After a third straight loss to the Boston Bruins in the 2010 playoffs, Daniel Brière remembers his teammates sitting in the locker room, wondering how they could already find themselves one defeat away from elimination.
Despite this deficit, the members of the Philadelphia Flyers were still convinced that they were the better team, he said. They then proved it by winning four games in a row to reach the Eastern final.
“I think the first step is to believe it’s possible,” Brière said in an interview with The Canadian Press. When you lose three times in a row, you will rarely believe that you can then win four times in a row.
“It’s really hard to believe it. »
The Toronto Maple Leafs find themselves down to a 3-0 deficit in their second-round series against the Florida Panthers. The fourth game will be presented Wednesday, in Florida.
The Panthers have won their last six games, including three straight wins to upset the Boston Bruins in the first round.
“You can’t win four games in one night,” said Brière, now interim general manager of the Flyers. You don’t have to think too far ahead. It’s the same for the Panthers. They can’t imagine themselves already in the next round.
“The Maple Leafs are an excellent team and they have the means to return to the series. »
The Maple Leafs needed six games to defeat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, winning their first series in 19 years. The offense has since lost its edge, generating just six goals in three games against the Panthers.
Only four teams have won a series after falling 3-0 in NHL history. The Los Angeles Kings are the last to accomplish the feat, in 2014. The Flyers did it in 2010, as did the New York Islanders in 1975 and the Maple Leafs in 1942.
Brière recalled that the Flyers had confirmed their participation in the playoffs on the last day of the regular season in 2010. The team was used to raising its level of play in important moments.
“We had the confidence to deliver the goods when our backs were against the wall, when we had no room for error,” he said. When we found ourselves down 3-0 against the Bruins, it was as if a different team had started showing up at the arena. It felt like we were starting a new season. »
The Flyers eventually reached the Stanley Cup Finals that year, then retired after six games against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Simon Gagné’s return to play in Game 4 against the Bruins gave the Flyers a boost. The road win in Game 5 was the defining moment, according to Brière.
“We were then certain to win the sixth game in front of our fans. Then anything can happen in an ultimate match,” he said.
“The hardest thing for the Maple Leafs is that the Panthers are on a roll,” Brière said. Their confidence could hardly be higher. »
The Panthers are hoping to reach the Eastern Finals for the first time since 1996.