Now that took balls.
We may not be experts when it comes to the nitty gritty of the National Hockey League but we know when we have witnessed something truly special.
The Tampa Bay Lightning (30-26-8) were up against the Buffalo Sabres (27-26-12) knowing that a win would put them back in contention for securing a coveted wildcard spot for the Stanely Cup playoffs.
The game was tied at 1-1 which led to overtime, a further stalemate ensued so the match was then to be decided on a shootout.
Nikita Kucherov, a 23-year-old right winger for the Lightning, scored one of the most outrageous penalty goals you will likely see.
What made it so outrageous was the fact that Kucherov didn't technically take a shot, yet he still scored.
https://twitter.com/NHL/status/838227142295040001
Lightning coach, Jon Cooper,
had this to say after the game.
"I don't think any of us have seen him (Kucherov) do that before; he brought the schoolyard to the big stage.
"That's a schoolyard move, for sure, but the bottom line is it crossed the goal line, and that's what we needed. A special player can do special things. But I tell you, you better score on that if you're going to do it. And he did."
We have seen in other sports, particularly soccer, where players try to score which cheeky attempts and they backfire spectacularly.
Thankfully for Kucherov, it paid off and he now has this highlight reel to look forward to for the rest of his career.
