Elias Pettersson Is A Certified Assassin Plus More In The Top 5 Goals From The NHL Last Night (11/6/18)
Ray Ferraro recently said that Elias Pettersson is the most exciting Canuck since Pavel Bure. In Bure’s rookie year, he had 34 tucks. Then he posted back-to-back 60 goal seasons after that. 154 goals in his first 3 seasons in Vancouver? It’s almost a crime that Carabbis uses “The Rocket” as his nickname because the only Rocket I’ll ever acknowledge is the Russian Rocket. But yeah, anytime anybody can get compared to Pavel Bure and the immediate reaction isn’t a violent argument, you know you’re dealing with a special player. And Elias Pettersson is that type of player. He’s the kind of player who you need to set up a notification on your phone for every time the puck is on his stick because you know there’s a chance that something crazy is about to happen. He’s only 10 games into his NHL career but that shot is almost at the same lethal status as the current greats like Ovechkin, Laine, Stamkos, Matthews, etc. And we’ll talk more about that shot a little later in this blog but for right now, let’s get to some other highlights from last night in the NHL.
5. Robby Fabbri Is Back, Scores His First Goal Since 2016
As a fellow ACL tear survivor myself, this goal by Robby Fabbri last night really hits home for me. This kid first came onto the scene in 2015. He played 72 games his rookie season in St. Louis and put up 18 goals and 37 points. It was tough to come into the league the same year as guys like McDavid and Eichel and Panarin and still be able to make a name for yourself, but Robby Fabbri was able to do that. Then a little over halfway through his 2nd season in the league, he tore his ACL and had to miss the remainder of the season. Then right before the 2017-18 season got going, he re-injured that same left knee and missed all of last year. The kid is only 22-year-old and already had to miss a season and a half of his career due to a knee injury. Not only do those injuries take a toll on your body physically, but it’s also a mental grind to come back from that. So this goal right here may just count for 1 on the scoreboard, but it’s way bigger than that to Fabbri.
You never really know if you’re fully able to come back from injuries like that until you’re actually back. I’m sure stuffing that puck in the back of the net was a massive relief for Fabbri because that goal was the result of 21 months filled with surgeries, rehab, and questions about if you’re ever going to be able to come back.
4. Connor McDavid Sets Up Ty Rattie For An Absolute Beaut—-ahhh shit, nvm.
Andrei Vasilevskiy is a selfish prick for robbing the world of this highlight. Connor McDavid took Stralman to the prom, danced his ass off, was able to thread that pass through McDonagh and Point’s sticks on the backhand right to Rattie’s wheelhouse for the shot. He already has Vasilevskiy completely out of the net for an easy put away and then this happens.
Off the dome, over the crossbar, out of the back of the net. Not that this goal would have made a difference anyway since the Bolts would go on to win 5-2, but still. That would have been another nasty McDavid highlight that is wiped away from history and will now go down as a Vasilevskiy highlight. Selfish selfish selfish.
3. Jack Campbell With The Secondary Assist Of The Year On This Kovalchuk Goal
So here’s a quick little word of advice to the other 30 teams in the NHL right now; do NOT, under ANY circumstances, ever wholesale change while Jack Campbell has the puck on his stick. Because he’ll end up making you all look like a bunch of big, dumb, stupid idiots.
Quick sidenote here but Nate Thompson is so lucky he couldn’t get his stick on that puck because that would be grounds for Jack Campbell kicking his ass for ruining that play. A goalie snapping off a 115 ft stretch pass to catch the opposing team in the middle of a wholesale change almost got completely ruined by his own teammate. That shit would have been devastating. But Campbell puts it right out of reach for Thompson, Toffoli makes a great play to control the puck and enter the zone clearly, makes a nice little dish to Kovalchuk and then Kovy is there to stuff it in the back of the net and get Campbell on the scoresheet with a secondary. Pretty decent play call for Willie Desjardins in his head coaching debut for LA.
2. Neal Pionk Must Be A Huge Sammy Adams Fan, Goes Coast-To-Coast
Okay so obviously the power move to turn the corner on Juulsen and dunk this one on Carey Price was nice. But the real highlight of this Pionk goal? The spin cycle on Drouin to get out of the zone.
I don’t think Johnny Drouin is a great forechecker to begin with so I’m sure Pionk probably could have just wheeled this one up the boards and got past him that way. But the spin move set the tone for the rest of the rush. It also got that 2nd forechecker to turn his back and start heading up the ice instead of cutting him off between the top of the circles and the blueline so that little deception move opened up pretty much the entire defensive and neutral zone for him to carry the puck and build up some speed. That speed then allowed him to turn the corner on Juulsen and it was history from there. Pretty filthy goal from a guy who only had 1 all of last season.
1. Elias Pettersson Is A Mass Goaltender Murderer
Alright so I already talked a ton about Elias Pettersson to start this blog off. But this goal right here is one that Jimmy Howard is going to look at on film this morning and he’s going to have to question himself if he really has what it takes to survive in this league anymore. Because this goal right here? Well this was a murder.
Just look at this shit. Howard’s glove is still on its way up as that puck is already bouncing around in the back of the net. That’s like sending somebody out there with a baseball glove to try to stop a rocket launcher. Pettersson pulling up from the top of the circles and letting clap bombs fly is a dangerous thing for the rest of the league to see right now. That shot is a weapon and the kid is clearly confident in it. The only strategy I think could possibly work for goalies right now is if they stand completely in the net and just try to cover all 4 corners. Coming out to the top of the crease to take away the angle isn’t going to work on Pettersson. He’s still going to snipe you to death that way. But the kid’s shot is so money that you know it’s always getting stashed away in a corner, and it’s usually going to be top bunk. So just stay in the net and cover up both corners, and maybe you’ll be lucky enough that he’ll just hit you with the shot. Sheeeeeeesh.