SPOKANE — It required the longest game in franchise history, but the Everett Silvertips are finally headed to the second round of the playoffs again.
Brayden Low ended a marathon game by scoring the winner in the third overtime period, giving the Tips a 2-1 victory over the Spokane Chiefs on Tuesday night in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series at Spokane Arena. Everett won the best-of-seven series 4-2. It was the first time in Everett franchise history a playoff game went to a third overtime.
Everett came within 5.4 seconds of winning the game in regulation, then played the entire two-plus overtime periods minus two defensemen. But 3:43 into the third OT Low picked up an errant Spokane pass at the side of the goal, skated out front, then slipped the puck under Spokane goaltender Garret Hughson to end the series.
“I think I’m in shock to be honest,” said Low, who scored goals in the final four games of the series. “I kind if just blacked out. I guess I waited out the goalie a little bit there, slid it through, and the rest is a blur.”
The series victory ends a stretch of seven straight seasons in which the Tips were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The last series Everett won was a first-round series against Spokane in 2007. In that series the Tips also finished it off in Game 6 in Spokane.
Kohl Bauml scored the other goal for Everett, which will face four-time defending Western Conference champion Portland in the second round. Portland won it’s first-round series against Seattle 4-2 with a 5-4 overtime victory Tuesday night in Kent.
Carter Hart had another fantastic game in goal for the Tips, making 53 saves.
Kailer Yamamoto scored the late tying goal for Spokane. Hughson made 39 saves in net for the Chiefs.
“I think Spokane is a good team,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “They have a great first line, the compete hard and never ever quit, and I think the teams are evenly matched. Hats off to Spokane, who played really hard. Our guys hung in there, too. There was a lot of karma that seemed to be working against us, from giving up the late goal in Game 5 and even later giving up a goal here, then disallowing what looked like a good goal by Remi (Laurencelle in the second overtime). It takes a little bit of fortitude to just hang in there, so I’m really proud of how our guys stuck with it.”
Games 1 and 2 of the second-round series between Everett and Portland are scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Everett.
Everett, leading 1-0 in the third period, had a pair of late power plays with a chance to put the game away. But it was the Chiefs who actually generated scoring chances, despite being short-handed.
Still, the Tips were a heartbeat away from winning it when Spokane struck a hammer blow. With 13.9 seconds remaining there was a faceoff in the Everett zone. The Tips won the faceoff, but Adam Helewka won a stick battle along the boards, spun off and fired a shot toward goal, where Kailer Yamamoto tipped it under Hart to tie the score with a mere 5.4 seconds remaining.
It was the second straight game in which Everett had the series in its grasp, but couldn’t get to the finish line. The Tips led 3-2 throughout the third period of Game 5 Saturday in Everett before the Chiefs scored with 2:18 remaining. Spokane wound up winning 4-3 in overtime.
The first overtime saw Spokane have more of the play. Keanu Yamamoto had two chances to win it for the Chiefs, but he put a shot at the back door wide, then later hit the post as the game headed to a second overtime.
The ice tilted Everett direction in the second period. The Tips had the puck in the net 1:11 in to the period, when Laurencelle tipped in Lucas Skrumeda’s airborne shot, but it was waived off for being hit with a high stick, and after a lengthy video review the no-goal call was upheld. Everett had other chances, but Hughson denied Jake Mykitiuk in close, and Ben Betker had a shot go off the crossbar, and it headed to a third overtime.
In the first period Spokane’s Dominic Zwerger had two great chances all alone in front early on, but he put the first over the crossbar and the second wide.
Then Everett grabbed the lead on the power play. Ben Betker’s shot from the point was blocked in front. Carson Stadnyk found the loose puck and backhanded a pass across the crease, where Bauml swept it in to give the Tips a 1-0 lead at 10:11.
The Tips could have added to their lead later in the period, but Hughson made a fantastic toe save to deny Logan Aasman on a two-on-one feed, then stopped Bauml on a short-handed breakaway as it remained 1-0 going into the second.
Both goalies were called upon to make one good save in the second. First, Hart moved well to deny Liam Stewart on a two-on-one feed. Then Hughsen did a good job waiting out Nikita Scherbak and getting a glove out to cover the puck, and it remained a one-goal game heading to the third.
Everett did a good job preventing Spokane from getting scoring chances in the third up until the Tips received their power plays with 6:57 and 4:54 remaining. However, Everett was a mess on the power plays, and Spokane generated momentum from its penalty kill, eventually scoring the tying goal late.
Slap shots
Everett saw two defensemen leave the game because of injuries. The Tips played most of the game without defenseman Noah Juulsen. Juulsen, who led the team in scoring among defensemen during the regular season, left during the first period and did no return. Fellow blueliner Tristen Pfeifer, who missed the first two games of the series because of an upper-body injury, did not play in any of the overtime periods. … The Tips once again were without winger Dawson Leedahl. Leedahl missed his third straight game because of an undisclosed injury.
Silvertips 2, Chiefs 1 (3OT)
Everett 1 0 0 0 0 1 — 2
Spokane 0 0 1 0 0 0 — 1
First Period—1, Everett, Bauml 2 (Stadnyk, Betker), 10:11 (pp). Penalties—Bechtold, Spokane (delay of game), 9:07; Betker, Everett (roughing), 13:30; Zwerger, Spokane (roughing), 13:30; Pfiefer, Everett (delay of game), 18:47.
Second Period—no goals. Penalties—Laday, Spokane (interference), 4:34; Charif, Spokane (hooking), 15:22.
Third Period—2, Spokane, Ka. Yamamoto 2 (Helewka), 19:54. Penalties—Helewka, Spokane (high sticking), 13:03; Helewka, Spokane (interference), 15:06.
First overtime—no goals. Penalties—none.
Second overtime—no goals. Penalties—none.
Third overtime—3, Everett, Low 4, 3:43. Penalties—none.
Shots on goal—Everett 9-8-5-9-6-4—41. Spokane 12-9-16-12-4-1—54. Power-play opportunities—Everett 1 of 5. Spokane 0 of 1.
Goalies—Everett, Hart 4-2 (54 shots, 53 saves). Spokane, Hughson 2-4 (41 shots, 39 saves).
A—3,714.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson
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