Kicking off yet another theme week here at Oil on Whyte, the theme this week is "records" and what better record to start with than one held by an unlikely goaltender in team history.
The 2013-14 season was yet another season spent in the basement of the NHL standings for the Edmonton Oilers. The team had done work to inject talent onto the roster in recent years with three straight First Overall picks between 2010 and 2012 as well as some acquisitions to insulate their budding team.
David Perron was acquired for Oilers former top prospect Magnus Paajarvi as a big addition to their top six. The team also made moves to try and stabilize their crease, signing former Vezina Trophy finalist Ilya Bryzgalov to support young netminder Devan Dubnyk.
The team hoped to make a further push towards playoff contention but when that did not work and there was some regression amongst their young players, the team shuffled around their roster in season and at the deadline, trading fan favorite Ales Hemsky as well as some veteran pieces like Nick Schultz and Ladislav Smid.
Through a series of trades, seeing the Oilers deal away Devan Dubnyk, the Oilers landed goaltender Ben Scrivens from the Los Angeles Kings. Scrivens had capped off a stellar collegiate hockey career, attending Cornell University. He took home plenty of hardware as a keeper for the, helping win the ECAC championship, while being named to the All-American team, winning tournament MVP, goalie of the year and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker award.
He turned pro by signing a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, developing with their minor league affiliate the Toronto Marlies for a few seasons before establishing himself as a legitimate NHL option posting a .915 save percentage in 20 games during the lockout shortened 2012-13 season. He was then traded to the Kings along with Matt Frattin and a 2015 Second Round pick for young netminder, Jonathan Bernier.
After an incredible start to the season with the Kings, holding a .931 save percentage through 19 games, he was sent to the Oilers for a Third Round pick at the 2014 NHL Draft on January 15, 2014. This was a homecoming of sorts for the goalie born in Spruce Grove, Alberta, a city just over 10 kilometers west of Edmonton, Alberta.
The night Scrivens etched himself in hockey history
Playing in his first game with the Oilers the following day, the team suffered a 4-1 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Wild with their new netminder coming away with a .879 save percentage, allowing four goals on 33 shots. Not a great debut but he would have a chance to prove himself over the coming weeks, splitting games with Bryzgalov.
His second game with the team was much better, although another loss, the score was 2-1 and Scrivens stopped 25 of 27 shots against, seeing his percentage improve to .926. The next was even better and Scrivens' first in the 'W' column, a 5-1 win against the Nashville Predators with Scrivens stopping 34 of 35 and coming away with a phenomenal .971 save percentage.
In front of a sold out crowd at Edmonton's Rexall Place, Scrivens played the best game of his entire life and one of the best games in NHL history by a goaltender. Heading into the night, the Oilers were definitely expected to lose, with a 17-32-6 record before against the Sharks who entered the game with a 34-13-6 record. The Sharks were also at a much different part of their life cycle of a team.
The club had many proven star players like; Brent Burns, Dan Boyle, Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, and even former Stanley Cup winner Antti Niemi between the pipes. The Oilers were an up and coming team with tons of young talent and plenty of potential that had not yet been fully realized. This was even evident in the game that is the subject of this article
Out of the gate, the Sharks started the game strong with three quick shots on goal -- ending the period with 20 compared to the Oilers seven. Scrivens stood strong and was able to withstand the barrage, allowing defenseman Justin Schultz to score a goal midway through the First Period, giving the Oilers the 1-0 lead.
The Second saw much of the same, the Sharks were putting everything they had on net, firing another 22 shots on goal to the Oilers nine. This period saw no team score but the Oilers held strong with their 1-0 lead. Scrivens at this point had stpped all 42 shots he faced and was standing on his head.
The third period, the Oilers finally came out strong, with 11 shots of their own with two goals scored by Taylor Hall and Jordan Eberle. This is where also where Scrivens made history as the Sharks put another 17 shots on him but he stopped every last one.
He finished the game flawless, stopping all 59 shots he faced and with it, breaking the record for most saves in an NHL shutout. This beat out the previous record holder, Mike Smith who stopped 54 shots in a game as a member of the Phoenix Coyotes on April 3rd, 2012.
It was an incredible game seen by tens of thousands of Oilers fans and hockey fans as a whole, it was a once in a lifetime type of game with an unlikely hero who even for a moment, helped fans of the team forget the roller coaster of a season that was.