Reimer pulled in his Rangers debut: what a goalie does after a bad period

Two days after we wrote that James Reimer was ready when the call came, his first game for the New York Rangers lasted one period. It happens to every goalie, at every level, and a 38-year-old with almost 500 NHL starts is the right person to show how to handle it.

What happened (Oct 26)

3 on 8

The Los Angeles Kings beat the Rangers 6-3 at Madison Square Garden on Monday night. Reimer, who signed on Sunday after a 35-save shutout for AHL Hartford on Saturday, started the next night. He gave up three goals on eight shots in the first period:

• 1:15: Ward on a breakaway, off a pass from Drew Doughty. The first shot he faced.
• 4:52: Brandt Clarke, a deflection during a delayed penalty.
• 17:32: Doughty, a long slap shot through a screen.

Dylan Garand came in for the second period and stopped 15 of 17. The loss ended the Rangers' six-game home winning streak to start the season.

Coach Mike Sullivan put it on himself after the game: "I put him in a tough spot and that's on me." Reimer had about one day with his new team before he started.

Look at the goals, not the number

Three goals on eight shots looks bad on a stat sheet. Look at what they were: a breakaway, a deflection, and a shot he couldn't see. None of those is a soft goal through the body. Two came from things a goalie can't fully control, and the breakaway was the first shot he saw in a Rangers sweater, with no game rhythm yet.

That's the first thing to do after a bad period, at any level: sort the goals honestly. Which ones were yours, which ones were the play? A goalie who blames himself for every goal stops trusting his game. A goalie who blames everyone else stops getting better.

Getting pulled is normal

It's always tough when there are eyes on you, high expectations and the media watching. But at the end of the day, getting pulled is part of the game. Every goalie goes through it, and not just once or twice. Sometimes it has nothing to do with you at all: the coach wants to change the team's energy or the pace of the game. Sometimes it's just not your night, and that's okay. Over a season with as many games as an NHLer plays, nobody is perfect every single night.

I had a coach who pulled me twice in one game. A few weeks later, he did the same to my goalie partner. Both times, the chaos it caused flipped the game.

So if it happens to you, it isn't a verdict on you. Reimer has 232 NHL wins and it still happened to him in his first game for a new team. Sit on the bench, stay warm, keep watching the play, and be ready if you go back in. That's what Garand did on Monday.

What young goalies can take from it

Keep your base when you're rushed. Short notice, a new team, a new rink: those are the nights your basics carry you. If your stance and your first push are automatic, you have one less thing to think about when everything else is new. → Rookie Series 01: Stance

Screens and deflections are about position, not panic. On a screen, find the puck around the body (low and to one side), hold your depth and get set. Don't drop early and hope. → Rookie Series 06: Butterfly & Recovery

Next game is a clean sheet. The Rangers are off until Sunday against Edmonton. Whether Reimer starts or not, the way back is the same for every goalie: one good practice, then one good save.

Want to work on any of this?

Pick one of the three goals above and think about what you'd do on it. Then give it ten minutes at your next practice. If you'd like a coach watching, that's what goalie coaching is for. And for more from the pros, start with the best NHL goalies and what to copy from each.