The playoffs are great for breakout stars, especially when there are overtime goals in the equation. Because really who would expect Bryan Bickell would have his name called twice for scoring in a playoff game, including the OT winner?
After a long, sustained shift from the Blackhawks, Bickell hopped onto the ice fresh and the tired Coyotes took too long to clear the defensive zone leading to a turnover to set up Bickell all alone in the slot.
Bickell on OT winner: “We knew they had tired D out there. I got in the slot, lucky it went in.”
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiHawks) April 15, 2012
Game. Over.
Of course we'd be remiss if we didn't show you the goal that made this one possible.
With the Blackhawks down all third period long, they couldn't beat Mike Smith. That was until Brent Seabrook fired the puck on net and Patrick Sharp one heck of a deflection to beat Smith. There were 5.5 seconds left on the clock.
You could argue that maybe this goal was even more exciting than a "golden goal" in overtime like Bickell's. What a game.
Bonus for the little tantrum of Smith after the goal. How deflating for Phoenix.
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