PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup hopes now rest on the shoulders of Louis Domingue.
The Penguins announced that Casey DeSmith is out for the rest of the postseason after he underwent core muscle surgery Friday morning. Meanwhile, Tristan Jarry has still not stepped onto the ice after suffering a broken foot April 14.
So there is a decent chance that Domingue will be in goal for the rest of this series, which is tied, 1-1, heading into Game 3 at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday.
“I think he’s excited about the opportunity,” coach Mike Sullivan said after Friday’s optional practice at the arena. “He’s played well to this point. He’s a confident kid, as you know, and I think that really helps him in this circumstance.”
Domingue was the talk of the NHL after Game 1. The 30-year-old journeyman, who is in his first season with the Penguins, came into the game in double overtime after DeSmith exited in agony. Domingue, who had just chowed down on spicy pork and broccoli during the intermission, was one of the heroes in a 4-3 win.
But what was a great story quickly became a major concern for the Penguins.
With their top two goalies sidelined Thursday, the Penguins lost 5-2 to the New York Rangers. Domingue did not seem fazed during his first career playoff start. And despite giving up five goals on 40 shots, he wasn’t the reason they lost.
But the disparity between the two goalies was striking as Igor Shesterkin again shone for the Rangers at the other end, especially in the third period.
“He has been great the entire year,” Rangers forward Frank Vatrano said of Shesterkin after the goalie stopped 39 of 41 shots to help them take Game 2. “[You know] that if there’s a breakdown that he's going to be there to bail you out.”
Shesterkin has allowed just six goals while making 118 saves, second-most all-time for an NHL goalie in the first two games of a series. The quality of the chances he’s faced is even more eye-popping than the quantity. The Penguins have fired a total of 55 shots from the slot, tops in the postseason, per Sportlogiq.
The Penguins, who are rightfully pleased with the two games they played in New York, do not necessarily need Domingue to out-duel the Vezina favorite to win the series. But they will need him to perform better than he did Thursday.
Publicly, the Penguins continue to express belief in their third-string goalie.
“[Thursday], he was really good. Made some big saves for us. Kept us in the game a couple times there. Handled the puck really well. Played with confidence,” Teddy Blueger said. “We’re all behind him. We know he can get the job done.”
DeSmith started Game 1 and stopped 48 of the 51 shots that he faced in his playoff debut. But during a stoppage midway through double OT, he skated gingerly to the bench and had a brief chat with head athletic trainer Chris Stewart. He then headed to the Zamboni doors and down the tunnel to the dressing room.
That could be the last time we see DeSmith, a free agent, in black and gold.
DeSmith’s surgery was performed by Dr. William Meyers of the Vincera Institute in Philadelphia. He previously had repaired Sidney Crosby and Jason Zucker.
“It all happened fairly quickly, so I really haven’t had an opportunity to speak with him [since surgery was scheduled],” Sullivan said. “But I will in due time.”
This is the second straight year that DeSmith was knocked out of the playoffs due to injury. Last spring, he hurt his groin before the start of the posteason and was unable to back up Jarry in the playoff series loss to the New York Islanders. In June, the team announced he had surgery to repair a bilateral core muscle injury.
The Penguins are holding out hope that Jarry might be able to return toward the end of the series. But given that he might need to get into multiple team practices before getting cleared to rejoin the lineup, his return does not appear imminent.
So Domingue is tasked with keeping them alive in what could be the final postseason run together for the trio of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Domingue has played for six teams in his eight seasons in the NHL. He has a career goals-against average of 3.04 with a .905 save percentage. His career was in limbo last summer after two trying seasons split among three organizations.
But with the help of first-year goalie coach Andy Chiodo, Domingue rediscovered his passion for the position along with his confidence. He posted stellar numbers at the American Hockey Level to get Wilkes-Barre/Scranton into the playoffs.
He made just two starts for the Penguins during the regular season. But in his stints with the NHL club, he made an impression on the players and coaches.
“He has a little swagger to him,” Sullivan said. “He believes in his game and you can see it in his body language. And I think it’s contagious with our group.”
Now he gets a chance to show there is more to this story than one chapter.
