Point mercifully ended the game by beating Joonas Korpisalo after the goaltender made an NHL-record 85 saves.
At the other end of the ice Vezina Trophy finalist Andrei Vasilevskiy also was outstanding for Tampa Bay, making 61 stops. The teams combined for 151 shots — most in a NHL game since the league began officially tracking the statistic in 1955-56.
With all Eastern Conference games being played in the NHL hub city of Toronto, the lengthy overtime forced the cancellation of the Boston-Carolina game also scheduled for Scotiabank Arena. The game will be made up on Wednesday morning.
The game was entertaining throughout, unlike some lengthy affairs. The game would have been that much better had NBC analyst Mike Milbury stopped his bellyaching about the need to eliminate endless overtime with 4 on 4 overtime or even a shootout. These games are classics that the players and fans will never forget, and should be treasured as such.
Here's a quick look at the ten longest games in NHL history:
March 24, 1936 - Detroit 1, Montreal Maroons 0, semifinal, 116 minutes, 30 seconds, Mud Bruneteau.
April 3, 1933 - Toronto 1, Boston 0, semifinal, 104:46, Ken Doraty.
May 4, 2000 - Philadelphia 2, Pittsburgh 1, conference semifinal, 92:01, Keith Primeau.
April 24, 2003 - Anaheim 4, Dallas 3, conference semifinal, 80:48, Petr Sykora.
April 24, 1996 - Pittsburgh 3, Washington 2, conference quarterfinal, 79:15, Petr Nedved.
April 11, 2007 - Vancouver 5, Dallas 4, conference quarterfinal, 78:06, Henrik Sedin.
March 23, 1943 - Toronto 3, Detroit 2, semifinal, 70:18, Jack McLean.
May 4, 2008 - Dallas 2, San Jose 1, conference semifinal, 69:03, Brenden Morrow.
March 28, 1930 - Montreal Canadiens 2, N.Y. Rangers 1, semifinal, 68:52, Gus Rivers.
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