FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-When Kyle Turris scored that overtime winner on Henrik Lundqvist back in 2012, it became an instant classic. A moment Sens fans would replay on YouTube thousands of times over the last five years. What is so crazy about these playoffs, is we’ve already added five equally incredible moments in the history of this franchise. And all in like the last month. Five overtime winners and yesterday’s may have been the biggest one yet. What a game. What a team.
-There was a moment like ten minutes into the game when it felt like I had already gone through a lifetime of emotions. The ugly start, the answer by Mark Stone, the first Chris Neil shift of the game. There was just so much emotion packed into the first half of that period. Incredibly, the game really didn’t let up either. Just another remarkable hockey game that fans in this city will remember for years to come.
-We probably spent too much time talking about the possibility of playing Chris Neil in Game 5 and we’re probably spending too much time talking about his role in Game 5. With that said, what he did out there on Saturday, that mattered. It was a crucial moment in this series. Yes, he negated a potential power play but it had reached a point where something had to be done about Tanner Glass. It’s unfortunate that it got to that point but it had to be done. Whether you like that sort of thing or not, there’s just no denying that the Senators got a lift from Chris Neil yesterday.
-Nice to see you again, Mark Stone. After two dreadful games in New York, this was certainly Mark Stone’s best game of this series and perhaps his best of the playoffs. It’s no secret that he’s playing through an injury of some kind for the last couple months but he seemed to be getting around the ice much better in Game 5. And because he looked a step quicker, he was also able to turn a few more pucks over with his incredible hand eye coordination. The Senators needed their best players to step up on Saturday and Mark Stone did that in a big way.
-Three more remarkable assists by Erik Karlsson in this game as he continues to have a post-season for the ages. On the Hoffman goal, it was Karlsson’s speed and vision that made the goal possible. On the tying goal by Derick Brassard, Karlsson made a ridiculous pass across ice and over two Ranger sticks that got the puck to open nice and got Lundqvist stumbling a little bit. And on the winner by Kyle Turris, it was a stretch pass on the tape to Alex Burrows that caught the Rangers flat-footed and gave Turris the room he needed to end the game. Erik Karlsson continues to make extremely difficult plays look so damn easy.
Boucher’s Post-Game Comments
Boxscore
Advanced Stats
Playoff Bracket
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