The Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins completed their Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals series on Wednesday night, setting an NHL playoff record in the process. It was the first ever playoff series in league history in which all seven games were decided by only one goal.
Of course, four of those games were decided in overtime, including Game Seven at Boston's TD Garden with Joel Ward potting the series-winner.
Game Seven came almost 14 years to the day of another OT classic at the same venue between the same teams. And that one, like the 2012 clincher, saw controversy in the extra period--though with an entirely different outcome.
On April 26, 1998, the Bruins and Capitals squared off in Boston for Game Three of their Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals series. The teams were tied 1-1 in the series, with the Bruins stealing home-ice advantage away after a big 4-3 double-overtime win in Game Two.
The third game also went to overtime, and the Bruins thought they'd won it when P.J. Axelsson blasted a shot past Capitals goaltender Olaf Kolzig midway through the first OT period. But the goal was disallowed after replays showed that Bruins forward Tim Taylor had a skate in the crease before Axelsson fired the shot past Kolzig. Unfortunately, even though Taylor's skate had zero impact on the play and did not interfere with Kolzig whatsoever, the "foot-in-the-crease" rule stated that the goal had to be disallowed.
The Capitals went on to win the game when ex-Bruin Joe Juneau scored in the second overtime, and would win the series in six games (again in OT in Boston).
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment