Did you see it coming? I sure didn't. Where was that Pascal Leclaire all season? The man had a horrible year. He got pucks in the face, pucks in the head from his own teammates. When he played, he was awful. And then he delivers an absolute gem last night. Go figure.

I'm sure his coach didn't see it coming either. Leclaire was buried on the bench for the last part of the season. Cory Clouston had lost all faith in him. Giving him the start last night was more out of desperation than anything... Brian Elliott has been awful.

For Leclaire, Thursday's win was just his second win since Christmas. He is quick and athletic. He works hard. And never did he rock the boat by complaining that he wasn't getting a fair shake. So, Leclaire's Game 5 heroics are a nice story for Senators fans.

Another great story is Matt Carkner, who scored the overtime winner in Game 5. He spent years in the minors and earned a label too slow for the new NHL where speed is essential. Carkner got his chance with Ottawa this year because the Senators like his toughness. Along the way, we all realized Matt Carkner is a pretty good hockey player. He is quick enough. He's smart. He competes. And yeah, he's tough.

Carkner is from Winchester, about 45 minutes south of Ottawa. They will be celebrating that goal today, and they should be. Carkner as a hockey player, and as a person, should make them all proud.

Finally...Foligno's goal/non-goal Thursday night…The NHL seems to have more than it's share of dumb rules. Kicking the puck into the net ranks right up there. If you missed the play, Foligno was heading to the net... and tried to kick the puck onto his stick. Instead, it goes off his skate and into the net. No goal. The rule is stupid.

A kicking motion should be just that...a kicking motion. If you kick at the puck...raise your skate off the ice to kick a puck as you would a football...of course a goal shouldn't count. Raising a skate to kick a puck is dangerous and you need a rule to protect the players.

What is dangerous or wrong about re-directing a puck with a skate? It is so wide open to interpretation it has no place in hockey. You can kick the puck onto your stick and score. The puck can bounce off a body and go in. Sometimes it can go off a skate and count. Crazy. The referees are confused, the fans are confused, the players are confused and clearly the league is confused. So why have the rule? Common sense should prevail. Period.

- Terry