Five NHL goaltenders who have become starters this season

There was an interesting little tidbit that arose before last Saturday’s contest between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks: Both starting goaltenders used to be backups on the Los Angeles Kings. Jonathan Bernier served as Jonathan Quick’s second in command off and on through the 2012-13 season while Martin Jones was Quick’s backup up until this current campaign.

Jones — who shut out the Leafs that evening 7-0 — isn’t the only player going through his first campaign as the regular starter between the pipes. In fact, injuries and uncharacteristically rough seasons for some of the league's netminders have promoted their alternates.

Here’s a look at five current  goaltenders in the NHL who have, at some point in the season, made the transition from backup to starter.

Mike Condon, Montreal Canadiens

The rookie from Holliston, Mass., has understandably been making headlines and snagging "three star" honors since stepping in for the injured Carey Price at the start of the season. Granted, he has a strong Habs team playing in front of him, but Condon’s 12-10-3 record is accompanied by a catalog of highlight-reel saves.

With Price’s return to the ice regularly getting pushed back, it will be interesting to see how much more of the season Condon will serve as a starter.

Cam Talbot, Edmonton Oilers

One of the only guys on the list who was tapped to be a starter after being acquired during the offseason, Talbot made his case for being up for a starting role after the impressive job he did filling in an injured Henrik Lundqvist in New York last season. His first campaign as a starter in Edmonton hasn’t been the prettiest, however, going 7-13-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average and .908 save percentage.

But as was pointed out before the first puck ever dropped, he also has a different team in front of him. The young Oilers team is certainly not the same as the juggernaut Rangers. Perhaps if Edmonton can generate more offense and give Talbot a bit of a cushion, his stat line will improve.

Chad Johnson, Buffalo Sabres

The “career backup” got the call right after original Sabres starter Robin Lehner sustained an ankle sprain in the season opener. His record doesn’t quite reflect his performance on the ice each night. He tallied a loss against the Blackhawks back Jan. 8 despite making 42 stops and holding Chicago to just three goals.

With Lehner still recouping with the Sabres’ AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans, Johnson will likely be wearing the “starter” cap for a while longer.

Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that Mrazek is part of a tandem. But with veteran starter Jimmy Howard having a rough go this campaign, Detroit head coach Jeff Blashill has tapped the 23-year-old Czech native to help get the Red Wings put more tallies in the win column.

His calm demeanor has been a shot in the arm for Detroit, who kicked off the new year with a long road trip in which it strung together four straight victories. (The 0.67 goals-against average and .978 save percentage doesn’t hurt either.) This isn’t to say that Howard has “lost” the starting job, but it’s expected that as long as Mrazek stays hot, Blashill is going to keep giving him the starts.

Martin Jones, San Jose Sharks

The 26-year-old has seen some ups and downs so far in his first stint as a starting netminder. In fact, his season is pretty reflective of how the Sharks as a whole have played up through this point — stellar on the road but not-so-steady on home ice.

In Jones’ defense,  the home losses on his record aren’t all reflective of him playing poorly, but more that he needs more help from the team in front of him. He could be changing that around, however, if shutting out Toronto is any indication.