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After watching Dwayne Roloson get hung out to dry for 40 minutes, Craig MacTavish leaned over and told Devan Dubnyk it was his turn on the clothesline.
Now, goalies aren't normally eager to jump in front of a firing squad, but Dubnyk couldn't wait to get in there with a team that was being outshot 31-12.
And why not? It was going to be his only action of the preseason. By the looks of the first two periods he was going to get plenty of action and it was pretty much a no-lose situation - no way he could have sucked any more than the skaters did.
"I came into camp wanting to get a game and it wasn't really looking like that would be the case," said Dubnyk, who pitched a 20-minute shutout, stopping all 10 shots he faced in the third period. "But there's always that chance, so you stay ready. I was glad to get in there, even for 20 minutes."
He played half a preseason game last year and two the year before that, so NHL action of any sort is a thrill.
"It's a lot of fun," said the six-foot-six, 194 pounder from Regina. "I was surprised how nervous I was going in there. Coming to this camp I felt more prepared than I ever have coming into a camp. I was really itching to get out there and see how I feel with these guys. I was excited that I was getting a chance in the third."
He knew, given how Calgary dominated the first two periods, that he was going to get plenty of work.
"The way the game was going you have to expect some shots," he said. "Going into a game 4-0 you want to go in there and treat it like it's 0-0 and play out the period."
It didn't take long before Dubnyk, who posted a 9-17 record with a 3.12 GAA and .904 save percentage last year in Springfield, to relax.
"I've been working a lot with Pete, trying to get my angles down," he said.
