Hero to goat. Goat to hero. It can change very quickly during the Stanley Cup playoffs. Just ask Blues' C Pierre Turgeon.

In Game 2 of the Western Conference finals between the Avs and Blues, Turgeon was among the goats. The wonderfully skilled Turgeon lost his cool in the game's final minutes, taking a dumb -- and very obvious -- penalty by slashing Colorado's Adam Foote in retaliation for a nasty elbow that bloodied his face. Turgeon's bad judgement cost his team a chance at tying the game. While Turgeon sat in the penalty box, the Avs' Chris Drury iced the win with an empty net goal. The loss put his team down 2-0 in the series.

Two days later, in Wednesday's critical Game 3, Turgeon traded in his goat horns, assisting on Scott Young's double overtime game-winner as the Blues got themselves back in the series with a 4-3 win.

And, as it usually happens in overtime, Turgeon became one of the game's heroes in the blink of an eye. A broken play in the neutral zone landed the puck on Turgeon's stick on the Avs' side of the blueline. He quickly moved toward the left wing boards, near the blue line. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Young. As Ray Bourque closed in on Turgeon, the clever playmaker slid a money pass right onto the blade of Young, who skated between the circles. Then, using a flatfooted Rob Blake as a screen, Young ripped a shot under the right arm of Patrick Roy.

Blast the fog horn, game over.

As the tense Savvis Center crowd erupted, Turgeon threw his arms up in the air like a small child. It was nice to see. In his highly-productive career, Turgeon has been knocked for his lack of grit. It's one of the few athletic skills he wasn't born with, but not all athletes are. Instead, he was blessed with amazing hockey skills. Heck, Turgeon is so good, journeyman LW Derek King once scored 40 goals while playing on Turgeon's line.

But, it's clear (to me, at least) Turgeon is trying to play a tougher game. The playoffs require a tougher game. It's not something that comes naturally to him. But, like I say, he's trying. And, on Wednesday night, he was a playoff hero. A hero for being the very skilled player he is, not for being the tough guy he isn't. Enjoy the moment, Pierre. As we all know, in the playoffs, being a hero (or a goat) only lasts until the next game.

E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.