Gotta See It: JVR practises his in-tight move

(CP)

It would’ve been the perfect capper on a sweet night of relief for James van Riemsdyk.

Down by three goals to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper yanked goaltender Ben Bishop with five-and-a-half minutes(!) remaining in Thursday’s game.

Van Riemsdyk had already snapped a three-game goal-less skid by potting two beauties in a row. He fired at the empty cage from just over centre and missed — a couple inches away from becoming the first Leaf to register a natural hat trick on home ice since Wendel Clark did it in 1996.

Still, JVR’s first two-goal game of the season gives the big winger nine, on pace for 37. And it’s the way he scored his ninth — in super tight, lifting the puck straight up to tuck ‘er under the crossbar at a sharp angle — that impresses.

The cool thing about that shot, now a JVR staple, is that he practises it towards the end of every warm-up skate. Sportsnet’s Eric Prime captured the routine on this great Instagram post:

A video posted by Eric Prime (@primesn590) on


More NHL on Sportsnet:
Subscribe: Rogers GameCentre Live
Rogers Hometown Hockey | Broadcast Schedule
Sportsnet Fantasy Hockey


When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.