So, Toronto has a goaltending controversy? Really? When?
I thought I saw this all last year. Did you? You nod in agreement. Okay. Randy Carlyle said it was okay. Is is okay if I vent my two cents? This is my blog and Carlyle says it's okay! Alright!
James Reimer. Hey, didn't he start last year pretty well? Yes. How about this year? More of the same, says I. Can he sustain it? Well, that has yet to be determined. Oh yeah, get to, "The Other Guy!" Last year, it was Reimer.
This year, it's Jonathan Bernier. So he starts the season in goal. Carey Price shows him what a real number one goalie should be like in the season opener. In the next game against Pittsburgh, Bernier gets left out to dry and gives it his all. But of the 41 shots against, he can only stop 36. Uh-oh. Everything was settled, set in stone and right for the season. Time for plan "B". Goalie" B". Or is it now goalie "A"? See, this is how and why this thing is so confusing and engaging. Oh, and also because it's Toronto, you see. I sense a cure for 1967 coming here. Really!
Well, maybe not, but Optimus Reimer sure has Leaf Nation believing. And for good reason. The Leafs played like beleafers out there against New York when he started in front of the twine. An injury that forced his removal, oddly, seemed to overshadow the fact that he'd played well, and so had Toronto. A nice six-goal explosion helps, too!
And then a nice OT win, which Reimer almost lost with a delay of game penalty late. Granted, he lost to Detroit. But when Bernier struggled again, against Boston, Carlyle was forced to admit the situation was far from okay. And then, he was forced to admit that Reimer was a little better than okay! Joking aside, somehow, Reimer seems right at home here in Toronto, doesn't he? They throw you under the carpet, then reach over to dust the floor, and notice there's some hidden treasure underneath.
That came in the form of a great win over Chicago. Reimer, what can I say? To say he stole the game, no, that's not enough. It was one of those games. The games that, even if you really believe in Toronto, a loss had to seem the most likely scenario for this team. Toronto hung on well for two. Game tied, Leafs take the lead in the third. Of course, here's where Chicago takes off. Alas, here's where Reimer stole it! Outshot 23-7, Toronto looked like a bunch of minor league rejects in the third. Reimer, though, looked like the reincarnation of Curtis Joseph with his sprawling, last minute grasp. Everyone was looking at the stubborn red light. What, there just had to be a malfunction. That would explain it all!
Out off all that, the Leafs held on to win somehow. Reimer, allowed those two goals on powerplay. Hmmm, I blame not the goalie, but rather the infractions on those two.
So, of course, that just added fuel to the fire. The fire of "Who's In Goal?" That, has gained in recent weeks as the most famous routine since Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First?" The Leafs headed out west to take on Arizona (or Phoneix, if you haven't started watching hockey this year) and Colorado. Bernier looked primed to start against the 'Yotes, but Carlyle decided against it. Reimer played. The Leafs started slow, Reimer gave up some early ones. And he got better as the game went on. Toronto, however, could not pull this thing off, ending up 3-2. Carlyle did the right thing after, placing the blame on the Leafs slow start. Obvious, but it had to be addressed.
And that problem carried over to the next game. A slow start, a rebound, and a 3-2 lead by the opposition, The Leafs pulled Jonathan for the extra attacker late and tied it. Then they survived an OT which featured a lot of three on three action due to some offsetting minors and other extracurricular activity. Toronto survived that, but Bernier went 0-3 in the shootout!
Now, Carlyle gave Bernier another chance at redemption against the Rangers. It was a narrow 5-4 win this time. Leafs played better, but seemed to be in a mode of not holding on to leads and letting New York back in it. They managed to pull it out in overtime, which was good. Bernier played better than the four goals allowed, but what about Ottawa on Sunday?
It was back to Reimer.
Again, the Leafs played a game of too-close-for-comfort. They came out on top 5-3. But the next game would be a real test. It was against Boston.
Toronto stormed out, however, and surged ahead with four second period goals to Boston's one. That turned a 1-0 lead into a 5-1 lead. The Bruins might have had ideas of a comeback (as if they haven't before, right?) but a sixth Toronto goal stopped that. Bernier didn't have too busy a night. He faced only 26 shots and turned away all but one.
