By chance, Louis Domingue meets Frederick L’Ecuyer and Jonny Murray, two of the referees who worked Game 1 of the Rangers-Penguins series on Tuesday night, all three Quebec natives.
So when they skated to Domingue in the middle of second overtime and told him he had to get in the game, the 30-year-old official thought they might be kidding.
Less than 48 hours later, Domingue, who came off the bench and made 17 saves before Evgeni Malkin’s triple-overtime winner put the Rangers to bed, is the biggest story of the NHL playoffs.
“It was crazy,” Domingue said as Tuesday turned into Wednesday morning. “But I guess that’s my life. It’s jockey.
Domingue is in the net for the Penguins again in Game 2, with the potential to play deeper into the series: Coach Mike Sullivan said Thursday morning that Casey DeSmith was considered day-to-day and Tristan Jarry has yet to skate. while both recover from injuries The whirlwind, then, will continue.
However, the NHL is nothing new for Domingue. He has started 142 regular-season games since 2014, at one point winning 11 in a row with the Lightning from 2018-19, a streak that included a win at Madison Square Garden. The Devils are also among the six clubs he has played for, making 16 appearances while going 3-8-2 for New Jersey in 2019-20.
After signing with the Penguins in September, Domingue played just two regular-season games, but he made an impression. In January, a 40-save effort helped the Penguins win at San Jose. Most recently, Domingue had 39 saves in an April 24 loss to the Flyers.
“To say that we were surprised by that [in the regular season]I don’t think so,” Penguins defenseman Mike Matheson said. “I think he was impressive, for sure, but I think we have full confidence in his ability.”
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Matheson, another Quebec native, has known Domingue since he was on a midget hockey team with Matheson’s brother. They skate together in the summer. When the Penguins brought in Domingue, Matheson knew what they were getting.
Of course, it is unlikely that he foresaw this.
“He’s a confident player,” Sullivan said of Domingue. “He has a bit of arrogance. I think that serves you well. He is such an important aspect, I think about being not only an athlete but in particular a goalkeeper. You have confidence in him. He believes in his game and I think you can see it in his body language.”
On Tuesday, Domingue admitted that he wasn’t very involved with the game at all, he was just watching, assuming he wouldn’t be called. Famously, he ate spicy pork and broccoli in between overtime. When the time came, he wasn’t even on the bench, they had kicked him out to make room for others.
His attitude, however, served him well anyway.
“You can’t prepare any more than you are right now,” he said. “You are ready or you are not. Just go play.
On Thursday, it was no surprise when Domingue took the Penguins to the ice. The Rangers had time to study his unusual catch with the right hand and the tendencies they see in the film. The focus was on him.
It doesn’t matter, he’ll keep his cool.
“I think Louis understands that it’s a hockey game,” Sullivan said. “It’s the same game he plays all the time.”
Reference-nypost.com