Lehigh Valley Tops Charlotte In 5 OTs In AHL's Longest Game
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - This one kept going. And going. And going. And going. And going - straight into the American Hockey League record books.
Alex Krushelnyski scored 6:48 into the fifth overtime period and Alex Lyon made 94 saves to lead the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to a 2-1 win over the Charlotte Checkers early Thursday morning in the longest game in the AHL's 82-year history.
The Phantoms, the top affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, took a 3-1 series lead in the Atlantic Division finals by outlasting the Carolina Hurricanes' farm team in a game that began shortly after 7 p.m. EDT Wednesday night and ended at 1:09 a.m. after more than seven periods and 146 minutes and 48 seconds of play.
Krush.
5 OT.
Need we really say anything else? pic.twitter.com/97OrsUHd58
— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) May 10, 2018
The seemingly endless game surpassed the Philadelphia Phantoms' 3-2 win over the Albany River Rats that took 142:58 to decide in 2008.
Lehigh Valley will have plenty of time to celebrate - and sleep. The teams won't be back on the ice until Saturday night in Charlotte.
Lyon posted the second-most saves in league history, stopping the last 79 shots he faced while shutting out Charlotte over the final 119:56.
Danick Martel gave Lehigh Valley a 1-0 lead at the 16:24 mark of the first period. Patrick Brown tied it for Charlotte at 6:52 of the second.
And, then ... lots of zeroes. Until Krushelnyski - son of former NHL All-Star Mike Krushelnyski - finally beat Alex Nedeljkovic, who finished with 51 saves.
Charlotte outshot Lehigh Valley 95-53, including 54-29 in the overtime periods.
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