5. Mike Fisher – 2004 Round 1, Game 6 vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (2OT) 7/10, 7/10, 0/10, 14/30
Importance: Like Carkner, Fisher kept the team alive in the first round, however, with a better matchup on paper than in 2010 and it being Game 6, this goal was even bigger for a team that was still a bonafide contender trying to get over the hump. 7/10
Quality: Like most playoff overtime goals, this one wasn’t the prettiest by most standards, but a good effort by Vermette to find the open man and Fisher being in the right position to tap it in is very nice considering the circumstances. This goal gets a bump too because Fisher spent many years as a fan favourite in Ottawa. 7/10
The next step: Awful, bad, horrible, no good. In his final game with Ottawa, Patrick Lalime gave up three goals on eleven shots and was yanked after the first period. The team suffered yet another crushing loss to the Leafs and with the 2004-05 lockout looming, it looked like the team’s window may have been at an end. 0/10
Final Score: If the team had won Game 7, this goal would be in contention for the top spot, if the team went on a deep run, it may have even taken it. Instead, the goal only delayed the inevitable heartbreak at the hands of an arch-rival, which is a shame considering its potential. 14/30