Animated: Matt Hendricks’ Off-The-Skate, Off-The-Stick Deflection Goal

Photo credit: Alex Brandon
Last season, it took Matt Hendricks 30 games to score his first goal of the season. This year, it took The Paralyzer two.
In the first period of the Washington Capitals home opener, Hendricks — slow to leave the ice on a shift change — joined first-liners Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin in the Jets offensive zone. As Ovechkin passed to Backstrom at the top of the circles, Nicky then immediately sent a pass to Hendy camped out in the crease. Hendricks, unable to get his stick on the puck, did the next best thing: he deflected the biscuit towards the net with his skate blade. The puck then careened into the air, went off of the shaft of Hendy’s stick, and into the net. Legal goal!
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