Overtime game-winners are becoming a calling card for Boston Bruins rookie Matt Fraser.
The 23-year-old winger was the B’s hero Thursday night, jamming the puck past Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price to give Boston a 1-0 win in Game 4 of the teams’ second-round Stanley Cup playoff series. The thrill of playing in a near must-win game in front of 20,000-plus fans was all new to Fraser, but the feeling of lighting the lamp in overtime in the playoffs was not.
In fact, Fraser had accomplished that just two weeks earlier — albeit on a considerably smaller stage. Playing for the Bruins’ minor league affiliate in Providence, Fraser fired a shot past Springfield Falcons goalie Mike McKenna at 3:54 of the extra session on Friday, April 29, giving the P-Bruins a 3-2 win in Game 2 of the AHL’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
With his goal Thursday night, Fraser became the first player ever to score overtime goals in the Calder Cup and Stanley Cup playoffs in the same season, according to the AHL’s PR department. He’s also the first Bruins player to score an OT goal in his playoff debut since Don Gallinger did so in 1943, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Providence went on to take its best-of-five series with Springfield in five games and now will face the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the East semis beginning Friday night.
GIF via @myregularface
Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Providence Bruins
