Top Shelf: Unheralded goalies saving grace for Sens, Wild
Mar 24, 2015 - 5:48 PM Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Carey Price is almost certain to win the Vezina Trophy for his spectacular play this season, and the Montreal Canadiens goaltender may wind up with a Hart Trophy on his mantle as well.While Price's steady excellence likely has been the difference between Montreal struggling for a playoff spot and being one of the best teams in the regular season, other goalies have come out of nowhere to resurrect their team's once-slim playoff hopes.
I'm speaking about Minnesota's Devan Dubnyk and Ottawa's Andrew Hammond, a pair of guys who weren't in either club's plans at the start of the season, but both are currently at the center of thrilling runs to the postseason.
The surprise at Dubnyk's rise to prominence has worn off because it's now two months since he joined the Wild in a trade with Arizona in January and helped turn Minnesota's season around. Dubnyk also was a former first-round draft pick who was well known to hockey fans prior to this season, although he was not highly regarded.
Thirty-one consecutive starts later and the Wild are sitting in the first of two wild card spot in the Western Conference. So, it's becoming increasingly safe to believe Dubnyk and the Wild are the real deal.
With Hammond, however, it does seem like people are waiting for the other shoe to drop.
As an undrafted 27-year-old, Hammond has a different problem than Dubnyk. Minnesota's workhorse had to rehabilitate his image after years of struggling as an NHL goaltender, but as an unknown commodity, Hammond built his reputation from scratch.
Hammond made his first foray into the NHL last season, logging one relief appearance which didn't result in a decision. Injuries to Ottawa's top two goaltenders gave him his first chance in the big time since 2013-14 and Hammond's first NHL start came just over a month ago on Feb. 18.
Since then, the "Hamburglar" has taken his golden opportunity and run with it and he's becoming a legend in Canada's capital city. He earned the nickname during his collegiate days at Bowling Green State, but it's followed him to Ottawa, where his star his risen so quickly that a local McDonald's decided to give him free hamburgers for life.
While garnering the attention of a corporate behemoth like McDonald's is no small feat, Hammond is getting even more accolades for his play on the ice.
After making 29 saves in Monday's 5-2 home win over San Jose, Hammond boasts a 14-0-1 record for his career and owns a sparkling 1.67 goals against average and a stout .946 save percentage this season.
The spotlight keeps getting brighter with every performance, but Hammond has yet to shrink under the glare. The victory over the Sharks came in a huge game, as the two points gained allowed Ottawa to leap over the Boston Bruins for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The real trick will be to maintain it.
The Senators and their puck-stopping maven have 10 games left to prove they're no fluke. Although Ottawa has a game in hand over Boston, which has failed to win in its five most recent trips to the ice, now is not the time for celebration.
"It's been 20 or so games building into this," said Sens winger Bobby Ryan after Monday's win. "There will be a sense of accomplishment, but at the same time, you can't take it for granted. Get a little rest and get ready because Boston is going to win games. Everybody is."
The close race for the second wild card spot means Hammond also can't be thinking about the record books. Already this season, he has tied a mark set by Boston's Frank Brimsek in 1938-39 by allowing two goals or fewer in his first 12 career starts.
When he next takes the ice, Hammond can match Patrick Lalime for earning at least one point in the most consecutive starts from the start of a career. Lalime gained a point in 16 straight games (14-0-2) for Pittsburgh in 1996-97 to set the NHL mark.
Two of Hammond's 14 wins have come against the Sharks, and San Jose coach Todd McLellan was left singing the goalie's praises on Monday.
"Right now he's an exciting player. He's something that the whole league can rally around," McLellan raved. "We did our best to beat him twice and that wasn't enough. The way he's playing right now, when you give up four, you're probably not going to beat that team."
Both Dubnyk and Hammond have a few weeks left in the regular season. That's plenty of time for a goaltender to crash and burn and take his team's playoff dreams down with him.
Let's hope that doesn't happen. It's been so much fun watching these guys lift their respective clubs out of the doldrums, it would be a shame if either goalie wasn't able to continue their amazing runs into the postseason.
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