PHOTO: Bildbyrån
Two Swedes decided in their games in the NHL. With just five seconds left in overtime, William Eklund netted the game for San Jose against the New York Islanders.
And with 35 seconds left in the game, Jesper Bratt scored the winning goal for New Jersey away to Vancouver.
William Eklund’s wrist shot behind an obscured Ilja Sorokin in the Islanders’ goal completed San Jose’s spectacular turnaround of the game, from a 1–4 deficit to a 5–4 win away from home.
Eklund ruled
San Jose didn’t make it easy for themselves, trailing by two goals with just over three minutes remaining in the third period. With their own empty cage and an extra player on the ice, San Jose first managed to reduce and then equalize before extra time. And Eklund got assists for both goals, like the Czech Tomas Hertl accounted for and meant a hat-trick.
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Eklund had only words of praise – for Hertl – after the match:
– He is very important to me. He talks a lot on the bench, always has a lot of tips and tricks to come up with, and that’s something I really appreciate, says Eklund.
Simon Holmström was noted for two assists with the Islanders.
Bratt victory hero
Jesper Bratt was hot when his New Jersey visited Vancouver. He both started and ended the scoring for the evening. 1–0 came 3.40 into the first period and he scored the decisive 6–5 goal 34 seconds before full time.
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New Jersey led 5–2 heading into the third period, but the home team scored goal after goal and Nils Höglander equalized with 3.5 minutes left in the game.
In the last minute, Bratt decided when he knocked in a rebound. In addition to Bratt’s and Höglander’s goals, the Vancouver star responded Elias Pettersson for two assists.
The match was billed as the Hughes Brothers Clash. It won the New Jerseys Jack and Luke Hughes over Quinn Hughes who plays in Vancouver. It was the ninth time in NHL history that three brothers played in the same game.
READ MORE: Finland’s beautiful message to Sanni Hakala – after the nasty accident that changed her whole life: “It’s heartbreaking”
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