The 26-year-old journeyman, elevated from minor-league goalie to NHL starter by positive COVID tests to Canuck star Thatcher Demko and backup Jaroslav Halak, stopped 33 of 34 shots Friday against the league’s highest-scoring team before losing 2-1 in a shootout in Vancouver’s first home game since Dec. 14.
“You're playing a really great team and you're missing a lot of your better players. But everybody stepped up to the plate. Some of the guys played more minutes, I'm sure, than they've ever played at the NHL level before and they played good. When you lose, you lose. But when you get a point out of something like that, that's a really good point.”
“He was awesome,” veteran defenceman Tyler Myers said. “He made it look like he was playing with a ton of confidence. I thought he had an unbelievable game for us, stepped up for us. To see a story like that is pretty cool.”The last of Martin’s only three previous NHL appearances was Feb. 1, 2017 with the Colorado Avalanche.
Twenty pounds lighter than he was a couple of years ago, Martin embraced instruction from Canucks goalie guru Ian Clark and minor-league goaltending coach Curtis Sanford, and forced his way into the crease, taking starts from younger Canuck prospects Michael DiPietro and Arturs Silovs.
Spec imacSportsnet Oilers see this one Ken
Spec imacSportsnet …and ironically it’s still a better option than the Oilers have!!
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