Chris Driedger dove headfirst into Disney+ early on during the coronavirus lockdown.
"I don't know what got into me, but I hadn't seen a lot of Disney movies since I was a kid," Driedger said with laugh in April. "I was like, 'I don't need to watch these movies, they're kids' movies.' But we got Disney+ and started watching them, and they've just been unbelievable."
Looking back, Driedger's 2019-20 campaign still feels like something out of one of those feel-good films.
JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Chris Driedger
After beginning the season in the AHL, the 26-year-old made headlines when he became the first goaltender in Florida Panthers history to post a shutout in their first-career NHL start after stopping all 27 shots he faced during a 3-0 victory over Nashville at BB&T Center on Nov. 30.
Originally selected by Ottawa in the third round (76th overall) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Driedger had previously appeared in three games during his time with the Senators, but always in relief.
"I'm speechless at this point," Driedger said after the win. "It's been a long time coming. They told me I was starting yesterday. I was definitely pretty nervous going into it, but once the puck dropped I kind of felt good. The defense did an incredible job tonight making my job easy."
After spending six seasons bouncing around the AHL and ECHL before finally getting a chance to shine, Driedger certainly earned his opportunity with the Panthers. Prior to being called up in November, he'd recorded a 6-8-0 record behind a stellar, AHL-leading .938 save percentage.
In 2018-19, he led all AHL qualified goaltenders with .924 save percentage over 32 games.
"I was playing a ton in Springfield," Driedger said of his time with Florida's former AHL affiliate. "I was really happy with my game there. When I was able to get called up, I could just flow right into it. I had, I want to say like 12 or 13, 14 games under my belt in Springfield. Those games were pretty important for me to just slot in and feel comfortable once I arrived in Florida."
Building off his unforgettable NHL debut, Driedger went on to register a solid 5-2-0 record with a .932 save percentage before being sidelined for almost two months due to a lower-body injury.
However, filling in for injured starter Sergei Bobrovsky upon his return to the lineup, Driedger went 2-0-1 with a .955 save percentage over his final three starts before the pause, including stopping 26 shots in a 2-1 win at St. Louis in Florida's final regular-season game on March 9.
"I think it honestly started at the end of the season in Springfield the year before. I had just gotten into a rhythm there," Driedger said of his progress. "I was playing the best hockey I've ever played. I was really, really happy with my game and confident in my game from there.
"I just didn't put my foot off the gas and just kept doing the same thing and really didn't really change the formula too much, little tweaks here and there. My goalie coach, Robb Tallas, is unbelievable with finding out what works for you and just maybe improving upon it a little bit."
With one year left on a two-year, two-way deal he signed in February of 2019, Driedger will head into the 2020-21 season looking to continue building upon the strides he made this year.
"It was great and a lot of fun, but it's just the beginning," Driedger said. "I think I played in 12 games this year so far. It was a good start and I earned myself a little bit of confidence to know that I can have success in this league, but the hard work kind of starts now. If you have a good little stretch it doesn't really mean much if you can't follow it up. It was a confidence boost, but I've got to keep working. You've always got to be working hard and trying to improve."
When it comes to improving, Driedger also plans to keep picking Bobrovsky's brain.
"I think just his dedication to the game and getting his body and mind where it needs to be for him to perform is the highest that I've ever seen," Driedger said of Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner. "It's pretty spectacular. I was just trying look at him and see what he's doing. Already, I've expanded my every day pre-ice routine a little bit just based off things he does."
COOL STAT
Pulling a page out of Austin Power's book, Driedger certainly liked to live dangerously.
Staying cool and collected in clutch situations, his high-danger save percentage of .870 placed him second in the NHL among goaltenders with at least 10 appearances. Of the 100 shots that he faced from high-danger areas (around the crease and slot area), he turned aside 87 of them.
Thanks in large part to his ability to stifle these quality shots, Driedger let up just 22 goals this season despite having an expected goals against of 28.81, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.
BEST GAME
Shaking off some rust, Driedger posted his most-dominant performance of the season.
Coming off the bench after backing up in seven straight games, he turned aside a career-high 42 shots in his long-awaited return to the crease to help the Panthers push their winning streak to three games with an exhilarating 4-2 victory against the Hurricanes at PNC Arena on Dec. 21.
Prior to this game, Florida had not won at Carolina since Dec. 18, 2015.
"Over the course of the season you get some goalie wins, and that was one of them," Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. "He was great. He was square, patient. His rebound control was huge, and he challenged [opposing shooters] at the right times. An outstanding game for him."
Making just his third start in the NHL, Driedger showed plenty of poise under pressure while facing down a Hurricanes offense that just wouldn't quit. After stopping all 24 shots he faced over the first two periods, he went on to deny 18 of 20 shots during a hectic final 20 minutes.
Given that they fired off 18 shots from high-danger areas, the advanced statistics tell us that Carolina was expected to net over four goals in the game. But with Driedger, who turned aside 17 of those high-danger attempts, standing tall between the pipes, they registered only a pair.
"I know my game," Driedger said after the win. "When I play well and I don't think about outside factors, things tend to go better than if I do think about those things. I just try to play my game, keep things simple, slow my game down and try to give the guys the best chance to win."
SAVE OF THE YEAR
Not one, not two, but three saves in a row!
In a first period of an eventual 2-1 win over the Blues on March 9, Driedger quickly silenced the rowdy crowd in St. Louis when he made back-to-back stops on Tyler Bozak in rapid succession before sprawling out in the paint to rob Alexander Steen of what appeared to be a surefire goal.
"This was a fun one," Driedger said after the game.
