How did it come to this?

In the East, the defending champion Devils -- the top seed -- are down to their last strike (tonight) against the surprisingly gritty Leafs.

In the West, the star-laden Avalanche -- the top seed -- have been forced to a Game 7 with the "Cinderella" Kings.

Well, it came to this for a simple reason: the game is played on the rink, not on a Playstation. In the NHL playoffs, things never seem to go as expected. (Remember, the Devils were the East's fourth seed last spring after freefalling down the stretch.) Instead, we see hot teams and bad bounces and injuries.

The Devils and Avs -- to some degree -- have been victim to all three of these factors in the first two rounds. Now, both teams have a last chance to save their seasons.

Last year, the Devs were able to fight back from a 3-1 deficit against the Flyers in the Conference finals. Can they pull off a similar comeback, down 3-2 to the Leafs? Without injured D Scott Niedermayer (who will be a game-time decision), it will be tough. Certainly, they'll need a big effort from their top line of C Jason Arnott, LW Patrik Elias and RW Petr Sykora. And, if the Devils are to have any chance, G Martin Brodeur will have to step up his game. To this point in the series, he's been outplayed by Toronto's Curtis Joseph.

In Colorado, goaltending hasn't been the problem. After stumbling in Game 1, Patrick Roy has been brilliant. In fact, the Avs would have already been eliminated if it hadn't been for Roy's outstanding play.

Ironically, with that bus-load of offensive talent, Colorado's problem has been scoring. They bring a 164:28 scoreless streak into Wednesday's Game 7.

Certainly, a healthy Joe Sakic would help matters. Sakic played in Game 6, but was bothered by the injured shoulder which kept him out of Games 4 and 5.

Can the Avs win Game 7? Yes. But, it won't be easy. The Kings are good. Very good. They have guys who can score, they have defenders who can defend and they have a goalie who can stop the puck. And, right now, just like the Leafs, the Kings truly believe they can win.

This time of year, teams that have that belief are trouble. Just ask the Avs or Devs.

E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.