best-of-seven playoff series, a 'winner take all' Game 7 is staged. Heroes are born and victors crowned in this high-stakes affair. Not surprisingly, Game 7s have produced some of the most memorable moments in NHL postseason history.
Once reserved solely for the Semifinal and Final rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs, the best-of-seven format was expanded to include the Quarterfinals in 1968 and Preliminary round in 1987. Of the 756 best-of-seven NHL playoff series played through 2023, 191 (25%) have resulted in a Game 7 with the home team holding a healthy 111-80 (58%) edge. The team that scores first has a 145-46 (75%) edge, including a 4-0 record in the 2023 postseason. 47 of the 191 (25%) Game 7s have gone to overtime, with the home side surviving 23 times and the visitors stealing 24.
Of the 191 Game 7s, 35 times a team trailing their series 3-1 won Game 7 and 4 times a team down 3-0 in their series won Game 7. The most Game 7s in single playoff season is seven (1994, 2011, 2014). Only three times has a postseason gone without (1970, 1973, 1977).
Over the past 36 postseasons since the 1987 expansion of all series to best-of-seven, a Game 7 has been played in 147 of the 540 series. Put another way, 27% or approximately every 1 in 3.6 playoff series have gone to seven games. The chart below describes Game 7s by year, noting the number and round in which a seventh game(s) occurred.
Year: Game 7s (Round)
Year: Game 7s (Round)
1987: 5 (1P, 3Q, F)
2010: 4 (2P, 2Q)
1988: 3 (1P, 1Q, 1S)
2011: 7 (4P, 1Q, 1S, F)
1989: 3 (2P, 1Q)
2012: 4 (3P, 1Q)
1990: 4 (3P, 1Q)
2013: 5 (3P, 2Q)
1991: 4 (3P, 1Q)
2014: 7 (3P, 3Q, 1S)
1992: 6 (6P)
2015: 5 (2P, 1Q, 2S)
1993: 4 (1P, 2Q, 1S)
2016: 5 (2P, 2Q, 1S)
1994: 7 (4P, 1Q, 1S, F)
2017: 3 (2Q, 1S)
1995: 4 (4P)
2018: 3 (1P, 1Q, 1S)
1996: 2 (1Q, 1S)
2019: 6 (3P, 2Q, F)
1997: 3 (3P)
2020: 3 (3Q)
1998: 1 (1Q)
2021: 3 (2P, 1S)
1999: 3 (2P, 1S)
2022: 6 (5P, 1Q)
2000: 3 (1P, 2S)
2023: 4 (1P, 1Q
2001: 4 (3Q, F)
2002: 5 (2P, 2Q, 1S)
2003: 6 (3P, 1Q, 1S, F)
2004: 5 (3P, 1S, F)
2006: 3 (1P, 1S, F)
2007: 1 (1P)
2008: 3 (3P)
2009: 6 (2P, 3Q, F)
(P = Preliminary, Q = Quarterfinal, S = Semifinal, F = Final)
Breaking it down by round, the most Game 7s over the past 36 seasons on a percentage basis have occurred in the Quarterfinal (42/144 = 29%), Preliminary (80/288 = 27%), Semifinal (19/72 = 26%), followed by the Stanley Cup Final (9/36 = 25%) round. Interestingly, 7 of the past 22 Finals and 7 of the past 18 Semifinals have been decided by a seventh game. In sum, the likelihood of a Game 7 in a NHL playoff series since 1987 is 1 in 3.4 for the Quarterfinal with a slight decrease to roughly 1 in 3.6 for the Preliminary round and Semifinal, and 1 in 4 for the Final.
The charts below show the total number of Game 7s played by each NHL team along with their win/loss records, with all-time statistics on the lefthand side and data since 1987 on the righthand side.
