The young players continue to roll at the beginning of the season. We still haven't hit the 9-game tryout period before Entry Level Contracts are officially active so expect to keep seeing the kids to keep finding the back of the net, trying to make a case for a spot on their respective rosters. This week we saw 10 rookies posting their first goals. Let's meet them, shall we?
Matt Donovan - New York Islanders - October 8, 2013
Being a seventh defenceman in the NHL isn't the most glamourous place to be but then again not every blue-liner gets Seth Jones'd into their team's top-4 as a rookie. But once you do get the chance in the lineup, why not show your club why you belong there? Matt Donovan of the Isles seems to have it figured out:
The Islanders are the man advantage and up by a comfortable 2-0 margin. John Tavares already has a power play goal that evening so there is definitely a weakness to be exploited on the part of the Phoenix Coyotes. This segment is just your basic power play move, Donovan has the puck at the point and shifts the point of attack to centre ice. It's a small thing but he uses some pretty nifty footwork which effectively throws Kyle Chipchura off of his forecheck and winds up a slapper straight into Mike Smith's bread-basket. Easy save, sure, but the puck wriggles free and rolls undetected through Smith's legs and into the net.
This is kind of a freak accident but it's a goal nonetheless. Smith is in position to stop this puck, it doesn't change direction on its way to the net, and the only thing resembling a screen is Rob Klinkhammer a little deeper than he should be in the slot. This is exactly why you throw the puck at the net, especially with a man up, because you do get rewarded. If Donovan can keep up with the moves on the blue line as well as the shot he should be a great offencive-defenceman for the Islanders in the coming years.
Matt Donovan - New York Islanders - October 8, 2013
Being a seventh defenceman in the NHL isn't the most glamourous place to be but then again not every blue-liner gets Seth Jones'd into their team's top-4 as a rookie. But once you do get the chance in the lineup, why not show your club why you belong there? Matt Donovan of the Isles seems to have it figured out:
The Islanders are the man advantage and up by a comfortable 2-0 margin. John Tavares already has a power play goal that evening so there is definitely a weakness to be exploited on the part of the Phoenix Coyotes. This segment is just your basic power play move, Donovan has the puck at the point and shifts the point of attack to centre ice. It's a small thing but he uses some pretty nifty footwork which effectively throws Kyle Chipchura off of his forecheck and winds up a slapper straight into Mike Smith's bread-basket. Easy save, sure, but the puck wriggles free and rolls undetected through Smith's legs and into the net.
This is kind of a freak accident but it's a goal nonetheless. Smith is in position to stop this puck, it doesn't change direction on its way to the net, and the only thing resembling a screen is Rob Klinkhammer a little deeper than he should be in the slot. This is exactly why you throw the puck at the net, especially with a man up, because you do get rewarded. If Donovan can keep up with the moves on the blue line as well as the shot he should be a great offencive-defenceman for the Islanders in the coming years.
Filip Forsberg - Nashville Predators - October 8, 2013
I was actually a little shocked to find that Filip Forsberg hadn't gotten one prior to the following goal. I knew he was drafted by the Washington Capitals and was the key piece coming to Nashville in the trade that sent Martin Erat to the Caps at the 11th hour of last year's trade deadline, but the kid only had five NHL games of experience entering this season. Well apparently it was worth the wait:
(Skip to the replays, live action is not the best quality)
Nashville is on a two-man advantage so they have a lot of ice to work with. Forsberg has the puck right above the goal line and holds it until Matt Cooke pinches a little deep into the slot. This opens up Seth Jones who is sliding down further into the zone from the blue line. Jones immediately rips a wrister at the net which takes a hop off of Cooke's stick. As it bounces towards the crease, Patrick Hornqvist bats the puck right out to Forsberg. Goaltender Nicklas Backstrom hesitates, giving Forsberg enough time and room to slide the puck just past the near post and in.
5-on-3 power plays are just certain situations where a team needs to score so good on Forsberg for reading that play properly and being in the right spot to bury the puck. The Predators especially are a team that is having trouble producing goals and have the second-worst goal differential in the West so capitalising on opportunities like this is going to be imperative moving forward. While Filip bears no relation to Hall of Fame talent Peter Forsberg, I'm sure North American hockey fans will be expecting more great things out of the rookie.
