1. v. Florida Panthers
I got to see this goal live and went nuts when I realized he tucked it in. Ironic that in another one of my articles, I was also there for the Matthews goal I selected as #1. I promise I’m not being biased in my picks, these are just their best goals each.
Marner has the puck on a breakaway but is being prodded by Michael Matheson the whole time. He fends him off and skates towards former Leafs goalie, James Reimer. He pulls it from his forehand to his backhand doing a great job at protecting the puck. Getting in real tight on Reimer and running out of time, he just outmaneuvers him for a disgusting goal. He tucks it in glove side.
By far his filthiest goal and one of the best, I’ve seen all season. Not as good as Matthews goal against the Carolina Hurricanes. Still, it’s up there for me. Again, I promise I’m not being biased.
Bonus
My goodness, this Mitch Marner pass to Tyler Bozak on the 3-2 go-ahead goal. He's unreal already. pic.twitter.com/HkDWFyj45f
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) October 28, 2016
Who would I be if I didn’t include a bonus? As I said for the one I included in the Matthews article, I wish Marner was the one to set himself up here. Too bad that’s impossible. We do get to marvel at the incredible play he makes here resulting in a goal scored by Tyler Bozak.
The pass from Nazem Kadri to Marner ends up behind him. He stops, turns, and passes the puck in a spinning motion to the right of Roberto Luongo where Bozak creeps up and sneaks it in. The fact that Marner had the hockey IQ and awareness to know where his linemates are is just uncanny. Remember, he’s just a rookie.
I don’t remember all of Marner’s 35 assists off the top of my head. But, if I were a betting man, I’d be pretty comfortable saying that this was his best by far. He’s a special player, the Leafs community should be more than happy to have him on the roster for year’s to come.