Triple-header of Game 7s set for Wednesday

NEW YORK -- The New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers will contest Game 7 of their Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round series tonight at Madison Square Garden in New York (7 p.m., ET, NBCSN, TSN2, RDS), opening a triple-header that also features the Colorado Avalanche hosting the Minnesota Wild (9:30 p.m., ET, CNBC, TSN2, RDS) and the San Jose Sharks welcoming the Los Angeles Kings (10 p.m., ET, NBCSN, CBC, RDS2). It marks the fifth time in NHL history and first time since April 22, 2003, that three or more Game 7s will be played on the same day.

This marks the fourth consecutive year that at least three Stanley Cup Playoff first-round series have extended to the limit, capping a thrilling two weeks that have featured 27 comeback wins in the 45 games contested (60%), including a first-round record 10 multi-goal comeback victories, six game-tying goals in the final 2:00 of regulation and 13 overtime games spread over seven series. The 20 seven-game series in the first round since 2008 is nearly triple the number of four-game sweeps (seven) over the same span.

For the first time in 40 years, the long-time division-rival Rangers and Flyers will meet in a Game 7. On May 5, 1974, the Flyers defeated the Rangers 4-3 at the Spectrum in Philadelphia to win their Semifinal series and advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. Two weeks later, the Flyers became the first expansion team to claim the championship in a six-game triumph over Boston.

The Rangers have suffered just one Game 7 loss in the ensuing 40 years, posting a 6-1 record that includes a perfect 5-0 mark at Madison Square Garden and three Game 7 wins in the past two years. The Blueshirts eliminated Ottawa and Washington in the 2012 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and Semifinals, respectively, and defeated the Capitals again in 2013.

The Flyers also have enjoyed recent success in series-ending showdowns, winning all three of their Game 7 appearances in the past six years. They defeated the Capitals in overtime at Washington in 2008, came back from a 0-3 series deficit to oust Boston in 2010 and eliminated Buffalo in 2011.

The Avalanche and Wild last met in a Game 7 in the 2003 Western Conference Quarterfinals, won by the Wild on an overtime goal by Andrew Brunette against current Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy in his final NHL game as a player. Four of the six games in this series have been decided by one goal, including three in overtime.

The Sharks and Kings are meeting in Game 7 for the second consecutive year. In 2013, the Kings had home-ice advantage and edged the Sharks 2-1 to capture their second-round series. The Kings will try to become the fourth team in Stanley Cup Playoffs history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit. The last team to accomplish that feat was the 2010 Flyers team that featured current Kings Jeff Carter and Mike Richards and erased a 0-3 series deficit to defeat the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

CAREER GAME 7 PLAYER, GOALTENDER AND COACHING STATISTICS

NY Rangers GP W-L G A Pts.

Brian Boyle 2 2-0 0 0 0

Derick Brassard 1 1-0 0 2 2

Dan Carcillo 2 2-0 1 0 1

Derek Dorsett 1 1-0 0 1 1

Dan Girardi 4 3-1 1 0 1

Carl Hagelin 3 3-0 0 2 2

Chris Kreider 3 3-0 0 1 1

Ryan McDonagh 3 3-0 0 0 0

Dominic Moore 4 3-1 2 1 3

John Moore 1 1-0 0 0 0

Rick Nash 1 1-0 0 1 1

Benoit Pouliot 3 2-1 0 0 0

Brad Richards 5 5-0 1 3 4

Marc Staal 3 2-1 1 0 1

Derek Stepan 3 3-0 0 1 1

Martin St. Louis 4 3-1 0 1 1

Anton Stralman 3 3-0 0 0 0

Mats Zuccarello 1 1-0 1 0 1

GP Mins W-L GAA SO Sv%

Henrik Lundqvist 4 240 3-1 1.00 1 .963

Date Score Dec. Shots

5/13/13 NYR 5 at WSH 0 Win 35

5/12/12 WSH 1 at NYR 2 Win 23

4/26/12 OTT 1 at NYR 2 Win 27

4/28/09 NYR 1 at WSH 2 Loss 24

NY Rangers Head Coach

Alain Vigneault (2-1)

Date Score Dec.

6/15/11 BOS 4 at VAN 0 Loss

4/26/11 CHI 1 at VAN 2 (OT) Win

4/23/07 DAL 1 at VAN 4 Win

Philadelphia GP W-L G A Pts.

Braydon Coburn 3 3-0 1 0 1

Steve Downie 3 2-1 0 1 1

Hal Gill 6 4-2 0 1 1

Claude Giroux 2 2-0 0 3 3

Adam Hall 2 1-1 0 0 0

Scott Hartnell 3 3-0 1 1 2

Vincent Lecavalier 4 3-1 0 1 1

Mark Streit 1 1-0 1 0 1

Kimmo Timonen 3 3-0 0 3 3

No Philadelphia goaltenders have appeared in a Game 7.

