The hole is deep, but the opponent has blown leads like this before. (Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Here’s the bad news, it hasn’t happened in 76 years. Here’s the good news, it has been done. In 1942, the Toronto Maple Leafs were trailing the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 in the Stanley Cup Finals. Toronto went to win four straight games to hoist the Cup.

The silver lining, the Golden Knights will only have to win three straight.

I think at home’s our best games for sure throughout the playoffs that crowd will be getting us going for sure and we’ll be ready. -Alex Tuch

The Golden Knights have played with confidence all season, and now it’s time to dive deep down and find that assurance. It’s been a successful “one game at a time” mentality for Vegas. It’s really one game at a time right now, and there’s no room for error.

To win three games in a row is tough in this league, but at the start of the season, if you told anyone in this locker room, ‘If you win three games in a row, you win the Stanley Cup,’ I think everyone would be excited about that opportunity. -Reilly Smith

Since 1942, only that one Maple Leafs team has won the Stanley Cup series trailing 3-1. Only the 2006 Philadelphia Flyers and the 1987 Oilers pushed the series to a seventh game. So it’s possible to force a Game 7, but the odds are stacked against Vegas.

That being said, as rare as it is in the Final, teams coming back from 3-1 in the playoffs is not horribly uncommon.

NHL Teams to Win Best of Seven Series (3-1)

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs won Stanley Cup
1975 NY Islanders won Conference final
1987 NY Islanders won Conference final
1987 Detroit Red Wings won Division Semifinal
1988 Washington Capitals won Division Semifinal
1989 LA Kings won Division Semi finals
1990 Edmonton Oilers won Division Semifinal
1991 St. Louis won Division Semifinal
1992 Detroit Red Wings won Division Semifinal
1992 Vancouver Canucks won Division Semifinal
1994 Vancouver Canucks won Divison Semifinal
1995 Pittsburgh Penguins won Conference Quarterfinals
1998 Edmonton Oilers won Conference Quarterfinals
1999 St. Louis Blues won Conference Quarterfinals
2000 NJ Devils won Conference Finals
2003 Minnesota Wild won Conference Quarterfinals
2003 Vancouver Canucks won Conference Quarterfinals
2003 Minnesota Wild won Conference Semifinals
2004 Montreal Canadiens won Conference Quarterfinals
2009 Washington Capitals won Confidence Quarterfinals
2010 Montreal Canadiens won Conference Quarterfinals
2010 Philadelphia Flyers won Conference Semifinals
2011 Tampa Bay Lightning won Conference Quarterfinals
2013 Chicago Blackhawks won Conference Semifinals
2014 LA Kings won First Round
2014 NY Rangers won Second Round
2015 NY Rangers won Second Round

This team has done it before. We’ve won three in row, and I think we are able to do it again. In the long run, if you play good hockey you’re going to win. -Tomas Tatar

James Neal has been on the losing side of many postseason series, including last year’s Stanley Cup Final. In order to not be this decades Marian Hossa (lost ’08 Cup w/Pittsburgh, lost ’09 Cup w/Detroit), Neal says it starts with the first period of the next three games.

We have no choice. We need to play together as a group, like we have all season. Focus on the first period, focus on our start, get our rest. We can’t be chasing the game. -James Neal

The numbers aren’t great, in fact they’re dreadful. However, all season long the Golden Knights have made history, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see them extend the series. It’s about time a team pulled it off since the ’42 Leafs. Oh, and there’s always this.