By Stefan Kubus –
DETROIT – He was wrapped up in a defender’s stick, but he kept moving, stride after stride, frantically busting his way toward the Lightning goal. He crossed the goal line, but the puck did not. It looked like the play was over and a penalty was to be called.
That is, until he spun off the defender at the side of the goal, turned and managed to sweep the puck in the back of the net, single-handedly personifying persistence.
Gustav Nyquist’s highlight-reel goal was his 27th of the season, coming in a 3-2 victory over Tampa Bay Sunday evening, and it couldn’t have come in a more spectacular fashion.
“A great pass by Legwand and (Nyquist) just stayed on it. Obviously, he’s feeling good about himself,” head coach Mike Babcock said of Nyquist and his goal. “He’s one of those guys that creates space when he gets it, he’s faster with the puck than without it and he’s playing well for us.”
Even backup netminder Jonas Gustavsson was left wondering how Nyquist managed to find the back of the net with that one.
“A lot of speed, a lot of skill, he worked really hard there, he had a guy on him,” Gustavsson said. “With the skill, the speed and the determination to get the puck in the net… it was huge for us at that point.”
Nyquist continues to show why he should’ve been with Detroit all along. Since being recalled in November, he has amassed an astonishing 27 goals and 45 points in 49 games, a near point-per-game pace. No player has scored more goals since Jan. 20 than Nyquist and his 22 lamp lighters.
He couldn’t say where it exactly ranks among the others he has scored in his career, but smiled when talking about that one after the game.