When the Penguins settled into their locker stalls before Game 1 against the New York Rangers, defenseman Trevor Daley noticed an eerie quiet.

Had the team collectively slipped into a zone of concentration and focus not seen in the regular season? Or were they overcome by nerves, succumbing to the jitters and suddenly clamming up?

Daley quickly realized it was neither. The room was quiet because the player usually making the most noise, goalie Jeff Zatkoff, was busy preparing for his first start since Feb. 20.

“He talks a lot,” Daley said with a grin. “He's a fun guy to have in the room. He's always got something to say to somebody. He's always carrying the bulk of the conversations. It was good to not listen to him talk before the game and let him play.”

Because he's so popular among teammates, Zatkoff's performance Wednesday night — a 35-save showing in a 5-2 win after learning less than 24 hours earlier that Marc-Andre Fleury wouldn't play due to a concussion — was greeted with an unprecedented show of appreciation.

Fleury this week has grown weary of answering questions from reporters about his health, but when the topic of Zatkoff's Game 1 performance was broached, his eyes lit up.

“Aw, that was awesome,” Fleury said. “Very happy for him. He's such a great teammate. He has been all year.”

While teammates might enjoy Zatkoff's personality, they also could just as easily admire him for his perseverance.

A third-round pick of the Los Angeles Kings out of Miami (Ohio) in 2006, Zatkoff has spent much of his eight-year career fighting off more ballyhooed goalies in a battle for playing time.

As a rookie in 2008-09, he got bumped to the ECHL because Jonathan Quick and Jonathan Bernier were holding down the goalie jobs for the Kings' AHL affiliate. Over the next three seasons, he fought for starts with Bernier, Martin Jones and Jean-Francois Berube, all of whom have gone on to become NHL regulars.

“I like to think I'm just a great mentor,” Zatkoff said with a laugh. “That's kind of been my career, holding off the younger guys and being able to prove myself and showing I can play and being resilient and taking advantage of my opportunities. That's what I've tried to do.”

After having a successful season as Fleury's backup in 2013-14, Zatkoff was bumped to the minors again last season when the Penguins brought in Thomas Greiss via free agency. While with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Zatkoff was surpassed on the depth chart by top prospect Matt Murray.

Even this season, the struggle continued. Zatkoff spent the last month-plus as the third goalie on the depth chart, doing extra work with goalie coach Mike Bales to try to climb the ladder.

“He's playing behind two all-star caliber goaltenders,” defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. “He's had to believe in himself. He's had to work around practices to stay sharp. It was spectacular to watch him do what he did.”

In the short term, Zatkoff's next career goal is easily defined. If, as expected, Fleury remains out, his aim is to replicate his Game 1 success when the Penguins host the Rangers for Game 2 at 3 p.m. Saturday.

However it turns out, he knows he's on his way to achieving his long-term career objective.

“When I'm done playing, I want guys to say I'm a great friend and a good teammate rather than the first thing they say is, ‘He's a good hockey player,' ” Zatkoff said. “We're all close here. We're like family. That's how I want to be remembered.”

Jonathan Bombulie is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at jbombulie@tribweb.com or via Twitter at @BombulieTrib.

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