Lehetonen's poor start

[X-SHARKIE]

Fleury has played well also, its just his team isn't doing a damn thing right. He keeps them in the game, only for the defense to have massive breakdowns with five minutes left.

Everyone looks at goalies stats and see's a sub .900 % SVP and they get excited and jump of the bandwagon.

It all starts with the team and notice all three, Rochester, Penguins, and the Wolves teams aren't all that good. Especially on defense....or at least not playing well.

 

[Vic Rattlehead*]

Toivonen is 2-2-0, one shutout, 1.98 GAA and .930 SV%. Just adding this to the list of how goalies are starting...

 

[Levitate]

on lundqvist, well in general he's pretty much been one of the top netminders in the swedish elite league for the past 2 years (not even counting this year)

this year he's leading the league...he's making a good case for himself being the best goalie in that league, even with NHL regulars like kippursoff playing. not saying he's a better goalie than kippursoff right now...too hard of a comparison to make, but i think it does show how well he competes and where his level of skill could be considered.

considering all of europe...too hard to compare all the different leagues and come up with a good prospect/player comparison. they all have different styles and stuff so just can't compare them. but i think he's one of the better goaltending prospects on the "other side of the pond"

 

[Rattrick]

That was in the playoffs right?

strange coincidence, Lehtonen turned into a brick wall during the SM-Liiga playoffs during his breakout/debut year (season after which he was drafted)

So 2 playoffs, 2 great performances..

Yeah, I'd rave about that at such a young age!

Actually, I was talking about his performance in the NHL at the end of last season.

 

[McDonald19]

Bryzgalov: 4 gp 4 wins 2.16 gaa .939 sv%

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Fleury has played well also, its just his team isn't doing a damn thing right. He keeps them in the game, only for the defense to have massive breakdowns with five minutes left.

So which one is sucking, Fleury or Whitney....one has to be doing horrible?

 

[X-SHARKIE]

Come Jason, you know that two guys can't make a hole team, the Baby Penguins aren't a good team, and it's only been two/three full weeks of AHL hockey.


If were pulling impressive stats out of are hats....here is Dimitry Patzold (4th round pick in 2001)


GP MIN W L SOL SO GA GAA SV SV% 32 Patzold, Dimitri
3 185:00 2 0 1 0 5 1.62 97 .951

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

Come Jason, you know that two guys can't make a hole team, the Baby Penguins aren't a good team, and it's only been two/three full weeks of AHL hockey.


If were pulling impressive stats out of are hats....here is Dimitry Patzold (4th round pick in 2001)


GP MIN W L SOL SO GA GAA SV SV% 32 Patzold, Dimitri
3 185:00 2 0 1 0 5 1.62 97 .951

I know but usually you see the same person say.....Whitney isn't sucking, goaltending is. Then the next day say Fleury is playing good, the defense sucks. Since Whitney is -9 in 6 games...lol....I would have to think he is doing horrible.

 

[Til the End of Time]

So which one is sucking, Fleury or Whitney....one has to be doing horrible?

If I may venture a guess, I would say both are currently sucking.

 

[Enoch]

Look at the teams he is facing. They have played Milwuakee twice...and you just aren't going to win too many games against the Calder Cup Champs...especially when they are icing an even better team than the year before.

 

[Jeff Goldblum]

So which one is sucking, Fleury or Whitney....one has to be doing horrible?

They both are performing below expectations, especially Whitney. Nobody has ever argued against that. What I must argue against is when people claim their upside drops drastically after a string of bad games on a TEAM that is playing terrible right now. Just because neither of these guys is playing that well, in your eyes (I still think Fleury is playing well), and that they aren't the 'flavor of the week', does not mean that their potential has diminished. If this play continues over the course of, say, two seasons, then we'll talk.

 

[Streaker-man]

Ok back to Lehtonen. He´s getting warmed up. 31/32 vs San Antonio last night.

 

[ginnungagap]

Stats are all relative- Joey MacDonald is an undrafted signee by the Wings who's starting for Grand Rapids. He has a perfect 5-0 start and is putting up fantastic numbers (and he did all last year too) but there's absolutely no way the Wing's could deal him for any of the top propsects like Lehtonen or Fleury.

