The return of Patrick Sharp has made the Blackhawks’ already-potent attack considerably more dangerous, and they entered Tuesday’s game against the struggling Avalanche ranked fifth in the league in scoring offense.
The Blackhawks went on to set an NHL record against Avs goalie Semyon Varlamov, but it was one of futility.
Varlamov stopped 54 shots, making history for the most saves ever recorded in a road shutout, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. In comparison, the Avalanche scored twice on just 24 attempts.
The record for saves in a regular-season shutout is Ben Scriven’s 59 for the Oilers last season. The Sabres’ Dominik Hasek has the all-time mark with 70 stops in a four-overtime playoff shutout over the Devils in 1994.
The Hawks’ all-time record for shots on goal is 62, set in 1989, in a 6-5 loss to the Penguins. The 54 shots on goal was the most for the team this year.
Defenseman Duncan Keith and center Jonathan Toews tied season highs in shots Tuesday. The Blackhawks’ shots were often on the mark, but Varlamov was quick with his glove and showed impressive physicality on rebounds.
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“That was maybe the most shots I’ve ever seen in my life,” said Varlamov, who touts an impressive .945 career save percentage against the Blackhawks.