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Back in the 1975 Stanley Cup Finals, the New York Islanders were in dire straits. The Islanders were down 3-0 in their series with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the quarterfinals. This was before the Penguins had their Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby magic quite yet. They weren’t the feared, perennial powerhouse quite yet.

Still, a 3-0 hole is a 3-0 hole. There is a reason teams don’t come back from that. The Isles did, however, becoming just the 2nd team at that point to come back from a 3-0 hole. The Philadelphia Flyers have done so since, bringing the total to 3 teams to climb out of such a hole in a 7 game series.

The Devils, of course, have started this year’s Finals in a 3-0 hole. History has proven that they are likely done for. There is a common thread between the Islanders of 1975 and the Devils of 2012, however: the Parise surname. JP Parise, pictured above, was a mid season acquisition by the 75 Islanders. Zach Parise has been a major factor in any success the recent version of the Devils have had.

Is that a tenuous grasp on hope for Devils fans? Perhaps. But New Jersey made it 3-1 on Wednesday.

Ice Insiders Chris Berry Interactive Chris Berry Interactive