The Nashville Predators prevailed in the longest game of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs so far.
Mike Fisher's goal in triple overtime sealed a 4-3 win in Game 4 for the Predators. Both goalies were terrific; Martin Jones stopped 41 shots for the Sharks, while Predators netminder Pekka Rinne made 44 saves.
Nashville struck quickly again in Game 4, as Predators forward Colin Wilson shoveled a loose puck in past Sharks goalie Martin Jones. It was Wilson's team-leading fourth goal of the playoffs. San Jose wasted no time returning the favor. Two minutes later, Logan Couture led a rush into the offensive zone and fed Brent Burns for his third goal of the playoffs.
Mike Fisher finished the first period with the first of two potentially offsides goals in the game. Though it appeared that James Neal was offsides as the puck entered the zone on the scoring play, the Sharks chose not to challenge the play and the goal stood.
But the next goal was certainly challenged. Sharks forward Joonas Donskoi deflected the tying goal into the net in the second period, but the Sharks challenged the play was offsides before it even developed:
Preds challenge Sharks goal for offside, it is ruled that Ward tagged up at the blueline in time. pic.twitter.com/NFpOVo7uEN
— Stephanie (@myregularface) May 6, 2016
The goal counted, and ended up playing a major role in how the game played out. Burns scored the go-ahead goal midway through the third period off another pass from Couture, giving San Jose their first lead of the game.
James Neal was one of the most dangerous players on the ice all night, and he finally cashed in late in the third period. Jones coughed up a juicy rebound, and Neal fired into the open net to tie the game with four minutes left in regulation.
Nasvhille got a huge break midway through overtime. Joe Pavelski drove the net and scored, but it was waved off initially because the referee thought the puck was shoveled in with his glove. Upon further review, they changed the no-goal call to interference instead:
once they determined that was a good goal, they reviewed interference. no goal due to interference. pic.twitter.com/DJ2JkeuKS5
— Stephanie (@myregularface) May 6, 2016
And so they played on, despite the protests of Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. The game finally ended in triple overtime when Fisher potted a rebound past Jones to send the series back to San Jose tied at 2-2.