Greatest Moments of NHL Season … So Far: Second semifinal

The 2019-20 NHL season had many incredible moments before it was paused March 12 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus, and now fans can decide which one was the best.

The Greatest Moments of the NHL Season ... So Far is down to three entries from the original bracket of 64 with five rounds and the first semifinal now complete.

Fans will vote on one matchup per day, ultimately deciding the greatest moment up until this point.

Fans can vote on Twitter and Instagram each day from noon until 10 a.m. ET the next day. Each day the winner of that matchup will be revealed, and a new set of moments will go head-to-head.

The matchup Tuesday, the second semifinal, pits Carolina Hurricanes emergency backup goalie David Ayres getting the victory in a 6-3 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 22 vs. Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov scoring a lacrosse-style goal against the Calgary Flames on Oct. 29.

The winner will face Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne scoring a goal in the final matchup Wednesday. Rinne defeated Marc-Andre Fleury's save for the Vegas Golden Knights in the first semifinal matchup on Monday.

Though fans will have the ultimate say, NHL.com staffers have cast their vote for which moment should advance to the final, with Ayres winning 18-1.

Here is what some of the voters had to say about their pick:

AYRES VICTORY

"Ayres living out his dream of playing in an NHL game 15 years after receiving a kidney transplant is one of the greatest feel-good stories of all time." -- Tracey Myers, staff writer

"Even Hollywood could not have written a better script of a 42-year-old kidney transplant patient living his NHL dream for one special night." -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer

"Gotta go with the EBUG. That third period was so magical, he might have stopped a lacrosse shot." -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

"It's difficult to pick against Svechnikov making history, but Ayres was a story that transcended the sport and, as a kidney transplant recipient, he's continued to do good with his moment of fame." -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer

"These are two incredible moments in Hurricanes history, but Ayres subbing in and earning the first-ever win by an EBUG is one of the most unfathomable happenings in sports history. And, even though Ayres defeated his hometown Maple Leafs in Toronto, the losing fans have treated him like a hero." -- Pete Jensen, senior fantasy editor

"What David Ayres did was so rare and so unexpected. It was one of those moments that caught the attention of even the most casual sports fan." -- Brian Compton, deputy managing editor

"How much more can be said about David Ayres and what he did in those 28 magical minutes of ice time that Saturday night in February at Scotiabank Arena? To quote Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour, 'I told the guys after the game to thank him because that just gave me an incredible memory.' We'll all have that incredible memory. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor

"He was a regular guy thrust into an extraordinary moment, rose to the occasion and captivated the hockey world" -- William Douglas, staff writer

SVECHNIKOV GOAL

"Have we really gotten to the point where a lacrosse-style goal in an NHL game is no longer a big deal? Yes, Ayres is unquestionably the feel-good story of the season to this point and was the best story in all of sports this year. But that moment when Svechnikov went behind the net, lifted the puck and tucked it in the net brought fans from all teams out of their seats. That moment -- that five seconds of 'Did you see that?' -- gets my pick.-- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief