The 1941-42 Toronto Maple Leafs, 1974-75 New York Islanders and 2009-10 Boston Bruins welcomed a new member to their unenviable club Wednesday night.
The San Jose Sharks fell to the Los Angeles Kings 5-1 in Game 7 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, becoming the fourth team in NHL history to lose a Stanley Cup playoff series after winning each of the first three games.
While the game was not as lopsided as the final score indicates — the Kings added two empty-net goals in the final minutes — it was yet another chapter in the Sharks’ tortured playoff history.
San Jose has reached the postseason in each of the last 10 seasons — and 17 of 22 seasons since the team’s inception in 1991 — but has never played in a Stanley Cup Final. The Sharks are fans of spreading the love when they lose, too. Wednesday’s series loss marked the first time in franchise history they have been knocked out of the playoffs by the same opponent in consecutive seasons (the Kings ousted San Jose in the Western Conference semis last season).
Los Angeles will now advance to play the division rival Anaheim Ducks, with Game 1 of their second-round series set for Saturday night.
Check out the highlights from Game 7 in the video below.