Philadelphia Head Coach

Craig Berube (---)

New York Rangers (6-5)

5/13/13, Eastern Conference QF vs. Washington (NYR 5 at WSH 0)

5/12/12, Eastern Conference SF vs. Washington (WSH 1 at NYR 2)

4/26/12, Eastern Conference QF vs. Ottawa (OTT 1 at NYR 2)

4/28/09, Eastern Conference QF vs. Washington (NYR 1 at WSH 2)

6/14/94, Stanley Cup Final vs. Vancouver (VAN 2 at NYR 3)

5/27/94, Eastern Conference Final vs. New Jersey (N.J. 1 at NYR 2, 2OT)

5/1/92, Patrick Division SF vs. New Jersey (N.J. 4 at NYR 8)

5/5/74, Semifinal vs. Philadelphia (NYR 3 at PHI 4)

5/2/71, Semifinal vs. Chicago (NYR 2 at CHI 4)

4/23/50, Stanley Cup Final vs. Detroit (NYR 3 at DET 4, 2OT)

4/2/39, Semifinal vs. Boston (NYR 1 at BOS 2, 3OT)

Philadelphia Flyers (9-6)

4/26/11, Eastern Conference QF vs. Buffalo (BUF 2 at PHI 5)

5/14/10, Eastern Conference SF vs. Boston (PHI 4 at BOS 3)

4/22/08, Eastern Conference QF vs. Washington (PHI 3 at WSH 2, OT)

5/22/04, Eastern Conference Final vs. Tampa Bay (PHI 1 at T.B. 2)

4/22/03, Eastern Conference QF vs. Toronto (TOR 1 at PHI 6)

5/26/00, Eastern Conference Final vs. New Jersey (N.J. 2 at PHI 1)

4/29/89, Patrick Division Final vs. Pittsburgh (PHI 4 at PIT 1)

4/16/88, Patrick Division SF vs. Washington (PHI 4 at WSH 5, OT)

5/31/87, Stanley Cup Final vs. Edmonton (PHI 1 at EDM 3)

5/2/87, Patrick Division Final vs. NY Islanders (NYI 1 at PHI 5)

4/26/81, Quarter-final vs. Calgary (CGY 4 at PHI 1)

4/25/76, Quarter-final vs. Toronto (TOR 3 at PHI 7)

5/13/75, Semifinal vs. NY Islanders (NYI 1 at PHI 4)

5/5/74, Semifinal vs. NY Rangers (NYR 3 at PHI 4)

4/18/68, Quarter-final vs. St. Louis (STL 3 at PHI 1)

Colorado GP W-L G A Pts.

John Mitchell 2 2-0 0 0 0

Cory Sarich 3 2-1 0 0 0

Maxime Talbot 4 2-2 2 0 2

Alex Tanguay 8 4-4 3 4 7

GP Mins W-L GAA SO Sv%

S. Varlamov 3 140 1-2 2.99 0 .857

J.S. Giguere 1 60 0-1 3.00 0 .880

Semyon Varlamov

Date Score Dec. Shots

4/28/10 MTL 2 at WSH 1 Loss 16

5/13/09 PIT 6 at WSH 2 Loss 18

4/28/09 NYR 1 at WSH 2 Win 15

J.S. Giguere

Date Score Dec. Shots

6/9/03 ANA 0 at N.J. 3 Loss 25

Colorado Head Coach

Patrick Roy (---)

Minnesota GP W-L G A Pts.

Keith Ballard 1 1-0 0 0 0

Matt Cooke 7 3-4 2 0 2

Dany Heatley 1 1-0 0 0 0

Cody McCormick 1 0-1 0 0 0

Zach Parise 2 1-1 0 1 1

Jason Pominville 1 0-1 0 0 0

Mike Rupp 6 3-3 1 2 3

GP Mins W-L GAA SO Sv%

Ilya Bryzgalov 2 120 1-1 3.01 1 .917

Date Score Dec. Shots

4/27/10 DET 6 at PHX 1 Loss 50

5/3/06 ANA 3 at CGY 0 Win 22

Minnesota Head Coach

Mike Yeo (---)

Colorado Avalanche* (6-6)

4/22/03, Western Conference QF vs. Minnesota (MIN 3 at COL 2, OT)

5/31/02, Western Conference Final vs. Detroit (COL 0 at DET 7)

5/15/02, Western Conference SF vs. San Jose (S.J. 0 at COL 1)

4/29/02, Western Conference QF vs. Los Angeles (L.A. 0 at COL 4)

6/9/01, Stanley Cup Final (N.J. 1 at COL 3)

5/9/01, Western Conference SF vs. Los Angeles (L.A. 1 at COL 5)

5/27/00, Western Conference Final vs. Dallas (COL 2 at DAL 3)

6/4/99, Western Conference Final vs. Dallas (COL 1 at DAL 4)

5/4/98, Western Conference QF vs. Edmonton (EDM 4 at COL 0)

5/2/87, Adams Division Final vs. Montreal (QUE 3 at MTL 5)

5/2/85, Adams Division Final vs. Montreal (QUE 3 at MTL 2, OT)

4/25/82, Adams Division Final vs. Boston (QUE 2 at BOS 1)

* franchise moved from Quebec to Colorado in 1995-96

Minnesota Wild (2-0)

5/8/03, Western Conference SF vs. Vancouver (MIN 4 at VAN 2)

4/22/03, Western Conference QF vs. Colorado (MIN 3 at COL 2, OT)

San Jose GP W-L G A Pts.

