As most hockey fans will lament, the daunting feeling that festers in their gut when witnessing their team take an untimely penalty in 3-on-3 overtime is awful. Seeing that extra man from the opposing team spring up from the bench on the man-advantage in arguably the most exciting (and nerve-racking) situation in the NHL is like watching a nightmare unfold right in front of you.
Well, maybe it’s not that bad, but it definitely sucks.
This exact feeling washed over me the moment Derick Brassard got nailed for a bad tripping call with just enough time left for the Islanders to prevail in overtime like they did in an earlier meeting with the Penguins back on November 1.