Who could have predicted that 23-year-old Los Angeles Kings defenceman Slava Voynov would have more goals (five) this deep into the playoffs than Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane combined (three)?
With 23 regular-season goals apiece, Kane and Toews both ranked in the top five in the whole dang league. Regular-season Voynov? He had six goals in 48 games played.
But this is not regular-season Voynov.
This is give-me-an-easily-snappable-stick-and-put-me-in-a-sentence-with-Bobby-Orr Voynov.
As he had done in the previous series versus San Jose, Voynov delivered in Game 3 Tuesday with a clutch broken-stick goal — and it proved to be the game-winner.
“Sometimes those go in. It was a broken-bat single that went in from Voynov there. Hey, we had a lot of zone time against them. That was one that paid off,” Justin Williams said of the play. Free of lumber, Voynov had two arms to hug his teammates with. “He seems to find some holes. Even though he doesn’t speak too much English, he talks a lot on the ice surprisingly. You always know when he’s open. He jumped in the play. He scored some huge goals for us.”
That’s putting it modestly, Mr. Williams.
Voynov — who added an assist during the Kings’ 3-1 victory — has scored four game-winners this postseason, tying him with some hacks named Paul Coffey, Brain Leetch and Al MacInnis for most game-winning goals scored by a defenceman in a single playoff year. Voynov has accomplished the feat by taking fewer shots (and breaking more sticks, we’re guessing) — just 29 so far — than anyone even remotely in the conversation.
One more winner, and the record will be his alone.
Flashback: Voynov’s broken-stick goal vs. San Jose Sharks