Matthew Nieto - San Jose Sharks - October 8, 2013
This particular Tuesday is already infamous. The Sharks beat the New York Rangers 9-2 and Tomas Hertl chased Henrik Lundqvist from the net with the Sharks' 4th of the game before rolling out another 3 on backup Martin Biron. Lost in the headline and the impromptu Joe Thornton quote is Matthew Nieto's first of his career and what would hold up to be the game-winner:
Wow. That is...not how you defend in your own zone. The Sharks break up a rush by the Rangers in the neutral zone and Nieto gets the puck to Joe Pavelski breaking up the right side before being bumped out of the play by Dominic Moore. Pavelski somehow manages a cross-ice pass to Tommy Wingels through both John Moore and Anton Stralman. Facing Stralman, Wingels is gifted the space to not only pass the puck into the centre of the zone but is twisted awkwardly to his forehand during his whole moment of possession. Nieto is breaking up the middle and, because of Dominic Moore's lack of a backcheck, easily fires the puck behind Lundqvist.
This is a great score on the rush but it is kind of masked by how bad the Rangers have been playing as a team this year. There is an absolute defencive break down which sets the stage for Nieto to streak into the slot completely uncontested and he makes the shot count. The Sharks have been characterised by their lack of organisational depth but this season seems to be turning that opinion around with players like Hertl and Nieto making impacts during their starts.
This particular Tuesday is already infamous. The Sharks beat the New York Rangers 9-2 and Tomas Hertl chased Henrik Lundqvist from the net with the Sharks' 4th of the game before rolling out another 3 on backup Martin Biron. Lost in the headline and the impromptu Joe Thornton quote is Matthew Nieto's first of his career and what would hold up to be the game-winner:
Wow. That is...not how you defend in your own zone. The Sharks break up a rush by the Rangers in the neutral zone and Nieto gets the puck to Joe Pavelski breaking up the right side before being bumped out of the play by Dominic Moore. Pavelski somehow manages a cross-ice pass to Tommy Wingels through both John Moore and Anton Stralman. Facing Stralman, Wingels is gifted the space to not only pass the puck into the centre of the zone but is twisted awkwardly to his forehand during his whole moment of possession. Nieto is breaking up the middle and, because of Dominic Moore's lack of a backcheck, easily fires the puck behind Lundqvist.
This is a great score on the rush but it is kind of masked by how bad the Rangers have been playing as a team this year. There is an absolute defencive break down which sets the stage for Nieto to streak into the slot completely uncontested and he makes the shot count. The Sharks have been characterised by their lack of organisational depth but this season seems to be turning that opinion around with players like Hertl and Nieto making impacts during their starts.
Elias Lindholm - Carolina Hurricanes - October 10, 2013
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals are the two teams from the old Southeast Division that joined the Metropolitan Division. This game would be the first meeting between the two since realignment. Washington would jump out to an early lead, but after not pushing it forward for over a period, Carolina found a way to respond:
Jeff Skinner brings the puck up the middle before losing the puck to a poke check by Tom Wilson. Elias Lindholm jumps in to pick up the trash and has to dipsy-doodle his way to the left side point. What makes this goal absolutely hilarious is, as a right-handed shot, Lindholm has to rotate his body by at least 180 degrees to even get in position before firing this shot. Wilson and John Carlson provide an excellent screen as the puck tips off of Carlson's stick before finding its way over Braden Holtby's glove.
I don't think I can stress enough how poorly Washington played defence here. Lindholm had all the time in the world to get his body in place to make this shot. He didn't even have to get all that fancy to find the open ice. The individual effort here is a nice touch and he did a great job waiting for Skinner to find a spot by the net and Radek Dvorak to join the rush before throwing the puck on net. It's a nice reward scoring the goal when the intention was just to get the puck on net.
The Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals are the two teams from the old Southeast Division that joined the Metropolitan Division. This game would be the first meeting between the two since realignment. Washington would jump out to an early lead, but after not pushing it forward for over a period, Carolina found a way to respond:
Jeff Skinner brings the puck up the middle before losing the puck to a poke check by Tom Wilson. Elias Lindholm jumps in to pick up the trash and has to dipsy-doodle his way to the left side point. What makes this goal absolutely hilarious is, as a right-handed shot, Lindholm has to rotate his body by at least 180 degrees to even get in position before firing this shot. Wilson and John Carlson provide an excellent screen as the puck tips off of Carlson's stick before finding its way over Braden Holtby's glove.
