4. v. Washington Capitals
I’m not a fan of watching goals from the ref cam angle but, it’s the best I could do. At the very least, it gives us a different point of view on the goal. Although, it’s quite shaky. Back to the goal.
Notice James van Riemsdyk in front of the net. Eyes are front, observing the play in a meticulous fashion to get in the right position. He doesn’t battle for space, instead just sneaks away to be in his spot in and alone beside Braden Holtby.
van Riemsdyk gets the puck on his stick facing Nikita Soshnikov, meaning he doesn’t have an angle to take a good shot. Without haste, he dishes it to Shosh and he puts it on the net. van Riemsdyk sees the rebound and gathers the loose puck. He gets it up in a hurry from another tight angle for a goal.
Might look like an easy empty netter but, it’s the play in its entirety that makes this one special. He does everything right and is rewarded with a goal in the end.
Some players would miss that opportunity to tuck it in because of how fast the play is moving, not to mention how close they would be in on the net. Not this guy.