Reasons to Feel Confident in Louis Domingue Starting at Goalie for Penguins
Louis Domingue can become a Pittsburgh Penguins hero as he takes the net as the Game 2 starting goalie.
For the first time since 2018, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the opening game of a playoff series. To add some extra drama, they did so in three overtimes and with their third string goalie in net to seal the victory.
Louis Domingue became the first goalie in NHL history to enter a playoff game in the second overtime or later when Casey DeSmith limped off the ice with a lower-body injury.
Domingue stepped up to stop 17 shots before Evgeni Malkin tipped in the game-winning goal at the other end of the ice.
Game 2 will now serve as Domingue’s first ever NHL Postseason start, and third ever appearance.
Everyone is well aware of how his last appearance went; entering in the second overtime posting 17 saves in just under 17 minutes of ice-time.
The last time he saw playoff action came all the way back in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals with the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Washington Capitals.
Domingue entered the game after the Lightning decided to sit starting goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy after two periods of action.
In the final frame, Domingue made seven saves on seven shots.
For what it’s worth, Domingue has a perfect 1.000 save percentage in career playoff games.
Stepping up as the starter for the Penguins in Game 2, the team around him will have to make some adjustments to keep that perfect stat.
More often than not, when a team is playing with their backup goalie in net, the defense buttons up and plays a more regimented defensive game.
The Pens defense will have to tighten up even more and play with an extra level of intelligence with a third stringer in net.
The most important job for the Pens’ skaters in Game 2 is keeping Rangers shooters away form the net front and making sure pucks stay in Domingue’s field of view.
According to Sullivan, Domingue is confident in the crease and “has a little swagger to him.”
If the goalie who rode the bus in the AHL for a majority of the 2021-22 season is exuding confidence, that should radiate to the rest of the team.
Domingue deserves to be confident heading into his first ever postseason start, and his teammates need to play smart in front of him.
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