I don't think I can stress enough how poorly Washington played defence here. Lindholm had all the time in the world to get his body in place to make this shot. He didn't even have to get all that fancy to find the open ice. The individual effort here is a nice touch and he did a great job waiting for Skinner to find a spot by the net and Radek Dvorak to join the rush before throwing the puck on net. It's a nice reward scoring the goal when the intention was just to get the puck on net.
Matt Pelech - San Jose Sharks - October 10, 2013
It must be Shark Month in the NHL because all the San Jose kids are cashing in big. Matt Pelech isn't much of a kid, however, as he was drafted in 2005 and is currently 26 years old. October 10 was the night of his 9th career NHL game between 3 seasons and the big bruiser finally found the back of the net:
The Sharks are persistent through the neutral zone and aggressive on the forecheck. Andrew Desjardins is first into the offencive zone and gives Ryan Stanton some trouble at the boards behind the net. Tyler Kennedy is quick to follow, knocking Chris Tanev off of the puck and winds up with the biscuit. After a quick look to the centre of the zone, Kennedy throws a pass right out in front of the net and Pelech, fresh off of a change, charges in and chips the puck over Luongo's glove and in.
I don't know what it is about defence but it seems to disappear when someone is sniffing at their first career goal. If you pause the video at 28 seconds, you see all 5 Canucks skaters below the faceoff dots and the 3 above the goal line are just realising Matt Pelech's presence way too late. There were no glances over the shoulder, just a trio of guys mesmerised by the puck and in no way posturing to do anything. Pelech is way more well-known for his fists than his scoring touch but if he has the vision to finish in his limited ice time, he might have a chance to contribute on the level of pugilist Chris Neil, whom he squared off against two days after this goal.
It must be Shark Month in the NHL because all the San Jose kids are cashing in big. Matt Pelech isn't much of a kid, however, as he was drafted in 2005 and is currently 26 years old. October 10 was the night of his 9th career NHL game between 3 seasons and the big bruiser finally found the back of the net:
The Sharks are persistent through the neutral zone and aggressive on the forecheck. Andrew Desjardins is first into the offencive zone and gives Ryan Stanton some trouble at the boards behind the net. Tyler Kennedy is quick to follow, knocking Chris Tanev off of the puck and winds up with the biscuit. After a quick look to the centre of the zone, Kennedy throws a pass right out in front of the net and Pelech, fresh off of a change, charges in and chips the puck over Luongo's glove and in.
I don't know what it is about defence but it seems to disappear when someone is sniffing at their first career goal. If you pause the video at 28 seconds, you see all 5 Canucks skaters below the faceoff dots and the 3 above the goal line are just realising Matt Pelech's presence way too late. There were no glances over the shoulder, just a trio of guys mesmerised by the puck and in no way posturing to do anything. Pelech is way more well-known for his fists than his scoring touch but if he has the vision to finish in his limited ice time, he might have a chance to contribute on the level of pugilist Chris Neil, whom he squared off against two days after this goal.
Joakim Nordstrom - Chicago Blackhawks - October 11, 2013
Joakim Nordstrom is slowly working his way into the Blackhawks' system and while he doesn't command the same regard as a Jonathan Toews or even a Brandon Pirri, he may become more familiar than we might initially expect. He also must "really like to go shopping" as a seven-year old sitting adjacent to me during the Hawks Training Camp Festival remarked. The small centre will need some seasoning and sizing up before he cracks the NHL on a full-time basis, but one thing he is good at is being a shadow on offence:
The score is knotted at 0 when Niklas Hjalmarsson hems the Islanders into their own zone. He dances around below the goal line while the Ben Strait and Casey Cizikas give him all the time in the world to let a play develop. While Matt Donovan is highly unsuccessfully giving Andrew Shaw the business in the crease, Nordstrom slides into the ice behind Matt Martin and in front of Colin McDonald to give fellow Swede Hjalmarsson a passing lane too juicy to pass up. Goaltender Evgeni Nabakov gets stuck in the splits, Donovan realizes what's happening too late, and Nordstrom makes the perfect wrister to open the scoring just under 10 minutes into the game.
