You don't have to have played hockey at any level to know that passing the puck in front of your own goaltender across the ice is never a smart move. Sure, some of the more skilled players in the NHL can get away with it, but all it does is invite trouble in front of your netminder's crease. Just ask 11-year NHL veteran Nick Bonino, who broke the golden rule and paid the ultimate price on Wednesday night.
Six minutes into the second period, Bonino's Nashville Predators led the Washington Capitals 3-2 in D.C. The Caps, who lead the entire NHL in points, do not need any help from the opposition, but that's just what they got from Bonino, who scored a brutal own goal to tie the game up 3-3:
Not great, bob. As you can hear, the commentators immediately assumed that Washington's Carl Hagelin had gotten a stick on Bonino's pass, which would have earned him the goal and been a little less embarrassing for Bonino. Turns out that wasn't the case. Bonino just straight up went five hole on his own tendy:
https://twitter.com/PeteBlackburn/status/1222698095953305600
https://twitter.com/HockeyHangout/status/1222703487307350018
Obviously, Bonino had Caps money line, right? We kid, we kid.
Even if that was the case (it's not, I'm joking), Bonino would have lost, as the Predators somehow overcame gift-wrapping the best team in the league a goal, then going down 4-3 and still coming back to win 5-4 in the third. The win was a crucial one, putting the Preds within four points of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference. With three games in hand on the second Wild Card team (Arizona) and two winnable games coming up (@Devils, vs. Las Vegas), the Preds can get back in the playoff mix, provided they don't score anymore own goals.