The Hamburglar has done it again.
A day after earning the National Hockey League's (NHL) Third Star of the Week, Andrew Hammond has worked his way into the record book.
The Ottawa Senators netminder tied an NHL record last Tuesday night in a 2-1 overtime win over the Carolina Hurricanes, allowing two or fewer goals in his first 12 career starts. Hammond tied a record held by Frank (Mr. Zero) Brimsek of the Boston Bruins, who set the standard in the 1938-39 season.
His quest for the record fell short Thursday night, although his unbeaten streak continued. Hammond allowed four goals, but still earned a victory in a huge 6-4 win over the Boston Bruins. On Saturday night, he was in goal again for a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Surrey native has become a huge story in the NHL, forced into the Ottawa goal on Feb. 16 following injuries to both the team's net minders. On that night, Hammond played in relief of Robyn Lehner, who was injured during a game against the Hurricanes.
Two nights later, with number-one netminder Craig Anderson already on the injury list, the Senators gave Hammond his first-ever NHL start and he didn't disappoint, making 42 saves in a 4-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens.
Nicknamed the Hamburglar while at Bowling Green University - a play on his name and his ability to steal games - the former Surrey Eagle has started all but two games since.
He started in eight consecutive games, going 7-0-1 (win-loss-overtime/shootout loss) and earning the NHL's First Star of the Week honor before Anderson returned to the lineup. Anderson gave up seven goals in two starts – defeating the Calgary Flames 5-4 in a shootout before losing 3-1 to the Boston Bruins – before the Sens turned back towards Hammond.
The 27-year-old, who started the year in the American Hockey League with the Binghamton Senators, now has an amazing 1.65 goals against average with a .947 save percentage. Hammond now has 13 wins and a shootout loss in 14 starts.
By earning 27 of a possible 28 points with Hammond in goal, the Senators have moved from 10 points out of a playoff position to just one point back of the Bruins for the final postseason berth in the Eastern Conference.