Unlikely Important Game Heroes?

[RussianShark]

San Jose Sharks have had some of their biggest playoff goals scored by unlikely heroes:

Jamie Baker - Series winning goal against the Red Wings in game 7 of the first round, off a Chris Osgood misplay.

Andrei Zyuzin - Game 4 OT in 1998 round 1 to tie the series 2-2 against the Stars.

Pat Rissmiller - Game 1 double OT in 2007 round 1 against the Preds. Albeit it was his turnover with a minute left that led to the Predators tying goal.

Benn Ferriero - Game 1 OT in 2011 round 2 against the Red Wings. His only career playoff goal in his first career playoff game. Deflected off Brad Stuart.

Barclay Goodrow - Y'all should know about this one
best moment in recent Sharks history (winning the draft lottery yesterday is close)

 

[JianYang]

Martin gelinas seemed to score a ton of important playoff goals.... he was also the guy who was involved in that game 6 ot "no goal" in 2004.

 

[alko]

Claude Lemieux had a nickname "Mr. Playoff"...

He won 4 Stanley Cups with the 3 different teams: the Canadiens, Devils, and Avalanche. He won the Conn Smythe in 1995 after scoring 13 goals and 16 points in 20 games.

234 playoff games, 80 + 78 = 158 points.

 

[Yozhik v tumane]

I think Claude was more known as “Pepe Le Pew” and sure was a beast, a prick, and a bona fide playoff warrior, but he wasn’t exactly a bad player who just turned it on come playoff time. He had ten 20+ goal seasons and five 30+ ones. His points per game in the regular season was similar to the playoffs. He broke out in the 1985-86 Cup run with the Habs, and I don’t think he was an “unlikely” playoff hero since. Or villain, for that matter.

 

[bobholly39]

First name that I thought of was Eric Desjardins in the 1993 finals - game 2 hat trick, including game tying and game winning goal.

Hat trick as Habs are down 1-0 in playoffs, about to go down 2-0...he scores tying goal with barely a miunte left in 3rd period, and then winning goal in OT. Changed momentum of finals completely, which Habs ended up winning 4-1.

 

[blogofmike]

If mentioning Claude Lemieux, then we might as well note that of all the guys to be Mr. Game 7, Justin Williams wouldn't have been my first guess.

I believe he had 14 points in his first 7 game 7s, before some lower output games in Washington, so he actually scored at the same Game 7 pace as Wayne Gretzky for a while.

A record 15 Game-7-points in 9 Game-7s, with a record 8 Game-7-wins.

 

[Michael Farkas]

I guess Bill Barilko qualifies for this thread...

 

[DitchMarner]

Dom Moore had the Game Seven winner in Montreal's upset win over Washington in the first round of the 2010 playoffs and had the only goal of Game Six in the 2014 ECF between the Rangers and Canadiens.

 

[jimmysheva]

Darren Helm gwg against Blues with 5 seconds left

 

[The Panther]

Martin gelinas seemed to score a ton of important playoff goals.... he was also the guy who was involved in that game 6 ot "no goal" in 2004.

"The Eliminator".

 

[CaptBrannigan]

Martin gelinas seemed to score a ton of important playoff goals.... he was also the guy who was involved in that game 6 ot "no goal" in 2004.

In yet another case of the myth of this Calgary non-goal spiraling out of control, the incident did not occur in overtime.

 

[JianYang]

In yet another case of the myth of this Calgary non-goal spiraling out of control, the incident did not occur in overtime.

Yeah, my bad. I remember watching that game, and it was etched in my mind as a potential game winner.

In reality, it was in the latter stages of the 3rd period in a 2-2 game, so I guess that's why it had the OT feel in my memory.

 

[DitchMarner]

Jarred Smithson may be the unlikeliest playoff Overtime goal scorer in NHL history.

The man had two career playoff goals (to go along with two assists) in 36 games. One of those goals was an OT winner against the Ducks...

 

[Matty Sundin]

Mike Rupp is really just known for scoring game 7 cup winning goal in 2003 and got hired by a mobster in the lock out season because of it.

