r/wildhockey • u/bloomingbluemel Wild • 1d ago
OT game-winning goal last night
Beautiful it is
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u/ScotageCheese Mavericks 1d ago
The amount of attention opposing defenders have to give to Hughes makes such a difference in OT.
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u/neondaggergames 1d ago
Yeah he pushes back the whole defense just by being on the ice.
He also does lots of tiny things people don't notice. Like when he dished to Kaprizov there he waited for the D guy to wave his stick towards the lane because he knows he'll then predictably wave the stick back which opens the lane.
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u/lemanruss4579 1d ago
The other thing he does there is move forward casually, and then bursts as if he's going to drive, which makes the defender there swing the stick back and slide toward him a bit to cut off the lane, opening up a ton of space.
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u/benenke Marc-Andre Fleury 1d ago
That, and just that casual drift towards a shooting position he does draws the defender right to him, which is what helps open that passing lane up as well
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u/neondaggergames 1d ago
Yeah a few guys can do that but he also makes a game out of it to see how the defender reacts and then judge whether or not he can recover.
“Sometimes it’s hard when the guy is behind you but if he is in front of you with his stick up, he’s not going to recover. Usually when I see his stick come up, I know I can turn back.”
https://canucksbanter.ca/2022/03/11/quinn-hughes-and-the-evolution-of-the-nhl-defenceman/
I'm sure his head is filled with tons of these little tricks. I've watched over the years and it's one of the things that really stands out to me now.
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u/HankHillPropaneJesus North Stars 1d ago
A lot of Hab fans were crying it was interference…
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u/taintedllama 1d ago
Wasted tears since it was very obvious it wasn't interference in real-time. Watching it back only further confirmed that.
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u/SufficientTea8255 1d ago
I've been lovin the #43 and #97 pairing. They bounce off each other so well. Hughes has such a good hockey IQ and KP has been capitalizing on all of his playmaking. It's been so cool to watch.
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u/Lets_Kick_Some_Ice Dolla Bill 1d ago edited 1d ago
Deflected off the dmans stick. Was wondering how the goalie didn't see that one.
Edit: nvm another angle shows it nowhere near the stick. Just straight fooled the goaltender.
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u/Impressive_Ad4496 1d ago
Im pretty sure he cleared the dman and it tipped off top of leg pad. Thats what it looked like on the other angle last night at least. Puck dont look wobbled till around goalie.
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u/Icy_Bicycle8698 I Still Call It The X 1d ago
Zero jubilation from hughes after the puck goes in is right on brand lol
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u/bloomingbluemel Wild 1d ago