Tuch's Post Was the Game's Lone Iron, and It Hurt
Washington held on 4-3 over Florida, but one clang off the iron left a bigger chance than most unrecorded on the score sheet.
Written during the game · 3:14 PM ET. Final was FLA 3, WSH 4.
The score sheet shows a 4-3 Washington win. What it leaves out is the one shot that rang off the iron: Alex Tuch hit the post at 14:25 of the second period, the only post or crossbar hit by either team all night. Florida had none.
The shot mattered because of what it was worth. Tuch's chance carried a lot of weight next to the rest of the game, where the goals scored ranged from 0.01 to 0.22 in expected goals (how many a chance is worth). A near miss like this never shows up on the scoreboard.
The goal didn't come, but Washington got there anyway. Tuch had already scored the tying goal in the second period, and he finished with 1 goal on 3 shots on goal. About 30 seconds after the post, Aliaksei Protas put Washington ahead 3-2 at 14:55.
Florida pulled within one late, 4-3, but the post was a goal that never counted.
