Pickard’s Shootout Save Wins the Game
Despite Pickard’s efforts, the Avalanche didn’t always manage to win the above games. However, in the Winnipeg game, Pickard had more than the usual say. The game went past overtime and into the shootout — the skills competition.
Well, the Avs shooters did their part. Both Matt Duchene and Nathan MacKinnon scored on their shootout attempts. Pickard had already made the save against Mathieu Perreault. Now it was time to face Blake Wheeler. For the win. A save would win the game.
Well, we know by now that Pickard should be called Jack Frost for the coolness of his demeanor. Wheeler came at him with speed. He drilled straight down center of the ice. He settled the puck, and prepared to shoot.
Pickard stayed big in net. He refused to be fooled, and he didn’t go down until Wheeler had already committed to the shot. He knocked that puck away with his goalie paddle.
As the puck careened away, and Wheeler’s shoulders dropped in disappointment, Pickard opened wide as a star. He executed a shoulder wave, and took a running leap into captain Gabriel Landeskog‘s arms. In short, his celly was almost as impressive as the save itself.
Calvin Pickard is well on his way to creating a goalie controversy. In the game against the Penguins, he made an impressive 47 saves on 48 shots. He now boasts a .934 save percentage, which is third in the NHL. Hard not to call that your #1 goalie.