Ottawa Senators goaltender Dylan Ferguson made his first NHL start Monday against a Pittsburgh Penguin team during a battle for a playoff spot. Ferguson had only played nine minutes in the NHL before this start. Which was all the way back in 2017. He made a brief appearance for the Vegas Golden Knights in their inaugural season.
Though, if you watched this game — you wouldn’t be able to tell. He stopped an incredible 48 of the 49 shots blasted his way. This Penguins team is no pushover either. It’s a very loaded team with talent from top to bottom. Not only did Ferguson play like an MVP candidate, they won by beating the Pittsburgh Penguins 2-1.
Let’s stop and put ourselves in Ferguson’s shoes for a second. He’s only got 1 game under his belt before this performance. He was sporting a .500 career save percentage, hasn’t played in the NHL in 5+ years, and made his first career NHL start against Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jake Guentzel and Bryan Rust. The nerves of this kid had to be at an all-time high. Yet, he put his team on his back and absolutely smashed. This is a game that all young goalies dream about. It’s like a Disney movie, and Dylan Ferguson is the main character.
The Road To Stardom
Ferguson was born in a city named Nanaimo, located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. He was drafted in 2017 by the Dallas Stars in the 7th round (194th overall). Ferguson was immediately traded to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he backed up Maxime Lagace. After the VGK, Ferguson skated for multiple different teams, which included teams in the ECHL and the AHL. Ferguson’s journey back to the NHL and his eventual start on Monday is an interesting story.
Injuries were the biggest reason why Ferguson fell into Monday’s start. He became the 6th goalie to start for Ottawa this year. Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg are the two main goaltenders for Ottawa, but both are injured.
Ferguson’s play was phenomenal at Belleville. He rocked a 5-1 record, a .935 save percentage, and a 2.00 goals-against average. Which is why it’s not a surprise GM Pierre Dorion is confident choosing him to start on Monday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
What’s Next For Ferguson?
The stars had to align just right for Ferguson to get his chance in the NHL. Even though he was thrown into the game plan on such short notice, he responded with the biggest game Ottawa has seen from the position. He almost broke the record for most saves in an NHL debut at the goaltender position.
It is yet to be seen what kind of future Ferguson has in the NHL, but his performance against the Penguins on Monday has given him and the Ottawa Senators hope for the future. The Penguins had never heard of Ferguson before playing against him on Monday, but you bet your ass they’ve got the next game against this kid circled on the calendar. Unfortunately, even the phenom himself cant escape the Ottawa injury bug, as it looks like he will miss the next game.
Jimmy Merling