Aleksander Barkov scores filthy between-the-legs goal on Carey Price

Honestly, Aleksander Barkov should be ashamed of himself.

Playing against the Montreal Canadiens on Sunday night, the captain of the Florida Panthers pulled off a ridiculous move that’s probably illegal in 63 countries.

That may be an exaggeration, but the 23-year-old did commit a couple of crimes when he broke a 3-3 tie late in the second period: Two counts of stealing an NHL player’s dignity.

With just over two minutes remaining in the middle frame, the second-overall pick in the 2013 draft picked up a pass from teammate Keith Yandle and sped by Montreal’s Victor Mete en route to netting a very solid candidate for goal of the year.

Are you kidding me?

With Mete draped all over him, Barkov slid his stick between his legs and rifled the puck into the top corner. This is a reminder that he didn’t do this on some beer league goaltender — he did that against Carey Price, a Vezina and Hart Trophy winner who also has an Olympic gold medal in his trophy case.

The confidence to pull that off is just mind-boggling. Furthermore, it’s concerning.

Later in the third period, Barkov made it a 5-3 game when he scored goal number three of the night, completing the second hat-trick of his career. The first came earlier this season against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: If Barkov hopes to remain the most underrated player in the NHL, he’s got to stop doing stuff like this. Simultaneously embarrassing goaltenders and defencemen with sensational moves and scoring buckets of goals against the oldest franchises in the league doesn’t keep you under the radar for very long.

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