Garrett Sparks

[SprDaVE]

He hasn't been good lately for sure.

With that said, he's capable of better and he'll be dirt cheap going into next season. I think he'll bounce back.

 

[great]

Honestly Mcbackup was the better choice, Sparks is not that good. But I can’t really blame Sparks since our defensive system sucks

 

[The Iceman]

he cant even track the puck. it is one thing to let in goals. Quite another when you look like the beer league dad while doing it.

 

[TOGuy14]

1st goal - Beauvillier knocks the puck down from about 3'9" for the tip in. Not Sparks fault.
2nd goal - Lee with the tic tac tow play. Blown D coverage. Not Sparks fault.
3rd goal - Cizikas goal. Sparks stopped the first shot. No D coverage. No one covered Cizikas. Cizikas gets the second shot with no one even attempting to get to him. Not Sparks fault.
4th goal - Filppula shot from point. Sparks completely screened on the shot. Not Sparks fault.
5th goal - Leddy goes 5 hole. No coverage and Leddy should not be left wide open. Sparks wishes he had that one back.
6th goal - Nelson with the ripper. Off Hainsey and in. Not Sparks fault.

So for you people freaking out about Sparks, you are wrong. If you don't think so, go look at the replays.

People start piling on. Probably even some people who didnt watch the game are also piling on. Many of you are ready to run Sparks out of the league after his first game at the Coliseum. Shame on most of you. Freaking gang mentality.

Not sure if some of you know this or not, but we didn't lose the game because of Sparks. Sparks only had 1 iffy goal.

Let me guess, most of you are also ignoring 3 highlight reel goals also. He is athletic. That toe save was freaking awesome.

"Oh, he is not NHL ready, he let 6 goals in". STOP!! Last season Freddy let in 5 goals 5 times and let in 6 goals 5 times.

Oh, did I mention he is young also.
Oh, did I mention it was Tavares' first game back in NY? Which doesn't really matter because only 1 goal was iffy.
Oh, did I mention he is also the back up goalie....not that it matters because 5 of those goals were not his fault.

"He is ECHL caliber". I heard that a few times. Are you serious? 5 of the goals are not his fault and he cannot be blamed for them.

Here is why the Isles scored 6 goals....poor D zone coverage.

If you don't see the puck, you cannot stop it....most times.
If the puck is deflected in or re-directed at some point, then the goalie cannot be blamed.

But again, mostly blown D zone coverage.

Now lets see how many of you are going to jump on the "Sparks is not good" after 1 game....which most goals were not his fault.

Sparks was mobile, athletic, and well positioned. That is a fact. Blown D coverage is also a fact. Many tip ins and screens, was also a fact. He also had 3 highlight reel saves and that is a fact.

Nah, this is becoming a trend. He has given up 4 or more goals in six of his 13 starts now, including twice where he has given up six goals and twice where he has given up five.

 

[paulhiggins]

I'm curious how many HFBoards posters submitted their shining resumes for NHL GM jobs and actually got a call for an interview. Come on now.....

Probably zero but that doesn't have anything to do with being able to make a better decision on one item than the rookie GM. Maybe many of us all got lucky and would have kept McBackup while the others incorrectly sided with the rookie GM.

 

[Loosie]

People seem to forget the McElhinney had a shaky start with the Leafs. Sparks has been in net for some bad performances by the Leafs. It's shocking how horribly they play in front of him.

The only Sparks loss where the Leafs scored more than 1 goal? The 5-4 OT loss to Detroit. That's a game you can pin on him for sure. So that's 5 loses where the Leafs have scored 1 or fewer goals. And clearly most of those are on back-to-backs as that's when Sparks tends to play (with the odd start when Andersen was injured)

Sparks in non back-to-back games? 2-0-1 (4-1 win against the Kings, the aforementioned 5-4 OT loss against the Wings, 4-2 win against the Blue Jackets)

6 of Andersen's 13 loses the Leafs scored 1 goal or less,

Hutchinson has 1 of 3 loses with 1 goal or less scored by the Leafs.

 

[notDatsyuk]

1st goal - Beauvillier knocks the puck down from about 3'9" for the tip in. Not Sparks fault.
2nd goal - Lee with the tic tac tow play. Blown D coverage. Not Sparks fault.
3rd goal - Cizikas goal. Sparks stopped the first shot. No D coverage. No one covered Cizikas. Cizikas gets the second shot with no one even attempting to get to him. Not Sparks fault.
4th goal - Filppula shot from point. Sparks completely screened on the shot. Not Sparks fault.
5th goal - Leddy goes 5 hole. No coverage and Leddy should not be left wide open. Sparks wishes he had that one back.
6th goal - Nelson with the ripper. Off Hainsey and in. Not Sparks fault.

While I completely agree that it wasn't Sparks' fault that we lost, I'm puzzled by your analysis of the goals.

