AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Malcolm Subban (30) stops a shot against the Los Angeles Kings during the second period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018, in Los Angeles.
Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018 | 6:30 p.m.
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It seems only fitting that just down the street from Hollywood, Malcolm Subban nailed his audition for a larger role with the Golden Knights.
The goaltender, who has only made six starts this year behind Marc-Andre Fleury, could be in line for more work after stopping 30 of the 31 shots in a 4-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center to earn his first win of the season.
“Obviously it’s in the back of your head but you can’t change anything in terms of, ‘Oh I don’t have a win so I have to do this or do that,’” Subban said. “You gotta stick to the game plan, trust in the process and keep working in practice and so on.”
Subban’s last two starts have been terrific, totaling 60 saves and two goals allowed for a .968 save percentage and 1.01 goals-against average.
The problem is the Golden Knights had not previously scored in front of Subban, as Saturday was the first time they have scored more than two goals in a game he has started. The Golden Knights never trailed against the Kings, with Alex Tuch scoring his 13th goal of the season midway through the second period for the eventual game-winner.
It was only the second game Subban has played since allowing seven goals — many of which weren’t considered solely his fault — on Nov. 19 against the Flames.
“He’s played great since we left out to dry in Calgary and unfortunately we haven’t given him any run support,” forward Paul Stastny said. “He can pout about it, he can be negative about it but he hasn’t. Every day he comes in with a good attitude.”
Subban was tested early. Kings defenseman Drew Doughty danced his way through the defense in the first period and Subban stuffed the Los Angeles star’s attempt at goal. In the second period, he reached all the way across the crease to prevent a wraparound by Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Kings did not have many great chances, which is something Subban gave credit to the players in front of him for.
“I can’t say enough about well the team played in front of me. I didn’t have too many hard chances,” Subban said. “It allowed me to get into the game pretty easy and get into a rhythm so it was nice.”
Fleury is the Golden Knights’ starting netminder and that doesn’t seem like it will change anytime soon. But having a strong backup can do wonders for a team’s psyche, knowing that Fleury can’t play every minute of the season.
When the Golden Knights need to call on a backup goalie, they have Subban.
“A second goalie is like a fourth line, you get the call once in a while and you don’t play a lot, so it’s tough, so he showed up today and it was good for us,” forward William Carrier said. “He’s a young kid just like me, so it’s all built on confidence.
“The more confidence he’s getting the better he’s going to be.”
