Backlund has always played around the edges and very soft (in the name of defensive positioning) and avoids body contact at great lengths and all costs now and takes wide loops when taking shots on net or passes and stays out of the corner. He was behind both defenseman with Coleman was getting double teamed beside the net tonight.
That softness in the name of defensive positioning is fine for the PK and 3 on 3 but when you're down by 1 on late PP and are centering a PP unit, playing soft isn't an option. When he gets into traffic he handles the puck like a grenade because he is not at all comfortable in high traffic areas at all.
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