The win is one to ponder for Toronto. They controlled the action against one of the league's better teams. Bernier had a rare easy night, by this team's standards. Phil Kessel and his mates had a strong game at both ends as Toronto was three for four on the powerplay and killed off all of Boston's powerplays. This has been Toronto's real problem this season.
Funny, though, look what happens with a better effort up front? And hey, did you see Reimer and Kessel smiling on the bench? Kessel didn't get the hattrick. Reimer didn't get the start. But when things are clicking, it's all smiles, right?
Bernier's numbers are a little off from last year. His save percentage was .917 this year compared to .923 and .922 the two previous years. Most expect him to come around. At least those numbers. Amazingly enough, for all his greatness last year, his goals-against average was 2.68. This year, it's actually also down, to 2.57. But that's what you wanted to see, right?
Reimer, remember, got off to a hot start last year, then lost his confidence. But, being such a high-class individual, he handled it well. His decision to withdraw his trade request looks to have paid dividens for Toronto. Right now, his save percentage of .925 is higher than in any previous season. I actually expect him to get a lot of playing time with those numbers. Reimer has a higher GAA than Bernier, but his W-L-T record is 4-2-0 and Bernier's is 5-3-2. So it's pretty even.
The real controversial issue here is the men in front of these two goalies. Sometimes, it's easy to have confidence when you know you are going to play. Even there, though, do you want to face such an onslaught. The Leafs have some great offence, truth be told. But Toronto has problems on defence, and Carlyle has some difficult decisions to make in regards to his 'tenders. For instance, he started Bernier against Pittsburgh earlier this season, instead of Reimer, who has a far better record. The Leafs next game, coincidentally, is against the Pens. The Leafs will need all the offence and defence they can muster. And in goal you have to expect another 30 + shots. Always amazes me that Bernier and Reimer go in net, knowing what they are up against. If the Leafs could fix that problem, then we wouldn't be here talking about goaltending. At least, not as much.
References
“Official Site of the National Hockey League” NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <https://www.nhl.com>.
Langlois, Michael. Vintage Leaf Memories - Michael Langlois, Blogger. Web. 13 Nov. 2014, http://www.vintageleafmemories.com/.
I thought I saw this all last year. Did you? You nod in agreement. Okay. Randy Carlyle said it was okay. Is is okay if I vent my two cents? This is my blog and Carlyle says it's okay! Alright!
James Reimer. Hey, didn't he start last year pretty well? Yes. How about this year? More of the same, says I. Can he sustain it? Well, that has yet to be determined. Oh yeah, get to, "The Other Guy!" Last year, it was Reimer.
This year, it's Jonathan Bernier. So he starts the season in goal. Carey Price shows him what a real number one goalie should be like in the season opener. In the next game against Pittsburgh, Bernier gets left out to dry and gives it his all. But of the 41 shots against, he can only stop 36. Uh-oh. Everything was settled, set in stone and right for the season. Time for plan "B". Goalie" B". Or is it now goalie "A"? See, this is how and why this thing is so confusing and engaging. Oh, and also because it's Toronto, you see. I sense a cure for 1967 coming here. Really!
Well, maybe not, but Optimus Reimer sure has Leaf Nation believing. And for good reason. The Leafs played like beleafers out there against New York when he started in front of the twine. An injury that forced his removal, oddly, seemed to overshadow the fact that he'd played well, and so had Toronto. A nice six-goal explosion helps, too!
And then a nice OT win, which Reimer almost lost with a delay of game penalty late. Granted, he lost to Detroit. But when Bernier struggled again, against Boston, Carlyle was forced to admit the situation was far from okay. And then, he was forced to admit that Reimer was a little better than okay! Joking aside, somehow, Reimer seems right at home here in Toronto, doesn't he? They throw you under the carpet, then reach over to dust the floor, and notice there's some hidden treasure underneath.
That came in the form of a great win over Chicago. Reimer, what can I say? To say he stole the game, no, that's not enough. It was one of those games. The games that, even if you really believe in Toronto, a loss had to seem the most likely scenario for this team. Toronto hung on well for two. Game tied, Leafs take the lead in the third. Of course, here's where Chicago takes off. Alas, here's where Reimer stole it! Outshot 23-7, Toronto looked like a bunch of minor league rejects in the third. Reimer, though, looked like the reincarnation of Curtis Joseph with his sprawling, last minute grasp. Everyone was looking at the stubborn red light. What, there just had to be a malfunction. That would explain it all!
