'Old Man Marleau' comes out sizzling in Game 7
On a team full of soothers and diapers, Toronto’s first two tallies of Game 7 were delivered courtesy an Acorn Stairlift spokesman.
Wiley vet and team dad Patrick Marleau notched the all-important first goal of Wednesday’s tilt just two minutes into the opening frame after parking himself in front and brilliantly tipping home a Jake Gardiner point shot. Just four minutes later — following Jake DeBrusk’s game-tying goal — the 38-year-old took a beautiful feed from adopted son Mitch Marner and ripped one off the bar past Tuukka Rask to restore the one-goal Toronto lead.
Patrick Marleau is OUT HERE in the 1st. #StandWitness | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/noN5agXFTX
— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) April 26, 2018
Marleau’s third and fourth tallies of the series further padded his lead among active NHL playoff goal-scorers.
Most goals in the #StanleyCup Playoffs, active NHL players:
70 – Patrick Marleau
63 – Sidney Crosby
61 – Evgeni Malkin
57 – Henrik Zetterberg
50 – Patrick Kane
50 – @ovi8#NHLStats #WSHvsCBJ pic.twitter.com/WWpHBFAphk— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) April 24, 2018
Marleau, the second-oldest player in NHL history to bury twice in a Game 7, also became just the fifth player in Maple Leafs history to score two goals in a single period of Game 7, joining Joe Nieuwendyk (Apr 20, 2004 vs OTT), Wendel Clark (May 15, 1993 vs STL), Dave Keon (Apr 9, 1964 vs MTL) and Sweeney Schriner (Apr 18, 1942 vs DET) in the exclusive group.