| NHL Game 7s All-Time | NHL Game 7s Since 1987 |
| Team: Series (Record) | Team: Series (Record) |
| Boston: 30 (15-15) | Boston: 19 (10-9) |
| Toronto: 26 (12-14) | Pittsburgh: 17 (10-7) |
| Detroit: 25 (14-11) | New Jersey: 16 (8-8) |
| Montreal: 24 (15-9) | Washington: 16 (4-12) |
| New York*: 18 (11-7) | Toronto: 15 (6-9) |
| Pittsburgh: 18 (10-8) | New York*: 14 (11-3) |
| St. Louis: 18 (10-8) | Detroit: 14 (7-7) |
| Philadelphia: 17 (9-8) | Colorado: 13 (4-9) |
| New Jersey: 16 (8-8) | San Jose: 12 (8-4) |
| Washington: 16 (4-12) | Philadelphia: 12 (6-6) |
| Chicago: 14 (7-7) | St. Louis: 12 (6-6) |
| Calgary: 13 (6-7) | Montreal: 11 (8-3) |
| Colorado: 13 (4-9) | Vancouver: 11 (6-5) |
| San Jose: 12 (8-4) | Tampa Bay: 10 (7-3) |
| Los Angeles: 12 (7-5) | Edmonton: 9 (6-3) |
| Edmonton: 11 (7-4) | Los Angeles: 9 (6-3) |
| Vancouver: 11 (6-5) | Dallas: 9 (4-5) |
| Tampa Bay: 10 (7-3) | Anaheim: 9 (3-6) |
| Dallas: 9 (4-5) | Calgary: 9 (3-6) |
| New York**: 9 (4-5) | Chicago: 8 (5-3) |
| Anaheim: 9 (3-6) | Carolina: 7 (6-1) |
| Carolina: 7 (6-1) | New York**: 7 (3-4) |
| Minnesota^: 7 (3-4) | Buffalo: 6 (1-5) |
| Buffalo: 7 (1-6) | Ottawa: 6 (0-6) |
| Ottawa: 6 (0-6) | Minnesota^^: 4 (3-1) |
| Minnesota^^: 4 (3-1) | Florida: 3 (2-1) |
| Florida: 3 (2-1) | Vegas: 3 (2-1) |
| Quebec: 3 (2-1) | Nashville: 2 (1-2) |
| Vegas: 3 (2-1) | Arizona: 3 (0-3) |
| Nashville: 3 (1-2) | Seattle: 2 (1-1) |
| Arizona: 3 (0-3) | Hartford: 2 (0-2) |
| Hartford: 3 (0-3) | Minnesota^: 2 (0-2) |
| Seattle: 2 (1-1) | Winnipeg~: 2 (0-2) |
| Winnipeg~: 2 (0-2) | Winnipeg+: 1 (1-0) |
| Winnipeg+: 1 (1-0) | Quebec: 1 (0-1) |
| Oakland: 1 (0-1) | |
* New York Rangers
** New York Islanders
^ Minnesota North Stars
^^ Minnesota Wild
~ Winnipeg Jets (1979-1996)
+ Winnipeg Jets (2011-Present)
Boston has skated in the most Game 7s (30) in NHL history with Boston and Montreal winning the most (15). Over the past 36 seasons, Boston has played more Game 7s (19) than anyone else but the New York Rangers have won the most (11). The Winnipeg Jets (2011-Present) have never lost a Game 7; Ottawa, Arizona, Hartford, Winnipeg (1979-1996) and Oakland have never won a Game 7; and Columbus has never skated in one.
In terms of winning more than one Game 7 in a single postseason, 25 teams have done it twice with only two teams winning three best-of-seven series in a Game 7 in a single playoff (Boston 2011, Los Angeles 2014). The chart below lists all NHL teams that have ever won two or more Game 7s in a single postseason, indicating year and rounds in which they turned the trick.
NHL Game 7s Won Same Year
Year: Team (Round)
1950: Detroit (S, F)*
1964: Toronto (S, F)*
1968: St. Louis (Q, S)
1990: Chicago (P, Q)
1993: Toronto (P, Q)
1994: New York^ (S, F)*
2001: Colorado (Q, F)*
2002: Colorado (P, Q), Toronto (P, Q)
2003: Minnesota (P, Q), New Jersey (S, F)*
2004: Tampa Bay (S, F)*
2006: Carolina (S, F)*
2009: Carolina (P, Q), PIT (Q, F)*
2010: Montreal (P, Q)
2011: Boston (P, S, F)*
2012: New York^ (P, Q)
2014: Los Angeles (P, Q, S)*
2015: Tampa Bay (P, S)
2016: St. Louis (P, Q)
2017: Pittsburgh (Q, S)*
2019: San Jose (P, Q), St. Louis (Q, F)*
2022: Carolina (P, Q), New York^ (P, Q)
* Stanley Cup Champion
^ New York Rangers
(P = Preliminary, Q = Quarterfinal, S = Semifinal, F = Final)
The 2023 postseason featured four Game 7s, with the team that scores first going 4-0, home teams holding a 2-2 record, and one recovering from a 3-1 series deficit.
Game 7 ... kill or be killed.
* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-0.
* See also NHL Playoff Comebacks Trailing 3-1.
* See also NHL Stanley Cup Playoff First Round Upsets.
* See also Canucks Game 7 Overtime & Stanley Cup Finals.
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