Backlund’s ‘beauty’ makes him a popular guy
RALEIGH, N.C. — Calgary Flames centre Mikael Backlund reported that he received “a few messages” after Friday’s highlight-reel goal.
The smile on his face suggested he was probably lowballing the amount of action on his iPhone.
“Just, ‘Wow!’ or ‘Sweet move!’ or ‘Nice goal!’ Stuff like that,” Backlund said, sharing some of the feedback from his personal fan club. “It was a pretty cool moment.”
By now, you have probably seen a few replays of Backlund’s beauty against the host Washington Capitals.
Or more than a few. Proving to be the furthest thing from rusty in the first period out of the Flames’ all- star break, Backlund sold the entire building on a deke to his forehand, but instead dragged a backhander behind Capitals goaltender Braden Holtby — a smooth move reminiscent of Peter Forsberg’s iconic shootout strike at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.
Backlund was just a tyke at the time, but the proud Swede remembers that golden goal against Team Canada.
Like so many other kids, he has been working to perfect “The Forsberg” ever since.
“When I was younger, I tried it quite a bit,” Backlund said after Saturday’s practice in Raleigh, N.C. “At times, it was successful. It usually works pretty well when you cut in like that because you have so much speed. I tried it
once last year against Chicago, but the goalie did a full double stack, so I hit the toe. He didn’t bite on it.
“And I tried a couple times before in shootouts in the NHL, but it hasn’t worked.” It worked Friday. Unfortunately, the result of the game wasn’t so sweet with
Backlund watching from the sin bin as Capitals centre Evgeny Kuznetsov pistolled a power-play goal with less than a minute left in regulation. That lifted the hosts to a 4-3 triumph and spelled the end of the Flames’ nine-game point spree.
The crew from Calgary will aim to start another streak of success in a Super Bowl Sunday matinee against the Carolina Hurricanes.
It’s a rematch of a Jan. 22 hookup at the Saddledome, when Backlund scored the winner on the first shift of overtime.
His impact can’t be meas- ured solely in goals and assists, but Calgary’s shutdown centre has tickled twine in three straight game and has totalled five points over that span.
“It’s always fun to score and help the team and I get to play a lot of minutes, so I want to be a difference maker out there,” Backlund said. “But at the same time, winning is No. 1. That’s what I’m focused on. We have a good thing going here and if I don’t score any more and we still win the division and conference, I’m very happy.
“But of course I want to help the team as much as I can and be a difference maker.”