Many of hockey’s greatest games have ended in 6-5 scores. For example: Game Eight of the 1972 Summit Series, and all three games of the 1987 Canada Cup.
Now, Nazem Kadri’s overtime goal, that lifted the Leafs to a victory by the same tally on Thursday, is certainly not in the same stratosphere as the game-winners scored by Paul Henderson or Mario Lemieux in those respective international series.
But for hockey fans starved for offence from a league collectively struggling to score goals, the end-to-end thriller at Air Canada Centre was exhilarating.
At the 9-minute mark of the second period, the Leafs had vaulted to a 3-1 lead when Tyler Bozak – suiting up for the first time after missing 21 games with a concussion – sniped his second goal of the game.