Kings vs. Sharks, Game 7: How did Los Angeles pull off a comeback for the ages?

The Kings were just the fourth team in NHL history to come back from 0-3 down in a series. How did they do it?

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It'd be one thing if the Los Angeles Kings were playing neck-and-neck with the San Jose Sharks for through Games 1 through 3, and they just lost three close games before coming back and winning the next four.

But the most impressive thing about the Kings comeback from 0-3 down in their first round series with the Sharks was just how down and out Los Angeles was through the first two games of the series. They may as well not have even been on the same playing field, and after a tough OT loss in Game 3, it seemed far-fetched that they would even win a game, let alone come back from 0-3 down.

Let's look back:

Game 1: Sharks win, 6-3

Jonathan Quick allowed four goals on 20 shots. It was 3-0 after the first period, then 5-0 San Jose by the 16:29 mark of the second period. Los Angeles pushed back in the third, but come on ... this game was never close.

Game 2: Sharks win, 7-2

Again, this game wasn't close. It certainly seemed like L.A. was going to even up the series in the first period after they jumped on a 2-0 lead, but Jonathan Quick was bad again, and San Jose scored seven goals in a row to run away with this one. Mike Brown and Raffi Torres scored goals for the Sharks! I mean, really.

Game 3: Sharks win, 4-3 in OT

Game 3 between the Sharks and Kings was one that really could have gone either way. It was even in terms of possession and scoring chances, and the difference was a weak Patrick Marleau shot in overtime that Quick didn't see.

Los Angeles didn't get the win, but after two demoralizing losses in the first two games, they at least showed some life.

Photo credit: Ezra Shaw

In that sense, they differed completely from that 2010 Philadelphia Flyers team that came back from 0-3 down against the Boston Bruins.

The Flyers that year were solidly in every game they lost in the series -- a pair of one goal losses in Games 1 and 2, and a tough 4-1 loss in Game 3 in which the Flyers put 40 more shot attempts towards the net than their opponent. So entering Game 4, the first of what would be four-straight do-or-die games, the Flyers at least had that to look back on.

The Kings just had one tough OT loss to pull from. All things considered, they showed life in Game 3 at Staples Center but were clearly outmatched on the ice in San Jose, where they still had to win at least two more games. It would have been easy to throw in the towel.

Despite three losses, it felt like Philly was in the series in 2010. This year, it didn't feel like the Kings were in the series.

So what turned the series in Los Angeles' favor in Games 4 through 7? It might be impossible to pin it on just one thing, but Kings blog Jewels From The Crown hypothesized that Drew Doughty's play was a key factor:

In the Kings 3 losses, Doughty had rough numbers as LA was out-chanced 12 to 19 with him on the ice. Since then, however, the Kings have out-chanced the Sharks 16 to 5 with him on. That's right, 19 chances against with Doughty on ice in the first 3 games. Only 5 chances against over the last 3 and that's in 61 minutes of even strength ice time.

Maybe it was the Game 5 injury to the Sharks' Marc-Edouard Vlasic, one of the most underrated defensemen in the league. Maybe it was the play of Quick, who was a total sieve in the first two games yet made a shutout in Game 5 and had a save percentage over .960 in Games 6 and 7. In reality, it's impossible to pin it to one thing. Cup-caliber teams don't lose four straight games like the Sharks just did for just one or two distinct reasons.

No matter the reason, this Kings comeback was one for the ages, and they did it against a San Jose team that despite their reputation -- now forever solidified -- as playoff chokers, was more well-positioned to win the Cup this year than in many recent years. That stings for the Sharks. It'll sting more if the Kings make it to the Cup Final again.