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It’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. Bridgestone Arena is wound tighter than you could believe. The score is 0-0 and it’s getting late in the third period. You’re getting the feeling that it’s gonna take a dirty goal to win this one. The Nashville Predators are hoping to stave off elimination and send it back to Pittsburgh for a Game 7. Then, just like that, in the blink of an eye, Patric Hornqvist and the Penguins struck and they led 1-0 with only 93 seconds remaining in the game — and man alive, it was a dirty one.
Let’s take a look at this again.
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As Ryan Ellis failed to fully clear the puck around, Chris Kunitz finds himself with puck, as well as a little time and space. He drifts towards the corner.
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As he drifts closer to the blue line, you can see he wants to move the puck to the point, where Justin Schultz is covering and waiting.
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Kunitz makes an incredible play to get the puck under the Nashville player’s stick and to Schultz
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Schultz channels his inner Sergei Gonchar and moves a little into the zone, head up the whole way.
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In comes the shot from Justin Schultz. Nashville has the slot covered well, but we’ve seen worse chances produce good things before.
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The shot goes wide, but wait, it bounces off of the end boards, and Ryan Ellis got lost out in front of the net and Hornqvist has a little time alone in his office with Pekka Rinne.
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YOU GREASY SON OF A BITCH, YOU. That’s a damn goal.
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What a moment. We were all mentally preparing for OT and the Pens were suddenly 90 seconds away from repeating as Champions.
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Just that little space between Ellis and Hornqvist gave him the room to make a move. A healthy Ryan Ellis might be able to cover for that and get back in position. BUT HE DIDN’T.
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Hornqvist saw the puck before anyone else. Before Rinne could get turned and before Ellis could get in position.
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That little bounce off of the outside of the cage and an underrated hand-eye coordinated batting the puck out of the air and into the net off of Rinne’s elbow.
Champions again.