Tim Stützle's excellent solo effort pumped up the team, the crowd, and shifted the game's momentum.
No matter how this season plays out for the Ottawa Senators, Tim Stützle gave fans a moment on Sunday night that's going to live for a long time.
His breakaway goal in the Sens' 6-3 win over Carolina had everything.
It started with a strong defensive play in his own zone, swooping in to intercept a Hurricanes' pass back to the point. Then came the burst. Stützle cut to the middle and transitioned up ice without losing speed, split the defence, then scooted past them for a breakaway.
And then his creation at the end, which deserves all the chef's kisses.
Stützle put such a hard, convincing deke on Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen that Andersen slid completely out of the net, leaving it wide open for Stützle to calmly tuck in a backhand.
It was the kind of goal people will talk about for a long time, the kind where someone at an Ottawa sports pub will pipe up and says, 'Hey, remember that Stützle goal against Carolina?' and everyone will know exactly what he's talking about, even though they might not have any real recollection of what the Senators did that night or that season.
The goal also changed the entire feel of Sunday's game.
Ottawa didn't get off to a great start. An early penalty gave Carolina a power play, and Logan Stankoven, all alone in front, made it 1-0 on the power play. The building had a bit of that here we go again feeling.
The Senators quickly responded with Dylan Cozens tying it on the power play.
But it was Stützle’s goal that truly brought the building to life. Canadian Tire Centre erupted, and you could feel the momentum and energy leap onto Ottawa’s bench like an angry Darcy Tucker.
The goal was Stutzle at his best, and for those counting at home, it was well past time he snapped that seven-goal skid.
From there, the Senators looked like a different team. Not even a weird misplay of the puck between Warren Foegele and Linus Ullmark could change that.
Brady Tkachuk led the charge with two goals and was named first star, playing with the kind of edge and confidence that tends to follow a moment like that.
And suddenly, against a true Stanley Cup contender, Ottawa was dictating the pace instead of chasing it.
The Senators hung on to their wild-card spot for another day, outplaying a Carolina team that had won three straight. If the Senators' slow or uncertain start had continued, the 'Canes would have slowly squeezed the life out of the Sens the way Minnesota had the day before.
Stützle’s goal helped fuel all that, as did Tkachuk's, and after the game, the captain gushed about this teammate's abilities.
"It was a superstar moment," Tkachuk told the media. "He just made a great play under the stick. He had so much speed that I couldn't believe that. And then he made an unbelievable move. It was a huge goal for our group.
In a season that has had its share of ups and a few too many downs, it was another reminder of what this team can look like when its best players take over.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News
This article was first published at The Hockey News Ottawa. Check out more great Sens features from The Hockey News at the links below:
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TSN Analyst On Linus Ullmark: 'What He Did Was Completely Unacceptable'
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