Nearly a decade after being drafted, Harri Sateri finally earned the first NHL win of his career, stopping 32 of 33 shots to help lead the Florida Panthers to a big 4-1 victory over the typically high-scoring New York Islanders on Tuesday night at Barclays Center.
Sateri on 1st NHL Win: 'I still believed in the dream'
"He's got a smile ear-to-ear," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said after the win. "It's nice to see. He's been at it a long time. It was a game where we got a little bit of goal support for him and he made some big saves. It was a perfect game for him."
A perfect game, but one that Sateri wasn't sure would ever come.
"Of course, there's been times when I doubted," Sateri said after Wednesday's practice at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. "But I still believed the dream. It's been a long road, and now I'm here. I'm pretty happy about it."
The 28-year-old Finn was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Draft, but had never played a single game in the NHL before the Panthers inked him to a one-year, two-way contract this summer.
After four seasons with San Jose's AHL affiliate, the now-defunct Worchester Sharks, Sateri headed to Russia to join Podolsk Vityaz of the KHL, where he posted a 20-16-5 record with a 2.50 goals-against average, .929 save percentage and two shutouts in 2016-17.
"I had it in my mind during the years I spent there that I wanted to come back [to the NHL]," Sateri said. "I had a couple good seasons there and a good World Championship. Then I had this opportunity with the Panthers and I said, 'why not?'"
Sateri began this season back in the AHL with the Springfield Thunderbirds. He was meant to serve as Florida's third-string goalie and mentor the organization's up-and-coming netminder, 21-year-old rookie Samuel Montembeault.
"They wanted me to be a support for the young guys in Springfield," Sateri said of his role.
But after Roberto Luongo suffered a lower-body injury against the Islanders on Dec. 4, Sateri was recalled by the Panthers to back up James Reimer. Sateri spent nearly a month riding the bench before finally making his NHL debut in relief of Reimer on Jan. 2 in Minnesota.
For Sateri, that month of practice proved to be invaluable.
"The practice pace is different here than down in Springfield," said Sateri, who posted a 5-6-0 record with a 2.76 goals-against average and .906 save percentage for the Thunderbirds. "I had to get used to it a little bit. I learned a lot from Reims and Lu about work ethic. It was a good month."
Sateri made his first NHL start in Nashville on Jan. 20, allowing four goals on 29 shots in a 4-3 loss to the Predators. The following game, the Panthers also lost Reimer, who has since joined Luongo on IR with a groin injury. Thrust into the starting role, Sateri made 42 saves in a loss to Washington - a game he played more than well enough to win - before finally earning his first NHL victory in nearly-flawless performance against the Islanders' second-ranked offense.
"It feels awesome," Sateri said. "It's a dream-come-true situation."
Sateri said he doesn't know exactly where he'll keep the puck from that game, although it'll likely "end up somewhere in the house." There's also a good chance it won't be his last victory puck, as he is expected to share the net with Montembeault, who has yet to make his NHL debut, until Reimer and Luongo return.
"To get the first game, the first win, now I'm going to relax and focus," Sateri said.
On the Jose Rose Show Wednesday, Boughner said he hoped Reimer and Luongo would return to practice next week. Luongo's return has long expected to come sometime in early February, while Reimer was given an initial two-week diagnosis after his injury on Jan. 23.
"I know he's on the right path. I know he's improving," Boughner said of Luongo. "I thought he would be in practice this week for us, honestly. I don't see that happening now. Aiming for next week getting back into practice with us and go from there."
Sateri will look to make it back-to-back wins when the Panthers visit the Sabres on Thursday.
"It's a dream come true, but at the same time we have a new game tomorrow," he said
