Both goals last night were scored as a result of the team finally saying, F it, we're taking the puck to the net and then battling for it back. Both plays were the result of net front scrambles where the puck squirts out for an open look. A lot of experts call these broken plays. But to me, they're goals of aggression. There's a sense of urgency to them. There's a sense of we're about to battle in front of your net whether you like it or not. They're the kind of goals this team has tended to shy away from at times. These goals are harder to score, they do require paying a physical toll. And so, it makes sense that there's some reluctance during an 82 game regular season. But for a team to win a cup or go on a run in this league, you need to be able to score goals like the two last night and the game tying goal against the Wild the other night. For many teams, these are goals that only happen out of desperation, but the best teams find a way to get these goals (in addition to finesse goals) as part of their regular repertoire. I'm hopeful the last few games have reinforced this notion in the room.
Finally, an underrated decision on Miller's goal was Panarin's play to get the puck to the net with about 8 seconds left. Up until that moment, team had spent about 20 seconds rimming the puck around the offensive zone without anything going to the net. Panarin threw it into the middle without seeming to care if there was an open man. He threw it there knowing it was likely just going to create chaos. He did so, knowing time was just about out. Actually if you watch the replay, you can see Panarin look up at the scoreboard before the puck comes back around to him. Underrated, important moment. Just get the puck to the net. If that play doesn't have the mad scramble in front and Panarin instead just went to Miller in the first place, the seas likely do not open up for Miller's two attempts.