Out off all that, the Leafs held on to win somehow. Reimer, allowed those two goals on powerplay. Hmmm, I blame not the goalie, but rather the infractions on those two.
So, of course, that just added fuel to the fire. The fire of "Who's In Goal?" That, has gained in recent weeks as the most famous routine since Abbott and Costello's "Who's On First?" The Leafs headed out west to take on Arizona (or Phoneix, if you haven't started watching hockey this year) and Colorado. Bernier looked primed to start against the 'Yotes, but Carlyle decided against it. Reimer played. The Leafs started slow, Reimer gave up some early ones. And he got better as the game went on. Toronto, however, could not pull this thing off, ending up 3-2. Carlyle did the right thing after, placing the blame on the Leafs slow start. Obvious, but it had to be addressed.
And that problem carried over to the next game. A slow start, a rebound, and a 3-2 lead by the opposition, The Leafs pulled Jonathan for the extra attacker late and tied it. Then they survived an OT which featured a lot of three on three action due to some offsetting minors and other extracurricular activity. Toronto survived that, but Bernier went 0-3 in the shootout!
Now, Carlyle gave Bernier another chance at redemption against the Rangers. It was a narrow 5-4 win this time. Leafs played better, but seemed to be in a mode of not holding on to leads and letting New York back in it. They managed to pull it out in overtime, which was good. Bernier played better than the four goals allowed, but what about Ottawa on Sunday?
It was back to Reimer.
Again, the Leafs played a game of too-close-for-comfort. They came out on top 5-3. But the next game would be a real test. It was against Boston.
Toronto stormed out, however, and surged ahead with four second period goals to Boston's one. That turned a 1-0 lead into a 5-1 lead. The Bruins might have had ideas of a comeback (as if they haven't before, right?) but a sixth Toronto goal stopped that. Bernier didn't have too busy a night. He faced only 26 shots and turned away all but one.
The win is one to ponder for Toronto. They controlled the action against one of the league's better teams. Bernier had a rare easy night, by this team's standards. Phil Kessel and his mates had a strong game at both ends as Toronto was three for four on the powerplay and killed off all of Boston's powerplays. This has been Toronto's real problem this season.
Funny, though, look what happens with a better effort up front? And hey, did you see Reimer and Kessel smiling on the bench? Kessel didn't get the hattrick. Reimer didn't get the start. But when things are clicking, it's all smiles, right?
Bernier's numbers are a little off from last year. His save percentage was .917 this year compared to .923 and .922 the two previous years. Most expect him to come around. At least those numbers. Amazingly enough, for all his greatness last year, his goals-against average was 2.68. This year, it's actually also down, to 2.57. But that's what you wanted to see, right?
Reimer, remember, got off to a hot start last year, then lost his confidence. But, being such a high-class individual, he handled it well. His decision to withdraw his trade request looks to have paid dividens for Toronto. Right now, his save percentage of .925 is higher than in any previous season. I actually expect him to get a lot of playing time with those numbers. Reimer has a higher GAA than Bernier, but his W-L-T record is 4-2-0 and Bernier's is 5-3-2. So it's pretty even.
The real controversial issue here is the men in front of these two goalies. Sometimes, it's easy to have confidence when you know you are going to play. Even there, though, do you want to face such an onslaught. The Leafs have some great offence, truth be told. But Toronto has problems on defence, and Carlyle has some difficult decisions to make in regards to his 'tenders. For instance, he started Bernier against Pittsburgh earlier this season, instead of Reimer, who has a far better record. The Leafs next game, coincidentally, is against the Pens. The Leafs will need all the offence and defence they can muster. And in goal you have to expect another 30 + shots. Always amazes me that Bernier and Reimer go in net, knowing what they are up against. If the Leafs could fix that problem, then we wouldn't be here talking about goaltending. At least, not as much.
References
“Official Site of the National Hockey League” NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 13 Nov. 2014. <https://www.nhl.com>.
Langlois, Michael. Vintage Leaf Memories - Michael Langlois, Blogger. Web. 13 Nov. 2014, http://www.vintageleafmemories.com/.
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