Cam Talbot returns to MSG, where path to No. 1 status began

NEW YORK – Cam Talbot says Thursday night against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden will be just another game. But the early-season meeting will serve a reminder to the Edmonton Oilers goaltender that the path to his current status as a No. 1 in the NHL began in that building.

Talbot served as Henrik Lundqvist’s understudy for two seasons in New York and got his opportunity to showcase his talents when the Rangers lost their franchise netminder to a vascular injury during the 2014-15 season.

Over 22 starts, Talbot helped the Rangers to a 15-4-3 record with the goaltender posting a .935 even strength save percentage. New York’s play over that period also helped them jump from seventh in the Eastern Conference to the top spot. That showing would help draw interest from the Oilers, who acquired him during the 2015 NHL Draft.

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“I think that’s where he found the confidence in himself to know that he could be a No. 1,” said Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault of Talbot’s brief opportunity as a starter. “That summer at the draft we gave him the opportunity.”

Talbot’s success through 63 starts with the Oilers comes as no surprise to Lundqvist.

“I think how hard you want to work when you come to the rink every day, that’s step one, and he had that,” Lundqvist said. “Always a great attitude coming to the rink and wants to pay the price. But if you combine the hard work, the talent and paying attention to details, I think that’s going to pay off. That’s something I saw working with him, and he’s a competitive guy, too.”

Oilers head coach Todd McLellan called Talbot a “game saver” and a “stabilizing factor” in the dressing room and feels that his netminder is finally starting to earn some deserved plaudits.

“It’s nice to talk to media and fans that appreciate him in the past,” McLellan said after Thursday’s morning skate. “Our Edmonton fans have that now, of course, but I’m not sure that he gets enough respect out west. He’s earning it now as he goes, but he’s been tremendous for us.”

Every goalie wants to be a No. 1 for a team. For Talbot, he had to wait. Undrafted out of the University of Alabama-Huntville, he signed with the Rangers in 2010 and spent part of the next five seasons in the AHL, with a two-game stint in the ECHL. He got his chance in the NHL early in the 2013-14 season when Martin Biron retired. As he looked to make the most out of that opportunity, he had already been learning at the skates of Lundqvist and goaltending coach Benoit Allaire.

“Got to spend some time with him through training camp and through two full seasons over the course of five years,” Talbot said of Lundqvist. “I got to learn a lot from Hank. Most of all, just how to be a pro, you come to the rink and it’s time to work. I think that was the biggest thing I took from him, it was just his work ethic. That’s what I kind of molded myself into and just came to the rink every day ready to go and try to make myself better every day.”

One area of need that this young, developing Oilers team needed was stable goaltending. Before Talbot arrived, 11 different goaltenders had started a game for the franchise since the 2010-11 season. He posted a .920 even strength save percentage in 53 starts last season, which helped earn him a three-year extension. This season, he has two shutouts and a .934 ESSV.

Talbot’s confidence has gradually increased over time with more game action, and that’s been a big bonus for the Oilers.

“You always hope for that but you never know if it’s ever going to work out for you. I got a chance to play behind a really good team here and get the opportunity when Hank went down,” Talbot said. “The Rangers and Edmonton gave me an opportunity to go out there and prove to be a No. 1 and I think I did a good job at the end of last year of proving that I can carry the load and continue that into this year.”

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Sean Leahy is the associate editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Sean_Leahy