Lukáš Dostál had an unforgettable night in the NHL. And also a record, it should be added. Unfortunately, sometimes even a completely extraordinary performance is not enough. The Ducks ended up losing a close lead late in the game and the second point in overtime. However, the hero of Wednesday’s duel at the Honda Center was the Czech goalkeeper.
57 pucks were aimed at Dostál! Blocked shots and attempts outside are not counted, of course. He scored 55 successful saves. This is a new Anaheim club record, the old one was held by John Gibson with 53 hits. He went 3-6 with Pittsburgh last February.
He was still driving the Maple Leafs offensive aces crazy. By the end it was a one-goal game. Nylander broke his teeth on him in a layup position or a moment later in a four-on-three power play by Matthews. He kept the goal shut until the 55th minute.
“They have a damn good team. They controlled the game for most of the match. They were even better in power plays. He held us and it’s a shame he didn’t get the win,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin said of the game.
Cronin had seen Dostála under fire like this before. But then he was on the other side. Even before coming to Anaheim as a coach in the AHL in March 2022, Dostála saw his team make 51 saves and on top of that, he added a goal across the field. Čech’s San Diego Gulls then beat the Colorado Eagles 4:2
“When he’s on his game, he’s an elite goaltender,” Cronin said.
The 23-year-old native of Brno capitulated for the first time on Wednesday in the 55th minute when Rielly’s shot arrived in the area in front of Tavares’ goal. Auston Matthews succeeded for the second time, whom Dostál caught a dozen pucks before! It wasn’t until the thirteenth shot that the elite gunner succeeded. In a three-on-three game, the Czech goalkeeper had no chance after the quick action of the opponent.
Auston Matthews’ play was specially commented by Sheldon Keefe. “He has found his next unsuspected level. I don’t even know how many he could have given today… He had thirteen shots, maybe twenty attempts in total. He scored one, but he was very important for us,” the Toronto coach praised the scorer of the winning goal.
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