Kings goaltender Erik Portillo can be proud after his brilliant NHL debut

ANAHEIM – It happens to every athlete who reaches the highest level in their sport. The first time at the elite level can be a whirlwind of emotions: nervousness, hope, as much confidence as you can muster, maybe even a little fear of failure. (You’d better suppress the last one.) possible.)

Erik Portillo undoubtedly felt a lot from that Friday afternoon. The goaltender, who was traded from Sweden to the University of Michigan to the AHL’s Ontario Reign and was called up for emergency duty by the Kings on Nov. 15 following Darcy Kuemper’s injury, was told on Thanksgiving Day that he would be out on April 15. November would make his NHL debut Friday against the Ducks. Make it even wilder? His parents arrived from Sweden on Thursday to spend time with their son.

Yes, they saw a show.

Not even a problem with a skate blade slowed Portillo, although it did force him to leave the game for 1:09 of the third period, with David Rittich replacing him while technicians worked to fix the problem.

But what is shaping up to be an annual Kings-Ducks Black Friday matinee turned out to be a bright afternoon for the 24-year-old Portillo, who stopped 28 shots in LA’s 2-1 victory over its Orange County rival.

He may not have been calm at first, but he looked it. Immediately, 45 seconds later, the Ducks’ Ryan Strome shot on goal from the neutral zone. Later, Portillo stopped a blazer from Olen Zellweger and a follow-up from Cutter Gauthier in quick succession, and that might have calmed him down if he needed reassurance.

“I think it was just a lot of different emotions,” Portillo said. “But I just try to stay calm, prepare the same way and stick to my routine. That was the most important part of my day yesterday.”

Portillo, who had a 4-2-0 record, 2.68 goals against average and a .906 save percentage entering his second season in Ontario when he was drafted, gave up a goal when Strome chased a loose puck pushed past him trying to deflect Drew Helleson’s first shot from the blue line at 2:48 of the second period.

But that was it for the Ducks. Alex Turcotte tied the score later in the second half, Alex Laferriere scored the winner with 1:18 left in the third period and Portillo made 10 saves in the third period and turned away a scary chance in the final seconds. as Troy Terry’s close range shot went past him but was smothered by Vladislav Gavrikov before it could get over the goal line.

“You don’t have time to think,” Portillo said. “You just have to compete and find a way to get the job done.”

Kings coach Jim Hiller said before the game that Portillo would play in one of two back-to-back games this weekend. Playing a 12:30 p.m. game in Anaheim instead of Saturday’s 4 p.m. game against Ottawa probably gave Portillo a little less time to think, but that didn’t seem to be part of the equation. “We try not to think about it too much,” Hiller said.

And yes, Hiller said afterwards, he might have seemed nervous at first, “but boy, did he pull himself together so quickly?” And you know, there’s not much to say. He was fantastic. He was big. That’s the only thing I noticed. It was big. His legs are long and fast. He couldn’t have had a better debut.

“…You want the goalie to make some saves and feel good. You want every goalie that goes in there every night to get a few and feel good. So he got it. They missed a few too early, missed the goal a few too early. But then he got pads on it and you just felt like, you know what? This child is ready to play. He’ll have a good night. And we needed it.”

Perhaps it helped that some of the guys he played with in Ontario last season were with him Friday: forwards Turcotte, Samuel Helenius and Andre Lee, and defensemen Jacob Moverare and Brandt Clarke.

“It’s a lot easier when you know the guys off the ice,” Turcotte said. “And he’s been out there for two weeks now, so he’s getting more and more comfortable. And, you know, that just comes with experience. But I think the biggest help for him is to play today and have a great performance.”

Rittich was also a teammate at Ontario. He was the substitute on Friday and made two saves at 1:09 of the third period while Portillo had his skate repaired.

There is, of course, a big difference between the skaters Portillo faces in the AHL and those in the NHL. The trick is how quickly you make the adjustment.

“It’s a little bit faster tempo and stuff, so it feels good to make those saves to get the confidence up,” Portillo said. “You can build on that. … When they get a chance to score, they’re really good at finding a way. So you just have to be a little more detailed, a little quicker and a little bit ahead of the game.”

As mentioned above, every player has experienced that first game and the emotions that come with it. At some point, Portillo will have some stories to tell from this moment on.

“I think what’s consistent (in the first game) makes everyone nervous,” Hiller said. “And there is also a nervous excitement. And with many players you work for a long time to actually put the jersey on and get there.