Well, we didn’t have to wait long for our first double overtime game of the playoffs. The St. Louis Blues put a lot of pressure on Antti Niemi, but they couldn’t beat the San Jose Sharks in the first overtime period.
It’s worth noting that Niemi’s final start of the Sharks’ 2011 playoff run ended when Vancouver’s Kevin Bieksa scored at 10:18 of the second overtime period in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. Obviously, tonight’s contest won’t have the same impact, but a win would be a nice way to put some extra distance between this series and that night.
Of course, Jaroslav Halak has done his fair share to keep this game knotted too. Halak made a name for himself during the Montreal Canadiens’ 2009 playoff run. He was also one of the NHL’s best goaltenders this season, and a long playoff run could help cement his place among the NHL’s top goaltenders in a lot of people’s minds.