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Capital punishment in OT | |
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In a game that had almost everything from Dominik Hasek throwing his blocker at Peter Bondra to each period ending with a goal in the last minute, the Washington Capitals emerged victorious over the Buffalo Sabres in overtime, 3-2, to tie the conference final series one game a piece.
Todd Krygier scored at 3:01 into overtime to give the Capitals their first win in conference finals in franchise history. Boston swept Washington in 1990 conference finals, the only time the Caps have made it this far in the playoffs. It looked like the Caps had the game in hand with a one-goal lead late in thr third period when Esa Tikkanen accidetally tipped Matthew Barnaby's shot into his own net with 56 seconds remaining in regulation. History was also made when President Clinton became the first sitting president to attend an NHL game. Clinton watched the game at Capitals owner Abe Pollin's luxury suite with Vice President Al Gore and other guests. Among the people at the luxury box was NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. "I'm delighted that the country's No. 1 and No. 2 fans have chosen to spend time with the coolest game on Earth," Bettman said. Hasek also proved to be a mere mortal at last. It was his first loss in over a month. In the third period Hasek was checked hard to the boards by Bondra and Hasek retaliated by throwing his blocker at Bondra's direction in frustration. Referee Fraser, who was late in the play, gave Hasek a two-minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. |
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