The thing I love about this goal is just how slippery Nordstrom is in his entry to the zone. Martin at least attempts to get a stick on Nordstrom but McDonald doesn't even address Nordstrom's presence when he skates right in front of him. This play was possible because not a single player came out to challenge Hjalmarsson, who is a long way from his home at the right point, so great read by Nordstrom and great finish.
Joakim Nordstrom is slowly working his way into the Blackhawks' system and while he doesn't command the same regard as a Jonathan Toews or even a Brandon Pirri, he may become more familiar than we might initially expect. He also must "really like to go shopping" as a seven-year old sitting adjacent to me during the Hawks Training Camp Festival remarked. The small centre will need some seasoning and sizing up before he cracks the NHL on a full-time basis, but one thing he is good at is being a shadow on offence:
The score is knotted at 0 when Niklas Hjalmarsson hems the Islanders into their own zone. He dances around below the goal line while the Ben Strait and Casey Cizikas give him all the time in the world to let a play develop. While Matt Donovan is highly unsuccessfully giving Andrew Shaw the business in the crease, Nordstrom slides into the ice behind Matt Martin and in front of Colin McDonald to give fellow Swede Hjalmarsson a passing lane too juicy to pass up. Goaltender Evgeni Nabakov gets stuck in the splits, Donovan realizes what's happening too late, and Nordstrom makes the perfect wrister to open the scoring just under 10 minutes into the game.
The thing I love about this goal is just how slippery Nordstrom is in his entry to the zone. Martin at least attempts to get a stick on Nordstrom but McDonald doesn't even address Nordstrom's presence when he skates right in front of him. This play was possible because not a single player came out to challenge Hjalmarsson, who is a long way from his home at the right point, so great read by Nordstrom and great finish.
Nathan MacKinnon - Colorado Avalanche - October 12, 2013
WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME! It took this year's first-overall draft pick 277 minutes and 41 seconds of game time before he netted the first marker of what will likely be a lengthy career. To his credit, the kid had accumulated four assists in four games but, sheesh, took you long enough? Anyways, a too many men on the ice penalty to the Capitals leads to this solid sequence of puck movement:
This is a great cycle by the Avalanche forwards. Paul Stastny feeds to Gabriel Landeskog below the goal line who effectively draws Karl Alzner into the corner. Stastny then meanders to Landeskog's previous spot to accept a backhand pass from the captain on the boards. Meanwhile, MacKinnon finds some open ice in the slot, sliding behind Martin Erat and out of reach from Jay Beagle. Stastny draws some attention as he handles the puck behind the net before dishing to MacKinnon who one-times it between the wickets of Michael Neuvirth.
Along with Calgary, Colorado is one of the teams many didn't expect much out of entering this season. And just like Calgary, the prize rookie is doing a good chunk of heavy lifting. MacKinnon is not scoring goals at the rate of Sean Monahan, mind you, but he is contributing on a level well beyond his years. Colorado has been quietly stockpiling young talent over the years, with Landeskog, Matt Duchene, and Ryan O'Reilly so MacKinnon joins a great situation under a new coach with as much energy as the 20-year-olds.
WELL IT'S ABOUT TIME! It took this year's first-overall draft pick 277 minutes and 41 seconds of game time before he netted the first marker of what will likely be a lengthy career. To his credit, the kid had accumulated four assists in four games but, sheesh, took you long enough? Anyways, a too many men on the ice penalty to the Capitals leads to this solid sequence of puck movement:
This is a great cycle by the Avalanche forwards. Paul Stastny feeds to Gabriel Landeskog below the goal line who effectively draws Karl Alzner into the corner. Stastny then meanders to Landeskog's previous spot to accept a backhand pass from the captain on the boards. Meanwhile, MacKinnon finds some open ice in the slot, sliding behind Martin Erat and out of reach from Jay Beagle. Stastny draws some attention as he handles the puck behind the net before dishing to MacKinnon who one-times it between the wickets of Michael Neuvirth.
