Sergei Fedorov
Sergei Fedorov makes history twice on the same day, 17 years apart.

THIS DATE IN NHL HISTORY: April 28

1968: Rookie Jacques Lemaire scores at 2:14 of overtime to give the Montreal Canadiens a series-clinching 4-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 5 of the Semifinals at the Forum. The win puts the Canadiens into the Stanley Cup Final for the fourth straight year; they go on to win the championship by sweeping the St. Louis Blues.

1970: Jacques Plante makes 20 saves for his 14th and final career playoff shutout, helping the Blues defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 in Game 5 of the West Division Semifinals at St. Louis Arena. Plante gets all the offensive help he needs from Frank St. Marseille, who scores once in each period for a hat trick. The Blues win the series two nights later to advance to the Final for the third consecutive year.

1984: The Minnesota North Stars and Edmonton Oilers combine for a playoff-record seven power-play goals in Game 3 of the Campbell Conference Final at Met Center. Minnesota scores four times with the extra man during a five-goal second period. But the Oilers get their second power-play goal of the game when Paul Coffey scores late in the period, and Jari Kurri’s man-advantage goal at 4:58 starts a five-goal third period that carries Edmonton to an 8-5 victory.

Sergei Fedorov makes history twice on the same day, 17 years apart.

1992: Fedorov, then 22, ends a goaltending duel by scoring at 16:13 of overtime to give the Detroit Red Wings a series-tying 1-0 victory against the Minnesota North Stars in Game 6 of the Norris Division Semifinals at Met Center. Detroit’s Tim Cheveldae and Minnesota’s Jon Casey go save-for-save until Fedorov takes a shot that beats Casey but appears to go off the crossbar. However, after an icing, a video review shows the puck entered the net below the crossbar and hit the frame at the back of the net. It’s the first overtime game-winner in Stanley Cup Playoff history to be awarded after a video review.

2009: Fedorov makes history of a different kind by scoring the go-ahead goal with 4:59 remaining in the third period, giving the Washington Capitals a 2-1 victory against the New York Rangers in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals at Verizon Center. At age 39, he becomes the oldest player in NHL history to score the winning goal in a Game 7.

1998: Daniel Alfredsson scores three goals for the first playoff hat trick in Ottawa Senators history in a 4-3 win against the visiting New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Alfredsson scores once in each period; his goal at 5:00 of the third completes the hat trick and proves to be the game-winner after New Jersey scores two late goals.

2001: Alexander Mogilny has a hand in all five of New Jersey’s regulation goals in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Meadowlands, scoring two and assisting on the others. The only one he’s not involved with is Randy McKay’s goal at 5:31 of overtime, which gives the Devils a 6-5 victory after they blow a three-goal lead in the third period. Mogilny ties a playoff record with four points (one goal, three assists) in the second period.

2009: In one of the most stunning finishes in Stanley Cup Playoff history, the Carolina Hurricanes rally to win after trailing New Jersey 3-2 with less than 90 seconds remaining in the third period of Game 7 in their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series at Prudential Center. After Jussi Jokinen beats Martin Brodeur with 1:20 to play to make it 3-3, Eric Staal stuns the crowd when his wrist shot from the right circle goes past Brodeur with 31.2 seconds remaining to give Carolina a 4-3 victory. “I got a couple of quick strides with the puck and looked up and had some time,” Staal said after giving Carolina its first playoff series victory since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. “I got a good shot off on Marty.” 

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