GDT: #65 – Lightning at Sabres – Sat Mar 4, 7:00PM ET – MSG-B

[Not Sure]

I'm no goaltending expert, but I feel like Lehner starts shootouts super deep in his net. Shouldn't he be at the top of the paint to cut off the angle of the shot, and then back into the net as the player approaches to defend the deke? The first shootout goal was just a regular shot from pretty far out.

Lehner is a mess in shootouts in general. It may be the team coaching him to be less aggressive in 1 v 1 situations, it may be pressure getting to him, it may just be he has psyched himself out so badly no ammount of coaching or ice in his veins will get him out of his own head. He needs to make a big save in a shootout, he needs his confidence back, and yes he needs goal support, but until he can make at least a weak save he's just going to bring himself lower and lower.

We've seen his emotions run high. Now I don't know if he's the blame everyone else type, or the be super critical of himself type, but he needs to push the previous 65 minutes out of his head going into the shootout and just play. He's a good goalie, he's just very bad in certain situations, and the stupidity of the NHL not wanting ties or a 3 point system for parity makes the part of the games he's the worst at worth as much as all the rest of the game combined. I guess we just have to wait and see how he responds.

 

[Vito_81]

I dont know what's worse. The lack of finish from Buffalo shootout attemtps or the lack of saves from Lehner.

They have got to be the worst team in shootout history in terms of failed attempts for and coverted attempts against.

 

[Not Sure]

RoR and Kane spent half the 3rd period playing Harlem globetrotters against a tired Tampa Bay team and they got 0 goals to show for it. Eichel after having a great first two periods didn't do do anything in the 3rd until the last 2 minutes. Lehner makes save after save on Johnson and Drouin because our defensemen are apparently too tall to see them. But this loss is on Lehner.

Lehner got them there, no doubt the team takes plenty of blame for losses, but if he can't save a single shot in the shootout he doesn't get a free pass because he played well before. This isn't a one off occurrence, he hasn't been able to stop a shootout attempt all year, you don't think that isn't on the mind of the guys shooting when they come on the ice? You don't think after Reinhart misses and Lehner let's in a wrister that Eichel isn't thinking the game is on his stick right that second? Lehner is a good game goalie and a bad shootout goalie, until he can stop a single shootout attempt there is nothing anyone else on this team can do to win a game once it reaches the shootout.

 

[krt88]

God Lehner just sucks in shootouts! He can't stop anything.

 

[pigpen65]

Its not like we score in the shootouts either though.

The 3rd shooter would be 100%, and you can't prove me wrong because with Lehner we still haven't seen a 3rd shooter yet.

 

[Dirty Dog]

No he kept them in it for sure, but he definitely lost it for them once they got into the shootout, and everyone knew this would play out exactly as it did. Why do you think Kane was flipping out about blowing that puck dead when they could of had a breakaway the other way. No one on this team wants it to get to a shootout, especially Lehner. At this point he's in his own head, if I'm on the other team as soon as it starts getting close I'm chirping him about how I can't wait to make it 7 and 8 shots without a save.

Yes, Kane flipping out was because of your agenda...

 

[Not Sure]

Yes, Kane flipping out was because of your agenda...

What agenda would that be? I was joking about the Kane thing, but if you don't think this team is worried about what happens in shootouts you aren't paying attention. You can see it in their body language and the way Lehner and the shooters almost look defeated before the first attempt. Shooters look afraid to try anything because they know they have to score, and as someone else mentioned Lehner's positioning in the shootout is completely different then from his in game positioning. They've got it in their heads and the only way to shake it will be by winning one of them.

It's a totally different team once the skills competition starts, and maybe the mood in the building has something to do with it, but I know when Miller was in net, yes I know that was a long time ago with different players and coaches, but when he was going into a shootout it was exciting and the team would play possession hockey in OT trying to get to the shootout. This team almost gets too reckless in OT not wanting it to get to that point.