The best save in the Florida Panthers’ 3-2, overtime win against the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday — and maybe the best save of the entire 2021-22 NHL season — came through sheer desperation from a bottom-pairing defenseman.
Lucas Carlsson saw the Hurricanes had an empty net to shoot at and he sprung into action. With Sergei Bobrovsky dragged out of position after a save, Carlsson dove in front of the goal and started flailing his stick wildly. He blocked the initial shot with the shaft of his stick, then batted away a second effort with a blind swing toward the ceiling of PNC Arena.
“I had no idea what was going on,” the 24-year-old Swede admitted. “I was just laying there and waving my stick, so I guess it was lucky.”
