Some players had their adjectives ready to go. Other guys were left speechless.
Unbelievable. Disgusting. Huge.
Those are just a few of the words used to describe Michal Neuvirth’s game-saving heroics in the waning seconds of Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Minnesota Wild at the Wells Fargo Center (see Instant Replay).
“It was a helluva save," Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol said. "That goes without saying, especially when you add the timing of the save just that he was able to fight that puck off. It didn’t look like the puck crossed the line from the bench.
“It was a heck of a save at a great time in the game.”
With the Flyers desperately clinging to a one-goal lead late in the third period, Neuvirth made his 24th and final stop the best of the evening.
NHL
Wild forward Charlie Coyle received a cross-ice pass at the bottom of the circle and fired a quick shot on net, forcing Neuvirth to sprawl from the opposite post and throw his blocker and glove in the air in desperation.
After a few anxious moments with the play under review, it was revealed the puck did not cross the goalline and the Flyers held on with 2.6 seconds remaining for a much-needed victory.
“It’s tough to find the right words," Mark Streit said. "It’s unbelievable. I saw that cross-pass hitting Coyle and he kind of fumbled it a little bit. But then he got a pretty hard shot on it and I thought ‘That’s gonna be in’ and [Neuvirth] made an unbelievable save. That’s a highlight reel and obviously it saved the game.”
Sam Gagner opened the scoring for the Flyers with a late, greasy rebound goal in the first period. Brayden Schenn's wrap-around attempt found its way onto Gagner's blade and he deposited for his fourth goal of the season.
Needless to say, Gagner was more inclined to praise his netminder after the game.
“It’s unbelievable," he said of Neuvirth's stop. "It’s just a disgusting save. It’s one of those things that saves the game for us and it’s absolutely huge. Obviously a big save by Neuvy, but I thought the guys responded well tonight.”
The Flyers were outscored in the second period despite playing a pretty even frame. Thomas Vanek scored an early power-play goal for the Wild but Streit responded three minutes later with a PP marker of his own off a nice feed from Matt Read. Minnesota, however, knotted it up at 2-2 thanks to a rebound goal from Mikael Granlund to set up a
frantic finish in the third.
That's when an unlikely unit rose to the occasion. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare's line with Chris VandeVelde and Ryan White, which has struggled to produce at a consistent clip this season, pushed the pace in the final frame.
They consistently set up in the offensive zone all night long but failed to break through until the 3:21 mark in the third. White and VandeVelde connected on a few passes along the boards to get the puck into slot and a diving attempt by Bellemare found its way past Wild
goalie Devan Dubnyk to give the Flyers a 3-2 lead.
On most nights, Bellemare would be the hero. Neuvirth just managed to outshine him a tad bit on Thursday.
“Oh my god, oh yes," Bellemare said. "It’s still hard to believe that save. Two seconds left and you make that kind of save? I mean, that’s nuts.”
Neuvirth called the save one of the best he's ever made. He was quick to change the subject, however, putting the focus on the team's effort.
With the win over the Wild and New Jersey's loss to Columbus, the Flyers are now just three points back of Pittsburgh for the second wild-card position in the Eastern Conference, though the Penguins hold a game in hand.
That’s something that wasn’t lost on Neuvirth.
"It’s huge," Neuvirth said of the victory. "We talked about it before the game and we wanted to start [the six-game homestand] good. It’s a good win for our confidence and we have to make sure that we bring the same effort on Saturday."
As for that highlight-reel stop? It's no biggie to Neuvirth.
"Bad game or good game, I’m just trying to stay focused," he said. "I don’t watch these things."