Down 1-0 in the fourth game, the Devils came out in the third period and scored three rapid goals.
Nicholl's brutal day out – on his 59th birthday – was summed up in four dreadful first-half minutes, with Hearts' Dutch striker Género Zeefuik scoring three rapid goals to set the runaway leaders on their way to a remarkable scoreline.
Perhaps an astounded Brazilian defence, gawping after Germany's second rapid-fire goal, simply let the next two past?
They upped the momentum further in the final term with a rapid three goals in a row that included a beauty from Palmer.
A rapid three-goal burst from MK Dons gave them a 3-2 lead in the first leg of their League One play-off semi final with Peterborough and denied Sir Alex Ferguson a double celebration.
Two rapid David Di Michele goals saw Lecce take the lead, first tapping in Davide Brivio's cross, then three minutes later scoring with a stunning bicycle kick from the edge of the area into the top right corner.
One of those came last weekend against the Montreal Impact, a two-minute sequence involving two rapid fire goals and some lovely give-and-go between the club's star designated player Kaka and the 24-year-old Brazilian who grew up idolizing him, Pedro Ribeiro.
McManus then stole the show with three rapid fire goals, the first a fantastic strike, before McCluskey was sent off.
Hejduk followed with his rapid-fire goals at 15:22 and 15 32, producing a 4-2 lead.
Snow did not have much of a chance to stop the rapid-fire goals by Sami Kapanen and Brind'Amour.
