Jailbreak!
Outside of the always-effective “Flying V” attack, popularized in 1994 by cinema’s D2: The Mighty Ducks, rarely do hockey enthusiasts get a glimpse of a 5-on-1 rush.
But that’s exactly what happened Thursday night during the Winnipeg Jets’ rout of the Florida Panthers. With the Panthers caught deep in the offensive zone, Florida defenceman Erik Gudbranson was the lone man back.
The Jets’ Bryan Little was the big beneficiary of a very lopsided rush, which was celebrated with a standing ovation from the Winnipeg faithful.
“I’ve never seen that before ever,” Blake Wheeler, who set up Little, told the Winnipeg Free Press of the 5-on-1. “I was really nervous, actually, because I looked up and I heard the crowd going crazy so I figured, oh, a 2-on-1, 3-on-1, whatever.
“But it was all five guys and I didn’t know where to go with the puck. Jonesy seemed like a good option so I gave it to him, hopefully, he was going to give it right back to me. Thank God I was able to find Lits ’cause I’ve never seen that before, ever.”
