Yeah, we have all been there. I remember a game some years ago, back when many of the totals were 6 or 6.5! Anyways a good buddy of mine had a game bet under 6, I think one team was the Rangers or Hawks, it was on in the sports book at Stardust and I watched the end of it with him. The score was 1-0 with 2:35 left in the 3rd when the score goes to 2-0. No big deal right? Then the team behind pulls the goalie and it becomes 3-0. Losing team drives into the zone and scores right away, 3-1. Team pulls the goalie and has a big charge into the zone and a player from 10 feet away in the slot hits the post and caroms right to a defender who just fires it away to clear the zone and it bounces off the glass near the blue line and wouldn't you know it just slides neatly all the way into the other empty net! Oh he is dying now, but says ok, well 4-1, no empty net. That thought escapes him as the losing team starts crashing the net again. Player takes a shot from the point and the goalie goes to snap at it with his glove. Looks like he has it and will hold on. But wait, all of a sudden you see it slip out! It was like a moment frozen in time, like you can see it in slow motion almost. The puck trickles out and falls almost on the goal line and in his haste to reach for it he knocks it in his own goal! Unbelievable. I didn't even want to look at my friend's reaction, but I sure can remember hearing it. But it isn't over yet. Losing team takes the draw at center ice with the sixth attacker, 35 seconds left. My friend can't watch anymore, he goes outside. A bunch of us sitting there can totally feel his pain going from 1-0 to a push like that. The winning team fires the puck into the losing zone with about 10 seconds left. A losing player tries to make a long pass but it goes right to an opponents stick as he does a one-timer off the bad pass and the thing hits the crossbar and comes down, but harmlessly rolls away and the final buzzer sounds. The guy gets a push, but was that close to having three empty netters beat him. The rest of us let out about the loudest "OHHH!" when that puck hit the crossbar, we were so sure the guy was doomed.
Damn if only I could remember more details about the game I could have posted it as an article, it was one of those little moments in sports betting you just never can forget.
