Consider this a lesson in puck luck and how it can change the course of a game.
With the Pittsburgh Penguins trailing the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1, early the third period and being badly outplayed, Jussi Jokinen was guilty of a brutal turnover in his own zone that led to two prime scoring chances for Carolina. Both shows narrowly missed the net.
As the play continued, Penguins forward Chris Conner ended up with the puck in a one-on-one matchup with Hurricanes defenseman Ryan Murphy. After dancing around Murphy with a nice move, he then beat goaltender Justin Peters with one of the slowest backhanders you will ever see.
The puck just slowly side through his pads and somehow made its way across the line.
The Hurricanes were so close to taking a 3-1 lead and perhaps putting the game away at one end of the ice, but after a near miss and an unlucky break at the other end they found themselves in a tie game they were in complete control of.
Hockey can be a cruel sport sometimes.
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