The Coyotes' win over the Lightning wasn't the only game Schoenfeld was keeping an eye on.

Schoenfeld, filling in for the fill-in, was atop the team's emergency backup depth chart for the first time this season on Saturday night as he watched the Coyotes - icing a roster fortunate to have a goaltending duo with a full bill of health -- skate to a commanding 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning at Gila River Arena. His equipment, if needed, was a brisk walk away in his truck outside the arena.

He's handed over those duties. Now, he's the backup to the backup to the backup.

The buzz simultaneously taking the hockey world by storm that night was David Ayres, who entered as the Carolina Hurricanes' designated emergency backup after both of the Hurricanes' rostered goaltenders left its game against the Toronto Maple Leafs with injuries.

A memory we'll all have forever pic.twitter.com/LUxqs8o3Wr - Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) February 23, 2020

"With Dave jumping in with so much time left in the game I just kind of thought 'man, that's got to be crazy'," Schoenfeld said, who watched Ayres' unthinkable triumph unfold on Twitter from his seats inside Gila River Arena. "To go through an intermission after Toronto scored a couple goals, the nerves and stuff, I'm just watching the updates happen. Then you see Carolina score a couple more goals, and then he made some saves, and then he gets the win. Amazing."

"Then you hear about his story; the kidney transplant, he's a zamboni driver, he practices with Toronto's AHL team, it's all just an amazing story and each guy kind of has their own unique little thing, it's fun to hear the background of the guys that are on the list of emergency goalies."

Four years ago, Schoenfeld was almost in Ayres' exact same situation.

The banker-by-trade was the Coyotes' first name on the team's emergency backup goalie list for three seasons, and on February 15, 2016, he got the call.

Literally.

At the time, emergency goalies weren't required to be on site during games, that has since changed. Schoenfeld, on the night of that game, was at home playing mini hockey with his oldest son while his wife was giving a bath to their twin boys, of whom were born just five months earlier.

Just a typical Monday evening at home.

Then the call came from Coyotes head equipment manager from Stan Wilson, Schoenfeld's father-in-law, after Anders Lindback suffered a lower-body injury during pregame activation.

Video: Coyotes sign emergency goalie hour before game

"He says to me, 'hey, Lindback may have hurt himself, we may need you tonight' and at first I'm kind of in shock and I go 'really?', and he's like 'hold on'." Schoenfeld recalls. "This is like around 6:00. He calls me right back and then he says right away 'we need you down here, let's go', so I had to drive from Cave Creek to Gila River Arena for a 7:00 start."

"On the way down I was calling my family, friends, and sending out word that I was going to be on the bench, and getting dressed I remember my adrenaline going, my hands were shaking."

Schoenfeld got to the arena and into the locker room just as the team was coming off the ice from warm-ups. Max Domi stopped for a high-five as he was putting on his skates, and before Schoenfeld knew it, out with the team he went for the game.

Louis Domingue got the start that night and put forth an injury-free 60-minute performance, making 17 saves in a 6-2 Coyotes win over the Montreal Canadiens.

"The only time getting into the game actually crossed my mind was toward the end of the third, we were up 6-2 and I'm thinking, 'I wonder if Dave Tippet's going to throw me in here for a couple minutes'," he said. "The next day, Tip said he was waiting for a whistle with under a minute to play, but it never happened, it went from two-and-a-half minutes down to zero."

The memories, there are many.

"I remember goals being scored and jumping up and giving Connor Murphy a high-five, sitting in line and waiting for the guys to come down."

Getting caught up in the moment, hard not to do.

"One of the linesmen skated over to me at one point during a stoppage in play and said, 'quit smiling, you're smiling too much'."

And at the end of the night, there were plenty of reasons to smile, to celebrate.

"After the game I jumped on the ice and went down to give Louis a tap, I got big hugs from Doaner, Antoine Vermette, Domi, all for me. I didn't even touch the ice until it was all over."

Schoenfeld also dressed as an emergency backup for the Tucson Roadrunners on February 24, 2017, providing insurance for Marek Langhamer.

Months later, he again prepped in-game as an emergency backup for the Coyotes on November 21, 2017, when Antti Raanta when down with an injury during the first period of a 3-1 loss to the San Jose Sharks.

He didn't get to join the team on the bench the second time, though. Prior to the 2016-17 season, the NHL implemented a new rule that pronounced emergency backup goalies stay in the locker room should they need to get prepared. They are not to come out unless they have to play.

"There was a big collision around the net and they pulled Antti out of the game, so I went down, got dressed, and actually walked out one point to the hallway to the bench and they said 'no, no, you just stay in the locker room now' so I had to turn around, walk back, and watch the game in the locker room."

Upper-body injury for @ARaanta31. Bank manager Nate Schoenfeld back in uniform as @ArizonaCoyotes emergency goalie. pic.twitter.com/lT0ixEGfuO - FOX Sports Arizona (@FOXSPORTSAZ) November 23, 2017

Schoenfeld, whose father, Jim, coached the Coyotes for two seasons 1997-99, has since handed over emergency backup priorities to Alex Taylor. He'll fill in when needed, though, as was the case this past Saturday night.

"I've got three boys at home, and to be gone for four-five hours two-three times a week, sometimes it became a lot, so Alex, who I've skated with a little bit, he had already worked for the team and knew some guys, so he jumped in right away as the full-time guy."

Every EBUG has a unique story. That's Nate's.

Lead Photo Credit: Christian Petersen - Getty Images // Second Photo Credit [Bench, MTL Player]: Christian Petersen - Getty Images // Third Photo Credit [Standing bench, National Anthem]: Norm Hall - NHLI via Getty Images // Fourth Photo Credit [Smile]: Christian Petersen - Getty Images // Footer Photo Credit: Christian Petersen - Getty Images