BUFFALO | Michael Pezzetta will certainly remember this evening of March 27 for a long time. In a game that was nothing short of a historic encounter, the Ontarian made sure that the goal he scored in the shootout was reviewed for at least the next 10 years.
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His Dave “Tiger” Williams celebration alone was worth the price of admission.
“I thought it was cool, it was pure adrenaline, launched the hero of the match, once back in the locker room. I’ve never seen Tiger Williams in person, but I’ve seen pictures before. It’s the first time I’ve done this to celebrate a goal. »
It was his first such celebration, but it wasn’t his first shootout goal. Pezzetta pointed out that he had already had success with the same type of shot in a Laval Rocket uniform.
” [Alex] Burrows knows me from the American League. He knew I had this feint. He saw me score goals in the shootout. »
St. Louis knew
Pezzetta also recalled hitting the post with the same approach last year.
Obviously, the presence of Pezzetta in the shootout surprised many. But Martin St-Louis was confident to see him beat Eric Comrie.
“Pezz wasn’t my last card. The guys on the bench knew he had that feint. Like Kovacevic [Johnathan, que St-Louis a délégué tout juste avant Pezzetta, d’ailleurs]. I knew Pezz was capable. I’m happy for him. »
And what did he think of the celebration?
“Thirty years ago, we might still be on the ice,” he said, referring to the free-for-all that might have followed such a display at a time when players had shorter fuses.
Effective adjustments
It was far from over for that, but the Canadian finished the evening with 39 shots on net, his fourth highest total of the season. However, after 20 minutes of play, the Montrealers had put Comrie to the test only six times.
“I didn’t like our first half. We had a good start, but after that we fell flat. We were too cute in the neutral zone, analyzed the head coach of the Canadiens. In the second and third periods, I liked the corrections we made. We remained patient. It was more our kind of game.”