Whether you’re a fan of the shootout or despise the skills competition, you can’t deny the shootout has brought us some sweet moves over the years. When talented forwards are given all the time in the world to skate down on a goaltender, you know magic is about to happen.
It was no different Sunday night when Florida Panthers’ forward Alex Barkov found the back of the net in the shootout. Tasked with facing Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Sergei Bobrovsky, Barkov easily deked out Bobrovsky with his silky mitts.
https://youtu.be/kU_38-cSQ_M?t=1m1s
Barkov skated down the left wing with speed. Once Barkov drifted to the middle of the ice, he pulled the puck on his backhand and then forehand. Bobrovsky bit on the deke and would have probably made the stop, expect Barkov moved the puck quickly to his backhand one more time and put it in the back of the cage. Bobrovksy was left stunned on the ice and Barkov was credited with a silky smooth shootout goal.
Depending on who you ask, the shootout may be a terrible way to end a hockey game, but at least it produces gems like Barkov’s goal. Columbus would get the last laugh as they defeated Florida 3-2.