First goal: three-on-one and a beautiful passing play, but the puck was on the ice for Beauvillier to one-time it. Not a high tip-in

Second goal: not a tic-tac-toe play, but a great pass by Nelson. Yes, blown D coverage again.

Third goal: no save, no second shot. Cizikas stole the puck from Ennis, cut in from the side, and slid it five-hole.

Fourth goal: not from the point. Filppula was about 5 feet outside the crease with three players between him and Sparks when he put in the second rebound.

Fifth goal: Leddy's high shot deflects off Cizikas and/or Matthews into the top corner. Four players between Sparks and the shooter.

Sixth goal: Hainsey wasn't on the ice, and I don't think it was deflected. Great play by Eberle behind the net to feed Nelson with four Leafs looking the wrong way.

Spectacular saves might have got the first two. Third one he might have had, but those cutting across plays are hard to read. No chance on the last three.

 

[Loosie]

3.09 GAA 902 save% that's not an NHL caliber goalie that's barely an AHL caliber goalie

Then you should look at stats for all goalies this year. That's about average for backups this year. Goal scoring is up all across the board.

 

[Suntouchable13]

I think it was a gamble worth going for, Sparks over Mac. Don't think I would bet anything on Mac having the season he is having again. It's really surprising.

 

[member 262271]

I'm not going to resort to name calling, but the guy just doesn't inspire confidence. It goes to show how important Andy is, and how our defense is still brutal as hell in moments.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

I think it was a gamble worth going for, Sparks over Mac. Don't think I would bet anything on Mac having the season he is having again. It's really surprising.

Was it ?

Did stats predict his downfall ?

Because his on ice performance didn't.

It was a good move to try Sparks out for sure. I think the key factor is ... we dont need wins from our backup to get into the playoffs. The Sparks games dont matter. (Thankfully). Sparks seems to lack confidence. I hope he gets some Mojo.

 

[LeafalCrusader]

Was it ?

Did stats predict his downfall ?

Because his on ice performance didn't.

It was a good move to try Sparks out for sure. I think the key factor is ... we dont need wins from our backup to get into the playoffs. The Sparks games dont matter. (Thankfully). Sparks seems to lack confidence. I hope he gets some Mojo.

The decision to keep Sparks over McBackup has likely cost us home ice in the playoffs which could cost us in the 1st round IMO.

 

[jaric1862]

I think we're making the playoffs regardless of how Sparks plays. We only have 3 more back to backs. In the playoff we just got to hope that Andersen doesn't go down.

 

[CreeksideStrangler]

once he makes these mistakes it deflates the confidance in the rest of the team... you need a few key saves in the game for our forwards to develop a lead... he can't do that ever. and he practically lays down when the puck is below the hash marks... makes an over 6 foot guy covers a couple square feet of the net. who taught this guy positioning? swiss cheese jonus reincarnation

 

[HamiltonNHL]

The decision to keep Sparks over McBackup has likely cost us home ice in the playoffs which could cost us in the 1st round IMO.

Very important point.

Hard to say.

Freddy's backups dont play much.

 

[ACC1224]

Never liked him and he's never made me doubt that opinion.
Not a chance he's back next year.

 

[ER89]

Oh yeah it was on sparks we lost. Smfh. Hasek would have lost this game albeit 2-1.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Was it ?

Did stats predict his downfall ?

Because his on ice performance didn't.

It was a good move to try Sparks out for sure. I think the key factor is ... we dont need wins from our backup to get into the playoffs. The Sparks games dont matter. (Thankfully). Sparks seems to lack confidence. I hope he gets some Mojo.

No, I was just looking at his age and previous performance for years before Toronto. I would never have thought he would be having a season like this.

 

[ryno23]

1st goal - Beauvillier knocks the puck down from about 3'9" for the tip in. Not Sparks fault.
2nd goal - Lee with the tic tac tow play. Blown D coverage. Not Sparks fault.
3rd goal - Cizikas goal. Sparks stopped the first shot. No D coverage. No one covered Cizikas. Cizikas gets the second shot with no one even attempting to get to him. Not Sparks fault.
4th goal - Filppula shot from point. Sparks completely screened on the shot. Not Sparks fault.
5th goal - Leddy goes 5 hole. No coverage and Leddy should not be left wide open. Sparks wishes he had that one back.
6th goal - Nelson with the ripper. Off Hainsey and in. Not Sparks fault.

So for you people freaking out about Sparks, you are wrong. If you don't think so, go look at the replays.

People start piling on. Probably even some people who didnt watch the game are also piling on. Many of you are ready to run Sparks out of the league after his first game at the Coliseum. Shame on most of you. Freaking gang mentality.

Not sure if some of you know this or not, but we didn't lose the game because of Sparks. Sparks only had 1 iffy goal.

Let me guess, most of you are also ignoring 3 highlight reel goals also. He is athletic. That toe save was freaking awesome.

"Oh, he is not NHL ready, he let 6 goals in". STOP!! Last season Freddy let in 5 goals 5 times and let in 6 goals 5 times.

