By the numbers: Stanley Cup Final Game 7s
The NHL's new champion will be crowned following a win-or-go-home affair Wednesday, and other than fans of the St. Louis Blues, nobody's complaining that this series is going the distance.
The Boston Bruins will have the luxury of home-ice advantage for the decisive contest, but that doesn't necessarily mean history is on their side.
Here's a look at some numerical nuggets pertaining to Stanley Cup Final Game 7s throughout history, to the 2019 playoffs, and how they relate to the two clubs involved this time around.
8 years later, can Boston do it again?
2011 - The last Game 7 in a Cup Final, in which the Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4-0.
5 - Current Bruins players who were part of that championship team (Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, Zdeno Chara, David Krejci, and Tuukka Rask, although Rask didn't play a minute in the playoffs that year).
Home teams have an edge, but not recently
12-4 - The record of home teams in Stanley Cup Final Game 7s.
2 - Road wins in the last two Cup Final Game 7s. The Bruins won in Vancouver in the 2011 final; the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in 2009.
A 1st time for everything
95 - Years the Bruins have existed.
0 - Stanley Cup Final Game 7s that the team has previously hosted.
Bruins have more Game 7 experience
15-12 - The Bruins' all-time record in playoff Game 7s, the most winner-take-all contests of any franchise and the most wins in those games in NHL history.
14-8 - Boston's record at home in those games.
9-8 - The Blues' all-time record in playoff Game 7s.
4-6 - St. Louis' record on the road in those games.
Chara on verge of history
13 - All-time Game 7s played in by Chara, who will set an NHL record when he plays in his 14th on Wednesday. The 42-year-old Bruins captain is currently tied with Patrick Roy and Scott Stevens for the most all time.
Going the distance ... again
2 - Years the Bruins have played multiple Game 7s in a single playoff run (they went the distance with Toronto in Round 1 this year). They also did so in 2011, becoming the first team in history to win three Game 7s in a single playoff run. The Los Angeles Kings later matched the mark in 2014.
All-time Game 7 trends
177 - All-time Game 7s in playoff history.
74 - Percent of those games won by the team that scored first (131-46). Those clubs have gone 11-5 in Stanley Cup Final Game 7s, and 3-2 in Game 7s during the 2019 playoffs.
58.7 - Percent of all-time Game 7s won by the home team. Home teams have gone 4-1 in 2019.
24.9 - Percent of all-time Game 7s that required overtime. Home teams have gone 23-21 in those games, and 2-1 in 2019.
Putting all the 2019 Game 7s in context
6 - Game 7s in these playoffs, including Wednesday's contest.
6 - Previous years in which at least six Game 7s were contested in the same postseason (seven in 1994, 2011, and 2014, and six in 1992, 2003, and 2009).
(Most figures provided by the NHL)