The Nashville Predators will not be going to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but they finished the 2022-23 NHL regular season with a goal of the year contender.
With Thursday night’s season finale against the Minnesota Wild tied 3-3 in overtime, Juuso Parssinen scored the game-winning goal in very crowd-pleasing fashion.
Parssinen went through the legs for an incredible move before getting the puck by Minnesota goaltender Filip Gustavsson for the winner, and he celebrated by casually shrugging his shoulders.
WE'VE GOT OURSELVES A LATE GOAL OF THE YEAR SUBMISSION 🤯
Check out this filth from Juuso Parssinen (@parssinen16) in @Energizer OT! Oh, and how cold is that celly?! 🥶 pic.twitter.com/Fx0g8cun0M
— NHL (@NHL) April 14, 2023
Through-the-legs goal for the win! 🏒😲 pic.twitter.com/Zoynx6PFqa
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) April 14, 2023
A between-the-legs goal is quite the way for Parssinen to cap off his rookie season, which featured a total of six goals for the 22-year-old.
After the game, Parssinen told the Nashville media that he doesn’t even practice the between-the-legs move, and he doesn’t know how he came up with the idea to go with it. Crazy.
Juuso Parssinen says he has no idea how he came up with the idea to make that move on the game winner. pic.twitter.com/LIRKPG1v8Q
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) April 14, 2023
Nashville head coach John Hynes told the media, “It was an unbelievable goal, but even better was [Parssinen’s] reaction.”
"It was an unbelievable goal but even better was his reaction"
– Coach Hynes on the 🤷♂️ from Parssinen. @KaraHammer l @PredsNHL l #Smashville l #SarosForVezina pic.twitter.com/ysPq3Uo1d3
— Bally Sports: Preds (@PredsOnBally) April 14, 2023
Michael Gallagher of Broadway Sports Media tweeted, “Just a reminder Juuso Parssinen was passed over 209 times before the Preds picked him in the 2019 NHL draft.”
Just a reminder Juuso Parssinen was passed over 209 times before the #Preds picked him in the 2019 NHL draftpic.twitter.com/DVBnn8nmB0
— Michael Gallagher (@MGsports_) April 14, 2023
Alex Daughtery of AtoZ Sports Nashville tweeted, “This is F I L T H Y from Juuso Pärssinen. Goal of the year for the Preds, easy.”
This is F I L T H Y from Juuso Pärssinen. Goal of the year for the Preds, easy. pic.twitter.com/JocoRayhqc
— Alex Daugherty (@AlexDaugherty1) April 14, 2023