Music: {allcanada} Record-setting night for Oilers goalie Scrivens

Thursday, January 30, 2014

{allcanada} Record-setting night for Oilers goalie Scrivens

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Ben Scrivens has been looking for the opportunity to prove himself as a No. 1-caliber goaltender in the NHL.

It didn't happen with the Toronto Maple Leafs or with the Los Angeles Kings. But Wednesday, in his fourth game with the Edmonton Oilers, Scrivens made himself noticed in a major way.

Scrivens stopped all 59 shots the San Jose Sharks poured on him in a 3-0 shutout. It's the most saves by a goalie in a regular-season shutout in the expansion era. The previous record was 54 saves by the Phoenix Coyotes' Mike Smith on April 3, 2012.

Only two other shutouts saw a goalie make more saves than Scrivens and both were in Stanley Cup Playoff games. The Buffalo Sabres' Dominik Hasek made 70 saves in a four-overtime 1-0 win against the New Jersey Devils in Game 6 of the 1994 of the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, and Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche made 63 saves in a triple-overtime 1-0 win against the Florida Panthers in the clinching Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final.

The 59 saves also are the most allowed by the Oilers in franchise history; the previous mark was 53 allowed in a game against the New York Rangers on March 17, 1993.

And Scrivens didn't just shut out any team. The Sharks entered averaging 2.96 goals per game, have two of the top 16 goal-scorers in the League and have three players ranked among the top 21 in points.

"It's one of those nights. It's very fortunate," Scrivens said after the game. "I owe the shot-keeper a beer, I think. Every shutout you get is a team effort, and I know people roll their eyes at that, especially when shots are a bit lopsided like [Wednesday]. But [defenseman] Nick Schultz blocks a shot with five or six minutes left and you know that shot is going in the net. I could tell that puck was going in. That's a huge block, and you don't get a shutout without a lot of help in front."

You also don't get a shutout without a goalie having a strong night. When that goalie has to face 59 shots, he needs to be nearly superhuman.

"[Scrivens] was on, obviously," Oilers coach Dallas Eakins said. "I've seen that kid stop a lot of pucks. I've watched him develop in the [ECHL]. He was up and down with our team with the [AHL Toronto] Marlies, and he's turned into an NHL goaltender. I have a history with him and I'm very proud of his development and where he is today."

Scrivens made 20 saves in the first period, but didn't think he'd make that many in the entire game.

"I had an awful, awful warm-up," Scrivens said. "It was an inauspicious start to it. It's one of those things where you try not to look at the forest while you're in the trees. You try to focus on the process and give yourself a chance to make that save, and when the puck drops again you try to focus on the next one and don't try to get too far ahead of yourself."

The Sharks put 22 shots on net in the second, giving him 42 saves in 40 minutes; the most saves Scrivens ever had made in a game previously was a 45-save performance as a member of the Maple Leafs in a 6-5 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on April 3, 2012.

He only had to make 17 stops in the third to finish his fourth shutout of the season and sixth of his 55-game NHL career.

Among the Sharks feeling the most frustrated are Brent Burns, who had a team-high eight shots on goal, Tommy Wingels, who had six shots, and Brad Stuart and Patrick Marleau who had five each.

"Hats off to the goaltender," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "He was tremendous. Probably First, Second and Third Star [of the game]. If he wasn't, he deserved it. Heck of a performance. In all my years in the League I don't think I've seen that, so give him credit."

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