The Pens twice tied the game in the third period, once on a shorthanded goal by Sergei Gonchar, and the 2nd time by an even-strength goal by Michel Ouellet. But it was not enough, and the teams went to a shootout. Brodeur stoned EC, Geno & Crosby, while Fluery stopped the first two, but could not stop Elias on NJ's third attempt, giving NJ the extra point. Elias skirted the rules of the shootout, stopping his forward motion toward the net, but just like the game itself, the Refs overlooked much of the rulebook in this game.
The SOL, combined by the Toronto loss, reduces the Pens magic number by 3 to 20 points with 15 games to go. Toronto now has the 9th most possible points at 101. With 102 being the points necessary to stay ahead without tiebreakers, and the Pens currently having 82 points, yields the magic number. It is not the current 9th place team that matters but the 9th most max points. (The Pens max points, for example, is 112 if they would win their remaining 15 games) It does help that the Pens are 9 points up on the current 8th, 9th and 10th place teams, and they play each of them before the end of the year.
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