Oscar Dansk
Oct. 23 -29, 2017
2-0-0
0.968 Sv%
1.00 GAA
When an NHL expansion team is introduced, there are bound to be a lot of firsts in the inaugural season.
Oscar Dansk achieved a few firsts himself as he answered the call to action by the Golden Knights with a win in his first NHL start and the first shutout of his big league career to help Vegas go undefeated over the week – all while extending the best start by an expansion team in NHL history. The Golden Knights (8-1-0) are also currently enjoying a five-game winning streak.
Dansk started his week by making 29 saves in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday. Though it was his first start, the netminder deflected the praise like a seasoned professional.
"We had a lot of blocked shots today (17), and I can't stress that enough,"
Dansk told NHL.com
. "It's really big to take momentum away from them and give us a lot of energy on the bench."
On Friday, with seven wins on the season for the Golden Knights, seven different scorers put a goal on the board in a 7-0 blanking of the visiting Colorado Avalanche Friday as Dansk recorded 32 saves in the first shutout of his career, and also in Vegas' franchise history.
The win was Dansk's third in a row, and with the doughnut, so began a new and tasty tradition for the Golden Knights that makes a shutout win even sweeter.
New Tradition.
🍩 🍩 🍩 pic.twitter.com/GZ4odlFx3D
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 28, 2017
The 23-year-old from Stockholm posted a 1.00 goals-against average and a .968 save percentage over the pair of appearances and earned first star of the game in both outings.
In addition to the opportunities Dansk has been providing on the ice, the Golden Knights seem to be just as thrilled with the off-ice opportunities his name provides via the team's signature Twitter account.
🎼
We can Dansk until we die,
You and I, we’ll be young forever.
🎼 pic.twitter.com/hcnNrlr7fB
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 22, 2017
NOW WE WILL
D
A
N
S
K
T
H
E
K
N
I
G
H
T
AWAY
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 28, 2017
Dansk was called up Oct. 19 in the wake of an injury to starter Marc-Andre Fleury and made his first appearance on NHL ice that same night in relief of Malcolm Subban, who was injured mid-game. Dansk made 10 saves to help Vegas down the St. Louis Blues with a score of 3-2 in overtime.
Dansk and the Golden Knights hit the road for a six-game road trip which begins Monday, when Dansk could face the New York Islanders and a white-hot John Tavares who posted a pair of hat tricks as part of a seven-point standout week of his own.
Complete listing of the 2017-18 NHLPA.com Players of the Week here.