In Cam We Trust: The play of rookie Cam Talbot has been instrumental to the Rangers so far.
Getty Images/Frank Franklin II

By show of hands, how many had Cam Talbot with two fewer wins than Henrik Lundqvist at Christmas? Who even knew he would replace Martin Biron as the Rangers backup? If there is one move that Alain Vigneault has been right on, it’s his faith in Talbot. All the 26-year old rookie has done is win eight of 10 starts allowing two goals or less in nine.

That included a second straight win in which he made 25 saves and stopped two of three shooters to highlight an important Rangers’ 2-1 shootout win over the Maple Leafs Monday night. Even after Toronto mistakenly counted Nazem Kadri’s goal with 1:24 left in regulation after no whistle despite the puck being under Talbot, he responded well to adversity winning his first NHL shootout.

”I would have been pretty devastated, especially with the game we played,” he told reporters after being named the game’s First Star. ”We deserved to win the game, and to get a goal like that against us could have really hurt us, but we kind of let it go, pushed forward and got the eventual game-winner.”

”In my opinion, that was the wrong call,” Vigneault pointedly remarked of the controversy that allowed Kadri to push the puck in following two David Clarkson whacks. “The referee told Brad (Richards) on the ice that if they didn’t score on the wraparound, then it wasn’t a goal. They didn’t score on the wraparound.

”The puck was underneath Cam’s pad. How (the reviewers) saw it differently, I’m not quite sure. You’ve just got to play through those things, and that’s what we did.”

They won because Talbot didn’t let it bother him. In an odd winter that’s seen Henrik Lundqvist sink following a record contract extension, it’s the poised play of Talbot that’s become part of the story. Even after going nearly three weeks without a start, he’s been sharp permitting only two goals on 51 shots in back-to-back victories over Minnesota and Toronto. The importance can’t be understated. It got the Blueshirts back to NHL .500 (18-18-2). They’re tied in points (38) with the Flyers for third in the Metropolitan Division. It was also crucial to get the extra point even if a dopey ruling by an inconsistent league allowed the Leafs to steal a point. They are fifth in the Atlantic with 41 clinging to one of the wild cards.

For some reason, the Rangers play better in front of Talbot. They looked like a different team the last two games that concluded a record nine-game homestand 3-4-2. Though it wasn’t what they had in mind, at least the conclusion had them in a different state of mind in time for Christmas. When pressed on who he’d decide to start on Dec. 27 at Washington, Vigneault wisely took the high road.

”It is safe to say that we’re leaving for the holidays on a much happier note,” he emphasized. ”It’s going to be a pleasant three days.

”My parents are 81 and 79. I haven’t been home for Christmas with my girls for eight years, so I am looking forward to that.”

Good for him. Sure. He’s come under fire in this space. However, anyone who thinks it’s a “goalie controversy” has lost their mind. For better or worse, Lundqvist is the starting netminder in the present and future. The numbers are ugly. He’s 10-15-2 with a 2.77 GAA and .906 save percentage. On the other hand, Talbot’s 8-2-0 in 12 appearances with a 1.60 GAA and .938 save percentage. He also has as many shutouts (2) as Lundqvist and should probably be leading the Rangers with three.

One season, Mike Richter got three less starts than backup Glenn Healy. That was ’95-96 when the Blueshirts won the Atlantic. Then coach Colin Campbell went with Richter in the playoffs. The Cup winning goalie made all 11 starts finishing 5-6 with a 3.27 GAA. That had more to do with the Rangers’ second round opponent, a high charged Penguins featuring Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. They were taken apart by two all-time greats. What gets lost in translation was an unpopular trade Neil Smith made dealing Ray Ferraro, Mattias Norstrom, Ian Laperriere and Nathan Lafayette to the Kings for Jari Kurri, Matty McSorley and Shane Churla. It hurt team chemistry.

Sometimes, you have a season where things don’t go according to plan. So what if Vigneault has to think over his Christmas dinner about who should start Friday. Those are the tough decisions a coach must make. My guess is he’ll go back to Lundqvist. Maybe a mental break will reenergize him. With a pivotal five-game road trip coming up, he’ll have to be in the right frame of mind when the Rangers resume play. They can’t make the playoffs without him.

At the very least, they know what Talbot can do. Without his brilliant play, who knows where they’d be.