 

[sabremike]

Dave Hannan:

 

[ES]

Jarred Smithson may be the unlikeliest playoff Overtime goal scorer in NHL history.

The man had two career playoff goals (to go along with two assists) in 36 games. One of those goals was an OT winner against the Ducks...

I would put Matt Carkner in that category, when he scored in 3rd overtime.

I needed to check the name for that. Just recalled initially it was a Senators defenseman against the Penguins.

 

[VanIslander]

"Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!"

Was the play by play.

 

[Ralph Malfredsson]

Fernando Pisani 2006, including the SC final game 5 OT winner

 

[The Panther]

Mark Lamb vs. Winnipeg and L.A. in 1990.

 

[adsfan]

Mike Foligno
Randy Wood
Garry Valk
Nikolai Borschevsky
Travis Green
Cory Cross

All scored playoff overtime goals for the Leafs in the past 32 years. All but Cross were in game 5 or later.

The first time that I saw Garry Valk play for the Milwaukee Admirals, he had a hat trick.
That has to be rare. After about 10 games, he was called up to the Canucks.

I would like to add Paul Henderson for Canada versus Russia.

 

[Albatros]

Chris Kontos eliminated the Oilers in '89 with 8 goals in 7 games.

 

[MadLuke]

David Volek scored 1 playoff goal in his career before the famous 1993 game seven Islanders-Penguins.

Scored 2 goals that game seven, including the OT winner, would go on to score only 7 goals in the nhl after that game because of back injury.

Samuelsson pass off a skate. Volek turns with Ferraro. Here they come, 2 on 1; Volek shoots, SCORES!!! David Volek, Islanders! And there’ll be a new Stanley Cup Champion in 1993!

 

[Hockeyville USA]

San Jose Sharks have had some of their biggest playoff goals scored by unlikely heroes:

Jamie Baker - Series winning goal against the Red Wings in game 7 of the first round, off a Chris Osgood misplay.

Andrei Zyuzin - Game 4 OT in 1998 round 1 to tie the series 2-2 against the Stars.

Pat Rissmiller - Game 1 double OT in 2007 round 1 against the Preds. Albeit it was his turnover with a minute left that led to the Predators tying goal.

Benn Ferriero - Game 1 OT in 2011 round 2 against the Red Wings. His only career playoff goal in his first career playoff game. Deflected off Brad Stuart.

Barclay Goodrow - Y'all should know about this one
best moment in recent Sharks history (winning the draft lottery yesterday is close)

Brad Stuart javelin threw his stick into the glass after that, which, if it happened now, would break Hockey Twitter/social for the week.

 

[Brodeur]

Just to add to Mike Rupp, he had been a healthy scratch in the playoffs leading up to Game 4 of the 2003 SCF.

Joe Nieuwendyk was injured in Game 6 of the ECF and missed the next series. Pat Burns opted to move Sergei Brylin to center and dressed Jiri Bicek to take the 4LW spot. Rupp was then inserted into Game 4 in place of enforcer Jim McKenzie who barely played in Game 3.

Games 1/2/3:
Elias-Gomez-Marshall
Pandolfo-Madden-Langenbrunner
Friesen-Brylin-Gionta
Bicek-Rheaume-McKenzie

Games 5/6/7:
Elias-Gomez-Marshall
Friesen-Rupp-Langenbrunner
Pandolfo-Madden-Gionta
Brylin-Rheaume-Stevenson

Turner Stevenson returned for Game 5 and Bicek was scratched. Rupp only played 12/11 minutes in Game 5 and 6. So his 3 point performance in Game 7 was pretty unlikely. Also interesting knowing that Rupp would spend most of his career at wing but was used as a center.

If Nieuwendyk's back hadn't given out, Rupp wouldn't have seen the ice. I also wonder if Christian Berglund might have been next man up before Rupp. Berglund had an injury late in the AHL season. I think he skated with the big club as a black ace but I don't think he was 100%. Then again I think Burns thought we were small down the middle so Rupp helped there whereas Berglund was purely a winger.