Anderson And Stalock: Why They Need To Play More!

There are two goalies in the National Hockey League that need more playing time right now. For different reasons.

One is on a team that has wandered out of the wilderness and looking for it's first playoff berth in more than a decade. The other is for a team that was once dominant, but is now rebuilding.

One is at the end of his career. The other is about in the middle of it.

One has a whole lot of experience. The other would cherish that, if given an opportunity.

Craig Anderson is the type of goalie who has seen peaks and valleys during his career. It's not necessarily his play, but rather the men in front of him. Their play has not always been up to par. But he's helping guide the Buffalo Sabers back to respectability.

Alex Stalock is the classic example of a goalie who has never quite found a home (Think Gary "Suitcase" Smith). It all started for him in San Jose a while back. Here Alex was, playing just a single National Hockey League game in 2010/11, but having at least some satisfaction that he made the big leagues.

It wasn't exactly what Stalock had hoped. The game was really a half game. The rookie played 29 minutes and 47 seconds for the San Jose Sharks on February 11th. The native of St. Paul, Minnesota would more than hold his own for the Sharks that night. The Minnesota Wild threw nine shots at him. The Wild had a 3-0 lead when the new goalie took over from Antti Niemi. From there, San Jose scored five goals, and Stalock had a most unexpected win, Elroy Face style, in his first NHL game.

So most of the season, 61 games, was spent at Worcester, San Jose's AHL team. Sure, the kid needed some playing time, but Alex would soon finding himself needing some National Hockey League action. But Stalock would see none of that in 2011/12, and only two NHL games in the strike-shortened 12/13 season.

Patience paid off, as he had an excellent rookie season in 2013/14. 1.87 goals-against average, .932 save percentage. A 12-5-2 record. The big problems was, Alex Stalock was merely a back-up netminder. He'd play 24 games that year, and another 22 the next. His performance dropped a bit, and that certainly didn't help.

The Sharks traded the kid to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a deal that brought San Jose James Reimer. Reimer, by the way, was one of my favourites, and I was sad to see him go. But, looking back, I feel bad for Alex Stalock, too. He would not play a single NHL game for Toronto.

So it was on to Minnesota as a free agent for Stalock. There, things seemed to improve. He even appeared in a career-best 38 games in 2019/20. Alex won 20 games that season.

Now, you'd think Stalock was set to stay with the Wild. Instead it would be back to San Jose after a stop in Edmonton which saw the goalie play not a single NHL game. Were things better the second time around for Stalock? Alex played one game in 2021/22. It was tough, as the goaltender was suffering from myocarditis during 20/21. It seemed like hockey life wasn't offering him enough action.

The Chicago Blackhawks might have been the last place Alex wanted to go to. They'd fallen a long way by the time Stalock signed with them for 2022/23. But the 22/23 season has been a lot better than you would have figured. 

There was a concussion. There was oculomotor dysfunction. Alex missed several games between those two issues. But the goalie, who turned 35 years old on July 28th of 2022, turned each of those into temporary setbacks. The team in front of him was not good, but he persevered. 

A December 23rd win capped of a strong streak, dating back to October 21st, that Chicago's new goalie went 4-1-1 with a credible .905 save percentage. The tough time were inevitable for a team that looked to unload the contracts of their two big guns (Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews), and soon the poor newcomer to the Blackhawks to the patience test. 

On the last day of February, a 4-1 loss to Arizona officially dropped Alex Stalock's season record under .500 (6-7-1). However, earlier this year, Alex shutout the Coyotes. And just the other day (March 6th), Stalock was awesome, stopping all 35 shots against in a 5-0 win over the surging Ottawa Senators.

