Kings Become 4th Team in NHL History to Overcome 3-0 Series Deficit

With their 5-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, the Los Angeles Kings became the fourth team in NHL history to trail 3-0 in a playoff series but still advance to the next round, per NHL.com.

The Toronto Maple Leafs first accomplished the feat all the way back in 1942, followed by the New York Islanders in 1975 and, most recently, the Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. The Kings have now beaten the Sharks in Game 7 of a playoff series in back-to-back seasons.

The tiebreaking goal in Wednesday's contest came from Anze Kopitar late in the second period, with Drew Doughty, Tyler Toffoli, Dustin Brown and Tanner Pearson also cashing in goals for the Kings. The second-period goal was Kopitar's fourth of the 2013-14 NHL playoffs, and his third-period assist gave him 10 total points in the first round, tying him for the NHL lead. Right-winger Justin Williams had four goals in the series, matching Kopitar for the team lead.

Goaltending also played a major role in the Kings' comeback, and Wednesday was no exception, as Jonathan Quick recorded an impressive 39 saves. Quick was vital to the Kings' turnaround, as he allowed just five goals in the Kings' final four victories, after surrendering 16 in the three losses.

The Kings will now move on to face the Anaheim Ducks for the first time ever in the playoffs, with Game 1 scheduled for Saturday night. Los Angeles went 1-3-1 against their division rivals in the regular season, getting outscored 13-8 in the five games.