In today’s NHL, it’s as rare as a heavyweight fight or a Gordie Howe hat trick.
Nobody, save for perhaps that speedy, young whippersnapper in Edmonton, splits the defence.
Few ever even try.
You’d have a better chance witnessing a Saddledome ovation for Ryan Kesler.
Yet, in the midst of the hottest scoring binge in his NHL career, that’s exactly what Mikael Backlund did to open the scoring Thursday against Anaheim.
Cruising over the blue-line with the puck on what appeared to be a typical three-on-two, Backlund weighed the options of passing left or right before looking off Ryan Getzlaf and deciding to dart right through the gap.