Every Player Contributes During Playoffs

But in the physical, grinding series this spring, role players are often playing a hero’s role. At Madison Square Garden last Thursday, Neil, a third-line winger and fighter, seemed the perfect overtime scorer in a punishing Game 2 against the Rangers.

Carkner, who scored one of the most famous playoff goals in Senators history, the triple-OT thriller in Pittsburgh two years ago, believes the tight checking and physical play in the spring produces a wider variety of heroes.

“On any given day, it can be anyone doing those kinds of things,” Carkner says. “You see guys step up here and there. It’s just the intensity of it, everyone’s working so hard trying to claw their way to the net. And you never know who’s going to score that big goal.”