It all unfolded in a matter of seconds for Craig Anderson.
Starting with a face-off, Jake DeBrusk took a shot on net that caught Vitek Vanecek off guard. The young Washington Capitals netminder went into the splits and injured himself on a play that resulted in a game-tying goal for the Boston Bruins and threw Anderson into the crosshairs of playoff hockey for the first time in nearly four years.
“You do need to be ready. You’re one shot, one play away from being the guy in the net,” Anderson explained. “I’ve been trying to fight through the mental battle all year of practicing hard and showing up every day for the guys to make you’re ready to go.