NHL Playoffs 2012: Derek Morris and 5 Other Memorable Goals from Center Ice

NHL coaches try and hammer this idea into the heads of their players: "On a dump-in, get the puck deep and put it on goal."

Derek Morris found himself the very lucky beneficiary of this philosophy as he beat Jonathan Quick in the first period of Game 1 in the NHL's Western Conference finals.

The Phoenix Coyotes were able to tie the score at 1-1, giving them life in a period that was otherwise dominated by the Los Angeles Kings.

But Morris has not been the only player to get lucky and score a goal from center ice.

Let's take a look at some of the most memorable center-ice goals.

1. Derek Morris

Derek Morris just had to get it on goal.

The Coyotes were badly outshot by the Kings in the first period, 17-4.

At the time, they were only being outshot 12-3.

Morris put the puck on goal and Quick just couldn't handle it properly, as it apparently skipped over his pad.

Quick, who plays very low in the net, takes away the entire bottom part of the net, so any shot that bounces up in the air has the potential to give him trouble.

The Morris goal tied the game at 1-1 and gave Phoenix life at home.

2. Nick Lidstrom

The year was 2008. This was a first-round series between the mighty Detroit Red Wings and the upstart Nashville Predators.

Detroit was leading the series 3-2.

Dan Ellis had a pretty successful career in Nashville, but one Nick Lidstrom shot from center ice changed his future in Nashville in a hurry.

Lidstrom was simply clearing the puck off of a penalty kill when his shot on goal bounced about five feet in front of Ellis and went straight up into the top corner.

The goal gave Detroit a 3-0 lead in the game.

Detroit went on to win the Stanley Cup that year.

3. Sandis Ozolinsh

Martin Brodeur loves to play the puck.

But playing the puck as a goalie can be a double-edged sword if the puck is not played correctly.

Watching this video, I'm not completely sure how Brodeur misplayed this puck, but it ended up in the net.

Brodeur was a couple feet out of his crease towards the top-left part of it and the Ozolinsh shot hit him and ricocheted between Brodeur's legs and into the net.

Good thing his team came back to win the series, because the goal gave the Anaheim Mighty Ducks a 2-1 lead in a series that was tied at one game apiece.

4. Dennis Seidenberg

Put the puck on net.

Seidenberg stepped into a bomb and capped off a Bruins comeback.

The Bruins trailed 3-1 to the Ottawa Senators going into the third period, but his shot from center broke a 3-3 tie and gave the Bruins the lead and the win.

Craig Anderson simply didn't show enough effort on the play and as a result was not in position to make the save.

Anderson had plenty of time to watch the puck come towards him, but he could not do anything because he was not down on the ice in time.

The puck redirected off of the shaft of Anderson's stick and into the back of the cage.

5. Radim Vrbata

One, two, bounce a few...99, 100.

Something like that anyway.

Radim Vrbata just threw in a wrist shot that bounced a couple of times on Tomas Vokoun.

The bounces weren't all that high, they just seemed to catch him off-guard enough to squeeze through his pads and into the goal.

The thing about goals from center ice is that there really isn't a good time to allow one.

Vokoun found that out first-hand, as this goal tied the game with under a minute to play in the third period.

6. Nick Lidstrom (again)

There's something about Nick Lidstrom shooting from center ice in the playoffs on goaltenders named "Dan" that doesn't bode well for said goaltenders.

Detroit's Nick Lidstrom is at it again with his long-range shooting. This time, the scene was a little bit different.

The Detroit Red Wings were down 2-0 in the series and the score was tied 1-1 in Game 3.

Nick Lidstrom's shot changed the series, effectively ending Dan Cloutier's time in Vancouver.

The goal reminded Detroit that they were in fact the Presidents' Trophy-winners and Detroit won the series 4-2.

The Red Wings won more than just the series, as they won the Stanley Cup as well.

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