We have a solid candidate, and quite possibly the leading one so far, for the NHL Save of the Year.
With the New Jersey Devils taking on the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, NJ goaltender Vitek Vanacek went cross-crease to make a jaw-dropping save on Tyler Johnson. Johnson had what appeared to be a wide open net, but Vanacek stoned him with cat-like reflexes.
Johnson may not have gotten everything he wanted on the shot, but that was an extremely difficult save either way. Great stuff from Vanacek, who came into this game with a 5-2-0 record on the season.