If it weren’t for DeMarcus Lawrence of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman David Savard would have experienced the most dramatic up-and-down swing in sports on Sunday.
Just 30 seconds into the game, there was this brutal turnover by Savard, which helped Jarome Iginla give the Colorado Avalanche a 1-0 lead:
In a moment that almost seemed scripted, Savard scored the game-winning goal with about a minute remaining in the third period, giving Columbus a 4-3 win against Colorado:
It’s the kind of night that leaves you shaking your head in disbelief, as the 24-year-old noted to the Columbus Dispatch’s Aaron Portzline.
“I’ve never had a night like that,” Savard said. “Not even close.”
For defenseman Jack Johnson - who helped Savard’s keep his spirits up - it was nothing short of some sort of sporting divine intervention.
“If I didn’t believe in the hockey gods before now, I definitely do,” Johnson said. “They’re real. I saw ‘em.”
The hockey gods and football gods seemed determined to provide players with dramatic peaks and valleys today, it seems.