Nathan MacKinnon of Springhill, Nova Scotia scored the overtime winner for the Colorado Avalanche in game two of their best out of seven first round playoff series against the Calgary Flames on Saturday at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. With the 3-2 victory, the Avalanche tied the series at one game apiece.
MacKinnon scored the game winning goal at 8:27 of the extra period. Mikko Rantanen and Ian Cole picked up the assists. For MacKinnon it was his second career postseason overtime winner. He previously scored in overtime in game five of the Western Conference first round playoff series between the Avalanche and the Minnesota Wild on April 26, 2014. The Avalanche won the game 4-3, but lost the series in seven games.
In other postseason action on Saturday, there was another National Hockey League player from Nova Scotia who performed special offensively. Brad Marchand of Halifax had one goal and one assist for two points in a 4-1 Boston Bruins win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Marchand scored the game winning goal for the Bruins at 16:04 of the first period from David Pastrnak and Torey Krug, which put the Bruins up 2-0. He then got an assist on a goal by Canadian Olympic gold medalist Patrice Bergeron of L’Ancienne-Lorette, Quebec at 15:03 of the third period which put the Bruins up 4-1. Like the Flames/Avalanche series, the Bruins/Maple Leafs series is tied at one game apiece. Bergeron meanwhile won a gold medal for Canada in men’s hockey at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
Meanwhile, the Washington Capitals beat the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3 and the Nashville Predators beat the Dallas Stars 2-1. Both games went into overtime. The Capitals lead their series 2-0, while the Predators and Stars are tied at one game apiece.
