Panarin hides behind the Leafs' net and jumps out to surprise Zaitsev

In case you missed it, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Artemi Panarin may have discovered a new forechecking tactic for his team last night in their 4-2 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Check this out… with the puck on the stick of Leafs defenseman Nikita Zaitsev deep in the Leafs zone, Panarin cowered behind Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen and the net in an attempted surprise attack on Zaitsev.

Check it out:

Here's another look:

Ultimately, the play doesn’t work as Zaitsev just hammers the puck around the boards the moment he notices Panarin, but Panarin at the very least prevented a pass to Zaitsev’s partner Jake Gardiner. If nothing else Panarin at least forced Zaitsev to make a rushed and panicked decision. No harm done on either side, but it’s still an interesting tactic that I’m not sure we’ve ever seen at the NHL level. 

You’ve heard of a dump and chase forecheck? Well maybe this new hide and seek forecheck will begin to take off in the NHL…