TOR: Rielly up the left
Readers of Hockey Tactics 2022: The Playbook won’t be surprised by Morgan Rielly’s audacious sprint up-ice on TOR’s 4-0 goal in Game 1.
After recovering the puck in the defensive zone, Auston Matthews (TOR34) delays in the middle, then spots a puck on the left flank for Rielly (TOR44), whose speed takes him past two Tampa players.
Rielly shoulder-checks, then drops the puck for Mitch Marner (TOR16).
Marner walks into the high slot, waits for the goalie to push the wrong way, and fires the puck into the empty net as an exclamation mark.
STL: Faulk down the right
Despite being known as an old-school team, the St. Louis Blues are nearly as aggressive as TOR at getting their defensemen up in the play.
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