In the first 71 years of the modern NHL playoffs, only five teams managed to erase a 3-0 series deficit to force a Game 7. Thursday night, when the surging Detroit Red Wings take on the San Jose Sharks, it will be the second such comeback this year. Former Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman, now the Lightning’s general manager, theorizes that all the upsets stem from the NHL’s relatively new salary cap, which restricts teams from becoming as dominant as they were in decades past. The result, he says, is that there’s “very little difference between the No. 1 and No. 8 seed.” From a TV ratings standpoint, the NHL’s unpredictability doesn’t seem to be hurting. Coverage of playoff games so far this year on Versus are up 8% according to Nielsen. NBC’s first-round coverage posted the highest numbers since 2004.
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