Arizona Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue records his first career NHL shutout last night against the New York Islanders.
The Arizona Coyotes have found themselves in another hole at goaltender for the second consecutive year. Last year, fans saw a struggling Mike Smith and a confident Devan Dubnyk battle for the starting position. This year is a different story, as fans learned that Mike Smith would be out 8-10 weeks due to surgery on a core muscle. The absence of Smith puts the team in a very concerning position in regards to goaltending.
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The Arizona Coyotes can’t seem to catch a break at goaltender. While General Manager Don Maloney is searching for other options, the team has to make do with what they’ve got.
That means that Anders Lindback will sit at the number one spot and Louis Domingue (recently called up from the AHL-affiliate Springfield Falcons) will be the backup.
Anders Lindback has had an up-and-down season so far with the Arizona Coyotes, so starting him for the majority of Smith’s absence will be difficult. He is 4-5-1 this season with a 3.14 goals against and a .891 save percentage.
Louis Domingue still seems untested, as he played in only seven games the prior year. In those seven games, Domingue finished with a 1-2-1 record, a 2.73 goals against average, and a .911 save percentage.
After a very disappointing loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, it was known that Anders Lindback would not start the next game due to illness. This would give Louis Domingue his first goaltending start of 2015 against the New York Islanders. Domingue has seen limited the action this season, with only 28 minutes played against the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this week.
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New York Islanders at Arizona Coyotes (12/19/2015):
Louis Domingue had the game of his life against the New York Islanders. The only heart-attack he would face would come from the first shot of the game. Frans Nielsen charged up the ice in the first minute of play and hit the post with his wrist shot. Other than that, Louis was calm, cool, and collected.
This was a confident goaltender between the pipes for the Arizona Coyotes. Domingue’s positioning and vision ultimately led to a 1-0 victory for the Arizona Coyotes. Louis stopped all 25 shots he faced this game for his first NHL shutout of his career. Oliver Ekman-Larsson was the game’s lone goal scorer.
The winning goaltender discussed his game with NHL.com correspondent, Jerry Brown:
"“Every time you are in a 1-0 game every save matters, whether it’s a breakaway or a shot from the wall. That was a team effort right there. We had a strong game in the offensive zone and in our zone when we didn’t have the puck. I’ve been here before. I knew what to expect and I was ready to go. Lucky they hit the post on the first shot.”"
This was a much needed win for the struggling Arizona Coyotes team. They improve to 15-15-2 on the season, as they continue their hunt for the playoffs. Their next game is Tuesday, December 22nd at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Head Coach Dave Tippett plans to start Louis Domingue in net against Toronto for his second consecutive start.