We continue our countdown of the top individual plays of the season with a couple of incredible skill plays and perhaps the biggest hit at the AAC since Brenden Morrow took out Zybnek Michalek in the 2008 playoffs against the San Jose Sharks.
No. 6: The Jamie Benn & Tyler Seguin Show
The Dallas Stars struggled at times this past season on the power play; while the team looked much better than previous years in getting into the zone and setting up and moving the puck, the execution wasn’t always there. This was especially true for the second unit, where the Stars struggled to find a balance with the top unit and never could really find the right combination that worked (second line center, anyone?).
Tyler Seguin, however, thrived on the power play. While no one will mistake him for Brett Hull, their setup with the extra man is certainly similar — a right-handed shot set up on the left circle and just waiting for that perfect pass to slam home a goal with one of the quickest releases in the NHL.
At home against the St. Louis Blues, needing a win to clinch a postseason berth for the first time in six years, Benn and Seguin connected for what might have been the most impressive power play goal of the year.
I think Razor and Ralph said it all right there, really.
No. 5: Alex Goligoski sends Corey Perry flying
Corey Perry has always not been very well-liked around these parts, but the 2014 postseason series boosted him into territory only held for the likes of Bryan Marchment, Jordin Tootoo and perhaps even He-Who-Should-Not-Be-Named. The fans at the AAC absolutely despised Perry by the time Game 6 rolled around and every time he touched the puck 19,000 fans would let him know their displeasure in unison.
Leading 4-2 and looking like they were well on their way to a Game 7, the home crowd was feeling good. It was raucous in the AAC and the Stars were controlling play for the most part, when Corey Perry tried to take the puck around Alex Goligoski into the offensive zone.
It’s not the biggest hit you’ll see in hockey, or the most violent — it was who the hit was against, who made the hit and most of all, it was the crowd’s reaction that made this a special moment for the season.
No. 4: Jamie Benn’s Magic
Now, this goal was difficult to place in the top ten. The context behind it should have vaulted into the top three, but Jamie Benn had better overall goals than this one. Yet it’s impossible to ignore the sheer will that it took to make this play, to put the team square on his shoulders and spark an incredible comeback victory in the playoffs against the Ducks.
Benn won the accuracy award at the skills competition a few years ago, and this is why. Seguin might be able to elevate the puck better than anyone else, but Benn possesses such a deadly accurate and powerful wristshot that even from the top of the circle with barely any screen — Andersen barely even flinches as the puck goes over his shoulder.
Amazing.