The magic appeared to carry over to last Wednesday's game. It's a bit of a tough time in Chicago. Sure, they'd won five in a row from February 17th to 25th. Reality was, the Blackhawks were still only 21-32-5 despite their recent hot streak. Patrick Kane was going all out for Chicago, as he and Jonathan Toews were in their final year of their contracts. Toews, suffering from illness that Covid is a part of, has not played since January 28th, was on hot streak, with eight points in his last ten games. Chicago did not trade him at the deadline, but dealt Kane to the New York Rangers, and that sort of marked the end of an era.

With that said, it's not like having Toews around again, even just until the end of the season, wouldn't give the team a lift. He's one of the last links to the glory days of the Blackhawks, with Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015. This is probably the toughest stretches of the season for Chicago, who has endured not one, but two eight-game losing streaks in 2022/23.

So it was up to the kids to respond. The game against Detroit appeared to be a good one for Chicago, as they took an early 2-0 lead on a pair of goals by Taylor Raddysh. Reality set in, and Detroit roared back to win, 4-3.

A tough loss for this young Blackhawks team. But their 35-year old goalie Alex Stalock had performed admirably. 41 shots against, 37 saves. And a close look at Alex's record to date bears that this was typical of him all year. His save percentage is now an excellent .920, fifth in the National Hockey League among goalies who have appeared in fifteen or more games. The loss dropped his record to 7-8-1, but it's been quite a season for this veteran.

Who knows what will happen to Alex at the end of the season. A kid, Jaxon Stauber, who's father Robb played in the NHL, opened some eyes by going 5-1-0 in a short stint with the Blackhawks this season. Petr Mrazek is signed through 2023/24, but has really struggled. Stalock was only signed for a one-year deal. Mrazek has been having his problems in the Chicago net.

In order to qualify for for the save percantage title, a goalie must play at least 26 games (In an 82-game season). That's the other thing: Shouldn't Chicago make the kind jester to allow one of their better players to possibly lead the league in a positive stat?

Alex has been one of Chicago's lone bright spot, and given his vagabond-like career, it would be nice to see it end the right way in the Windy City. Obviously, the chance to draft a player like Connor Bedard is good a prospect to pass up, but with a guy like Jonathan Toews winding down his Chicago career, it would be nice to see the Blackhawks putting out their best team on the ice.

Craig Anderson is 41, with his next birthday looming in May. Unlike Stalock, Anderson has seen it all. His own NHL career started way back in 2002/03. Back when scoring was low, and with Alex Stalock's current team.

Anderson didn't really impress with the Blackhawks, but that was alright. The native of Park Ridge, Illinois was a classic case of a late bloomer. His next stop was in Florida, where he flourished. It seemed to all come together in Colorado in 2009/10, as Craig made 71 appearances, winning 38.

Though the Avalanche lost in the first round of the playoffs, Anderson impressed there, too. His .933 save percentage was tops among goalies in the postseason. It was no fluke.

Craig went on to Ottawa, where he'd some good and some bad teams. Anderson seemed to be the one constant good player on the team who would bring it every night. Never was that more evident than in the 2017 postseason. It had been a tough year for him. His wife Nicholle had battled throat cancer that season, and Craig was there at her side. When he returned to the Senators, he was ever the goalie, taking them to within a goal of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Anderson's time in Ottawa ended after the 2019/20 season. Washington signed him the next season, but really didn't seem to think he could help. In limited time (Four appearances), Craig went 2-1 with a .915 save percentage. He also made two playoff appearances against Boston, his first postseason in four years. Anderson's save percentage in those two games was .929. Did he still have it? Or was it time, now around 40, to call it?

Well, Buffalo had been a team that had struggled for so long. There had been Craig Anderson in 2012/13, 12-9-2, league-leading .941 save percentage and 1.69 goals-against average. Craig was helping Ottawa that season, but not Buffalo, who limped home to a 21-21-6. It would be their last .500 season to date.