Along with Calgary, Colorado is one of the teams many didn't expect much out of entering this season. And just like Calgary, the prize rookie is doing a good chunk of heavy lifting. MacKinnon is not scoring goals at the rate of Sean Monahan, mind you, but he is contributing on a level well beyond his years. Colorado has been quietly stockpiling young talent over the years, with Landeskog, Matt Duchene, and Ryan O'Reilly so MacKinnon joins a great situation under a new coach with as much energy as the 20-year-olds.
Seth Jones - Nashville Predators - October 12, 2013
Nashville is notorious for not really being a goal-scorer's team. I mean have you seen that top-six? But what they lack up front they tend to excel at on the back-end. While Ryan Suter, the yang to Shea Weber's ying, jumped ship in the 2012 offseason, the defence received a significant boost by drafting Seth Jones 4th-overall this year. It took him a minute to settle in but we are finally starting to see why he was expected to be a high pick:
Rookies on the left side must be the secret weapon on the Nashville power play, amirite? Just like their offence, this is pretty much a no-frills man-advantage for the Perds. Patric Hornqvist attempts a feed to Filip Forsberg from below the goal line who can't get his stick on it. The puck trickles out to Shea Weber at the point who fakes the slapshot and pushes the puck to David Legwand near the right-side boards. Legwand holds for a moment before sending a cross-ice pass to Jones who has been waiting for this play to come his way the whole time. Jones takes a step to set the puck up before slapping it by Evgeni Nabakov on the near side.
I call this a "no-frills" power play because the Predators don't do a whole lot to really throw the Islanders off of their game. They keep the puck to the outside and rely on quick puck-movement (except for Legwand) to change the point of attack and catch the Isles out of position. Shorthanded teams basically rely on their upper-handed opponents to keep things to the boards because the shooting percentages are understandably lower. But when a team gets an opportunity such as the one here, boy howdy do they make it count. Since Roman Josi is sidelined with a concussion, Jones will absolutely see more chances to burn a hole in the net.
Justin Fontaine - Minnesota Wild - October 12, 2013
This is kind of a funny matchup, as Minnesota and Dallas were both missing their top goaltenders for this game. Both Josh Harding and Dan Ellis have a solid quantity of NHL starts under their belts so in no way is this amateur hour. However, in a battle of the backups, a quick start can really set the tone for the rest of the game. Just ask Justin Fontaine:
I can't even tie my shoes in twelve seconds. Anyways, this is great payoff for a strong forecheck off the opening faceoff. Kyle Brodziak deserves a lot of credit for this goal, not only winning the faceoff to Ryan Suter, getting his stick on Suter's dump-in so as to negate an icing call, and being the first into the Dallas zone to provide some pressure. The puck bounces to the right boards and Brenden Dillon...umm...let's just assume he is trying to connect with Tyler Seguin. Dillon is in no way looking at where he is passing, giving the puck wrapped in a pretty pink bow to Matt Cooke in the middle of the zone. Cooke gets it to the breaking Fontaine who swerves around Stephane Robidas just enough to wire a backhander under the arm of Ellis. Enjoy the remaining 59:48.
This goal makes me laugh. Minnesota's third line is just running a routine forecheck and Dallas shows an utter lack of competence executing the breakout. Brodziak is the aggressive one here but it seems Cooke and Fontaine are sitting back waiting for something to happen. When Dillon makes the misread, Cooke has a "sure, why not" moment and it takes Fontaine a beat or two to jump into the play. A lot of scoring goals is making the opponent pay for their mistakes. This is a big one, and Cooke, Fontaine, and the uncredited Brodziak make Dallas look absolutely foolish.
This is kind of a funny matchup, as Minnesota and Dallas were both missing their top goaltenders for this game. Both Josh Harding and Dan Ellis have a solid quantity of NHL starts under their belts so in no way is this amateur hour. However, in a battle of the backups, a quick start can really set the tone for the rest of the game. Just ask Justin Fontaine:
I can't even tie my shoes in twelve seconds. Anyways, this is great payoff for a strong forecheck off the opening faceoff. Kyle Brodziak deserves a lot of credit for this goal, not only winning the faceoff to Ryan Suter, getting his stick on Suter's dump-in so as to negate an icing call, and being the first into the Dallas zone to provide some pressure. The puck bounces to the right boards and Brenden Dillon...umm...let's just assume he is trying to connect with Tyler Seguin. Dillon is in no way looking at where he is passing, giving the puck wrapped in a pretty pink bow to Matt Cooke in the middle of the zone. Cooke gets it to the breaking Fontaine who swerves around Stephane Robidas just enough to wire a backhander under the arm of Ellis. Enjoy the remaining 59:48.
