Subban gets break from Groundhog Day in Golden Knights loss to Wild
ST. PAUL, Minn. —It is, as most backup spots from key positions in sports are described, the best and worst of jobs.
Often, you only play when the starter is struggling.
Sometimes, when he needs a rest.
Mostly, it’s like what occurred in a small Pennsylvania borough Friday morning, when a fairly famous rodent saw his shadow.
Welcome to the life of a No. 2 NHL goalie, to a different sort of Groundhog Day.
Malcolm Subban plays the role for the Golden Knights, and things against the Wild later in the evening went about as well as those who learned about six more weeks of winter from Punxsutawney Phil, a 5-2 loss for Vegas before 19,057 at Xcel Energy Center.
It wasn’t that close.
As well as a taxing six-game road trip began for the Knights — wins against Calgary and Winnipeg — this was as bad a performance as perhaps all season.
It was definitely the worst in terms of how slow and lethargic Vegas played.
Fact: The Knights will travel 7,047 miles over the trip.
Problem: They looked as though 7,000 of those were covered from Winnipeg to here.
I mean, they just got boat-raced up and down the ice by a team that is 8-0-2 in its last 10 home games and right now sits in the second wild-card playoff spot. Vegas was exhausted from playing the previous night, and the Wild more than made it pay.
“No excuses,” Subban said. “Obviously, (Minnesota) is pretty hot and might be the best forechecking team in the league. They came out and took advantage right away. We weren’t ready. It’s hard enough to beat their style, never mind when they’re hot like they are right now and we played like this.”
He was spelling Marc-Andre Fleury, who started both wins on the trip and will likely return to the net when the Knights play at Washington on Sunday. It was Subban’s first action since a 4-3 overtime loss at Florida on Jan. 19, the sort of break between starts that define a backup’s existence.
This is what they do. They sit and watch a lot.
They attend every practice and morning skate and prepare as hard as they can, all the while knowing their view for most games will be from the end of a bench.
Optional days don’t exist.
Maintenance isn’t part of their vocabulary.
Maybe you play every few weeks.
Maybe you don’t.
It makes that first period when your name is finally called all the more difficult, and yet as poor as the Knights looked falling down 2-0 over the opening 20 minutes, it could have easily been 4-0 or worse if not for some terrific saves from Subban.
“He’s a young guy trying to earn his place in the NHL,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “He has played real good for us, but as I’ve said all season long, Fleury is our guy and he hasn’t played a lot this season, either (due to a concussion). We need to get (Fleury) sharp and make sure he’s playing well. (Subban) understands. He plays hard and competes hard when he gets his opportunities.
“No doubt, he made some key saves in the (first period). But we win as a team and lose as a team. Tonight, we lost as a team. It was back-to-back games, but everyone plays them. I didn’t like our team tonight. We didn’t compete and didn’t win one-on-one battles.”
It happens. Vegas was playing its third game in four days. It didn’t create any real first-period scoring chances and was ultimately outshot 35-24.
Washington comes next, followed by a homecoming for Fleury in Pittsburgh on Tuesday and then a trip-concluding game at San Jose on Thursday.
Tough ones, all.
You figure Subban might get one more start on the trip, and you figure it would be against the Sharks. But it’s not certain. Nothing is for the backup, especially one sitting behind a Hall of Famer.
“Things are a lot different when you’re playing (more), but it’s my job to prepare and be ready,” said Subban, who’s a more-than-respectable 11-3-1 with a 2.59 goals against average. “I just need to keep working hard and get better every day.
“I’m sure we will be better (Sunday).”
Just as you can be sure he will watch from the end of the bench.
His own sort of Groundhog Day.
The best of jobs, the worst of jobs.
Contact columnist Ed Graney at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on Twitter.
