Throwback Thursday: Kasperi Kapanen’s Golden Goal and Other Overtime Winners

2017 postseason

Kapanen had been drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins two years before, but was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in the deal that brought Phil Kessel to the Penguins.

The Finn played nine games with the Leafs in 2015-16, and another eight games with them in 2016-17. However, he played six postseason games with them that season, scoring two goals. Both those goals came in Game 2.

With just over five minutes left in the second period and the Leafs down 2-1, Kapanen scored his first career postseason goal to tie the game. The Leafs traded goals with the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Capitals, leading to overtime.

No one scored through the first 31:53 of sudden death, but it was Kapanen finding the back of the net thanks to a nice pass by Brian Boyle for the first Leafs’ postseason win since 2013.

2021 postseason

Not all of Kapanen’s clutch postseason goals have come in overtime. The Penguins reacquired Kapanen in the summer of 2020. He scored 11 goals and 30 points in 40 games, helping the Penguins make the postseason.

Down 3-2 late in the game, Kapanen scored the game-tying goal with 3:39 left in the game, ripping it off the post and in to force overtime. Funnily enough, Cody Ceci picked up the secondary assist on this goal.

2022 postseason

Three of Kapanen’s 14 postseason points have come on the game-winning overtime goal. We’ve already covered the 2017 postseason goal, and Wednesday’s goal is surely still in everyone’s minds, but what about the other point?

In Game 1 of the 2022 postseason, the New York Rangers scored the first two goals, but Jake Guentzel scored two consecutive goals to even up the game. On a Pittsburgh power play, the teams traded goals, making it a 3-3 game.

It stood that way for over 67 minutes and 28 seconds. Kapanen had the puck behind the Rangers’ net and passed to Oilers’ draftee John Marino at the point. The defenceman shot it, and Evgeni Malkin tipped it to give the Penguins the 4-3 win and a 1-0 series lead.

Who knows if Kapanen remains in the Oilers’ lineup moving forward? You have to assume both Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson are chomping at the bit to get in the lineup. If Mattias Ekholm returns to the lineup, perhaps the Oilers run an 11/7. With that being said, Kapanen’s clutch overtime goal on Wednesday is one of a long list of clutch moments in his career.