Second Star
Mikael Backlund
If anybody ever says anything bad about Mikael Backlund, I will personally fight them. I may only be 5’3″, but I will still fight you (we’re big Backlund fans over here at Flame for Thought).
— Flame For Thought (@Flame_4_Thought) February 5, 2018
Backlund is one of the most underrated two-way centremen in the league.
Nice stat about one of the best two way centers in the game and also Jonathan Toews
— Dimitri Filipovic (@DimFilipovic) February 4, 2018
Backlund had one goal and three points in three games last week for the Calgary Flames. Not only did he show up on the scoresheet, but with the return of Michael Frolik, you can sense how much more confident he was offensively. Knowing Frolik was there to back him up in case Backs got stuck in the offensive zone really showed when Backs jumped up on the play and right to the net much more than he has in the last few weeks.
This especially showed in the game vs. the Blackhawks. He had a CF% of 64.10 with 25 CF and 14 CA, the highest among all forwards and tied with Mark Giordano for highest on the team. He also had seven scoring chances alone, the second highest after Monahan’s 11. In that game, he’s was also the primary assist on Frolik’s third-period goal, the goal that tied to game to take it to overtime. He was the one that made the play.
This week alone, he had 16 scoring chances. For all these reasons, and just for being an overall perfect human being, he’s our second star for last week.