"The Flower"
As a tribute to How I Met Your Mother, "Lily's Loud Chewing" is a reference to the episode Spoiler Alert, in which a unique aspect about each character (that had previously gone undetected) is revealed, shattering the earlier illusions. For Marshall, he had never noticed that his wife chews loudly and it wasn't until this was revealed to him, that going forward, he couldn't help but notice. Similarly, our goal with "Lily's Loud Chewing" is to find subtle aspects of the game, which you may be overlooking, and present them to you to add to your understanding, analysis, or entertainment as you watch.
As a Throwback Thursday edition of LLC, we go back to this past season's All Star Game. While the game meant nothing and was no more exciting than the neon green added to this year's jerseys, there was one subtle play that is worth pointing out. As Tavares skates in on this breakaway (below), his head is up and looking at Fleury. Now, if you watch Fleury closely, he makes a little flinch with his stick, as if to fake a poke-check. It wasn't much, but it's just at this moment that Tavares loses concentration and almost loses the scoring chance altogether. Very subtle play, on a very talented player, and it just about worked. Now, imagine if every goalie or defenceman did this as opponents burst in at top speed. Something to watch for going forward.