Most Dramatic Sports Moments of the Week

This past week represented a changing of the guard of sorts, as spring is officially upon us and the seasons are changing accordingly.

The Masters always seems to represent spring in my mind, and March Madness being officially in the past also leaves a mark. Meanwhile, the NHL transitioned to the playoffs a few days ago, the NBA regular season came to a close and the MLB season is finally in full swing.

Here are the most dramatic moments from the past week in sports.

Blackhawks-Predators Thriller

In easily the best Game 1 of the 2015 NHL playoffs (and maybe one of the best opening games ever), the Nashville Predators and Chicago Blackhawks battled into a second overtime on Wednesday night before a winner could be decided.

Nashville came out on fire, scoring three first-period goals. But Chicago responded early in the second period and ended up tying the game by scoring two more shortly after.

Nobody could find the net in the third period, and the first overtime came and went despite some great chances.

But finally, Duncan Keith blasted a one-timer from the blue line that ended up getting past Pekka Rinne and giving the Blackhawks a big 4-3 win in Nashville to start the playoffs.

Pelicans Clinch Playoffs in Style

The New Orleans Pelicans needed a win at home on Wednesday night to make the playoffs. It was that simple.

The problem was that their opponent, the San Antonio Spurs, were determined to make life anything but simple for New Orleans.

The Pelicans roared out to a 34-19 lead after the first quarter, but the Spurs clawed their way back throughout the rest of the game and pushed the Pelicans to the brink.

But Anthony Davis's dominance, including 31 points, 13 boards and three blocks, helped stave off San Antonio and preserve a playoff spot for his team with a 108-103 win.

Springer Saves Game

The Houston Astros found themselves comfortably ahead by four runs heading into the seventh inning of their game against the Texas Rangers on Sunday. But the Rangers scored two runs in both the seventh and eighth to send the game into extras.

It seemed like the Rangers had the game won in the 10th, when Leonys Martin launched the ball into right field, but George Springer made the catch of the season (so far), going over the wall to rob Martin of a walk-off home run and extend the game.

Houston would end up scoring in the top of the 14th inning and shutting down Texas in the bottom half to escape with a 6-4 win in Arlington.

Spieth Dominates Augusta

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

In a lot of ways, it was actually an anti-climactic Masters. Jordan Spieth was ahead for the whole weekend after all.

But the drama stemmed from the incredible feat of a 21-year-old keeping up with a historic pace as the pressure mounted.

He tied the Masters record for the best weekend of all time, leading by a comfortable margin for most of the tournament while setting the course record for birdies at Augusta National.

It was truly a momentous event for a kid who is now being crowned as the next star of the sport.

Flames Win It Late

The Calgary Flames are coming into the playoffs hot on the trail of one of their most successful seasons in recent memory, but they are up against an experienced Vancouver Canucks squad.

It seemed like the two sides were evenly matched in the first half of their Wednesday night game, then Bo Horvat scored to give the Canucks some momentum.

But Calgary persevered and tied it up about eight minutes into the third period. It seemed like overtime was coming before Kris Russell blasted a shot from the point with 30 seconds left on the clock.

The puck found its way into the back of the net, and the Flames had themselves a dramatic 2-1 win in Game 1.

Cavs Win in OT Without LeBron

LeBron James was in street clothes on Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers only played their starters in the first half and there were no serious playoff implications. The Washington Wizards sat Bradley Beal, John Wall and Nene.

But that didn't stop this game from being a great one.

Matthew Dellavedova had 18 points and a double-double to help lead Cleveland to an exciting overtime victory over the Washington Wizards after four frantic quarters were not enough to find a victor.

Providence Beats BU

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

It may not be one of the most widely watched contests, but the NCAA Men's Hockey Championship (and entire Frozen Four) is always a great reminder of the best of college sports.

Providence was the last team to qualify for the round of 16, yet they battled their way to the title game to face off against an elite Boston University squad.

The Friars were down by a goal in the third period on Saturday before a shocking blunder from BU's goalie tied the game up.

Brandon Tanev scored the go-ahead goal a mere two minutes later, and then Providence held on in the face of some late rushes from BU to get their first national championship.

Yankees-Red Sox Game Goes 19 Innings

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees always have a lot of excitement surrounding their games, but Friday's contest was something else entirely.

This game walked the line between being incredibly dramatic and straight-up exhausting, with plenty of fans probably agreeing with the latter.

But it's not every day (or week) that you get a 19-inning classic between rivals, yet that's exactly what happened here as the two teams went back and forth in the 16th and 18th before Mookie Betts' sacrifice fly gave Boston a 6-5 lead that finally stuck.