OTTAWA – As promotions go, vaulting from the fourth line to scoring your team’s biggest goal of the season is a pretty solid one.
That’s what Ottawa winger Mike Hoffman pulled off on Wednesday night, beating Montreal goalie Carey Price midway through the third period in a scoreless game to keep the Senators alive in the playoffs. Before Hoffman’s goal, the Sens—now down 3-1 in the series—hadn’t been able to solve Price in more than 100 minutes of play. The 1-0 score would hold to the final buzzer.
“We needed to get bodies in front of him, make it hard on him to see it, because more times than not, if he sees the puck, he’s gonna save it,” Hoffman said.
Defenseman Cody Ceci grabbed the puck at the blueline and passed it to Hoffman, who found himself with all kinds of room because the play had come off a turnover.
“No one really expects that, and the game is full of mistakes, and that’s usually when goals happen,” he said.
The 25-year-old credited Mika Zibanejad with providing a screen—executed with a bunny hop—that allowed him to sneak the puck over Price’s shoulder. Hoffman said when he took the shot from the high slot, he couldn’t even see the corner of the net where the puck eventually found a home.
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“He’s an energetic player,” captain Erik Karlsson said of the Game 4 hero. “He’s a great skater and you know he’s always a threat out there. He has a great shot and once you get those chances, he doesn’t miss often.”
Head coach Dave Cameron said Hoffman’s ice time has been determined by how responsibly he plays away from the puck, and the decision to bump him up to the second line with Zibanejad and Bobby Ryan was based on his performance in Game 3.
“Obviously we’re having trouble scoring, too, and he’s a scorer,” Cameron said. “You put him there and he rewards you.”
Hoffman is blindingly fast on the ice, and with 27 goals and 48 points through the regular season, he was one of the players responsible for Ottawa’s improbable two-month sprint into the Stanley Cup playoffs. He comes across as utterly chill and laid-back—almost to the point of monotone—about everything, including the line switch-up.
“The coaches decide which lines are going and who’s playing where, so whatever the job is for me, I accept the responsibility and go out there and do what I can,” he said.
On Wednesday night, doing what he could meant keeping his team alive to fight another day.
