Goaltending is such a technical enterprise these days. Everything is about playing the angles, choosing the proper save selection, and sticking to the fundamentals. So when a goalie breaks from that rigidness, it's eye-catching, at least for me. There was nothing conventional about the Rask save against Evan Rodrigues of the Buffalo Sabres. It was all instinct, and form and personal safety were thrown to the wind with the lunging, blocker-hand save. Even Rask realized how out of character his channeling of Dominik Hasek was in the grand scheme of things. "I try to be in position to make saves," he said, "so it's fun to make a save like that." Fun for Rask, fun his for teammates, and fun for casual fans and goalie nerds alike. That appeal across strata is exactly what defines a great moment. Far be it from me to dismiss the Svechnikov lacrosse-style goal. It was a beauty, but as David points out, the player repeated the feat less than two months later, dulling the luster of its "unique" claim. Don't believe me about the save, though; let's go to Bruins forward Brad Marchand, a fine arbiter of hockey accomplishments. "That's a highlight save of the year," he said. I concur!
