Though the Flames have struggled this year, Johnny Gaudreau is enjoying a fantastic sophomore season in Calgary. The All-Star winger added two more goals to his season total on Wednesday night against the Predators, and all he needed was 10 seconds to do so.
The first goal came under strange circumstances, as Johnny Hockey rifled a wrist shot that glanced off the crossbar before striking the camera inside the net. The puck was only inside the goal for a split second and nearly everyone in the arena thought Gaudreau’s shot had been denied by the crossbar as play continued. The action would eventually cease as officials reviewed the replays and confirmed that it was, in fact, a good goal.
Then, off the ensuing faceoff at mid-ice, Gaudreau took a pass from a teammate and cut right through the Preds’ defense — which helped him out by tripping all over themselves — before burying another goal tally five-hole just 10 game seconds after his first. It’s rare you to see goals scored so close together in today’s NHL, and it’s even more rare to see them both come from the same player.
Gaudreau, a former Hobey Baker winner at Boston College, finished the night with three points after adding an assist on Mikael Backlund’s game-winning goal in overtime. A lot of doubters said that Gaudreau wouldn’t be able to succeed at the NHL level because of his size (he’s just 5’8, 155 pounds) but the 22-year-old star continues to prove them wrong as he only gets better and better with each shift.
Johnny Hockey passes his point total from his rookie year in 14 fewer games. #Development #alsohesjustgood
— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) March 10, 2016