Home openers and pre-game ceremonies aside, that was the most fun I've had at the Enterprise Center since the 2021/22 season.
We've had a lot of games this year where we get outshot, heavily out-score our xG number and the eye test tells me that we were somewhat fortunate to wind up with the number of goals we got. This was not one of them. That 3 goal burst reminded me of the 21/22 team that was selective with their shots, but made up for the low quantity in favor of A++ chances. The first 2 were full cross crease passes where the goalie had to slide post to post. The 3rd was two quick touch passes that pulled the goalie from one side, to the middle, to the other side quickly. All three plays saw the puck cross that 'magic road' up the middle and all 3 were one-time released that were elevated to avoid letting the goalie make a save with his legs. The first two go in essentially every time the pass/shot get executed that way and the third goes in more often than not. This was one of those nights where the .69 xG in the 2nd period didn't remotely capture the quality of our chances.
Binner was outstanding and the 1st star was deserved. But I don't think that we were simply fortunate to win that game. Looking at corsi and xG, that game was evenly played up to the point where we scored our 3 goal burst and all 3 of those goals were well deserved. We went into a shell after that, but that's not remotely uncommon when you take a 3 goal lead 5 minutes into the 2nd period.
Bolduc's first game, a Buch hatty, a shutout, the fastest 3 goals in franchise history, and an awesome moment where the ref chides the home crowd. What a night. This one was a season-long highlight and a regular season game worth remembering. The crowd was great for a bubble team hosting a weeknight matchup against a non-Conference opponent without a superstar worth the price of admission.
We talk a lot on this forum about tanking, and prospects, and long term plans. Last night was a pretty good example of the value to your fanbase in putting a watchable product on the ice even when the team isn't a contender. That shouldn't change any plans from the front office for the rest of this season, but man it was a fun night.