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.
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.
