Late tying goals don’t always lead to OT wins in playoffs

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Desperation turns to jubilation in the NHL playoffs when a trailing team manages to score the tying goal late in regulation to force overtime.

That sudden change of emotions would figure to fuel a team’s momentum in overtime. But that’s not always the case, as evidenced the past three nights when a team that squandered a late lead managed to bounce back in overtime and earn a win.

Vegas and San Jose each experienced both sides of that roller coaster the past two games, with the Golden Knights responding with William Karlsson’s goal in overtime in Game 3 at the Shark Tank.

That came two nights after San Jose saw Nate Schmidt tie Game 2 with 6:32 left only to end up on the winning side on Logan Couture’s power-play goal in the second overtime.

“You just move on,” Vegas coach Gerard Gallant said. “It’s playoff hockey. We were disappointed when they scored with roughly two minutes left in the hockey game. ... We regrouped in the overtime session between periods and said let’s go out there and get this game.”

This postseason has featured four games in all that went to overtime after one team tied it with less than five minutes to play. The team that blew the lead has come out on top in three of those games, with Nashville doing it to Winnipeg in Game 2 of their second-round series on Sunday and Columbus doing it to Washington in Game 2 of their first-round series.

The Blue Jackets are the only team this postseason to force overtime with a goal in the final five minutes and win, having done it in Game 1 against the Capitals.