Kitchener Comes Back from 3-0 Deficit, Spoils Gaudreau’s Return in OT
The puck would drop at a playoff game in the Erie Insurance Arena for the first time in seven years. Ben Gaudreau, in net for the Otters for the first time since January 21st after a lower-body injury, would make his first save of the night less than ninety seconds into the game. The Otters would go on the power play early after a Kitchener tripping penalty and Sam Alfano (4) would score the first playoff goal on home ice for the Otters in seven years to put Erie up 1-0. Solid Erie defense would keep the Rangers to only two shots in the first ten minutes and electric Erie offense would continue to pepper Jackson Parsons in net for Kitchener. In his first game in nearly four months, Gaudreau would pull out huge heroics in the eleventh minute to maintain the Otters’ lead. Erie would go back on the power play with seven minutes left in the frame. Unable to convert, the Otters would return to even strength and Kaleb Smith (2) would find himself on a clear breakaway to extend the Otters lead to 2-0 with 4:29 left to play in the period. Characteristic Erie physicality and stalwart defense would see the frame to a close, and Erie would go into intermission with a first-period lead for the first time all series.
Four-on-four play would commence early in the second period after penalties from both sides. It would be just 72 seconds into the frame that Dylan Edwards (4) would add to the Otters’ lead to make it a 3-0 game. Pano Fimis would be on the assist, his second of the night. The Rangers and Adrian Misaljevic (1) would retaliate just over ninety seconds later to cut the Erie lead to 3-1. Both goaltenders would come up big for their teams in the next two minutes to keep the net empty. Gaudreau would have another breakaway save just under seven minutes into the period, just another save in an already impressive game back for the Otters. The ensuing five minutes would be a flurry of Rangers offensive opportunities, but the Otters would successfully weather the storm and begin producing some shots of their own. There would be more four-on-four play after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty from both teams, and it would be Ben Gaudreau once again to make an incredible save to maintain Erie’s 3-1 lead. Undeterred, the Rangers would strike to find the back of the net with five minutes left in the period, and Antonino Pugliese (1) would make it a 3-2 game. Now playing a whole new game, the Otters’ intensity would reach new heights. The period would end and, despite being outshot 19-22, the Otters would go into intermission with a 3-2 lead.
The Otters would apply pressure early in the third and final period with quick shots and dangerous opportunities building up the ice. After nine straight minutes of back-and-forth play with neither team able to break through, the Rangers would find the back of the net to tie this game up 3-3. Jackson Parsons in the crease for the Rangers would keep the Otters from breaking the stalemate with sprawling heroics, and with less than five minutes left to play the Otters would find themselves still tied up at 3-3. With the threat of overtime looming, a common theme when these two teams meet, the Otters would go on the power play after Matthew Andonovoski would get called for a delay of game penalty with less than seventy-five seconds left in regulation. Regulation would end and, for the first time this postseason and the fourth time in the 2023-2024 season, the Otters and Rangers would go into overtime.
The playoff period would commence with the Otters on the powerplay for forty seconds, but the late delay of game penalty would expire for Andonvoski, and even-strength play would continue. The Otters would be strong on both sides of the puck for just under eight minutes, but the Rangers would break through and Justin Bottineau (2) would find the back of the net to give Kitchener the 4-3 win and the series lead, 2-1.