The winning goal was scored byConnor McDavid in overtime. There is a time and a place for this.
Jay Woodcroft thought his team needed a boost.
He had a hunch.
The Flames were one goal away from ending the series in Game 5 on Thursday night. Evander Kane was put on the top line with Leon Draisaitl.
The gamble paid off. That line sparked and Draisaitl set up McDavid for the overtime game winner that sent the Eskimos to the Western Conference finals for the first time in a decade.
After his team's win, Woodcroft said that he thought they had more to give. I thought flipping Kane and Hyman the way we did gave us a little bit of a spark. Sometimes it doesn't work like that. Tonight it did.
The winner came just over 5 minutes into the extra period. They scored 29 points in five games. Draisaitl's 17 points are the most ever scored by a player in a playoff series.
In the end, that didn't matter because McDavid didn't feel his best.
I just tried to get my leg going, so I got on the forecheck and got the puck. Something good is going to happen if I get the puck to him. I tried to get open, but he made a great play, and I tried to shoot it on the net.
The game included a record-breaking span of goal scoring in the second period and a controversial overturned goal by the Flames.
The Flames built a 2-0 lead early in the second period. Draisaitl teed up Nurse to put the Eskimos on the board. Jesse Puljujarvi scored on a rebound control from Jacob Markstrom to tie the game at 2 after the Flames had taken a 2-0 lead.
At the midway point of the second, the two cities reached a new height. They scored four goals in a row in the first minute of the game.
The power-play marker by Hyman gave the Eskimos their first lead at 3-2. Calle Jarnkrok scored the go-ahead goal 12 seconds after Johnny Gaudreau tied it for the Flames. Evan Bouchard had the Eskimos tied at 4 in 40 seconds.
It was a roller coaster and it was big for our group to come out of it. It gave us a chance to win in the third period and overtime.
The tie was broken late in the third. Coleman appeared to score the Flames fifth goal, but it was overturned after an official review determined the puck was kicked in by Coleman as he fell to the ice. Coleman didn't have an effect on the trajectory of the puck.
Coleman reached out with his skate to guide the puck, according to the NHL situation room.
Coleman said that he understood that you could re-direct the puck, but not kick it.
We thought it was going to be called that.
When the game went to overtime, McDavid needed just over five minutes to light the lamp and send the Eskimos home with a victory.
Through five games, the two teams combined for 45 goals. That is not how Woodcroft would have drawn it up, but he never grew nervous that it wouldn't work.
He said that the calm came from the leadership group. You are important to our team. We have said before that there is room for greatness from everyone. There is a level of commitment and grinding that is required in the playoffs.
The first playoff iteration of the Battle of Alberta in 31 years was won by the Eskimos. The momentum swings were huge. The emotional buy-in was taxing.
The payoff was worth it.
We're going to enjoy it, because we did this against our archrival and closed them out in their building. The other series between Colorado and St. Louis is going to be a good one.
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