The 21/22 team was seemingly going nowhere when they signed Craig Anderson. Could the old man get through the season? He sure did. And though Buffalo only won 32 games in 2021/22, Craig had made a big difference. The Sabres were 15-34-7 in 2020/21, so this was a huge improvement, 32-39-11. Anderson wasn't quite the goalie he'd used to be, as his save percentage was below .900 (.897) and his goals-against average was above three, (3.12), but his record was very good. 17-12-2. Put in perspective, backup goalie Dustin Tokarski was 10-12-5, with a .899 save percentage and 3.27 GAA. Craig found ways to win games that Dustin could not. The team had to scrape and claw their way to victories most nights, as Buffalo was only 22nd in goals for (232) and allowed 290 goals against (Only seven teams allowed more)

But Craig basically said, in regards to his solid 2021/22 season, "If you think that's good, wait until you see what's next!" Next, as in "Next season." It's been one of those years where many things have come together for Buffalo. Tage Thompson, who is from Phoenix, Arizona, seems poised to top the 50 goal, 100 point mark. His previous high in goals was 38. Then, there was defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. He'd had a pretty good season for the Sabers in 2021/22, with 13 goals and 40 assists in 80 games. But now, just a year later, and in only 60 games, Rasmus already has 63 points.

Buffalo has been an offence juggernaut this year. But in order to win games, you need goaltending. That's where Craig Anderson comes into play.

He's just 9-9-2. But the big numbers are back to vintage Anderson: .918 save percentage and 2.78 goals-against average (Those numbers would unquestionably be better if Buffalo wasn't such a young team)

And it's paying dividends for the Sabers. Their other goalies are too young and inexperienced to carry a budding team. At least to take in the bulk of the work. The Sabres have actually employed three primary netminders, with Craig Anderson sometimes the forgotten man. 

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is in just his third season in the National Hockey League. His win-loss record is pretty much what you'd expect from a newbie on a poor team. 1-3-0 in 2020/21. 2-5-2 in 21/22 despite a fine .917 save percentage and 2.74 goals-against average.

This year has been a bit of a struggle for Luukkonen. Though he's the big winner on the Sabres with fifteen W's (So far), his save percentage (.893) and GAA (3.61) have not been up to par prior to Saturday's game against the New York Rangers. The 15-10-2 record is not complimented his overall numbers. Having said that, Ukko-Pekka gave a pretty good performance in a 2-1 overtime loss against New York two days ago.

The Sabres third goalie is Eric Comrie, who has had quite an NHL adventure. Not too far off Alex Stalock's. Two tour of duties with the Winnipeg Jets. Stops in Detroit and New Jersey. Here, in Buffalo, it's been tough. Despite an 8-9-0 record, Eric might not be NHL-ready just yet. His S% is only .877 and his GAA is 3.87. And Comrie has battled injuries.

First, there was a lower body injury in November. And just recently, after being pummeled for ten goals on forty-nine shots against Dallas on Friday (March 9th), there was another injury, again to the lower body. He is listed as week-to-week.

So this opens the door for Craig Anderson. The Sabres are in a bit of a slump, currently sitting at sixth place in their division. Now, it all depends how you look at it. They are but four points back of the Florida Panthers, but Buffalo has two games in hand. They trail the fifth-place Ottawa Senators by just a point (70-69), but with a game in hand.

Getting to fourth place would be an amazing accomplishment for the Sabres, however that does not guarantee them a playoff spot. Spots seventh and eighth (The two wild-card positions) in the Eastern Conference are currently occupied by Pittsburgh and the New York Islanders. The Pens appear to have things in order, 34-22-10, having gone 7-2-1 in their last ten contests. That's put Pittsburgh up to 78 points in 66 games. Very unlikely that Buffalo can catch them.

The New York Islanders are a different matter. They have 76 points, but have played three more games than the Buffalo Sabres (68-65). So there is still a chance for Buffalo to catch them. The Sabres need to start winning, as the Islanders, too, are heating up (6-3-1 in their last 10 contests, compared to the Sabres 4-5-1 in that span).

