Brandsegg-Nygard lifts Grand Rapids Griffins 4-3 in overtime
Michael Brandsegg-Nygard scored 9:22 into overtime Tuesday at Allstate Arena, and the grand rapids griffins beat the Chicago Wolves 4-3 to force Game 4 of the Central Division Finals. The goal turned a road game the Griffins had to have into a win that kept their season alive in a best-of-five series after Chicago had taken the first two games.
Brandsegg-Nygard at Allstate Arena
Brandsegg-Nygard finished the game with a backhander from the slot, breaking through after Grand Rapids had pushed the pace for most of regulation. He was the only player who needed one more clean look, and he got it in overtime.
Michal Postava made three stops in overtime and finished with 17 saves, while the Griffins spread the offense across the lineup. Nine Griffins earned points, with Dries and Gustafsson each collecting two assists. Postava also picked up an assist on Carter Mazur’s opening tally.
Grand Rapids shots and pressure
Grand Rapids controlled the shot count in regulation, outshooting the Wolves 41-17, and the edge grew to 17-3 in the third period. That volume fit the way the game finished: the Griffins kept forcing Chicago back until Brandsegg-Nygard converted from the slot at 9:22 of overtime.
The 46 shots on goal tied a franchise record for most in a road playoff game. The previous mark came on April 26, 2014, in a 7-2 win at Abbotsford in Game 2 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals.
Griffins playoff overtime history
The win moved Grand Rapids to 19-14 all time in playoff overtime games and 10-3 on the road in those games. It also came in a postseason that had already asked the Griffins to answer after an early hole: Chicago won Game 1 of the Central Division Finals 2-1 at Van Andel Arena, then took Game 2 4-3 after Felix Unger Sorum scored 5:14 into overtime.
That makes Tuesday’s result more than a single rescue. The Griffins have now played consecutive overtime games in the playoffs only once before, when they beat Houston in Games 5 and 6 of the 2003 Western Conference Finals. Brandsegg-Nygard, meanwhile, kept adding to a playoff ledger that now sits at 10 points, including six goals and four assists, in 10 career playoff games as a Griffin.
