ANAHEIM – It happens to every athlete who rises to the top of their game. That first time at the top can be a whirlwind of emotions: Trembling, hope, overconfidence, maybe even a mixed fear of failure. possible.)
Erik Portillo no doubt felt it a lot that Friday afternoon. The goaltender who went from Sweden to the University of Michigan to the AHL’s Ontario Reign, and was called up by the Kings on an emergency basis on Nov. 15 after Darcy Kuemper was injured, was told on Thanksgiving Day that he would make his NHL debut Friday against the Ducks. To make things more difficult? His parents arrived on Thursday from Sweden to spend time with their son.
Yes, they saw the show.
There wasn’t even a problem with the skate blade that stopped Portillo, although it forced him to leave the game 1:09 into the third period, and he was replaced by David Rittich as the mechanics worked to fix the problem.
But what has become the annual Kings-Ducks Black Friday game was a bright afternoon for the 24-year-old Portillo, who faced 29 shots in LA’s 2-1 win over their Orange County rivals.
He may not have felt calm at first, but he looked. Just then, 45 seconds later, Ryan Strome of the Ducks shot a goal in the neutral zone. Later, Portillo posed for Olen Zellweger’s blazer and Cutter Gauthier’s follow-up in quick succession, and that might have silenced him if he needed to be silenced.
“It’s been a lot of different emotions, I guess,” Portillo said. But I just try to stay calm and prepare in the same way and stick to my routine. That was the most important part of my day yesterday.”
Portillo, who had a 4-2-0 record, 2.68 goals-against average and .906 save percentage early in his second season in Ontario when he was called up, gave up a goal when Strome poked a loose puck behind him. tries to redirect Drew Helleson’s first shot from the green line at 2:48 of the second period.
But that was the case with the Ducks. Alex Turcotte tied the score later in the second period, Alex Laferriere scored the game-winning goal 1:18 into the third, and Portillo made nine saves in the third, as well as facing a scary chance in the final seconds, when Troy Terry’s shot on goal went past him but was blocked. Vladislav Gavrikov before it went over the goal.
“You don’t have time to think,” Portillo said. “You have to compete, (to) find a way to get the job done.”
Kings coach, Jim Hiller, said before the game that Portillo would play one of two consecutive games this weekend. Playing a 12:30 game in Anaheim, rather than Saturday’s 4 pm game against Ottawa, probably gave Portillo a little time to think about it, but that didn’t seem to be part of the equation. “We try not to overthink it,” Hiller said.
And yes, Hiller said afterward, he may have looked nervous at first, “but boy, he came together quickly. And, you know, there’s not much to say. He was beautiful. He was great. That’s exactly what I noticed. It was big. His legs are long and fast. He couldn’t have had a better debut.
“… You want the goalkeeper to earn some money and feel happy. Every goalie that goes in there on any given night, he wants to get a few under his belt, feel good. So he got those. They missed a couple early, they missed a couple early. But then he got the pads on it and you just feel like, you know? This baby is ready to play. You will have a good night. And we needed it.”
Perhaps it helped that some of the guys he played with in Ontario last season were with him Friday: forwards Turcotte, Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee and defensemen Jacob Moverare and Brandt Clarke.
“It’s a lot easier when you know the guys on the ice,” Turcotte said. “And he’s been out for two weeks, so he’s getting more comfortable. And, you know, that just comes with experience. But I think the biggest help for him is playing today and having a good trip.”
Rittich was a partner in Ontario, too. On Friday he was involved, making two saves in that 1:09 span of the third period when Portillo adjusted his skate.
Of course, there is a big difference between the skaters Portillo has faced in the AHL and those in the NHL. The trick is how quickly you will make the adjustment.
“It’s a little bit higher template and everything, so it’s nice to get that money so you can be confident,” Portillo said. “That’s something you can build on. … When they get a chance to score, they’re very good at finding a way. So you have to get more details, be a little faster and be ahead of the game. “
Every player, as noted above, has experienced that first game and the emotions that come with it. Sometime down the line, Portillo will have some stories to tell from this moment.
“I think what the uniform (in that first game) is everyone’s fear,” Hiller said. “And there’s the excitement of being nervous, too. And a lot of players, you work a long time to really put on a jersey and get in there.
“What I can say is that a goalkeeper is a completely different animal. The main ones, you can combine and you don’t have, usually, as direct [an] impact on the game. Keepers, there is nowhere to hide. So I have a lot of respect for the guys who go in there for the first time and have to deal with the attacks. And I liked the way it turned out.”
Did Hiller remember his first moment, which happened on Oct. 6, 1992 to the Calgary Kings?
“Yes, I agree,” he said.
Was it the kind of experience where his first hit or his first time with the puck helped him settle in or realize that he belonged?
“I don’t know that it happened so quickly,” he said. “I just know that I was nervous, I was happy. I couldn’t believe I was playing, you know, all those kinds of emotions. I don’t even know how the game went over there. But I just remember that it’s a proud moment again.”
This time, for Erik Portillo, it was a proud moment. Now his job is to build on it.
jalexander@scng.com
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