In his 11-year NHL career, Taylor Hall has played in just 16 playoff games. With not a lot of postseason experience, the Boston Bruins forward, who was acquired at the trade deadline on April 11 from the Buffalo Sabres, played in his third playoff game for the Black and Gold Wednesday night in Game 3 of their first-round series at the TD Garden against the Washington Capitals.
Trailing 1-0 in the best-of-seven series Monday night and 3-2 late in Game 2, Hall tied the game when he stuffed home a loose puck in the Capitals crease to force overtime. The Bruins evened the series in the extra session when Brad Marchand scored the game-winning goal just 39 seconds into overtime.
In Game 3 Wednesday night, the Bruins found themselves facing a 1-0 deficit in the second period after Capitals star forward Alex Ovechkin scored the game’s first goal. Boston was able to respond to tie the game less than a minute later and it was once again Hall who did the honors, only this time with a filthy goal.
Hall took a pass from Craig Smith near the Capitals net, collected the puck, went forehand to backhand, and back to forehand to roof the puck under the crossbar and over Washington goalie Ilya Samsonov.
Simply outrageous.#NHLBruins | @hallsy09 pic.twitter.com/o58BKNJMEN
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) May 19, 2021
I’m not going to lie. It was a pretty sick goal. Not to get lost in the goal, was the pass from Smith who had his back to Hall and the net.
Since being traded to the Bruins from the Sabres, Hall has been everything the Bruins had hoped he would be and more. A free agent following the season, both sides have expressed mutual interest in getting a deal done for him to return to Boston.
After watching that goal and his play early in the playoffs, Hall should be someone that Don Sweeney looks to do everything he can do to keep him for next season.