With Comrie out, Craig Anderson steps back into the picture. He's been here before. Think back to 2014/15, when he was the forgotten man when Andre Hammond came up from the minors, and guided Ottawa to the playoff spot. But that's where things got tough. Anderson returned in the playoffs, going 2-2 to go along with a .972 save percentage and a 0.97 goals-against average. The Senators sort of just sneaked in the playoffs in 2015, which is what the Sabres are trying to do eight years later.

Eric Comrie's injury opens the door for Craig Anderson. As you can see, there are Craig's numbers, and then there are every other goalie for Buffalo's numbers. Two vastly different levels. And then there is Anderson's playoff numbers (24 wins, 23 losses, .929 save percentage, 2.36 goals-against average). Who'd you rather have in there come late March on?

If the Sabres are to sneak into the playoffs, they will need goaltending down the stretch (Sixteen games) to get there. Buffalo has it on offence, as their team has lit the red lamp 238 times this year (Good enough for third overall in goals for). I dread, for other NHL teams' sake, to think what this mostly-young Sabres team will be like to play against in a few seasons. 

Getting back to Anderson, it's still up in the air if he wants to continue after this season. In an interview with Elliote Friedman that he is leaning towards retirement after this season, feeling the lure of spending more time with his children. But that was back in November. From his first December appearance in 2022 to his narrow 3-2 loss to Edmonton in Craig's last game (March 6th), it's been great for Anderson. 6-6-2, an amazing 40-save shutout performance included. Another game more recently where Craig stopped 49 out of 50 Florida shots. So in the last sixteen games, all he's done is record a .921 save percentage and a 2.75 goals-against average. Craig has lost some close games, too. Which is what you'd expect if you are on a young team that is still learning about the finer points of defence. 

Craig could choose to go the Johnny Bower route in hockey. Bower continued to excel well past his 40th birthday. The Leafs' old warhorse of the 1960s continued to be one of the best goalies in the National Hockey League past the big 4-0, lasting six more seasons. Anderson will take on Bower's old team tonight. Buffalo is a little short on goalie talent right now, and Craig not only clearly the best goalie on the Sabres, but the most consistent one. 



References


“Alex Stalock Contract, Cap Hit, Salary and Stats.” Cap Friendly, CapFriendly.com, https://www.capfriendly.com/players/alex-stalock. 13 Mar. 2023.


CBSSports.com, Columbia Broadcasting System, https://www.cbssports.com/. 13 Mar. 2023.


Hoppe, Bill. “Goalie Eric Comrie Injured Again in Rough First Season with Sabres.” Buffalo Hockey Beat, Olean Times Herald, 13 Mar. 2023, https://www.buffalohockeybeat.com/goalie-eric-comrie-injured-again-in-rough-first-season-with-sabres/. 13 Mar. 2023.


Lazerus, Mark. “Five Blackhawks Thoughts, from Pride Night to Jonathan Toews’ Pending Return.” The Athletic, The Athletic Media Company, https://theathletic.com/4290143/2023/03/08/blackhawks-loss-red-wings-pride-jonathan-toews/. 13 Mar. 2023.


NHL.com. “Official Site of the National Hockey League.” NHL.com, The National Hockey League, https://www.nhl.com/. 13 Mar. 2023.


Roumeliotis, Charlie. “When Healthy, Stalock Has Been One of Best Goalies This Season.” NBC Sports, National Broadcast Company , 7 Mar. 2023, https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/blackhawks/ when-healthy-alex-stalock-has-been-one-nhls-best-goaltenders-season. 13 Mar. 2023.


Smith, Connor. “Blackhawks Would Be Wise to Extend Alex Stalock.” The Hockey Writers, The Hockey Writers, 10 Mar. 2023, https://thehockeywriters.com/blackhawks-alex-stalock-extension-wise-decision/. 13 Mar. 2023.


Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. https://www.hockey-reference.com/. 13 Mar. 2023.


