GOTTA SEE IT: Karlsson wins it with the luckiest goal of the season

There’s no doubt about it, Erik Karlsson has been an absolute monster for the Ottawa Senators so far in the NHL’s Stanley Cup playoffs. So, if you happened to merely review tonight’s box score for the Sens series opener against the New York Rangers, you may not be surprised to see Karlsson credited with the game winning goal. What was surprising however, was the manner in which he scored the goal. 

In a game that featured plenty of scoring chances and some outstanding goaltending from both the Rangers’ Henrik Lundqvist and the Sens’ Craig Anderson, it was a total fluke bank shot that earned the Senators the victory.  Straddling the goal line from the corner of the ice, Karlsson lofted a puck towards Lundqvist and, presumably, dropped to his knees in prayer. His prayers were answered as the puck somehow found a way in. In fact, you have to see it to believe it:

Fluke or not, Senators fans will take the 1-0 series lead, thank you very much. This is the NHL Stanley Cup playoffs and you can’t afford to give anything back to your opponent, earned or not.