Taylor Hall made his presence known ahead of the NHL Playoffs with a dazzling overtime goal.
On Monday night, the Boston Bruins attempted to solidify their spot in the NHL Playoffs with a win over the New York Islanders. All they needed was one point to clinch the third seed in the MassMutual East division. They managed to force overtime with the Islanders, claiming that third spot and a matchup with the Washington Capitals. But Taylor Hall thought a win and the full two points was a better idea for his team.
In overtime, Hall did a give-and-go with his linemate, David Krejci, allowing Hall to pick up speed on the boards to get into the offensive zone. With Casey Cizikas on his side, Hall blew by him and only had defenseman Nick Leddy and goalie Semyon Varlamov to beat. Hall went between the legs of Leddy with a forehand, backhand deke before putting the puck into the left side of the net for the game-winning goal.
The goal was reminiscent of Hall’s Hart Trophy days, showing exactly why he was the No. 1 overall selection in the NHL Draft back in 2010. This goal was the second on the night for Hall in the 3-2 win for the Bruins, showing that he is only continuing to be worthy of the move made by Bruins general manager Don Sweeney at the Trade Deadline.
While the goal was absurd in itself, this was another showing by Hall that he still has the skill to be one of the best players in hockey. His combination with Krejci and Craig Smith on the second line of the Bruins has given the team two elite lines as they head into the playoffs.
Hall is clearly loving his new home and Bruins fans will continue to welcome these outings by the winger as they prepare for their playoff run.