Bruins Breakdown Film Session: Erik Haula goal vs Arizona (1-28-22)
- Bruins Breakdown
- Jan 30, 2022
- 3 min read
While the Bruins had a less than stellar performance vs the Arizona Coyotes, they were still able to pull out a 2-1 victory on the road. There were not a lot of positive clips from this game, so lets take a look at the Bruins even strength goal in the first period.
Goal: Erik Haula (5) at 12:31 of the 1st period, assisted by David Pastrnak (19) and Derek Forbort (5)
How it happened:
This play starts all the way back in the Bruins zone. Urho Vaakanainen receives a D-to-D pass from partner Derek Forbort while both teams are changing. Since the bench area is clogged, Urho makes the smart play and takes the ice given to him.
As Vaakanainen advances he has three options:
1.) Keep advancing the puck until he hits the red line
2.) Hit Pasta with a pass coming across the middle
3.) (not advisable) Chip back to Forbort and let him carry through the neutral zone with a head of speed
He chooses option 1:
If you read my breakdown of Oskar Steen's goal vs the Jets, you will remember Josh Morrissey being in a similar situation. He ultimately chose option 2, putting it into a crowded area and kickstarting the Bruins transition from defense to offense, leading to the goal. While it is always advisable to get the puck into the hands of a playmaker like David Pastrnak, the congestion in the middle of the ice due to the line change makes that pass riskier. Urho, an excellent skater, takes the free ice all the way to the red line and gets it deep so the forwards can go to work.
Vaakanainen's dump in is very soft, forcing rookie Coyotes defenseman Janis Moser into a retrieval in the corner. Pasta (red arrow) is not forechecking hard, seemingly content to read which way Moser goes. At first glance, it looks like Moser has a route to wheel around the net (black arrow) for more options.
Taylor Hall does a good job sealing that option off. If he continues around the net, Moser is going to run right into him. . While Moser does "successfully" reverse the puck up the boards to Anton Stralman, the Bruins are in great position. Pasta pressures from the back side while Erik Haula comes in to provide support from high. Taylor Hall rotates back to provide another layer behind Haula.
Pasta and Haula double team Stralman in the corner, while Taylor Hall is in position for support. Derek Forbort is already looking to pressure Phil Kessel should the puck come his way up the boards.
While his 4 goals this season have been a pleasant surprise, nobody is going to confuse Derek Forbort for an offensive force. While this is a tough play (Phil Kessel is in pretty good position), Forbort still has some good options. He could pass to his D partner Vaakanainen, or slide a short area pass to Taylor Hall.
If the Bruins do not end up scoring here it looks bad for Forbort. He settles for a weak backhand shot that just sort of bounces around off Stralman's skates. Luckily for Forbort, David Pastrnak is on the ice. He pulls the puck out of Stralman's reach, going through his own legs and initiating the final 2 on 1 sequence. Just a high skill play from a high skill player.
While Pastrnak is generally known as a goal scorer (rightfully so), it is his playmaking ability which shines through here. Coyotes defenseman Moser defends the pass until the very last second, allowing goalie Scott Wedgewood to square up and face Pasta. The offensive instincts from Pasta here are something else. He baits Moser into vacating Haula and attempting the stick check, and when Moser bites immediately slides the puck right into Haula's wheelhouse. Haula buries it and the Bruins went up 1-0. This line has been excellent since Bruce Cassidy put them together after the COVID pause. The Bruins will need them to keep producing plays like this if they want to go on a deep playoff run.
Comments