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A16 sports
Wednesday 4 May 2022
Who? Fates of some NHL teams in hands of role players

By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
Casey DeSmith keeps in-
sisting the NHL playoffs are
no different than any other
game he's ever played in
his life.
The Pittsburgh goaltender
believes his job when he
skates onto the ice at Mad-
ison Square Garden ice on
Tuesday night when the
Penguins open their first-
round matchup with the
New York Rangers is no dif-
ferent than it is at any other
time of the season, at any
other time of his hockey life.
Stop the puck when it
comes your way. Keep your
team in it. Don't let one mis-
take morph into another.
Pour everything you can
into making sure you're not
on the wrong side of the
post-series handshake line.
To DeSmith, it doesn't mat-
ter that he hasn't appeared
in a postseason game
in five years, when 3,608
people watched his Wilkes-
Barre/Scranton Penguins
fall to the Providence Bruins
in Game 5 of the first round Boston Bruins' Brad Marchand (63) can't get a wraparound past Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Casey DeSmith during the first
of the 2017 AHL playoffs. It's period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh, Thursday, April 21, 2022.
still just hockey. Right? Associated Press
"I think as soon as you start ton on Monday night, but if rookie forward Matt Boldy geni Malkin and Kris Letang oriented environment."
to try and make it bigger he struggles at some point, made his playoff debut a little longer or at the very One that can sometimes
than it is, problems start to rookie Pyotr Kochetkov (3-0 on Monday playing along- least keep Pittsburgh in it turn afterthoughts, role
happen mentally," he said. regular season) is the Hurri- side Kevin Fiala just a few until injured All-Star Tristan players, or backups into
It's a great approach — in canes' next option. months after being called Jarry — out since April 15 folk heroes or — better yet
theory. Yet when the puck Then again, maybe playoff up from the minors. Part of with a lower-body injury — — champions.
drops, especially if it's your experience is overrated. Boldy's role will be making is ready to go. Matt Murray was a rookie
first foray into the unique Jordan Binnington helped sure linemate Kevin Fiala's Oh, and he has to poten- in 2016 when he took over
crucible that the playoffs St. Louis to the franchise's scorching April carries over tially outplay Vezina Trophy for an injured Marc-Andre
provide, it is different. At only championship in 2019. into the postseason. candidate Igor Shesterkin, Fleury. All Murray did was
least at first blush. He started Game 1 of the "(Boldy's) made, obviously, who limited the high-flying backstop the Penguins
"Those first 10 minutes some- Blues' series with Minnesota great strides and prog- Penguins to four goals in to back-to-back Stanley
times feel like it's the fastest on the bench while Ville ress, not only physically but four meetings during the Cups.
game you've ever played Husso and his career 53 mentally," coach Dean regular season. It's far too early to start
in your life," Nashville vet- starts went to work in net Evason said. "He's a very No pressure or anything. drawing those kinds of
eran defenseman Roman and made 37 saves in a 4-0 composed, very calm, very The Penguins are longshots comparisons — particularly
Josi said. "After that, you shutout over the Wild. mature person." to reach the Stanley Cup not for a team that is 3-13 in
kind of settle in and you At least there is an estab- Calming the inevitable jit- Final, according to Fan- its last 16 postseason games
just play hockey and I think lished hierarchy in Pitts- ters is something DeSmith Duel Sportsbook, and were — but there is a fearlessness
that's important in the play- burgh, Carolina and St. will need to do quickly if he largely uninspired down the to DeSmith's approach that
offs." Louis. Not so much in Wash- doesn't want Pittsburgh's stretch despite the steady could serve him well going
DeSmith is hardly the only ington, which has Ilya Sam- 16th straight postseason play of DeSmith, who went forward.
player improbably thrust sonov and Vitek Vanecek appearance — the longest 8-3-3 with a 2.44 goals- Yes, the lights will be bright-
into the spotlight as the against top-seeded Florida. active streak in major North against average after the er on Tuesday night than
chase for the Stanley Cup The duo's combined career American professional All-Star break. they were at the Mohegan
begins. Both conferences playoff wins? sports — to turn into a po- So DeSmith will do what he Sun Arena half a decade
feature players with un- Zero. tentially franchise-altering has had to do since signing ago. The stakes will be
remarkable resumes who "They're younger, but I one-and-done. with the ECHL's Wheeling considerably higher. The
could have an outsize im- believe in both of them," All the 30-year-old career Nailers nearly seven years adrenaline, however, will
pact on the outcome. top-line center Evgeny NHL backup has to do is ago: attempt to prove the be familiar.
An injury to top goaltender Kuznetsov said. "They have help make sure the Pen- skeptics wrong. "I'm grateful for some of my
Frederik Andersen forced pretty good games, but it's guins avoid a fourth con- "If you don't have a battle prior playoff experience,
Metropolitan Division not about them. It's about secutive early exit, prop mindset, I think it's hard to (in the minors) or otherwise
champion Carolina to turn us, how we're going to help open the championship succeed in the playoffs so hopefully some of that
to Antti Raanta. Raanta them." window for the venerable just because it's a grind," comfortability carries over,"
shined in a 5-1 win over Bos- In Minnesota, 21-year-old core of Sidney Crosby, Ev- he said. "It's such a battle- DeSmith said.q