This goal makes me laugh. Minnesota's third line is just running a routine forecheck and Dallas shows an utter lack of competence executing the breakout. Brodziak is the aggressive one here but it seems Cooke and Fontaine are sitting back waiting for something to happen. When Dillon makes the misread, Cooke has a "sure, why not" moment and it takes Fontaine a beat or two to jump into the play. A lot of scoring goals is making the opponent pay for their mistakes. This is a big one, and Cooke, Fontaine, and the uncredited Brodziak make Dallas look absolutely foolish.
Mathew Dumba - Minnesota Wild - October 12, 2013
Wild night is callin'. Minnesota is already up 2-0 and, as the final score would prove, have already won the game. So why not bump up those power play stats? Our old buddy Brenden Dillon gives the Wild a man advantage and, like so many other rookies, Matthew Dumba makes his stay in the NHL official:
If you have ever heard the phrase "tic-tac-toe" passing and weren't quite sure what it meant, well, here you go. Put some emphasis on the "TOE!", too. Jonas Brodin is quarterbacking the power play, playing catch with Dany Heatley at the point. Dallas is in probably the strangest penalty-killing formation I have ever seen, pretty much a straight line down the centre of the ice. After having some fun with Antoine Roussel, Brodin draws Roussel towards him before passing to Heatley. Shawn Horcoff comes waaay out of position to challenge Heatley but in the middle of his second step, Heatley makes the pass to Dumba who is wide open staring at the back of the net. Even though Dumba holds onto the puck for a moment, Dan Ellis is slow getting over and Dumba puts one up.
Dallas starts this PK in a 1-1-2 arrangement but Minnesota's movement draws them off of anything resembling proper coverage. Sergei Gonchar and Jordie Benn are kind-of ignoring but keeping aware of Mikael Granlund in front of the net. When Roussel takes the bait from Brodin, Horcoff steps away from Nino Niederreiter in the slot. Gonchar pinches up and gives a shove to Niederreiter, leaving an open lane for Dumba's shot. When Horcoff decides he isn't going to commit to Heatley, we have two penalty-killers covering one guy who couldn't do more than redirect the puck if a shot was thrown from the point. Dumba does a great job utilizing the open ice and finding the sweet spot for Heatley's pass.
Wild night is callin'. Minnesota is already up 2-0 and, as the final score would prove, have already won the game. So why not bump up those power play stats? Our old buddy Brenden Dillon gives the Wild a man advantage and, like so many other rookies, Matthew Dumba makes his stay in the NHL official:
If you have ever heard the phrase "tic-tac-toe" passing and weren't quite sure what it meant, well, here you go. Put some emphasis on the "TOE!", too. Jonas Brodin is quarterbacking the power play, playing catch with Dany Heatley at the point. Dallas is in probably the strangest penalty-killing formation I have ever seen, pretty much a straight line down the centre of the ice. After having some fun with Antoine Roussel, Brodin draws Roussel towards him before passing to Heatley. Shawn Horcoff comes waaay out of position to challenge Heatley but in the middle of his second step, Heatley makes the pass to Dumba who is wide open staring at the back of the net. Even though Dumba holds onto the puck for a moment, Dan Ellis is slow getting over and Dumba puts one up.
Dallas starts this PK in a 1-1-2 arrangement but Minnesota's movement draws them off of anything resembling proper coverage. Sergei Gonchar and Jordie Benn are kind-of ignoring but keeping aware of Mikael Granlund in front of the net. When Roussel takes the bait from Brodin, Horcoff steps away from Nino Niederreiter in the slot. Gonchar pinches up and gives a shove to Niederreiter, leaving an open lane for Dumba's shot. When Horcoff decides he isn't going to commit to Heatley, we have two penalty-killers covering one guy who couldn't do more than redirect the puck if a shot was thrown from the point. Dumba does a great job utilizing the open ice and finding the sweet spot for Heatley's pass.
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