Boucher Sets Modern Day Shutout Record

Brian Boucher of the Phoenix Coyotes set a modern day shutout record tonight by recording his fifth consecutive shutout by a score of 2-0 against the Minnesota Wild. He broke the previous record held by Bill Durnan who recorded four consecutive shutouts in 1949. Since then that record has been untouched until Boucher, the Coyotes backup netminder, pulled of this truly unbelievable feat.

Brian Boucher recorded his first of five consecutive shutouts on December 31st against the Los Angeles Kings by a score of 4-0. His second came on January 2nd against Dallas by a score of 6-0. He then went onto shutout the Carolina Hurricanes and Washington Capitals on January 4th and January 7th, respectively, each by a score of 3-0. The record breaking shutout came tonight against the low-scoring Minnesota Wild by a score of 2-0.

This marks a stunning turn of events for Brian Boucher in Phoenix. At the start of the season, he looked to be the odd man out as the Coyotes seemed to have settled on goaltenders Sean Burke and Zac Bierk. However, injuries forced Boucher into action and he certainly has taken advantage of his opportunity.

Along with the fact that Boucher has recorded five straight shutouts, it seems to go unnoticed that the Coyotes as a team are also climbing up the Western Conference standings. Winning five straight games has put the Coyotes in seventh spot with 45 points ahead of teams like Dallas, Edmonton, Anaheim, and Minnesota that were all a part of last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.