Marc-Andre Fleury Pulls Off Insane Glove Save Against Ottawa Senators

He had the angle and an open look, but Erik Karlsson could not put the biscuit in the basket Monday night. Not with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal.

With the game tied at 1-1 in the third period, the Ottawa Senators defenseman flicked what appeared to be a potential game-winner toward the Pittsburgh Penguins net.

This sure thing was not to be, however, as Fleury cooked up a bit of glove-side goodness and somehow managed to pluck the speeding puck out of the air. With his body at full extension, Fleury lunged and caught Karlsson’s shot as it zipped toward the upper-right corner. 

Video of the miraculous save was spotted by Daniel D Zillmer of CollegeSpun.com. To put it plainly, it was ridiculous.

Fleury’s save astounded everyone inside Consol Energy Center. According to Dave Molinari of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Swedish defenseman couldn’t believe his shot was stopped.

“That’s something I did not count on,” Karlsson said.

Penguins coach Dan Bylsma elaborated on the moment, praising Fleury’s skill. 

“It was an amazing save,” Bylsma said. “[Fleury] didn’t just stick his glove out.”

Nope, Fleury caught the blasted thing, and his catch helped bring the game to overtime, which the Penguins won courtesy of a James Neal goal. It was Neal’s first goal in eight games—a dry spell the Penguins winger said felt like an eternity.

“It felt like a little while, a lot longer than it probably was,” Neal said. “[I] was trying to be patient with the puck there and wait for an opening.”

With that, the Penguins might be glad referees kept Fleury from fighting Canadiens goalie Peter Budaj in January. The team cannot afford a single busted knuckle on this man’s golden hands.

Look for more magic from Fleury in the near future. 2014 is the year of the mind-melting goalie save, and it could shape up to be the Summer of Fleury.

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