Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Michal Neuvirth didn’t have to make a ton of stops on Thursday night against the Minnesota Wild, but some of the saves he did make were pretty impressive…and he saved his best work for last.
As the game’s final seconds ticked off the clock, the Wild trailed by one with the goalie pulled and an extra skater on the ice. Minnesota forward Charlie Coyle received a pass and had a great look at a mostly open net in the waning moments, and he fired the puck on net while Neuvirth was seemingly in no position to make a save.
But then he did.
In an act of desperation, Neuvirth dove across the crease and managed to get the paddle of his stick on the puck, appearing to stop the shot just before the puck was able to fully cross the goal line to tie the game. It couldn’t have been any closer, but the play was reviewed and officials stuck with their “no goal” call on the ice, giving the Flyers a big win at home.
Considering the timing and sheer absurdity of the stop, if that’s not a ‘Save of the Year’ candidate, I don’t know what is.