Oh, did I mention he is young also.
Oh, did I mention it was Tavares' first game back in NY? Which doesn't really matter because only 1 goal was iffy.
Oh, did I mention he is also the back up goalie....not that it matters because 5 of those goals were not his fault.

"He is ECHL caliber". I heard that a few times. Are you serious? 5 of the goals are not his fault and he cannot be blamed for them.

Here is why the Isles scored 6 goals....poor D zone coverage.

If you don't see the puck, you cannot stop it....most times.
If the puck is deflected in or re-directed at some point, then the goalie cannot be blamed.

But again, mostly blown D zone coverage.

Now lets see how many of you are going to jump on the "Sparks is not good" after 1 game....which most goals were not his fault.

Sparks was mobile, athletic, and well positioned. That is a fact. Blown D coverage is also a fact. Many tip ins and screens, was also a fact. He also had 3 highlight reel saves and that is a fact.

You can defend the goals going in but the same coverage is played in front of Andersen and there is no talk about all that. Spark has no calmness to him game where he controls the puck and controls his body in the crease. He is falling around out of position never controls a rebound.

Sometimes you need to make a 10 beller save like Freddy does to stop momentum or change momentum and Sparks can't do it

Hutch came in and played calm and was effective but Sparks is just not that guy. Not an NHL goalie

 

[Suntouchable13]

You can defend the goals going in but the same coverage is played in front of Andersen and there is no talk about all that. Spark has no calmness to him game where he controls the puck and controls his body in the crease. He is falling around out of position never controls a rebound.

Sometimes you need to make a 10 beller save like Freddy does to stop momentum or change momentum and Sparks can't do it

Hutch came in and played calm and was effective but Sparks is just not that guy. Not an NHL goalie

If they place Sparks on waivers and he gets picked up, their thin goalie depth becomes even thinner. It's a tough spot.

 

[mikeyz]

If anybody thinks that Sparks is an NHL calibre goalie at this point then I have a bridge to sell you.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Get used to having these journemen, waiver fodder goalies for a long time. We can not afford to spend much on our backup. Stop expecting miracles. Once in a while a McElhinney will come along who surprises everybody, but that's about it.

 

[Schooner]

Lol no

Right?! God forbid it possibly be due to Babcock's system. Please explain how someone goes from having good numbers in a bottom feeder LA group, to starting out great for us, to slowly getting worse. It's almost like there is a linear trend that isn't a coincidence?

 

[Schooner]

I think it was a gamble worth going for, Sparks over Mac. Don't think I would bet anything on Mac having the season he is having again. It's really surprising.

Not really surprising when plenty of people said to not gamble on Sparks and predicted it before they waived Mac.

 

[janesy12]

1st goal - Beauvillier knocks the puck down from about 3'9" for the tip in. Not Sparks fault.
2nd goal - Lee with the tic tac tow play. Blown D coverage. Not Sparks fault.
3rd goal - Cizikas goal. Sparks stopped the first shot. No D coverage. No one covered Cizikas. Cizikas gets the second shot with no one even attempting to get to him. Not Sparks fault.
4th goal - Filppula shot from point. Sparks completely screened on the shot. Not Sparks fault.
5th goal - Leddy goes 5 hole. No coverage and Leddy should not be left wide open. Sparks wishes he had that one back.
6th goal - Nelson with the ripper. Off Hainsey and in. Not Sparks fault.

So for you people freaking out about Sparks, you are wrong. If you don't think so, go look at the replays.

People start piling on. Probably even some people who didnt watch the game are also piling on. Many of you are ready to run Sparks out of the league after his first game at the Coliseum. Shame on most of you. Freaking gang mentality.

Not sure if some of you know this or not, but we didn't lose the game because of Sparks. Sparks only had 1 iffy goal.

Let me guess, most of you are also ignoring 3 highlight reel goals also. He is athletic. That toe save was freaking awesome.

"Oh, he is not NHL ready, he let 6 goals in". STOP!! Last season Freddy let in 5 goals 5 times and let in 6 goals 5 times.

Oh, did I mention he is young also.
Oh, did I mention it was Tavares' first game back in NY? Which doesn't really matter because only 1 goal was iffy.
Oh, did I mention he is also the back up goalie....not that it matters because 5 of those goals were not his fault.

"He is ECHL caliber". I heard that a few times. Are you serious? 5 of the goals are not his fault and he cannot be blamed for them.

Here is why the Isles scored 6 goals....poor D zone coverage.

If you don't see the puck, you cannot stop it....most times.
If the puck is deflected in or re-directed at some point, then the goalie cannot be blamed.

But again, mostly blown D zone coverage.

Now lets see how many of you are going to jump on the "Sparks is not good" after 1 game....which most goals were not his fault.

Sparks was mobile, athletic, and well positioned. That is a fact. Blown D coverage is also a fact. Many tip ins and screens, was also a fact. He also had 3 highlight reel saves and that is a fact.

Did you watch a different game?