WeekendAtBernies
Registered User
I'm not a Bryz-lover; I agree the goalie has been medicore, but the team defense has been abysmal all season long, in addition to being 2nd in the league in powerplays allowed. More breakaways, odd man rushes, and blown coverages than I've ever seen.
But it shows how extreme you are that when Johansson is given a shot in the slot after Giroux's turnover and he buries it, that you claim that Bryzgalov's effort was somehow pathetic. Goalies around the league get beaten in that situation all the time.
I was actually quite pissed at Giroux for that turnover. But unlike Bryzgalov, Giroux played his ass of the rest of the game and got us back in it. No Giroux last night = no win. You can't say the same for Bryz.
Also, regardless of the circumstances that led to that chance, the goal was stoppable and a better goalie makes that save. Was it the easiest save in the world? No. Do those goals go in every night in the NHL against all different types of goalies (from backups, to mediocre starters, to the elites)? Yes. But do they go in against Bryz at an extraordinarily high rate compared to other guys with his cap hit? YOU BET. Bryz could have stopped that shot. The truly elite goalies stop a lot more of those 50-50 shots than Bryz does. Period. End of story.
As far as the defense goes, until you can actually prove to me that we're giving up more breakaways and more scoring chances than other teams, I will refuse to believe it, because it goes against every statistical study I've ever read on scoring chances and their relation to shots on goal (which we allow very few of). Somehow I find it hard to believe that it's all about scoring chances and breakaways, when the teams that have in all likelihood allowed the most scoring chances (the teams who've also allowed the most shots) all have goalies among the leaders in save %. Toronto, Ottawa, Buffalo, and Edmonton are bringing up the rear in terms of shots allowed, yet their goalies are posting .952, .920, .920, and .911.
Keep coming up with the excuses though and I'll keep knocking them down.