Predators shut out by Panthers goalie making first NHL start

AP photo by Lynne Sladky / Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger, right, protects the net as defenseman Mike Matheson, left, and Nashville Predators center Craig Smith fight for the puck during the first period of Saturday night's game in Sunrise, Fla. AP photo by Lynne Sladky / Florida Panthers goaltender Chris Driedger, right, protects the net as defenseman Mike Matheson, left, and Nashville Predators center Craig Smith fight for the puck during the first period of Saturday night's game in Sunrise, Fla.

By Associated Press November 30, 2019 3 min read

SUNRISE, Fla. – 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 from 2014 to 2017 but never started.

Bobrovsky was among the first teammates to congratulate Driedger.

“It was pretty cool coming from a guy like that,” Driedger said. “Props from him, it’s pretty special.”