Ranking the Best Goals from the Past Week's NHL Games
The NHL's best snipers wasted no time getting down to business and scoring early and often as the 2014-15 season got underway. A few newcomers added to the excitement, and Week 1 saw some fantastic action.
From buzzer-beaters to hat tricks, we've seen a lot over the last seven days. Power shots from the half-wall and gorgeous lead passes sending men on breakaways, the goals have been as varied as they were enjoyable.
Here are the best goals from this past week's NHL games.
8. Alexander Ovechkin Hammers It Home from His Patented Spot
1 of 8Date and Opponent: Saturday, October 11 at Boston.
Goal: Alexander Ovechkin.
Assists: John Carlson and Nicklas Backstrom.
This goal welcomed fans back with a familiar and apparently unstoppable set piece. The Washington power play relies mostly on a soft touch pass to Alexander Ovechkin in the high slot, and the rest is torque and reaction.
Nicklas Backstrom made a deft move to bring the high checker down low, then fed a pass to John Carlson in the middle along the point. Carlson made a quick decision on shooting or passing, and the rest is history.
7. Patrick Kane Scores in a Heartbeat
2 of 8Date and Opponent: Saturday, October 11 vs. Buffalo Sabres.
Goal: Patrick Kane.
Assists: Andrew Shaw, Brandon Saad.
One of the league's best snipers takes no time to take the shot, and the entire transaction is over in a split second. This is the kind of goal Patrick Kane is famous for in the NHL. Andrew Shaw sent a brilliant pass into the slot—a key to the goal.
6. Taylor Hall Rings Iron and Scores
3 of 8Date and Opponent: Thursday, October 9 against Calgary.
Goal: Taylor Hall.
Assist: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Justin Schultz.
Taylor Hall ripped a howitzer on a set play with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on a five-on-three. The Calgary Flames defender backed off to block a potential pass, and Hall drilled it home. The assist from Nugent-Hopkins required both players to recognize the play and a soft pass to Hall for the slap shot.
5. Daniel Briere's Buzzer-Beater
4 of 8Date and Opponent: Monday, October 13 at Boston.
Goal: Daniel Briere.
Assist: Jan Hejda.
Daniel Briere was undercover, and the Boston defense badly misread the situation. The goal is unforgivable from Boston's point of view, as it meant a loss on a goal scored with less than one second remaining. A Hail Mary pass to the net rarely works, but credit Jan Hejda with getting it through and giving the play a chance to succeed.
4. Phil Kessel's Magic
5 of 8Date and Opponent: Tuesday, October 14 vs. Colorado.
Goal: Phil Kessel.
Assist: Tyler Bozak, Dion Phaneuf.
Phil Kessel's outstanding individual effort in overtime gave the Toronto Maple Leafs the win. Often maligned for being out of shape, Kessel raced down the wing, secured the puck and waited out everyone for his chance. A goal scorer's goal won the game.
3. Sidney Crosby Buries a Rebound off the Boards
6 of 8Date and Opponent: Saturday, October 11 at Toronto.
Goal: Sidney Crosby.
Assists: Kris Letang, Patric Hornqvist.
Sidney Crosby gauged a rebound off the backboard perfectly and scored for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Some might view it as luck, but he's scored from that angle many times, and it's clearly a set play.
Even more important than the shooter, a clever shot by Kris Letang is the key element to this play. Letang's enormous creativity and skill are on full display with this goal.
2. Victor Hedman's Head-Man Pass Springs Stamkos to Daylight
7 of 8Date and Opponent: Monday, October 13 vs. Montreal.
Goal: Steven Stamkos.
Assist: Victor Hedman.
Of all the players in the NHL to get a chance like this one, Steven Stamkos might be the most dangerous. The key to this goal was the defenseman's brilliant outlet pass, and it reflects on Victor Hedman's increased offensive role.
1. Tyler Seguin Snipe Sinks Penguins
8 of 8Date and Opponent: Thursday, October 16 at Pittsburgh.
Goal: Tyler Seguin.
Assist: Jason Spezza, Alex Goligoski.
Tyler Seguin caught a very hard pass, cradled the puck and drilled a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury for the victory. Jason Spezza's pass was pure skill: There are very few players who could send a dart through traffic and find the target.
