Five playoff games, five overtimes. That's what we have Saturday at Jobing.com Arena as the Chicago Blackhawks and Phoenix Coyotes go to an extra session tied at 1.
The Blackhawks were the better team in the third period, no doubt sensing sudden elimination and cranking it up, to their credit. They killed a Phoenix power play and Mike Smith saved the Coyotes several times. At the 9:15 mark of the period, Nick Leddy had all day to shoot with no defender out on him, and Leddy, a defenseman, beat the previously impenetrable Smith to tie the score at 1.
The Coyotes penalty-killing unit came up big, but Smith was the biggest difference. At one point, he found himself on his back trying to take up as much space as he could; fortunately for the Coyotes, the last in a series of shots in that sequence sailed high.
Shane Doan had a chance to score but couldn't get off a shot with 1:46 left in regulation.
Well, here we go again. The Coyotes are 3-1 in overtime in the playoffs. The next goal will determine if this series ends or continues.