The red-hot Florida Panthers (yeah, sounds weird) won their fifth straight last night in Ottawa, and once again they had veteran goalie Scott Clemmensen to thank for a big part of the victory.
Clemmensen stopped 32 of the 34 shots the Senators registered, as the Panthers fought back from a 2-1 deficit to win 4-2. For the 36-year-old, it was his fourth straight solid start, a stretch in which he’s posted a save percentage of .943.
''He has been good, he’s been rock solid,” said coach Peter Horachek, per the Miami Herald. “He’s made the saves we’ve needed him to make. He keeps us in the games, stays in control. Now that he’s been playing, he looks comfortable. Timing is important.”
Clemmensen’s resurgence comes on the heels of a nightmare 2013 season that ended with a save percentage of .874 in 19 appearances. That stat put him dead last in the NHL among regular starters.
It’s also come with Tim Thomas on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
Clemmensen is a pending unrestricted free agent -- one that might be extending his NHL career, if he can keep it up.