Shoot The Puck Stan!
Faking a slapshot and trying to score with 0.6 seconds left is a level of stat-padding we've never seen before
In his first 47 shifts of the 2020-'21 NHL season, Edmonton's Gaetan Haas failed to log a single shot on goal. For a guy who has been a pretty solid point-getter in the Switzerland National League, that had to be frustrating.
That's why you'll have to forgive Haas for attempting to capitalize on a prime scoring chance, albeit one that came with under a second to play in a game the Oilers were already winning 4-2. Yes, with three seconds remaining, the Ottawa Senators essentially stopped playing, so Haas gained control of the puck and took the wide-open breakaway. On that breakaway, he appeared to load up for an absolute CLAP bomb on net, making for the funniest screenshot of the year in the NHL:
Wait, it gets better. Haas was actually faking a clapper, and then he went five-hole and scored. Whoops, it was too late, as the horn had already sounded, making this already absurd and hilarious situation even funnier. Here's the best video clip we could find:
I mean, that's a hell of a move, though he had plenty of time and space to pull it off. In normal circumstances, it's never happening. But we tip our cap to Haas, who is now in the stat-padding Hall of Fame despite not actually tallying a goal or a shot on goal since time expired.