Game 7 - We Win

Cotillion

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Jun 11, 2019
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I've been sort of rewatching the Pastrnak goal, frame to frame, and if anything the bounce they got was on the outer edge of a wide 'fan' of workable bounces.

It came out on a nearly too tight angle, on the goal side of a pretty wide, acceptable spray shot for where the puck could have gone within Pasta's reach. Anywhere from maybe 1 foot closer to Samsonov (max) all the way out to the dot, Pasta is getting it on his flight path to the net.

The way Pasta enters -- not tight against the wall but absolutely to the right of the dot when coming over the blue line, and then chasing straight to the dot -- allows for a pretty wide 'fan' of acceptable bounces that Pasta could pick-up as he charges to the net.

As a right handed stick, able to snatch bounces that might have come back high, wall side, and especially 'starting' his pick-up still above the circle after Lindholm blasted the puck in there, there were some options other than needle threading.

Had Pasta been any deeper he'd have had much less range he could cover for the bounce, but he was coming in high and at speed and was likely to be first to the puck within a pretty wide triangle off those boards.

Lindholm needed to not carrom the puck too tightly against the high side boards, not so much because Pasta wouldn't get it, but that he'd be pulled too wide to attack the net. So short of it riding the boards, anything bouncing back toward the center, but above the goal line, Pasta was getting unless Samsonov could play it.

And indeed, that is probably where Toronto will have their regrets: Samsonov could have aggressively stepped out and just chipped that puck anywhere since other than Pasta, it was four white shirts coming in. Had the bounce been just a little more goal side that is exactly what would have happened, but it could have come back a fair amount up ice and Pasta would have just picked up the pass sooner.
And you can see Pasta when he curls around and starts skating from his own blue line to the the centerline when the Bruins had gotten the puck back gesturing up ice (like wide open receivers do) with his stick, and going "I'm running a fly pattern, put it out in space in front of me"....
 

NYCSox

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Just relieved. That was a joyless last three games, but they survived.

Now to the second part of the south Florida revenge tour (Celtics being the first).
 

ColdSoxPack

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Jul 14, 2005
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Oh learned ones, why was the winning play not icing? Pass originated before the center ice line and crossed the goal line. Asking for a friend.
 

Cotillion

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Jun 11, 2019
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Oh learned ones, why was the winning play not icing? Pass originated before the center ice line and crossed the goal line. Asking for a friend.
Pasta was the first to below the dots. He wipes out icing if it was icing but usually players get the neighborhood on the red line like lindholm was almost on or at the line by the time he fully released.
 

tims4wins

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Pasta was the first to below the dots. He wipes out icing if it was icing but usually players get the neighborhood on the red line like lindholm was almost on or at the line by the time he fully released.
They got kind of screwed by this in game 6 I thought on the first goal.
 

tims4wins

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Nylander is borderline Ovechin-controller-disconnected. Really bad look. He doesn't take a single stride once Pasta is in the zone.
 

wiffleballhero

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I just love the way you can see the 'blip' where the crowd notices the bounce come back to center off the boards, and then it is over.


Toronto media ripping Marner and Nylander for just watching the winning play.
I think that is a little unfair.

For at least the last few games, Toronto had been very successful clogging up the blue line and cutting out the spaces for the Bruins to make zone entries. The read at that moment was probably to make sure Zacha couldn't get a clean puck to enter through the middle and to assume that crossing 4 defenders with a stretch pass was a low probability option. And they had generally been right about this. If those guys are all selling out to get back, deep into their own zone, then Zacha gets the puck, or on countless other plays in the series, the Bruins would have found similar passes to the person in Zacha's position.
 

Silverdude2167

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Very pointless conversation, but not sure I agree with the Nylander bashing on the play.

There are already 3 guys below the dots, if he makes it four and there is a rebound to the slot or Pasta has it behind the net, there will be 4 B's covered by one man.

Should he look a bit more engaged, sure, but he is in the correct defensive position.
 

IdiotKicker

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Marner makes 10.9 million a year and should be looking for more when his contract runs out. So he would be a rental for 1 year.
And he’s my favorite non-Bruin and puts up nearly100 points a year and can work all special teams and is worth every penny. Another high end offensive talent to take pressure of Pasta is exactly what this team needs. Toronto just wouldn’t be dumb enough to make that trade.
 

Smiling Joe Hesketh

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How do they feel about Samsonov staying home on that puck? He had the best chance at breaking up the play. All he needs to do is commit to it once the bounce comes his direction.
I think Samsonov was put in an impossible situation there. The puck coming off the boards at that angle is highly improbable and unexpected. He's got to track the puck, his defensemen, and Pasta all at the same time. He's doing multiple calculations in his head in less than 2 seconds. And finally I suspect that he expected Pasta to one time the loose puck. As did I.

If he commits and guesses wrong as to Pasta's speed, then Pasta has the easiest tap in in the entire world.
 

RIFan

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I was in the building in seats above the sports deck. Had to be the best seats in the house to watch that unfold. I am 100% certain Lindholm was playing for that carom. It felt like I was watching that unfold in slow motion. Most of the 1st 2 periods Pasta seemed like he was missing his burst. He came out in the 3rd in was noticeably faster. As soon as he turned back up ice after giving Lindholm the puck you could tell he was intent on blowing by the D.

There was a lot of blue jerseys in the crowd. I expected them to try to get some “Go Leafs Go” chants going. I don’t think they even tried, not that the Garden crowd would have allowed it.

I keyed in on Swayman during the Anthems. He was swaying side to side, looking up all around the arena. He might as well been waiting for a bus. Just a different breed. Definitely made for this.

Causeway after the game was as loud as inside the building. Incredible atmosphere.

Little side note. During the intermission before OT a group of women wearing Bruins leather jackets came to the bar behind us. It was some of the WAGS. Each had their players name and number on the back. I’ll just say that these guys are living the dream beyond the rink.
 

TheAOE

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Jul 15, 2005
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Not following. You really think all those Celtics championships eased the pain of The Sox all those years?

And yeah, it's far different.
Even the Raptors win a few years ago is irrelevant to the Laffs fan base, so I totally agree with you