After dominating the third period of play without catching a break, the Colorado Avalanche finally got a minor miracle via the stick of Milan Hejduk. In the final minute of the third period, with the New York Islanders leading 3-2, Kevin Porter brought the puck into the zone and skated behind the net, a shot rebounded to Tomas Fleischmann who fired on rookie goaltender Kevin Poulin.
Poulin made the stop, but the puck bounced off two separate Islanders defensemen, ended up on the stick of Hejduk and he tossed the puck from an extreme angle off the goalie and into the net for the game-tying score with four seconds left on the clock, giving the Avalanche a much needed point.
It was a small victory, but Islanders star John Tavares made sure that New York won the war. At 3:52 into the overtime period, Tavares chased the puck into the Avalanche zone, fought his way into the crease, and dumped the puck high above goalie Craig Anderson for the game winning goal.
Colorado lost the game despite outshooting New York by a 37-27 margin. New York goalie Kevin Poulin earned his first NHL victory in his first ever game.