For precisely eight minutes of action, the outcome of Game 1 of the NHL’s Eastern Conference finals was virtually a given. By then, Chris Kreider had cracked open a 2-0 lead for the New York Rangers, converting his team’s fourth power play of the night in the process.
But in the preceding 52 minutes, firsthand witnesses and television viewers were forced to puzzle, ponder and predict. Whether the game was tied or whether one team was safeguarding a one-goal lead, everyone operated under the knowledge that a single play could make a world’s worth of impact.
First, through the first and second intermission, it was a question of who would finally break the ice and how long it would take.
Then Rangers defenseman Dan Girardi beat New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur at the 53-second mark of the third period.
For the ensuing 7:07, it was a question of whether the Devils could nab the equalizer, if New York could dig up an insurance policy or if this one would simply end with a 1-0 final.
This author is frankly confounded by those who paved a glum buildup to this year’s conference finals, citing the ...
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Article written by Al Daniel
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