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.