The Los Angeles Kings know all about coming back from a 3-0 deficit in the NHL playoffs.
The Kings trail the Colorado Avalanche 3-0 in their first-round series heading into Sunday's Game 4. Los Angeles was down 3-0 to the San Jose Sharks in the first round of the 2014 postseason before rallying for the win.
“You’ve got to be loose now,” Kings interim coach D.J. Smith said. “You know the end result if you don’t win. Sometimes when that happens you grip it a little less and you make a play maybe you wouldn’t have made early on.
“The No. 1 thing you can’t do is get down on yourself, get down on your team, get down on your teammates. I don’t see any of that in the room. … I don’t feel for one second that anyone in that room doesn’t think we can win our next hockey game.”
Colorado leads a series 3-0 for the eighth time in franchise history. The last three times the Avalanche advanced in four games, including twice during their 2022 Cup run.
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 2 p.m. ET (TNT)
The Bruins will try to avoid a 3-1 deficit when they get back on the TD Garden ice against the Sabres on Sunday. The Bruins were 29-11-1 at home this season — tied for the most home wins in the league — going more than three months and 13 games without losing in Boston.
The Sabres' 24 away wins were tied for the most in the Eastern Conference.
“We've been a good road team. We've put together some really good stretches on the road where we've played really well," Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff said. "I said you're going to get a different type of atmosphere, but just believe in the way we need to play. And I thought we executed that to a ‘T.’”
The teams had an extra day off after Game 3, which Buffalo won 3-1 to reclaim the home-ice advantage it earned by winning the Atlantic Division for its first playoff berth since 2011 — a drought that is the longest in NHL history.
The Bruins feel like they're on the right track after scoring first in all three games.
“We’re a confident bunch here, and one game doesn’t change that," Boston forward Mark Kastelic said. "We’ll have a good two days here to reset and continue to push forward.”
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
Known for their speed and scoring, the Avalanche have shown their defensive prowess, too, by winning a pair of low-scoring games.
“You’re comfortable winning a 1-0 game. If it’s a little bit more run-and-gun, you can do that, too,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “If it’s physical, you’re able to do that. It’s well-rounded players that can play a 200-foot game that give you the best chance to win, and we have a team full of them.”
The Kings have added incentive to prolong the season -- Anze Kopitar. The Kings captain is set to retire after the season.
And Avalanche defenseman has an added incentive to end it quickly: He was on the 2014 Sharks team that blew a 3-0 lead to the Kings.
When/Where to Watch: Game 4, Sunday, 7 p.m. ET (ESPN)
All three games of the series have gone to overtime, with the Canadiens winning twice to improve to 21-6-6 in one-goal games this season.
Montreal’s fourth line was a plus-3 in Game 3 and the Canadiens are ahead in the series despite not getting a 5-on-5 goal from their top line. Juraj Slafkovsky, who is on the No. 1 line, had three power-play goals in the series-opening 4-3 victory.