Sportsnet, "32 Thoughts: Craig Anderson Reflects On Career Path, If He'll Be Back Next Season & More." YouTube, 23 Nov. 2022, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NwQLPYRyzo. 13 Mar. 2023.


Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/. 13 Mar. 2023.

Sure Could Have Fooled Me

Brayden Hotby didn't have a single shutout in the regular season in 2017/18. I guess he was saving those for when his team, the Washington Capitals, needed them most.

It was, for all intents and purposes, an off-season by Brayden's standards. Making what happened in the postseason all the more remarkable.

For all of his accomplishments, Holtby was very normal in the regular season. For starters, he played just 54 games (Backup Philipp Grubauer got into 35), posted a GAA of a 2.99 and a S% of only .907. No shutouts of course.

Now let's pause to consider Grubauer's #'s from this past season: Not only did he get, THREE shutouts, but also had FAR better GAA and S%! Would Holtby lose his job?

Philipp went only 15-10-3 in 28 starts, but that doesn't tell the story how effective he was. His GAA was just 2.35, good enough for 6th in the league. How about his .923 S%? It was just outside the top 10. But, within .010 of Carter Hutton's league-leading .931.

But what about what happened in the playoffs?

Well, the Washington Captials DID go with Grubauer. For two games. He was up against the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Washington to lose his first two starts at home, both in OT. But before he could even pick up a decision in game two, the Capitals went back to Holtby. And while he lost game two, he won his next four games as the Caps climbed off the canvas.

The second round series saw Washington face their nemesis Pittsburgh. Washington again had the home-ice advantage and this time, they had the Pens! After the smoke had cleared, the Capitals were heading to the conference finals with a six-game triumph over the two-time defending champions.

Well, Washington's luck seemed to have run out. Up against Tampa, Holtby slammed the door. 2 goals allowed in game 1. 2 goals allowed in game 2. And Washington was up 2-0 going home. Then, a groan as the Lighting proceeded to win the next three games.

Holtby made sure Washington didn't lose another game in the conference finals.

Picking a fine time to get his first shutout, it was Braden Holtby posting a 3-0 shutout in a do-or-die game six at home.



They still needed game seven on the road, of course. And Holtby picked up his second (straight) shutout of the postseason with a 4-0, series-clinching victory. Braden turned aside all 29 shots he faced.



So far in the Stanley Cup Finals, Holtby doesn't have a shutout. In fact, the Vegas Golden Knights got five past him in game one. Washington needed game two before returning home for the third and fourth contest. Again, no shutout. But a 3-2 win. Series tied. Back home, Holtby came close to a third shutout with a 3-1 win. I'm sure he's fine with that.


But who knows. The Stanley Cup is far from in the bag. Game five is in Las Vegas. But before that, there's the matter of game four, the crucial contest. I believe that Vegas will win game five, but if Washington can win game four at home it will put the Caps up 3-1.

The Capitals are still looking for that first Stanley Cup, having entered the NHL way back in 1974/75. The game two win in Vegas was the first game they'd ever won in the Stanley Cup Finals. Game three was the first game they've ever won at home in the Stanley Cup Finals. Twenty years ago, Washington was swept by Detroit in the finals. They've come a long way since with Alexander Ovechkin. If you can believe it, he's turning 33 in September.

No doubt, though, the key man is defending the crease for Washington. Will Holtby need a shutout in the finals? He very well could. The Capitals are, needless to say, in uncharted waters. Maybe they'll break down defensively. Maybe the offence will dry up. But, whose the guy that can "steal" you games, and not just in the playoffs? The goalie, of course. I'm sure Holtby won't mind getting a tough two more shutouts this postseason, knowing what that will me to him and the franchise!


References


“Official Site Of The National Hockey League.” NHL.com, National Hockey League. Web. 3 Jun. 2018, <www.nhl.com/>.

Sports Reference LLC.Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 03 Jun. 2018.

