Backup goalies, living in the moment, thrive at stepping in

If New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist stays in one piece, and coach Alain Vigneault sticks with his plan, Antti Raanta will not play until Saturday.

Raanta is likely to make his seventh start of the season, against the Flames in Calgary, one night after the Rangers play in Edmonton.

This is the slot for which Raanta, a good-natured 26-year-old goaltender from Rauma, Finland, will be paid $800,000 this season: to give the Rangers a chance to win games in which Lundqvist, 33, the workhorse making $10 million, gets the night off.

Raanta has won four of the six games he has started. He has a 1.48 goals-against average, No. 2 among NHL goaltenders with at least seven games played, and a .945 save percentage, No. 1 among NHL goaltenders with at least seven games played. Both numbers are even better than Lundqvist’s (1.99 and .938).

Acquired from Chicago on June 27 in a deal that sent minor-league forward Ryan Haggerty to the Blackhawks, Raanta has proved to be as reliable as his predecessor, Cam Talbot, who was traded earlier that day to Edmonton for three draft picks. Talbot was 33-15-5 in two seasons behind Lundqvist, including a 16-4-3 mark while Lundqvist was injured last season.

“Of course, everybody wants to play always, but you have to start from somewhere,” Raanta said.

Backup goalies know all about what Talbot did for the Rangers late last season. He kept the team afloat when Lundqvist missed nearly two months with a serious neck injury, and the Rangers finished with the league’s best record.

Talbot became the team’s most tradable asset, and now he is splitting time with Anders Nilsson in Edmon- ton, posting a less-than-stellar 3-8-1 record, with a 3.17 goals-against average and .889 save percentage. Backups also know about Mike Condon, a 25-year-old rookie who has been asked by the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Canadiens to step in for another elite goaltender, Carey Price, after he was injured.

“I’ve kind of gotten a taste of both scenarios, and what it takes to take care of your body and your mind during those stretches,” Condon said.

“I feel like I’m kind of prepared for both roles. As a goalie, you’ve got to be ready for anything.”

Price suffered a lower-body injury, believed to be to his right knee, in an Oct. 29 loss to Edmonton. Condon was 5-2-2 in the nine games Price missed. Price returned for three games but reinjured his knee in a 5-1 victory Nov. 25 over the Rangers.

That morning, Condon stayed late on the ice at Madison Square Garden, working with the Canadiens who would be healthy scratches. Condon said he understood his role: The Canadiens were, as he said, “Pricey’s team.”

“But crazy things happen,” Condon said.