WHY DID DESMITH LEAVE THE GAME?

It was the oddest of exits: Goaltender Casey DeSmith was experiencing what could have been his defining moment as a pro.

But DeSmith took himself out of Tuesday’s playoff game at New York. He did so midway through the second overtime. 

No blood. No broken bones. No collapse. No stretcher. He left the rink under his own power.

Surely there was a good reason. I’d like to know what it is. 

Dehydration? Amnesia? Painful rectal itch? Maybe DeSmith forgot to turn off the bath water, or the oven. 

Jeff Zatkoff will forever be “Mr. Game 1.” But Louis Domingue is now “Mr. Triple Overtime.” 

Domingue isn’t significantly worse than DeSmith, if at all. He’s bigger, at 6-foot-3. He catches with his right-hand, which presents shooters a different look. 

Domingue defines the word “journeyman.” He’s played for six NHL teams and seven minor-league teams. He’s 30. His career won’t get a lot better. 

But Domingue beat the New York Rangers in three overtimes on Tuesday. 

The real pressure mounts when Domingue starts Game 2 on Thursday. He had nothing to lose in Game 1. Nobody knew who he was. He couldn’t allow more than one goal. He didn’t have time to think about playing. 

For Game Two, he does.