In every shut-out, there is always one save that makes you think that it’s definitely on. For Jackson Whistle, when he blanked Nottingham Panthers captain Sam Herr on the breakaway early in the third period, that was the point where he knew it was a possibility.
The Belfast Giants netminder had already made a good intervention to deny Didrik Henbrant in the second period, forcing the Swede wide so his shot hit the base of the post, and two impressive glove saves on Herr and Cooper Zech on the same powerplay helped keep the game scoreless going into the third.
But it was when Herr couldn’t find a way past him early in the final frame, with the score still 1-0 thanks to Jeff Baum’s first period strike, that the clean sheet really materialised for Whistle and when he denied Hugo Roy in close in the dying stages, you knew it was going to be his night.
And so it proved. The Great Britain netminder was exceptional in turning away all 27 shots he faced on Friday to claim the win in game one of the Giants’ weekend double-header with the Panthers – game two is tonight – and get his side back in the win column after two losses last weekend.
And while every save is important, the particular importance of the key timing of those stops on Herr and Roy was not lost on Whistle.
“There’s always a little bit of seeing the momentum swings in the game, so being able to make those timely saves is important and kept us where we were at 1-0 there going into the third period there especially,” reflected the 29-year-old after his third shut-out of the season.
“It felt good. Nice to just do something for the team, go out there and play well. I thought we played well as a group, if you watch it back guys were diving around blocking shots, especially towards the end of the second when they were piling it on. The team did a great job.
“When you get a shut-out, it is a team effort. And it’s nice to do it against an old team. There were a few fans I recognised as I skated around so it was good to beat one of my former teams.”
It was a game where the Giants, despite winning the shot count, struggled to create many clear-cut opportunities, Baum’s third goal of the season with 40 seconds to the first intermission giving them a lead they would never relinquish, with J.J. Piccinich’s empty-netter inside the last minute sealing it.
It wasn’t perfect by any stretch of the imagination and rediscovering that electric offense that has guided them into second in the Elite League standings is top of the wish-list right now, although they can’t complain about the standard of netminding they got on Friday night.
“(Whistle) played very well. He was obviously our best player throughout the whole game, making the saves when we broke down and gave up the odd-man rushes,” praised assistant coach George Awada.
“Towards the end guys were battling to get the puck out a few times. There were deflections and blocked shots, so guys were bought in, we just didn’t get the offense tonight. To shut down a team like that, that’s a confidence builder, but we gotta find some offense. Their goalie played well but I don’t think we got inside enough to test him.
“We were lucky to get the empty-netter but it was nice to get after the pressure down the stretch. You gotta find ways to win and we did.”
Now 18-6-3 on the season after snapping their two-game ‘skid’, the Giants remained three points off top spot in the League after the Cardiff Devils’ remarkable third period comeback in Glasgow but, crucially, have two games in hand that would take them top should they win both.
First, however, is the challenge of trying to take down the Panthers for a second night in a row, a notoriously tough task in double-headers when one team has already secured a win and the other is desperate not to come away empty-handed.
“They’re a good hockey team over there, that’s why they are where they are in the standings. We’ve got them again tomorrow so we’re just getting ready again,” added Whistle, who has a .923 save percentage in 18 games this season.
“For us, we just take it one day at a time. With the way the League is right now, every point is important so we’re already dialled in for (tonight).
“In our League where you can’t afford to go on a losing streak. Any time you lose a game or a couple of games, you have to bounce back immediately because everyone is biting at your heels and you’re pushing to get first place. It’s going to be a real battle going forward.”