Talbot carrying the load in goal for Rangers

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- When the New York Rangers were hit with the news during the first week of February that No. 1 goaltender Henrik Lundqvist would miss several weeks because of a vascular injury, perhaps some thought their chances of winning the Metropolitan Division were ruined.

The Rangers were 29-15-4 at the time, three points behind the first-place New York Islanders, but eight points from being outside the Stanley Cup Playoff picture in the Eastern Conference.

With Lundqvist out, the Rangers had to turn to backup Cam Talbot, who entered the season with 21 games of NHL experience. He had terrific numbers as Lundqvist's backup in 2013-14, finishing with a 1.64 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.

But this time, Talbot wasn't being asked to give Lundqvist a night off. He had to carry the load and perform well if the Rangers were going to remain in the race.

Things got off to somewhat of a rocky start. Talbot allowed three or more goals in four of the first five games following Lundqvist's injury, although the Rangers provided some offense and managed to win three of them.

But including the Rangers' 2-1 win against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday, Talbot has allowed two or fewer goals in each of his past four starts. He made 29 saves, several at key moments, to help the Rangers pull within a point of the Islanders in the Metropolitan with four games in hand.

"I felt really strong from the get-go," Talbot said after his 15th win of the season. "I've been gaining confidence game after game here, and the guys have been unbelievable in front of me, so it's been fun."

Talbot's biggest save came with 1:22 remaining in the second period and the game tied 1-1. Islanders forward Josh Bailey seized control of the puck in the neutral zone and skated in on a breakaway. He tried to backhand a shot between Talbot's skates, but the goaltender showed poise and calmly steered Bailey's chance to the end boards.

"That was a big save in the game, I think," Talbot said. "If they go ahead 2-1 there, it could be a different game going into the third. I was just doing my best to keep it 1-1 until we were able to find that second goal."

But how he does he appear to be so relaxed in such a key situation?

"I'm not as calm as you think out there," Talbot said. "I just try to stay focused, especially [against Bailey]. … I was just trying to make him make the first move and try not to bite, because once you do he's going to open you up or expose you. I just try to stay calm, stay focused and just stay patient."

Talbot points to his work with Rangers goaltending coach Benoit Allaire for his improved performance in recent weeks. After the rough start, Talbot has been so sharp he was named the NHL's Third Star of the Week on Monday after going 2-0-1 with a 0.99 GAA and .965 save percentage.

His solid play has carried into this week, starting with this win against the Islanders in the 126th and final regular-season game between the rivals in Nassau Coliseum. The Islanders are moving to Barclays Center in Brooklyn this fall.

"Since then, my game has kind of settled down a little bit," Talbot said of his work with Allaire. "I had a little bit too much movement out there. I was trying to attack the puck instead of letting it come to me. More or less, he just taught me to be patient in my game instead of trying to over-challenge sometimes. It was great advice. I just worked on it in practice and it just keeps me a little bit more patient out there. I'm able to stop the first shot a little bit more."

Always humble, Talbot credited a large portion of his success to his defense, which has another key addition following the acquisition of Keith Yandle from the Arizona Coyotes prior to the NHL Trade Deadline.

"They've been huge for me. They've been rock solid for me," Talbot said. "Any time I give up a rebound, they're there to tap sticks, they were doing a great job of boxing out tonight and letting me see those point shots. I was able to control most of the rebounds, which is where [the Islanders] generate their offense from."

Cam Talbot

Goalie - NYR

RECORD: 15-6-4
GAA: 2.28 | SVP: .922

"Not a surprise," defenseman Marc Staal said. "I think we said that before he even started playing games that he was going to be solid for us. We see him every day in practice, we know what he's done in the opportunities that he did get and he's seized the opportunity and played unbelievable. He's made some big, timely saves when we need them the most. That's what you need from your goaltender to win hockey games. He made some big saves for us tonight at key times. We were able to get the lead and hold it."

Not since April 8, 1979, had the Rangers and Islanders faced each other when they each had 40 wins. It was the only time prior to Tuesday. The stakes were high, but the Rangers gained ground thanks in large part to a goaltender who played college hockey at Alabama-Huntsville.

"This was a huge game coming in, both teams knew it," Talbot said. "This was going to be a battle all night. You could tell no one really wanted to give an inch out there. Both teams came ready to play tonight. We got a fortuitous bounce on [Rick] Nash's shot and it ended up being the winner. We were able to close it out. Sometimes it's nice to have that luck on your side.

"I think I've played some pretty good hockey in the past 15 or 16 games. It's just been a lot of fun to have this opportunity. You never want anyone to go down like that, but you just need some guys to step up and it was my turn this time. I think I've done a pretty good job in my 15 or 16 games in there."

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