Reserve goaltender Maxime Lagace remains ready for the Penguins

Things were shaping up to be a cozy afternoon on a frigid, gray Sunday in February for Maxime Lagace.

Then he got a text. They needed him down at the office.

When regular backup goaltender Casey DeSmith became unavailable because of an illness not related to covid-19, the Penguins recalled Lagace from their taxi squad and he served as the backup to Tristan Jarry during a 6-3 home win against the Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena.

“I came in the morning, and we practiced right round 8:30 (a.m.),” Lagace said via video conference Monday. “Then after, when I was on my way home, I got the text (message). So I went home, ate and left right away after. It was a quick turnaround, but I was obviously happy about it.”

Considering being on the NHL roster allows Lagace to get paid commensurate with his $700,000 two-way contract, he has plenty of reason to be pleased from a financial standpoint.

But given the 28-year-old hasn’t played an NHL game since February 2019, he is grateful for any chance to dress for a contest at this level, even if his primary duty is to open the bench door during line changes.

Lagace’s most notable tenure in the NHL came in 2017-18 with the Vegas Golden Knights during that franchise’s inaugural season. When a rash of injuries struck that organization’s top three goaltenders, including former Penguins star Marc-Andre Fleury, Lagace was summoned from the American Hockey League to keep the Golden Knights above water.

Appearing in 16 games that season, he went 6-7-1 with a 3.92 goals-against average and an .867 save percentage while playing behind a lineup full of castoffs from other franchises.

Lagace helped the Golden Knights maintain a playoff-caliber position in the standings throughout November and December. In June, the Golden Knights became the first expansion team in 40 years to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

In some ways, that experience offers parallels to his current station as an emergency goaltender during a pandemic.

“It was a great time,” Lagace said. “It came fast. I learned a lot from that experience about myself as a goalie and everything. That made me grow into the goalie that I am now. I’ve been in this position before. I know what to kind of expect. Or not expect. It’s just staying ready, work hard. That’s how I’ve been my whole career. It’s been the same way. Work hard and wait for the opportunity. I’ll be ready whenever it comes.”

A journeyman who has played professionally in seemingly every corner of the lower 48 states in locales such as Illinois, Texas, Idaho, California, Missouri and Rhode Island, the native of Saint-Augustin, Quebec, had a breakout professionally last season with the Providence Bruins of the AHL.

In 33 games, he had a 22-7-3 record along with a 2.37 goals-against average, a .919 save percentage and five shutouts, the second-best total in the AHL during the 2019-20 campaign.

“I feel like I took huge steps since the time in Vegas,” said Lagace, who went undrafted. “After that, it was kind of a regroup. … Last year was a step in that direction. But there’s still a million things, obviously, that can take me to the NHL level. But I feel confident that, obviously, I can work on those things and be here at some point.”

DeSmith missed Monday’s practice in Cranberry because of his ailment, and his status for Tuesday’s rematch at home against the Capitals is unknown.

Regardless, Lagace vows to be ready should he be called into service once again.

“I just work on little things that I think (are) going to take my game to another level,” Lagace said. “Obviously, we have a great staff here to make that happen. I’m just trying to take all the information and everything that they teach me and run with it. It’s been fun. A great experience. And obviously, I can’t wait for the next opportunity.”

Note: Defenseman Marcus Pettersson participated in his second consecutive practice with contact. He has missed the past nine games due to an undisclosed injury.

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