Canes Advance on Walker's OT Winner

Tonight the Bruins and Hurricanes played a hockey game that went about as close as any game could. The two teams went toe-to-toe for nearly four periods, matching each other in every facet of the game. Goaltenders Cam Ward and Tim Thomas showed why they were big reasons as to how their teams made it to this point, making 35 and 34 saves respectively. Fittingly, the game headed to overtime and the Bruins would fall thanks to a familiar foe.

During Game 5 Scott Walker received a game misconduct for a punch -- or sucker punch depending on your view -- to the face of Aaron Ward. The NHL decided to rescind the automatic one game suspension that comes with an ejection and let him play, drawing the ire of Boston and many in the media. Tonight, Walker made a few more enemies in Boston by netting the game winning goal with 1:14 to go in overtime.

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For a while, it looked like Aaron Ward might be the hero vilified by a great defensive play in his own zone. Early in the third with the Canes on the power play, a shot from the point was deflected by Rod Brind'Amour and found its way past Thomas. But that puck never found the back of the net since Ward shoveled the puck away as it danced along the goal line. Later in the period, Milan Lucic would find the back of the net off a great feed from Marc Savard to tie the game at 2-2.

Ward's play likely kept the Bruins season alive to that point, as a 3-1 lead would have been insurmountable the way the Canes were playing. The two teams would continue to play a feisty up and down affair for the rest of the game that saw both defenses bend considerably after Lucic's goal. It served as a wake up call to the Bruins who had been a half step behind for the first two periods and they pressed much harder in the closing moments.

The wild back and forth play continued on into overtime and, rather amazingly, neither team found the winning goal for 19 minutes as fans at the Garden were on their feet for much of the period. In the end, the Bruins faithful would watch their team lose in one of the most gut wrenching ways possible. On their home ice. In Game 7. At the hands of one of their newest enemies, Scott Walker.

Ray Whitney sped down the right wing and fired a shot on Thomas who came out and kind of threw himself at the puck in his trademark style. Walker flew towards the net and took a wild swat at the rebound and the puck managed to find its way past Thomas, who was already halfway to the locker room, skating away in disgust. Walker skated to center ice after the goal where he was mobbed by teammates, almost looking like a bigger, tougher version of Theo Fleury.

Now the sixth seeded Hurricanes -- who seem to be as clutch as any team when it comes to finding a way to win -- move on to the conference finals to face off against the fourth seeded Penguins, who are coming off a Game 7 road victory of their own.