Need proof that the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the ultimate exercise in parity? Look no further than Monday night.
Bruins fans will know what we’re talking about, as Boston’s Game 3 against the Ottawa Senators featured a nail-biting overtime finish preceded by an epic three-goal comeback. But the B’s weren’t alone in their heartbreak after watching Bobby Ryan tip in the overtime game-winner.
Just ask the Washington Capitals. Or the Chicago Blackhawks. Or the Calgary Flames.
Those three clubs all met the same fate as Boston by losing in overtime. That’s right: Four first-round Stanley Cup Playoff games were played Monday night, and all four went to overtime.
Just as Ryan was putting the finishing touches on Ottawa’s win, Maple Leafs forward Tyler Bozak lifted a one-timer past Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby to give Toronto a 4-3 win and a surprising 2-1 series lead.
The Predators were next to join the party, with winger Kevin Fiala doing the honors in the extra period to lift Nashville to a 3-2 win and put Chicago on the ropes.
But surely the Anaheim Ducks, who trailed the Flames by two goals entering the third period, would end the overtime binge, right? Not so. The Ducks rallied to send the game into OT, then completed the comeback on Corey Perry’s game-winner to take a 3-0 series lead.
After Monday’s drama-filled night of hockey, we’ve now seen 11 overtime games in this year’s playoffs — and it’s still only the first round. Now THAT’s parity.
Thumbnail photo via Dan Hamilton/USA TODAY Sports Images
