SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Chris Driedger heard the final horn and reached for his helmet in disbelief. The Florida Panthers goalie hardly expected to post a shutout in his first NHL start.
“Honestly, I’m speechless,” he said.
Driedger stopped all 27 shots filling in for star goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, and the Panthers beat the Nashville Predators 3-0 Saturday night. It was the 25-year-old’s first appearance for Florida — he had previously appeared in three games for Ottawa between 2014-17 but never started.
Bobrovsky was among the first teammates to congratulate Driedger.
“It was pretty cool coming from a guy like that,” Driedger said.