A penalty shot in overtime of a Stanley Cup Playoff game is about as high-pressure a moment as you could imagine as an NHL player, whether you’re a goalie or a shooter. It’s not a situation that arises too often, but it did on Friday night in Florida.
During overtime in Game 5 of the Panthers-Islanders series, Isles defenseman Calvin de Haan was whistled for closing his glove on the puck while in the crease, which led to officials calling a penalty shot for the Panthers. Alexander Barkov was the man who Florida entrusted with the breakaway, but he was outdueled by goaltender Thomas Greiss.
Greiss made a phenomenal stop on Barkov’s opportunity, denying the potential game-winning goal and extending overtime in a pivotal game. The Islanders would go on to win in double-overtime. If that’s not clutch, I don’t know what it.
