On Friday, Erik Portillo made his long-awaited NHL debut for the Los Angeles Kings. He was called up when the team placed Darcy Kuemper on injured reserve but went almost two weeks backing up David Rittich before he took the ice.
The wait was well worth it as Erik Portillo made a great first impression against the Anaheim Ducks. In the first period, Portillo would be tested early but was able to stop all 10 shots he faced, including three on the power play.
It certainly is expected for a player who is making his career start in the NHL but Portillo looked a little jittery or uneasy in that opening period. Fortunately, he would get some help from defenseman Brandt Clarke and Mikey Anderson as they would clear loose pucks in front of the net. The fact that he got out of that first period with no goals allowed appeared to help his confidence as he settled down as the game went along.
However, the inability to control the puck on shots would be his downfall in the second period as he made a great pad save but Ryan Strome would be able to sneak the puck past him on the rebound.
That would be the only goal Erik Portillo would allow and he faced more than his fair share of quality shots from the Ducks. As the game went on he showed really good poise, even when he had to leave the ice due to an equipment issue with his skate.
It didn't impact him when he returned and continued to be very solid in net. For the game, he would stop 28 of 29 shots, including seven shots on power play.
Grade for Erik Portillo in first career NHL start for Los Angeles Kings: A-
There is no question that Erik Portillo was tested in net for this game and when looking at the game as a whole, there isn't much to criticize. He certainly could have done a little better limiting the rebounds and he did allow that one goal.
However, with it being his first start (and also on the road) fans should be excited about the next time he is in net for the Los Angeles Kings based on this performance.