It takes a rather specific mix of patience and preparedness to be a backup goaltender.
Jonas Hiller certainly seems to have the right elements.
The 26-year-old from Switzerland earned his first NHL shutout Sunday evening, making 29 saves as the Ducks beat the Kings 2-0 and adding to his credentials as a dependable substitute for Jean-Sebastien Giguere.
"At the end, it counts that the team wins," Hiller said. "But for sure, it's a great feeling for a goalie."
Coach Randy Carlyle didn't go overboard in his praise for Hiller's work -- that's not exactly his M.O. -- but said, "He made some stops that prove again that he's an NHL quality goaltender."
Captain Scott Niedermayer was willing to go a bit farther.
"He's a great goalie," said defenseman Scott Niedermayer. "Probably a lot of us didn't really realize it when he first got here, but he plays great. He works hard in practice, makes it tough for us there, and plays well when he's in the net, for sure."
Hiller, who became Anaheim's No. 2 netminder last season when Ilya Bryzgalov was released, was 10-7-1 with a 2.06 goals-against in 2007-08. With Sunday's win, he's 3-1-1 with a 2.18 goals-against and .926 saves percentage in what has been very close to an every-fourth-game rotation as a starter, having started the Ducks fourth, eighth, 12th, 15th and 19th games.
"It's just kind of the way it's worked out," said Carlyle. "We've stated it before when I've said 1A and 1B" -- two goalies sharing the position rather than a No. 1 and a backup -- "but that's where we want to get to. We think there's potential for that to happen here, and that's a great position to be in, as far as a coach."
Hiller, naturally, would welcome more starting opportunities.
"For sure I was looking to get more games than last year, more starts," said Hiller. "You can't always say, 'Yeah, you're playing that game.' It depends on how the team's playing, how the schedule is. But I'm happy to play that many games, and just (want to) keep going and play good so I can hopefully get some more."
Not surprisingly, he says waiting for starts is the toughest part of the backup role.
"You have to stay sharp and prepare for those few starts," he said. "Francoise Allaire (the Ducks' goaltending coach) helps me there a lot, doing drills, game-like drills."
The Ducks were probably all too helpful in getting Hiller warmed up on Sunday. He made 14 of his saves in the first period, thanks to three Los Angeles power plays.
"It's easier to get some shots at the beginning, move around and get the confidence, especially if you stop them," he said. "It gives you much confidence. Especially if you don't play that much, it's easier to get in the game."
Hiller's path to the NHL was an indirect one. While he dreamed of playing in the league, it took a while for him to get noticed in Switzerland. He was never selected for the junior national team, and went undrafted.
"It was also my good luck that I was never the big talent," he said, "so I knew I always had to keep working, and I did. And I moved up in the Swiss League first, got some starts on the national team that gave me a lot of confidence and experience, and took it step by step."
He played four years in the Swiss League and was named the league's best goalie in 2006-07, going 28-16-0 with a 2.60 goals-against in the regular season and 12-7 with a 2.05 GAA in the playoffs, leading Davos to the Swiss Championship. That led to a two-year contract with the Ducks; he spent six games with the team's Portland, Me., affiliate before coming to Anaheim.
"I look forward to the next seasons," he said, "and hopefully things will go the way I want."
Nice place to be: Forward Bobby Ryan might easily have started the season with the Ducks, based on his preseason performance. But as a victim of the salary-cap numbers game, he began the season with the Ducks' new minor-league affiliate in Iowa.
That changed Sunday, when he rejoined the team -- and found himself on the Ducks' top line with Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, something he learned "only about three or four minutes before the game, before warm-ups," Ryan said afterward.
"It's not like it's weight off your shoulders; I think the pressure's still there," said the 21-year-old, the No. 2 pick overall in the 2005 draft. "But it's like, 'OK, I know if I'm in trouble, these guys could bail me out, if it comes to that.'
"I'm certainly going to be getting some chances to put the puck in the net in the near future, if that sticks. So I was extremely excited."
Ryan had five goals and five assists in a 23-game stint with the Ducks last season. In Sunday's season debut, he had no points, two shots, two hits, a giveaway and a takeaway in just under 17 minutes.
"I thought he fit in and did a lot of things we're asking him to do in that situation with Getzlaf and Perry," said Carlyle. "I think that's important that he understands that. I think there's some turnovers that he can improve on, but it's his first game and I'm not going to be critical of the individual, because he gave us what we needed in that situation.
"I know he can score. We'd just like him to play that grinding game, that cycle game, and when he gets his opportunity, put the puck in the net."
So is Ryan going to be a fixture on the top line, particularly since it allows Teemu Selanne and Chris Kunitz to play together?
"It's only one game," said Carlyle. "So I don't read anything into it. That's what we tried tonight."
Fire relief: Sunday's game was the first of a joint effort by the Kings and Ducks to raise money for victims of this week's fires. Both teams will accept donations at their next home game -- Wednesday against Washington for the Ducks and Thursday against the Capitals for the Kings. In addition, each organization is making a $25,000 donation to fire victims.
For the Ducks, the fire losses hit home. The Yorba Linda house of team doctor Craig Milhouse was destroyed in the fire that swept through that community.