Spicy pork and broccoli fueled goalie for surprise entry in 3-overtime win
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Louis Domingue thought the referees were joking when he was told to enter Game 1 of the NHL playoff series against the New York Rangers midway through the second overtime.
In fact, the backup goalie had eaten a meal not long beforehand.
“Spicy pork and broccoli,” Domingue said. “It’s not great . ... I needed something in my belly.”
That probably fueled him because he made 17 saves in relief of injured starter Casey DeSmith (48 saves) and Pittsburgh got the win Tuesday night when Evgeni Malkin scored at 5:58 of the third overtime for a 4-3 victory. It was the first playoff win of Domingue’s career and just his second appearance.
“It’s crazy, but I guess that’s my life, and that’s hockey,” Domingue said.
He had played four NHL games over the last three seasons and is up with the Penguins because of an injury to No. 1 goalie Tristan Jarry.
Domingue said he was ready, even with being unable to warm up. “It was a lot coming at me fast but it’s something you prepare for as a backup,” he said. “You’ve got to be ready at all times. The guys played super well for me the time I was in there, and I think Casey put us in a position to get to overtime.”
Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said Wednesday that DeSmith is day-today and Jarry is continuing his off-ice rehab. Forward Rickard Rakell, who left the game after a hit from the Rangers’ Ryan Lindgren, is also day-to-day.
Predators goalie pulled after five first-period goals
The Nashville Predators weren’t given much chance against the Colorado Avalanche, and those odds got worse with news No. 1 goalie Juuse Saros would miss the first two games.
The first period of Tuesday’s 7-2 Colorado win showed why.
David Rittich, who had one previous NHL playoff appearance in which he gave up three goals on nine shots, got the start and was gone from the game by the 15:04 mark after giving up five goals on 13 shots.
Not all were his fault, though, as the top-seeded and finally healthy Avalanche flew through the Predators defenders. He probably could have been positioned better on Devon Toews’ goal that made it 2-0, but Nashville made an egregious giveaway on an Andrew Cogliano short-handed goal.
Colorado defenseman Cale Makar, who along with Nashville’s Roman Josi will be finalists for the Norris Trophy, made a brilliant move to make it 4-0, banking in a shot off Rittich’s mask.
Nashville had another defensive breakdown on Artturi Lehkonen’s goal, and rookie Connor Ingram entered the game for his fourth appearance of the season. He stopped 30 of 32 shots and could end up with the Game 2 start.
Rittich had beaten the Avalanche on April 28, stopping 42 of 46 shots.
Capitals upset Panthers
The Washington Capitals upset the Florida Panthers 4-2 Tuesday, handing the NHL’s No 1 overall team its eighth home loss this season.
Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin returned to the lineup after missing the final three regular-season games with an upper body injury and played a key role with a defensive play.
He knocked the puck loose from Panthers defenseman MacKenzie Weegar in the third period and Evgeny Kuznetsov swept in on a breakaway and beat goalie Sergei Bobrovsky to tie the score 2-2.
“That’s why he’s legend, right?” Kuznetsov told reporters. “It’s a good thing he didn’t touch the puck after so I got a breakaway.”
T.J. Oshie put Washington ahead less than three minutes later.
The Capitals did get bad news. Tom Wilson, who scored the first goal, played only three shifts. He is getting treatment for a lower body injury, coach Peter Laviolette said Wednesday, and is a gametime decision for Game 2.