Loyal friend and slacker icon Brett Connolly‘s electrifying (contract-year) season continues unabated. Facing the Hurricanes on the road on Thursday, hockey’s oldest 26-year-old recorded the prettiest and smartest goal of the season.
Check out the big brain on Brett.
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The play began in Washington’s zone, where Brooks Orpik got the puck past two Canes along the blue line. Connolly caught it in neutral and cruised into the offensive zone. Trevor van Riemsdyk was the only Carolina player back. TvR drops to the ice to cut off a pass to Jakub Vrana, but Connolly pulled back with a curl-and-drag to open up the lane. Then he roofed it. Canes goalie Curtis McElhinney didn’t stand a chance.
“I was . . . just weighing my options,” Connolly told Craig Laughlin during NBC Sports Washington’s intermission, “I think [Vrana] was taken away. [van Riemsdyk] kinda slid at me early.”
“It was good to see that one go in,” he said.
After the goal, Connolly exchanged hugs and fist bumps with Vrana and Orpik, who earned the primary assist.
With 22 goals, Connolly has now blown past his previous season-high of 15 in a season. His two-year, $1.5 million AAV contract expires this summer. It’s going to be a good summer for him.
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