All it took was one.
With the New York Rangers holding a 2-0 lead in the second period, you could tell the Scotiabank Place crowd was waiting for something to cheer for. Spezza hit Matt Carkner coming out of the box and he fed Milan Michalek who cut the lead to one. From there the Ottawa Senators and their fans took over.
If you were lucky enough to attend the game, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
After being shutout in Game 3, it was a crowd that was desperate for a goal. When Michalek's backhand beat Lundqvist, the momentum seemed to be too much for the Rangers to contain. During one second period tv time out, the crowd stood and cheered the whole way through. No music. Just pure emotion from the SBP faithful.
Not long after that ovation, it was Sergei Gonchar that willed a point shot past a shell shocked Rangers goalie and suddenly the Sens had pulled even.
Both teams had their chances with the game tied but Lundqvist and Anderson were both up to the challenge, ultimately sending this game to overtime.
Facing the possibility of draw even or be forced to the brink of elimination, the Ottawa Senators responded in a big way. Jim O'Brien fed Kyle Turris with a perfect drop pass and Turris beat Lundqvist with an absolute laser to pull the Sens even in this series.
Obviously plenty of players deserve recognition in this one because honestly, each and every Senator left it all on the ice in Game 4. But in particular you have to love the play of Matt Carkner. After serving a one game suspension on Monday, Carkner showed up in a big way on Wednesday night. He was at his physical best and his set up on the Michalek goal completely changed the momentum in this game.
Safe to say he's in the line up again for Game 5.
My hat goes off to each and every fan in attendance tonight. The hometown faithful showed exactly what is possible when the crowd gets behind their hockey team. By far the best atmosphere I have ever experienced at a game played at Scotiabank Place.
The Sens have a full day off and will play Game 5 of this series on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.
