With his team down a goal in the overtime shootout, Devin Setoguchi was the last hope for the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night. He had already made an impact in the game: Assisting on a third-period goal and then scoring the game-tying goal with 10 seconds remaining in a strange sequence involving a non-call. Now, he could play the hero again …
… or he could lose the puck, fall down on the ice, and then hide his eyes as goalie Carey Price skates out to touch the loose disc for a "save" and end the game. Which is exactly what happened:
Here's the Minnesota feed:
The NHL has seen its share of shootout blunders through the years. Matt Cullen, who missed in the shootout for the Wild, lost the puck in December. Ilya Kovalchuk of the Devils had a massive gaffe against Buffalo with a chance to extend the shootout. Dennis Wideman lost the puck and went airborne in one of the most spectacular flame outs in recent NHL history. Even Steven Stamkos had one, losing his edge in an embarrassing wipeout against the Penguins.
But this Setoguchi fail is just … tragic. The puck hit a rut, Setoguchi couldn't stop his momentum to get back to collect it, and Price ended up with the hockey equivalent of tagging out a runner who fell rounding third base to end the bottom of the ninth.
On top of all that: There probably isn't a more appropriate microcosm of Devin Setoguchi's career than scoring the game-tying goal and then having it overshadowed by offensive ineptitude.
So your heart goes out to Setoguchi … well, as soon as the aching in your lungs subsides from the laughter. Because honestly, this is one of those bloopers that doesn't even need the benefit of Benny Hill theme music to be indisputably riotous. And that's saying something.