James Neal’s goal late in the first overtime period gave the Springfield Thunderbirds a 3-2 win in Game 5 of the AHL Eastern Conference final against the Laval Rocket at Place Bell on Saturday night.
The loss now puts the Laval Rocket on the brink of elimination as the series shifts to Springfield for Game 6 on Monday night.
Rafaël Harvey-Pinard had both goals for the Rocket, and Cayden Primeau made 44 saves, but it wasn’t enough as Laval saw a 2-0 lead turn to defeat one day after overcoming a 2-0 deficit in their own win.