NHL Playoffs 2012: 5 Heroes from Thursday's Games

What a night in the NHL.

Thursday was as good as it gets in hockey.

Four playoff games and three of them went to overtime.

It definitely wasn't difficult picking out this list because of all the heroics from coast to coast, but here are five guys that deserve a huge pat on the back after Thursday's games. 

Chris Kelly

The Boston Bruins forward sniped a shot from near the faceoff circle and beat Braden Holtby to end a scoreless tie in overtime and give the Bruins the series advantage. 

What was most impressive is how quickly he did it in overtime. He didn't waste any time as only 1:18 had elapsed when Chris Kelly scored. 

John Tortorella

This was coaching at its best.

The New York Rangers were nursing a 1-0 lead in the second period and the Ottawa Senators were firing on all cylinders trying to get the equalizer. The Senators were slowly gaining momentum. 

After a whistle, John Tortorella called a timeout to give his boys a breather. Just a few minutes later, a TV timeout ensued allowing more rest time for the players and talk time for Tortorella.

Right after the break, the fresh Rangers added two goals and never looked back as they went on to win the game, 4-2. 

The timing of Tortorella's timeout was perfect. There's a reason why he's a Stanley Cup-winning head coach and he showed it today.

Tim Thomas

Sure he only stopped 17 shots, but sometimes those are the toughest games for a goaltender because of the fact that it's easier to get rusty.

It becomes an arduous task to get into a groove when a goaltender isn't facing many shots.

That being said, Tim Thomas was unfazed by whatever the Washington Capitals fired at him as he earned his first shutout. 

Martin Havlat

Martin Havlat started the scoring in the second period when he broke a scoreless tie for the San Jose Sharks.

He then closed out the game by firing a one-timer past Jaroslav Halak to give the Sharks the 1-0 series lead, thus giving them home-ice for the series. 

Havlat's two goals extended his scoring streak to five games. He now has three goals and four assists in his last five and he's been an integral component during the Sharks' recent success.

He missed over half the season due to injury, but on Thursday night, Havlat thrived under the spotlight. 

Martin Hanzal

Whoever thinks faceoffs don't mean anything should have their heads examined.

Martin Hanzal won a faceoff which led to a blistering slap shot by Rostislav Klesla which caromed around the boards and went to Adrian Aucoin. 

Aucoin then took a shot which Hanzal redirected with the blade of his stick to put the puck in the net.

If Hanzal hadn't won that draw, he wouldn't have been able to set up his own goal, which ended up giving the Phoenix Coyotes a 1-0 series lead going into Game 2.