Senators' Dylan Ferguson records 48-save win in first career start

Dylan Ferguson likely wasn’t known to many Ottawa Senators fans before Monday, yet after a stunning performance, he's well on his way to becoming a household name in the nation's capital.

Ferguson earned his first career NHL win by making 48 out of 49 saves as the Senators stunned the Penguins by a score of 2-1 on Monday. He held a shutout through most of the contest, with Rickard Rakell being Pittsburgh’s only player to score with less than six minutes remaining in regulation. A few minutes later, Drake Batherson scored the game-winner for Ottawa.

The Senators gave themselves a bit of postseason hope with the win, but the biggest story is that the Penguins end the night outside of the playoff picture. With the Panthers beating the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh trails Florida by one point, with each team having 12 games remaining on their schedules.

This was Ferguson’s first NHL appearance since 2017-18, when he played nine minutes and 14 seconds as a 19-year-old with a Vegas Golden Knights team plagued by goalie injuries.

Before Monday’s game, the 24-year-ol described this season as a “rollercoaster.” So far, Ferguson played for two different AHL teams (Toronto Marlies and Belleville Senators) this year and was even loaned to the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder in February.

Yet, on Monday, Ferguson stole a victory for the Senators and dealt a huge blow to the Penguins’ playoff chances. Money Puck’s “Deserve-to-win-o-meter” almost seems to understate how much of an upset this was.

Few goalies’ first wins rival what Ferguson pulled off against the Penguins, as he became only the fourth netminder in NHL history to with at least 48 saves in his first career win.

Maybe the rollercoaster ride will present a few more surprising turns, and perhaps the fun isn’t totally over for a Senators team that’s shown signs of brilliance this season.