The penalty shot is almost always the most exciting play that can happen in a game. That is unless you were watching Taylor Hall take one against Niklas Backstrom in Edmonton last night.
Hall was tripped up by Clayton Stoner on a breakaway late in the first period against the Wild. The referee’s arm went up and pointed to center ice giving Hall the shot to pile on the Wild on the scoreboard. What followed was the kind of shot that you’d see if you thought Hall was trying to boost the goalie’s spirits by not scoring on him on purpose.
No deke, no juke, not even a shoulder shrug. Just one, lonely shot right into the leg pads.