Has there even been a sweep in the Stanley Cup Final?

The Florida Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers 4-3 at Rogers Place on Thursday to take a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. The Panthers are now one win away from sweeping Connor McDavid’s Oilers and lifting the prestigious trophy.

The Panthers are not, however, the first team that could achieve the feat. Since the Stanley Cup format was expanded to best of seven in 1939, there have been 20 sweeps.

The first team to achieve this feat was the Boston Bruins in 1941. They defeated the Detroit Red Wings in four games, allowing only six goals. Two years later, the Red Wings secured their revenge by sweeping the Bruins.

There were five sweeps in the 1940s. The Leafs swept the Red Wings in back-to-back finals in 1948 and 1949.

The Montreal Canadiens swept the Maple Leafs in 1960, securing their fifth consecutive Stanley Cup, a record that stands today.

The 1970s and 1980s featured more memorable sweeps. The Boston Bruins swept the St. Louis Blues in 1970. The New York Islanders registered back-to-back Cup wins, sweeping the Vancouver Canucks in 1982 and the Edmonton Oilers in 1983.

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When was the last sweep in the Stanley Cup Final?

It has been over two decades since the last sweep in a Stanley Cup Final. The most recent sweep was in 1998, when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Washington Capitals in four games. The series was tightly contested with each of the first three games decided by a single goal (2-1, 5-4 and 2-1). The Red Wings clinched the title with a 4-1 win in Game 4.

The Montreal Canadiens hold the record for the most Stanley Cup Final sweeps with six. The Detroit Red Wings have the second most sweeps with four (1943, 1952, 1997, 1998), followed by the Toronto Maple Leafs (1948, 1949), the Boston Bruins (1941, 1970) and the New York Islanders (1982, 1983) with two each.

The Edmonton Oilers (1988), Pittsburgh Penguins (1992), New Jersey Devils (1995), and Colorado Avalanche (1996) have each registered one sweep in the Stanley Cup Final.

If the Panthers down the Oilers in Game 4, they will become the first team in the 21st century to blank their opponents in a Stanley Cup Final.

Game 4 takes place at Rogers Place on Saturday.