Youtube. Web. 03 Jun. 2018. <https://www.youtube.com/>.

Luongo and Fleury: Why I Think They Might Have A Problem Getting #1 Back!

By all accounts, Roberto Luongo and Marc Andre-Fleury have had great careers. Both seem to have a shot at the Hall Of Fame (Fleury has won 3 Stanley Cups, Luongo has been on 3 international championship teams), as both are closing in / past the 400 win mark. Luongo also has 74 shutouts, just two less than Tony Esposito. Not bad company.

So the 2017/18 season started out with each as THE man in the crease. Fleury seemed a lock for sure, as his Las Vegas Golden Knights were an expansion team and there was no one else around with the chance to take him off the #1 charts.

But then injuries struck him, and later, Luongo.

Fleury held the fort for 4 games, as him numbers were good: 3-1-0, 2.48, .925! Hey, job's his right? Not quite. A bad concussion that he has yet to return from in a loss to Detroit October 13th game, has allowed others to step in.

As I mentioned before, Vegas has used 5 goalies (So far) this season. But none were in Fleury's class. But then PK Subban's brother Malcolm, with all of 2 NHL experience with the Bruins, found his way into the crease, and wonders never ceased.

In 9 games (1 no-decision), Subban is 6-2-0, with a 2.27 GAA and .923 S%. Maybe it's all a fluke, but the guy has yet to come down to earth. Is Fleury's job in trouble. According to Hockey-Reference, it's possible a return in soon, but he'll have to battle it out with the kid for his spot. At this point, some of the fluke part of Las Vegas' surprising start is starting to wear off. The team is currently (Dec 8, 2017) 17-9-1, good enough for 2nd place in the competitive Pacific. Why not try to make the playoffs? With this kind of goaltending depth, the team is likely to alter Fleury and Subban since Malcolm has proven he belongs in there. Oscar Dansk, the other hot goalie, is down with an injury, too, but went 3-0-0 with a shutout for good measure. Gotta wonder if he is in the equation for this season.

Luongo was cruising and James Reimer was doing some winning and losing in the Florida Panthers' crease this year. Reimer won his 5th game last night, 6-4. Okay, not his best performance, but where is Roberto? Luongo (6-6-0) has been hurt and expected to be on the shelve for anywhere from two to five weeks.

James Reimer took it all in Toronto, and loved playing their. Okay, he's not the most talented goalie in the world, fine. But he always gives you 100%. He'll battle it out right down to the final buzzar. Certainly, he is still young, just 29 (Compared to Luongo, who is 38), but nonetheless, burst on to the scene way back in 2009/10. His experience in Toronto no doubt prepares him for the "Must win every game," expectations, but forget about that, he's coming into his own: 40-36-15, 2.60, .916) in the last two seasons plus 2017/18 (98 games). I think this is the type of situation where he'll really want to show you what he's made of. In his last half-season in Toronto, he wanted it. Same thing in his first. Why would this time be any different? With Luongo's age a factor, and a determined 1B goalie, Roberto might be fighting for that #1 position for the rest of the season when he returns. Don't be surprised if he's riding the pines half the time should Florida be in playoff contention. Reimer, don't forget, played in 43 games last year, more than half the season.

References

"Official Site of the National Hockey League” | NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 8 Dec. 2017. <https://www.nhl.com>

NHL.com. “Rotoworld - Fantasy Baseball, Basketball, Football, Baseball and Hockey. Draft Guide, News, Projections, Cheatsheets, Depth Charts And More.” Team News - Rotoworld.Com. Web. NBC Sports, 8 Dec. 2017, <;www.rotoworld.com/teams/nhl/vgk/vegas-golden-knights>

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. Web. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 8 Dec. 2017.

Why The Canucks Keeping Luongo Is Actually A Good Thing!

I think that the Canucks keeping Luongo makes sense.

There, you read it.

