NHL Playoffs 2011: Nathan Horton Hears Who, Hoots and Howls After Game 7 Winner

Boston Bruins’ winger Nathan Horton had never even had a sniff of the playoffs during his first six years with the Florida Panthers.

Now, after one series, he’s a playoff stud. 

Horton scored his second overtime goal of the series, this time netting the game winner on a pass from Milan Lucic at 5:34 of the extra period, sending the Bruins off with a 4-3 victory and to a date with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Horton, who also scored the game winner in Saturday night’s Game 5 double overtime thriller, was caught in a collective bear hug by his appreciative teammates, while a celebration was going on in the stands.

“Just getting to the playoffs is all I was really thinking about. This has been a dream come true,” Horton told the Boston Globe.

“I’m really enjoying it. I’m enjoying it more every day.”

For the Bruins, it was the first time they had ever won a playoff series after dropping the first two games—26 times before, they had been unsuccessful.

The Bruins will have a couple days off to rest and think about their upcoming series with the Flyers, who came back last year from a 3-0 series deficit to eliminate the Bruins in the conference semifinals, becoming only the third team in NHL history to do so (1975 New York Islanders, 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs).

For Bruins coach Claude Julien, he couldn’t have been happier with Horton’s performance.

“He’s been saving it for seven years, right?” Julien said.

“So he had a lot of game-winning goals in him.”

Julien certainly hopes that Horton has a few still left in the tank.

For continuing coverage of the NHL Playoffs, follow Doug on Twitter @Sports_A_Holic.