MacDonald's around 25 where most of the top goalie prospects in the AHL are closer to 20- which can go both ways. He wasn't heralded early on- probably to a large degree because he has pretty bad puck handling skills but goalies especially need time to develop and sometimes it can be a blessing in disguise if propsects aren't expected to be an NHL starting goaltender by the time they're 21. I'd take Lehtonen or Fleury in a heartbeat because they could turn out to be superstars where my take is MacDonald has come out of nowhere with a real shot at making it to the NHL, but most likely as a backup. I'll post his numbers just because it's a trend that's been started already in this thread

GP MIN W L T SOL SO GA GAA SV SV%
31 MacDonald, Joey 5 305:28 5 0 0 0 1 7 1.37 142 .953

 

[ALF AmericanLionsFan]

Kari seemed to have a better game last night.

 

[Vlad The Impaler]

They both are performing below expectations, especially Whitney.

It's not like everybody had high expectations for Whitney. I'd say for a lot of people, Whitney is performing according to expectations. It's not a surprise at all.

 

[The Old Master]

have any of you actully seen them?

 

[X-SHARKIE]

have any of you actully seen them?

I saw Lehtonen twice this year.

I have no idea on how Whitney and Fleury are playing but I saw there last two games of the season last year vs Milwaukee and Fleury looked shaky when he got put in at the end there, and Whitney struggled defensively.

Overall that team just isn't very good and Chiodo carried them at the end.

 

[Jacob]

Fleury only gave up one goal in that game you're referring to, whilst Chiodo had given up 6. Fleury was strong in relief, I know because I just got done watching that game. In one instance Fleury made 4 point-blank saves while his stick was out near the neutral zone.

 

[X-SHARKIE]

Fleury only gave up one goal in that game you're referring to, whilst Chiodo had given up 6. Fleury was strong in relief, I know because I just got done watching that game. In one instance Fleury made 4 point-blank saves while his stick was out near the neutral zone.

I thought that goal was a soft goal he let in then he settled down, he just looked very unconfident...... and I wasn't saying Chiodo played well that game, but he was unreal in the playoffs going by radio feeds and stats.

 

[Zen Arcade]

I know but usually you see the same person say.....Whitney isn't sucking, goaltending is. Then the next day say Fleury is playing good, the defense sucks.

I don't recall anyone ever making that excuse for Whitney. Saying the defense is bad and Fleury is playing is valid, considering the Baby Pens have been killed by turn overs. It was just as valid when he was playing behind greats like Drake Berehowsky and Dan Focht. Somehow Berehowsky couldn't seem to pass the puck 3 inches without it getting intercepted.

 

[It Kills Me]

Toivonen is 2-2-0, one shutout, 1.98 GAA and .930 SV%. Just adding this to the list of how goalies are starting...

Tellqvist is 2-3-1 2.15 GAA and .934 SV%.. clearly stats aren't everything.

 

[The Old Master]

I thought that goal was a soft goal he let in then he settled down, he just looked very unconfident...... and I wasn't saying Chiodo played well that game, but he was unreal in the playoffs going by radio feeds and stats.

if grace was doing the play by play, i don't know if you can go by it. he tends to lean to one side. just a bit.

 

[Zen Arcade]

if grace was doing the play by play, i don't know if you can go by it. he tends to lean to one side. just a bit.

Seriously, Grace might be the worst announcer I've ever heard. The Pens could be losing 12-0 and he'd say "Wilkes-Barre has been fantastic tonight, if not for those 12 lucky bounces, they'd be winning."

 

[Jason MacIsaac]

I said it before Welsh > Whitney.....thats what I think anyway.

 

[007]

I got this link from the video thread:

http://www.atlantathrashers.com/Multimedia.aspx?Levels=3|0|0&CID01=6d8d2d6c-e9ba-4665-aa0b-92a61c8e7c21

If you look at the last few wins of the season, you can see some Lehtonen highlights. My favourite is the penalty shot vs. Lecavelier. Lehtonen forces Vinnie wide with terrific patience, he refuses to move first. He just looks so calm and confident, it's incredible that that was just his fourth NHL game.