Warden of the North
Ned Stark's head
Just like the first Buffalo game. The goals just werent nearly as flukey.
Actually, studies on this has shown that shot amount has generally no effect, but that quite a few goaltenders perform better with a bigger workload.
Why so? High shot count correlates with more low percentage shots, and allows goaltenders to stay involved instead of standing cold.Where are those studies? That seems wildly counter intuitive. Most of these rate stats should be more difficult to maintain at a high level when the quantity is significantly higher
For me it was a combination of a few things:
1. Buffalo is better than their record shows. Eichel is going to be a star player in this league. He's been out for so many games this season. Full season healthy and the Sabres would have at least 10 more wins. He was arguably better than our golden boy last night.
2. Zaitsev is not 100%, and even at 100% should not be out there defending Eichel. Signing him long term was a mistake, and unfortunately we will be paying 4.5 million per year for a #5 defender. Ever since his injury late last season, he is afraid of contact. The fact that ROMAN POLAK was two times the defender he was last night says something.
3. With the above statement being true in my opinion, Dermott should be second pairing with Gardiner. Again, it sucks playing a 4.5 million dollar player bottom pairing with Polak, but that is what would be best for the team. Because we didn't go out and get another d-man, we will be depending on a 21 year old to come up big in these playoffs, and I hope Babs recognizes that.
4. We have too many players who think they are snipers. Way too many shots missing the net due to the fact that everyone on the team thinks they can snipe. Just put the puck on the ****in' net, and let JVR and Matthews clean up the rebounds. This, or get the puck into the slot. The amount of "skate up the wing and wrist it just past the outside post, causing the puck to ricochet off the boards and out of the zone" just kills the offence.
I'm now a bit frustrated that if we were going to keep JVR, we should have at least picked up a #3 or #4 defender with playoff experience at the deadline. A guy like Hjalmarsson would have been perfect. I think Boston is going to eat our lunch, be it in the 1st or 2nd round.
...and stay healthy please I would add.Nothing that happens from here to the playoffs will have any bearing on how I see this team. Let's just get these last games over with.....
These games are sort of meaningless. We have enough games left to ensure that we'll set a franchise record for wins.
All I want is for Freddy to get back in form and for the team to stay healthy going into the playoffs.
Buffalo is our kryptonite.
Played well enough to win but didn't, ah well. On to the next one!
It's truly fascinating how a select few in this fanbase continues to worship a career NHL backup. Interesting note about Reimer, this year he has set a career high of 43 GP, besting his 37 starts he had in his very first season as a Leaf.how did reamer get such a cult following? I don't get it, a very average goalie and people are pining for him instead of the elite #1 we have. I think its the fake nice guy act he put on, his aw shucks Manitoba lad persona which would fall away as soon as he was critiqued
Why so? High shot count correlates with more low percentage shots, and allows goaltenders to stay involved instead of standing cold.
Yes, but that's gotta stop. What if they get their **** together and we see them in the playoffs in the next couple of years? It's very possible with this divisional format.
Well for Buffalo, this was their Stanley CupThe way Eichel was celebrating you would've thought he was scoring game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff goals.