First Goal Heroes

Last night exhibited one of the continuing themes of the second round of this year's playoffs:

Game-winning goals by players who had yet to score.

In Boston, it was Blake Wheeler. In Chicago, it was Dustin Byfuglien (who chimed in with a hat trick).

While Recchi and Satan are certainly turning back the clocks, the first goal wonders are also making the deep group of forwards a tough proposition for the Flyers defence.

In Game 1, Marc Savard scored the gamewinner, his first of the playoffs.
In Game 2, CBC announced Lucic's first goal of the playoffs (a gamewinner) was solid confirmation of why a team would want him in the lineup.
In Game 3, Blake Wheeler scored his first of the playoffs (and what must seem like the season to fans of Bruins 09).


Chicago has also been tapping the depth for goals.

Versteeg scored his first on a gamewinner in Game 2.
In Game 3, the Hawks took the lead on the back of Byfuglien and his first, second and third goals.
Seabrook also broke the duck in Game 2, turning in a 3-point effort after a less visble first round on the stats page.


Finally, even San Jose is tapping the first goalscorer.

In Game 2, Jumbo Joe Thornton (who nobody was surprised to see go a round and a game without a goal) surprised just about everyone by scoring not only a playoff goal, but an important one.


Montreal needs to tap into something for more offense. Anything really.

I don't see any reason to ignore the wave that's sweeping through the entire league. Gamewinners step up:

Benoit Pouliot, 19 shots, 0 goals
Roman Hamrlik, 6 shots, 0 goals
Glen Metropolit, 7 shots, 0 goals
Sergei Kostitsyn, 5 shots, 0 goals
Hal Gill, 8 shots, 0 goals
Josh Gorges, 3 shots, 0 goals
Mathieu Darche, 5 shots, 0 goals
Tom Pyatt, 13 shots, 0 goals
Ben Maxwell, 0 shots, 0 goals
Ryan O'Byrne, 6 shots, 0 goals

and why not?

Jaroslav Halak, 0 shots, 0 goals


There's 57 regular season goals locked in this underground pocket waiting to be tapped. Can't let Boston have all the fun...