Dan Boyle 4 3-1 1 2 3

Justin Braun 1 0-1 0 0 0

Mike Brown 1 0-1 0 0 0

Adam Burish 1 0-1 0 0 0

Brent Burns 1 0-1 0 0 0

Logan Couture 2 1-1 1 0 1

Jason Demers 1 1-0 0 0 0

Andrew Desjardins 1 0-1 0 0 0

Scott Hannan 2 0-2 0 0 0

Martin Havlat 3 0-3 0 1 1

Matt Irwin 1 0-1 0 0 0

Bracken Kearns 1 0-1 0 0 0

Tyler Kennedy 4 2-2 0 0 0

Patrick Marleau 4 2-2 1 0 1

Joe Pavelski 3 2-1 1 1 2

James Sheppard 1 0-1 0 0 0

Brad Stuart 7 3-4 1 1 2

Joe Thornton 4 2-2 1 1 2

Raffi Torres 3 1-2 0 1 1

Marc-Edouard Vlasic 3 2-1 0 0 0

Tommy Wingels 1 0-1 0 0 0

GP Mins W-L GAA SO Sv%

Antti Niemi 2 118 1-1 2.03 0 .931

Date Score Dec. Shots

5/28/13 S.J. 1 at L.A. 2 Loss 18

5/12/11 DET 2 at S.J. 3 Win 40

San Jose Head Coach

Todd McLellan (1-1)

Date Score Dec.

5/28/13 S.J. 1 at L.A. 2 Loss

5/12/11 DET 2 at S.J. 3 Win

Los Angeles GP W-L G A Pts.

Dustin Brown 1 1-0 0 0 0

Jeff Carter 2 2-0 0 0 0

Kyle Clifford 1 1-0 0 0 0

Drew Doughty 1 1-0 0 1 1

Colin Fraser 1 1-0 0 0 0

Marian Gaborik 4 4-0 1 1 2

Matt Greene 2 1-1 0 0 0

Dwight King 1 1-0 0 0 0

Anze Kopitar 1 1-0 0 1 1

Trevor Lewis 1 1-0 0 0 0

Willie Mitchell 3 3-0 0 0 0

Jake Muzzin 1 1-0 0 0 0

Robyn Regehr 5 2-3 0 0 0

Mike Richards 4 4-0 0 3 3

Jarret Stoll 1 0-1 0 0 0

Tyler Toffoli 1 1-0 0 0 0

Slava Voynov 1 1-0 0 2 2

Justin Williams 4 4-0 5 4 9

GP Mins W-L GAA SO Sv%

Jonathan Quick 1 60 1-0 1.00 0 .962

Date Score Dec. Shots

5/28/13 S.J. 1 at L.A. 2 Win 26

Los Angeles Head Coach

Darryl Sutter (4-3)

Date Score Dec.

5/28/13 S.J. 1 at L.A. 2 Win

5/3/06 ANA 3 at CGY 0 Loss

6/7/04 CGY 1 at T.B. 2 Loss

4/19/04 CGY 3 at VAN 2 (OT) Win

5/15/02 S.J. 0 at COL 1 Loss

4/25/00 S.J. 3 at STL 1 Win

5/19/95 TOR 2 at CHI 5 Win

San Jose Sharks (5-3)

5/28/13, Western Conference SF vs. Los Angeles (S.J. 1 at L.A. 2)

5/12/11, Western Conference SF vs. Detroit (DET 2 at S.J. 3)

4/22/08, Western Conference QF vs. Calgary (CGY 3 at S.J. 5)

5/15/02, Western Conference SF vs. Colorado (S.J. 0 at COL 1)

4/25/00, Western Conference QF vs. St. Louis (S.J. 3 at STL 1)

5/19/95, Western Conference QF vs. Calgary (S.J. 5 at CGY 4, 2OT)

5/14/94, Western Conference SF vs. Toronto (S.J. 2 at TOR 4)

4/30/94, Western Conference QF vs. Detroit (S.J. 3 at DET 2)

Los Angeles Kings (4-4)

5/28/13, Western Conference SF vs. San Jose (S.J. 1 at L.A. 2)

4/29/02, Western Conference QF vs. Colorado (L.A. 0 at COL 4)

5/9/01, Western Conference SF vs. Colorado (L.A. 1 at COL 5)

5/29/93, Western Conference Final vs. Toronto (L.A. 5 at TOR 4)

4/15/89, Smythe Division SF vs. Edmonton (EDM 3 at L.A. 6)

4/25/76, Quarterfinals vs. Boston (L.A. 0 at BOS 3)

4/13/69, Quarterfinals vs. Oakland (L.A. 5 at OAK 3)

4/18/68, Quarterfinals vs. Minnesota (MIN 9 at L.A. 4)