The thing is, while the Canucks have played well, Vancouver is looking at an uphill climb from now until the playoffs. See, here are the standings:

1)      ‘Hawks:  62 points, 10 games left

2)      Ducks: 57 points, 9 games left

3)      ‘Nucks: 48 points, 10 games left

4)      Kings: 48 points, 9 games left

5)      Sharks: 47 points, 10 games left

6)      Wild: 46 points, 10 games left

7)      Blues: 44 points, 11 games left

8)      Red Wings: 43 points, 9 games left

9)      ‘Yotes 40 points, 10 games left

10)   Stars: 39 points, 10 games left

11)   Oilers: 39 points, 10 games left

12)   Blue Jackets, 39 points, 9 games left

13)   Predators, 38 points, 8 games left

So the ‘Nucks are a long (or a “Luong”) way from clinching the playoffs with things still tight. Worse still, Minny, as noted, are just 2 points back, meaning the Canucks could still slide to 7^th place if the Wild knock them out of first. I don’t think facing Anaheim or Chicago in the first round is a good idea, do you?

The thing about goaltending, is, mentally, it’s the hardest position in sports. Focus, concentration, whatever you want to call it, you need it for 60 (or more) minutes a night. Then you need even more in the playoffs, as that next goal can change the game or the Series in the opposite direction.

It’s just so much to ask one person to do it, even in the regular season. I’ve read several books on the famous 1972 Series between Canada and USSR, and one thing that struck me is how Canada used two goalies and the Soviets used one.

Now, all three goaltenders that played in that Series made the Hall Of Fame. Think of Canada’s two goalies, Ken Dryden and Tony Esposito. Dryden led the league in games played in 71/72, in addition to winning Calder Trophy for Rookie Of The Year (After winning the Conn Smythe in 1971. Wake me up when someone else does that). Esposito was 1, 2 or 3 in games played from 72/73 till 80/81. Plus he was 3^rd in 70/71 and 4^th in 69/70.

But coach Harry Sinden was adamant that the mental demands of playing goal were too much for either of them for 8 games. So it was split down the middle 4 goals each. Dryden may have struggled in his first two games, but played well in the last 2, after Canada had fallen behind 3-1-1 in the series. Tony played well, pretty much in all 4 games.

Tretiak played well, I’d say, until game 5, which the Soviets won anyway. But, you could just see it, Canada had figured him out. The Soviets stayed with him the rest of the way, and lost the final 3 games, giving Canada one of it’s all time great international hockey moments. I rank this ahead of the 1987 Canada Cup and 2010 Olympics. So should you.

Anyways, the point is, I’m not sold on Schneider being ready for the rest of a close playoff race, which could resemble one of those old pennant races in baseball (prior to the expanded playoffs of 1969). Think Brooklyn / NY 1941, Boston / New York 1949, 1978. Boston / Minnesota / Detroit / Chicago /(sort of) California) 1967. It was the team with the best pitching that won.

I have a feeling it will be the team with the better goaltending that finishes first in the Northwest.

There is also the matter of how Luongo has handled it. Oh, I should just go over to @strombone1. Despite his recent comments on his contract, I’ve really loved the way he has handled the whole thing.

(Now, I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but you have to wonder, with no deal done, did the Canucks honestly believe they could get a deal done this season, given Roberto’s contract. The signs here, are for a major offseason move. Maybe all this was just a ruse to get him to play better?)

Luongo has played well. It’s just a recent slump (1-2-0, 3.56, .868) which might have had more to do with Roberto fretting on whether he was staying or going, that brought his numbers down (7-4-3, 2.44, .904)

And come playoffs, who do the Canucks turn to if Schneider falters?


References

Morrison, Scott. The Days Canada Stood Still: Canada vs USSR 1972. Warwick Pub. Group, 1992.

Official Site of the National Hockey League | NHL.com. National Hockey League. Web. 9 April. 2013. <https://www.nhl.com>.

Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey Statistics and History. Web. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 9 April. 2014.