The Boston Bruins might have something in David Krejci and Charlie McAvoy.
The B’s got back on track Tuesday night in Pittsburgh, exacting revenge on the Penguins with a 3-1 win to conclude a five-game road trip. It was a good night for Krejci, who scored a goal and added an assist on the eve of his 35th birthday.
To celebrate Krejci’s birthday, the Bruins on Wednesday shared a video of Krejci’s goal from Pittsburgh. A nice celebration, yes, but it’s also a really, really cool video that showcases just how good NHL players are.
The move and finish from Krejci obviously steals the show. It’s incredible.
But the video also gives you an appreciation of what someone like McAvoy can do with the puck on his stick. The Bruins defenseman gathers the puck from goalie Tuukka Rask (who picked up an assist on the play) and immediately looks up ice to begin the rush. The smooth-skating McAvoy gets it to the middle of the rink before the slightest little deke toward the right wing (or the left of the frame in the video). That little hesitation got both Jake Guentzel and Kris Letang to move toward their left — assuming McAvoy was passing to Craig Smith — which opened up the middle of the ice.
From there, McAvoy shoveled a simple pass to Krejci, who took care of the rest — to the embarrassment of Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson, whose jock was left just inside the slot.
Here are another couple of looks at the play:
Taylor Hall, who scored a highlight-reel goal of his own, recently talked about what makes McAvoy so good.
“I think the way he reads the game and the way he moves his feet is pretty elite,” Hall told reporters Monday after practice. “I think his ceiling, I think it’s still pretty untapped. He can move the puck, he can shoot, he can fly out there.”
Having someone who can finish like Krejci did helps, too.
