History Strongly Suggests That Bruins Will Be Playing In Stanley Cup Final
BOSTON (CBS) -- If the past is any indication, then it's only a matter of time before you can make your plans to watch the Bruins play for the Stanley Cup.
Now the owners of a 2-0 series lead over the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, the Bruins not only have confidence on their side after a lopsided 6-2 victory. They also have history.
The NHL communications department shared this nugget after the Bruins won on Sunday: Since 1982, a team that's taken a 2-0 series lead in a conference final has gone on to win that series 93.8 percent of the time.
Since the conference format was adopted during the 1981-82 season, teams that take a 2-0 lead in the Conference Finals own a series record of 30-2 (93.8%). #NHLStats #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/q6OiyOqJEt
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 12, 2019
Those are pretty strong numbers in Boston's favor.
Now, the counterargument to these odds would be that the Hurricanes overcame a 2-0 series deficit just last month against the defending-champion Washington Capitals. The NHL was prepared for such a case to be made, as the follow-up tweet noted that the 2011 Bruins and 2009 Penguins were the only two teams in NHL history to overcome two separate 2-0 series deficits in a single postseason.
Coincidentally, the 2013 Bruins were one of the 32 teams to take a 2-0 lead in the conference finals, and they did so over Pittsburgh. That Bruins team ended up earning a sweep over the Penguins.
Whether or not this year's Bruins team can sweep away the Hurricanes remains to be seen. But historical records indicate that a trip to the Stanley Cup Final is close to a done deal.