Carter Hutton makes spinning save-of-year candidate vs. Leafs (Video)
Nashville Predators coach Peter Laviolette thought it was going to be a goal.
"It looked like it was earmarked for the back of the net, and then it wasn't in the back of the net,” he said.
“So something spectacular happened, I guess.”
He guessed right: Goalie Carter Hutton made a save-of-the-year candidate, spinning backward with his stick to knock a bouncing puck away from the goal line Tuesday night.
Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs shot the puck from the half boards to the front of the net. Daniel Winnik deflected it on goal and it got behind Hutton.
"It was kind of one of those that hit his body, and it was like, 'Oh no,' because you know it's going to bounce," Hutton told The Tennessean.
So he reached back and used the paddle of his stick to knock the puck away before it crossed the goal line.
"It was just kind of spinning, but I had my eye on it and I was able to catch it on my stick. It's one of those where you get lucky sometimes. You battle on every puck and sometimes it goes your way,” Hutton told the paper.
The context was key on this save. The Preds had a 4-3 lead late in the third period, and would go on to win by that margin, thanks to Hutton’s heroics.
More hockey coverage:
