I kind of love this highlight package because not only is it the Leafs feed, which gives a different perspective on the highlights than most of us got to watch on FSD, but it also seems to be doing as much as it can to make this game look respectably close by loading it with Leafs highlights.
This is ordinarily where I’d take an individual goal and break it down further, but honestly, here are the five goals:
- (20 seconds in) – Zetterberg forechecks well and steals the puck. Everybody else goes where they’re supposed to. Thanks for the gift, Polak!
- (1:20) – The best part here is you can hear somebody saying an angry thing at about 1:25. Honestly, this is beautiful execution, but it’s a bit lucky how the puck bounces.
- (2:15) – Another pretty execution play and ugly defense thanks to a pretty lucky bounce. The system at work here is “Zetterberg is good and Nyquist is good.” Not much breakdown needed for that.
- (2:46) – Toronto’s goal is actually a systemic breakdown and could make a good analysis post, but I don’t want to do a “what went wrong?” post after a game that Detroit won 4-1.
- (2:58) – There’s a decent showing to this goal, but again a lucky bounce, this time off Phaneuf’s glove, makes it less-ideal. Also, the highlights video cuts off both the forecheck and the step-up which create the turnover that leads to this goal.
Instead, I want to bask in what might have been Kyle Quincey’s best game as a Red Wing. He was already playing well when the Wings were up 2-0 in the second period, but here’s when I knew everything was going to be juuuuuust fine.
What a beautifully calm pass interception on what almost certainly would have been a goal (thanks to an ill-timed Jakub Kindl pinch). This one very well could have turned the momentum of the game, but Kyle Quincey wouldn’t allow that. Sure, he goes on to be part of the only goal that the Leafs did score, but you just knew that it was going to be a good night after this play.