Rather, the night was defined by the combination power/finesse move on the game’s very first shift, when the winger accepted a feed at the right hash marks and wheeled to the top between the circles, firing a wrist shot that banked in off Carl Hagelin at 0:31.

He made this move while shrugging off both Martin St. Louis and Victor Hedman as if the two Tampa Bay defenders were no more than an optical illusion.

...

Like Brad Richards, who came here a year ago, Nash is a low-key personality comfortable performing in the Broadway spotlight but who neither needs it nor seeks it. Paycheck aside, he’s a blue-collar guy who would fit right in up in the blue seats.

“I think the way we play here is right up my alley,” Nash said after his two-point, five-shot, plus-four performance. “When I was in Columbus playing for Ken Hitchcock, he preached the same type of defensive responsibility that we practice here, about how your offense comes from your defense. That’s how I was taught to play. I know the goals aren’t there, but that’s not a concern for me as long as I play the right way and as long as I get the opportunities. Really, it’s not bothering me.”

Continued