Anyone with a brain can see that we simply haven’t been good enough defensively the last couple of games, and it wouldn’t matter what second string goalie we stick in net. The results would have been the same.
Cory’s stats are not as good as they usually are for him, and Keith’s numbers are way down from his past norms. Common sense says this isn’t a coincidence, and there is a common reason for this.
The obvious answer is the team that we all figured would have a lot of issues defensively this year is, *gasp* inconsistent defensively. Who would have thought?
When the team just forgets how to play defense, this puck ends up going in our net a lot. The nights we actually we play defense, magically the puck does not seem to go in our net despite the two awful goalies we have that don’t even deserve to suit up according to some of you.
Honestly this **** is so obvious, but the mob mentality and the borderline unhealthy obsession a few posters have with two or three players makes it absolutely impossible to have honest conversations about loses around here.
Until we get consistent defensive play, we will not consistently win games. It would certainly help if the goalies could make an extra save or two, but the core issue is still the shoddy defense.
Seriously though some of you need to get over your weird need to demonize the couple of players you don’t like. Whether it be Greene, Zajac, Cory, or Keith. Just like it was Sal, JJ, or hell even Marty in his final year. It is extremely unhealthy and kind of ****ed up.
Team sport.
I've seen you make fun of the Islanders goalies, having a laugh about them in the OOT thread. Why do you think they suck, yet Kinkaid doesn't? Because he plays for your favorite team? Because right now, he's approaching Greiss-like numbers. Greiss is one of the four or five guys that have played 18 or more games that has been worse than him. Wedgewood is another. So do you really think we have the worst defense in hockey? Because if Keith isn't bad this year, I don't know how you can say there's a such thing as a bad goalie in the entire NHL. Only 4 of them that have played 18 or more games have been worse than him. He's been bad ALL year long. Cory has been since his last 8 starts or something? I would say Cory is in a rough patch more than anything, Kinkaid is just having a bad year.
Cory's stats aren't as good as they usually are for him? Well they're better than last year. And Kinkaid's are astronomically worse than last year, when they were actually better than Cory's. And I think we can agree that last year's team was worse than this year's team. The two goalies that have played significant minutes/games on this team have a large differential in personal performance this year. Perhaps one of the largest in the entire league.
Goalie is the most important position in the game and this kind of goaltending is unacceptable, no matter what team you play for. And poor play from the goalie is gonna hurt you a lot more than poor play from guys like Kalinin, Josefson, Zajac, etc. This is the kind of goaltending that causes goaltenders to wash out of the league the next season and I think that's what's gonna happen next year. I really do. I think that Shero is not happy with this goaltending from Kinkaid and already knows he won't be here next year, unless there's injuries and he's back up. I'd have to think Hynes, who for all of his faults, seems to know when goaltending is good and when it's not good, also knows it's not acceptable. Which is why he publicly critiqued his goalies (any of Cory, Appleby and Kinkaid) before the all star break and said ''Whoever is in there has gotta be better''.
Goal 2 was very soft tonight. He looked awful on it. Was it his FAULT? You can argue that it wasn't his FAULT and I'd agree. Does that automatically make it not stoppable? No.
Third goal was another poor one. Gets past him, from a weird angle, hits the post and then he makes no effort to try and get over, when he had plenty of time to do it. If the initial shot didn't hit the post from a tough angle, where he completely saw it, I wouldn't be dinging him with that goal. The commentator for the Calgary feed didn't like it either.