Russian goalie Artemi Pleshkov sets pro hockey world record with 124-save game

It happened in the VHL, the No. 2 pro league in Russia, on Saturday, so it went unnoticed among most hockey fans.

But something truly spectacular happened in the quarterfinal matchup between SKA-Neva St. Petersburg and AKM. Undrafted goaltender Artemi Pleshkov, 21, made – wait for it – 124 saves in his team’s 1-0, quintuple-overtime defeat.

In doing so, Pleshkov broke the professional hockey world record for saves in a game. During the 2020 NHL bubble playoffs, Joonas Korpisalo had an 85 save game, and goaltender Alexander Borodulya made 107 saves in a Belarussian Extraliga game, but Pleshkov appears to have smashed the pro record, according to Hockey News Hub, a Twitter account that highlights KHL prospects.

Pleshkov, listed at just 5-foot-10 and 161 pounds, made at least 10 saves in all eight periods. He stopped 14 of 14 in the first, 15 of 15 in the second, 10 of 10 in third, 11 of 11 in the first overtime, 17 of 17 in the second overtime, 19 of 19 in the third overtime, 18 of 18 in the fourth overtime and 20 of 21 in the fifth and final overtime. Pleshkov shut his opponent out for more than 157 minutes before surrendering the game’s lone goal, which eliminated SKA-Neva St. Petersburg from the VHL playoffs in a four-game sweep at the hands of AKM. His final save percentage after turning aside 124 of 125 shots in Game 4: .992.

Standout performances are not new for Pleshkov, who had a .943 save percentage in the regular season and a .947 mark in the 2023-24 playoffs going into Saturday’s game.

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