Mat Barzal turns Sabres D-man into a pretzel for absurd goal

Superstar Islanders forward Mat Barzal is now the proud owner of one (1) Rasmus Ristolainen.

As if Buffalo wasn't having a rough enough go as it is, the slumping Sabres had to go to Long Island and deal with with Barry Trotz's suffocating Islanders along with a healthy side dose of Barzal for a three-game set this weekend.

Barzal's latest nonsense set the hockey internet ablaze on Saturday, when he essentially acquired Ristolainen's soul (I don't make the rules) after flipping on the jets for a loose puck and turning the Sabres blueliner into a salted pretzel before burying the game-tying goal, through his legs, with an elite celly to match.

I mean, Risto was doomed from the start here. This is the hockey equivalent of a defender in basketball going up to try and make a block despite knowing they're about to be absolutely posterized. Like you know you're about to go viral for a season for getting a ball crammed down your throat, but it's still a better look than just not trying. Usually, anyways.

Foot race to a loose puck versus Barzal? Doomed. Trying to angle Barzal when he has a step? Doomed. Fishing and reaching for the puck when Barzal hits full speed? DOOMED. There really couldn't be a bigger mismatch here.

And that finish is, just, my god.

Barzal's goal-of-the-year candidate tied the contest up at ones and kicked off a run of four unanswered second-period tallies as the Isles cruised to their second 5-2 win over the Sabres in three days.

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