3 Seconds or Less

With a late 2nd period goal by former Panther, Jacob Josefson, it seemed so close again for the Florida team. A year after being eliminated in Game 7 to state rival Tampa Bay, the Panther wanted to avoid a similar result. Tempers started to boil over, on the ensuing face-off Marc-Eduoard Vlasic dropped the gloves with Marek Zidlicky. And with nine seconds left in the 2nd, the dagger seemed to have been placed when Steve Ott buried the puck for a 3-1 lead, or did he? It was reviewed that the ref blew the play dead before Ott scored, giving the Panthers a second life.

 "They dominated us that period," commented coach Marc Crawford, "We were on our heels for 20 minutes, and really the only thing that saved us was Johnny (Quick)."

And so began a nerve-racking 3rd period, a period that saw another pair of fights as these teams began to hate each other. With a minute left in the period, it seemed like the Panthers were going to come so close, yet so far again.  With Quick pulled, and with the extra attacker, desperation set in.  With 10 seconds left, and Maurice Richard winner Sidney Crosby with the puck, his shot is blocked by Hart Trophy winner Steve Ott. But with no hesitation Crosby collects the puck again, sends it wide of the net, where key off-season addition, Patrik Elias got the puck on his backhand and put it past Miikka Kiprusoff with three seconds left on the clock. 

 "We couldn't believe it," said Elias's linemate David Backes, "You could just feel it happening again, the feeling of dissapointment, but he was in the right spot at the right time. But we knew that it wasn't over yet."

 It sure wasn't. The Devils could of went to the locker room dejected, but Paul Maurice directed his troops and they came out flying in overtime. "They showed no quit, and we had a hard time matching that intensity," said Alex Pietrangelo, who played 44 minutes, "We battled ourselves just to get to this point and now we both knew we were on the line."

 With one overtime solving nothing, another period of intense hockey was on the way. And just over 6 minutes in, the game finally saw a conclusion. Another Crosby blocked shot, found the stick of Rick Nash who burried his fifth of the post-season and finally sent the Panthers to their first MRFHL final. 

 "Everyone battled. We worked it off, and I just wanted to give us a chance to win," said an exhausted Jonathan Quick, whose 51 saves helped him pick up the first star.

 Now on the schedule is the LA Kings, who are looking for their own redemption. The Kings were in last year's final, when they were defeated by another team from Florida, the Tampa Bay Lightning. "We know they will be on us quickly, they know what it takes and they came even closer. So they want it badly," exclaimed GM Dylan Wilson.

GM Wilson also noted that the team has been active on the trading front while the team is in the playoffs. "We have one deal done, not involving any roster players, and we continue to work on others, but our main focus is the finals, and we want the cup."

He also noted that he does not expect Dallas Eakins will be back as coach of the San Antonio Rampage next season. "We've had a few teams call, and we fully expect him coaching in the pros somewhere else next season."