Golden Effort in Goal by Backup Shtalenkov

DETROIT — Mighty Duck goaltender Mikhail Shtalenkov made his 32nd save 14:40 into the second overtime period Sunday, on a nasty shot off the left-wing boards by Detroit Red Wing center Sergei Fedorov.

His 33rd save was on an attempted deflection by Tomas Sandstrom. His 34th save came on a shot by Kirk Maltby off a faceoff, and to make his 35th save, at 16:45 of that overtime period, he got a piece of a shot by Vyacheslav Kozlov in the slot.

Around him, bodies flew, tempers flared and the 19,983 jammed into Joe Louis Arena roared and shook pompons in a frenzy. But Shtalenkov, entrusted with the Ducks’ fate after starter Guy Hebert strained a groin muscle 7:02 into the third period, remained an island of calm in a roiling sea.

When play stopped, whether for icing, offside or renewal of hostilities, Shtalenkov never seemed frazzled. Slowly, he skated from one goal post to the other, sweeping his crease clear of ice shavings. He followed that routine, even when there were no ice chips to clean, gliding slowly across the area he guarded so well for so long.

“He played great. I have confidence in Mikhail,” Duck Coach Ron Wilson said. “You’ve got to check to see if he has a pulse to make sure he’s alive. His pulse has to be 30 beats a minute.

“I’m saying, ‘Mike, it’s the last 10 minutes of the game and you’ve got to go in,’ and he says, ‘OK, Ron.’ That’s just the way he is. He’s one of the best relievers in the game.”

For 54 minutes and 29 seconds, Shtalenkov was a tower of strength for the battered and gasping Ducks. Finally, on the 40th shot he faced--the 71st taken by the Red Wings--he could save them no longer. Kozlov launched a bullet that that went between the feet of defenseman Bobby Dollas and through Shtalenkov’s legs 1:31 into the third overtime, giving Detroit a 3-2 victory and a sweep of the first two games of their Western Conference semifinal series.

Shtalenkov was too distraught to discuss his effort, but his excellence on short notice and in such nerve-racking circumstances spoke volumes for his talent and concentration.

Shtalenkov isn’t the first backup goalie to seize the spotlight in the playoffs. Ron Tugnutt, subbing for injured No. 1 goalie Damian Rhodes, led the Ottawa Senators to their first playoff berth and to overtime of the seventh game of their first-round series against Buffalo before losing; Buffalo is also relying on a backup, Steve Shields, since Dominik Hasek injured a knee.

Garth Snow has supplanted veteran Ron Hextall in Philadelphia; and for Detroit, Mike Vernon was designated the playoff starter instead of Chris Osgood, even though Osgood played 47 games and Vernon played 33.

If goalies are a special species, it takes an even more special sub-species to be a backup goalie. Days or weeks without playing can become tedious, creating resentment or a sense of inferiority. Not so for Shtalenkov, who has kept his spirits up and his reflexes sharp.

“He has a great temperament. He’s probably one of the best backups in the league,” Dollas said. “He’s not a guy who’s bitching and moaning about his playing time.”

Which is just as well, because Shtalenkov hasn’t gotten much playing time during the season or in the playoffs.

His last appearance had been on April 22, and then for only 26 seconds of the Ducks’ 2-0 loss to the Phoenix Coyotes in Game 4 of their first-round series. He didn’t face any shots that night, but he more than made up for that on Sunday, facing six shots in the third period, 13 in the first overtime, 17 in the second and four more in the third sudden-death session.

In a sense, saving the Ducks was nothing new for Shtalenkov. He had stepped into the breach late in the season after Hebert, exhausted by starting 23 consecutive games and 45 of the last 50, suffered from hyperventilation. With a playoff berth still in doubt, Shtalenkov relieved Hebert on March 23 and March 26 and started the next three games, winning two and tying one.

“He did a lot for us toward the end of the year when we needed some big games,” defenseman J.J. Daigneault said. “We have a lot of confidence that Mike is going to play well for us. We tried to play hard in front of him, just like we played hard for Guy. He came out and did a good job for us.”

Hebert, in the locker room getting treatment for his injury, said he didn’t see Shtalenkov’s stellar performance, “but from the oohs and aaahs of the crowd, he played spectacular.”

Hebert said his injured muscle already felt well enough for him to hope he can return Tuesday in Game 3. If not, the Ducks can be assured they won’t lose anything in goal. Losing the game is another matter. If they had the depth elsewhere that they have in net, their prospects of tying this series would be considerably brighter.