When fans piled into the Rexall Place on Wednesday night, it was just an everyday regular season contest against the San Jose Sharks. By the end of the game, it was historical, thanks to Edmonton Oilers goaltender Ben Scrivens.
Scrivens was absolutely dominant. There is not a single phrase that could attempt to describe his phenomenal outing. The former LA Kings goalie stopped all 59 shots thrown at his 6’2″ frame, setting an NHL regular season record in the expansion era as the Oilers captured their 19th win of the season by a score of 3-0. This shattered the previous mark set by Phoenix Coyotes netminder Mike Smith when he recorded 54 saves during the 2011-2012 season.
While Scrivens performance was unbelievable, it is shockingly not the best ever. During a playoff game in 1994 Dominink Hasek saved 70 shots en route to a shutout. But it’s still debatable as to whether he was human or not.
There were 20 shots fired by the Sharks in the first period that easily could have shifted momentum San Jose’s way, but Scrivens shut the door early and often.
Although his performance is looked at as an individual one, Scrivens remained humble during the post-game interview.
“You never get a shutout without it being a team effort,” Scrivens said as Oilers fans saluted the entire team with a standing ovation after the horn sounded.
It was a night that not only Scrivens will remember, but the entire National Hockey League for years to come.
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