It was a goaltending masterclass at the Motorpoint Arena as Belfast Giants beat Nottingham Panthers 2-1 after a shootout, with only two goals scored in 65 minutes of play.
Jackson Whistle stopped 27 shots in regulation and overtime and all five in the shootout, while Kevin Carr turned away 39 as both goaltenders stole the show in a game that had the intensity and pace of a playoff contest.
“I thought it went really well for us,” said Whistle post-game. “It was nice to get the two points – this is a hard place to come into and win. They came out pretty hard, but we took over the game in the second and third. Credit to Kevin in their net, he really played well tonight but we’re happy to get the points in the shootout.”
The Panthers took the lead in the first period when Brendan Harris’ slapshot deflected into the net off Chase Pearson’s hip, marking his return to the line-up. Mitch Fossier came close to doubling the advantage shortly after but fired wide on a one-timer with the goal open.
Carr was key to keeping the Panthers ahead early in period two, denying Brandon Whistle from close range. The Giants continued to press, forcing Nottingham to call a timeout midway through the frame, but the visitors couldn’t find a breakthrough.
4:52 into the third period, Didrik Henbrant was assessed a boarding major and ejected from the game, putting the Giants on a five-minute powerplay. Belfast capitalised late in the advantage as Nicholas Guay found space in front to slide the puck past Carr and tie the game.
The Panthers almost retook the lead moments later when a looping puck bounced off the crossbar and dropped down in front of Whistle, who reacted sharply with his pad to keep it out. The Giants hit the post at the other end before Carr made two more key stops on David Noël as the game headed to overtime.
“When it’s 3-on-3 you have to play a little differently,” said Carr. “In general, whoever falls first is going to give up an odd-man rush coming back. Luckily that didn’t really happen tonight, but you go out there to win the game and don’t change much.”
Neither side could find a winner in the extra frame, sending the contest to a shootout. Whistle was perfect, denying all five Panthers shooters, while Jordan Kawaguchi and Ryan Smith converted for Belfast to seal the road win.
“We’ve been in that position a lot over the years,” Whistle added. “The guys battled super-hard tonight – they were blocking shots in front of me and it definitely felt like a playoff game as things went on. It was a fun one to be a part of.”
Carr reflected positively despite the defeat. “It was disappointing that we didn’t get the win, but a positive that we got a point,” he said. “Belfast are a good team. We’re going to need to compete against these teams and find a way to be a little better. It was good to see our resilience today – we had a good pushback when they came out hard and we’ll need to keep doing that as time goes on.”
Photo: Panthers Images
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