Official Goaltending thread 5.0:

[I am Canadian]

If Nonis hadn't acquired Bernier to upgrade our goaltending, one has to wonder where the Leafs would be in the standings right now.

Reimer would be playing much better.

He's capable of being a starter, AND playing lights out hockey. Can't believe how many people are forgetting how good he was against Boston.

 

[Mikeyg]

We have no way of telling with any degree of certainty whether JR would still play poorly if he was the undisputed #1 coming into the season. For all we know, if Bernier wouldn't be around JR could have had a similar season to last year.

james reimer was asked to compete for the number 1 job, and he has FAILED this is no1's fault but his own, team reimer fan boys need to stop,

 

[driller1]

What does LA have to show for the trade now?

Gaborik

Acquired for:
Frattin + 2nd + 3rd (Scrivens traded to EDM for a 3rd)

Can't wait to see Bernie on Thursday- Kings fans have nothing but good things to say about him. It must've been tough sitting behind Quick, but he never complained and performed admirably when called upon and saved our season last year when Quick was recovering from back surgery.

 

[Mikeyg]

Reimer would be playing much better.

He's capable of being a starter, AND playing lights out hockey. Can't believe how many people are forgetting how good he was against Boston.

people arent forgetting his heroics in the 3rd period of game 7 either, it was wholesale rebounds all night, sorry but if bernier was in the cage there, I can say with 99.99999999999% certainty that the outcome would of been different. Reimer has failed this year, his confidence is non existent, rebounds are at an all time high and the struggle couldnt be any clearer for ole highglove

 

[Mess]

Reimer would be playing much better.

He's capable of being a starter, AND playing lights out hockey. Can't believe how many people are forgetting how good he was against Boston.

Reimer gave up 22 goals in 7 games > 3.0 goals against per game in the playoffs. It was his high goals against average that prompted Nonis to go and acquire Bernier in hopes of better results.

This season Reimer has a GAA of 3.33 and that places him 43 of 44 goalies only ahead of Devan Dubynk who has been with 3 teams and currently in the AHL.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/player/_/stat/goaltending/sort/avgGoalsAgainst/count/41

 

[Mess]

While I'm sure everyone will act like the Leafs would be a lottery team with no Bernier, I think we'd probably be closer to chasing the Wild Card rather than somewhat safely in a playoff spot like right now.

Reimer can be a decent goalie if he's playing often, and Scrivens was more than capable of handling back-up duties, so I'm sure they would've done alright, just not as good as Bernier.

If Reimer plays against the Ducks instead of Bernier I believe we lose that game. That being only one example were goaltending made a difference.

Bernier has a .926 sv% and Reimer has a .910 sv%.

 

[I am Canadian]

Reimer gave up 22 goals in 7 games > 3.0 goals against per game in the playoffs. It was his high goals against average that prompted Nonis to go and acquire Bernier in hopes of better results.

This season Reimer has a GAA of 3.33 and that places him 43 of 44 goalies only ahead of Devan Dubynk who has been with 3 teams and currently in the AHL.

http://espn.go.com/nhl/statistics/player/_/stat/goaltending/sort/avgGoalsAgainst/count/41

The Leafs play style of this season of giving up a TON of shots per game is one of the reasons that the GA is high for that series. The only reason the Leafs made it that far was Reimer's play.

Yes he is struggling this year no doubt. Very likely a confidence issue.

Still is pretty ***** of our fans calling him trash every night.

 

[leafs in five]

If Nonis hadn't acquired Bernier to upgrade our goaltending, one has to wonder where the Leafs would be in the standings right now.

what if he/another GM used the assets he spent on Bernier to try and improve the team in areas where it was much weaker than it was in goal? and in the process tried to make the team's chances of success less dependent on heroic goaltending?

 

[Suntouchable13]

james reimer was asked to compete for the number 1 job, and he has FAILED this is no1's fault but his own, team reimer fan boys need to stop,

I am not a fanboy of anybody. I wasn't blaming JB for anything. We just don't know how James would have responded had he been given the reigns.

 

[CelticDruid]

Reimer would be playing much better.

He's capable of being a starter, AND playing lights out hockey. Can't believe how many people are forgetting how good he was against Boston.

He was crap in the final game and thus all that matters. I never thought he was a # 1 - flops around like a seal on acid.

 

[diceman934]

Head to Head playing for the same team Bernier has been so much better. Reimer is gone this off season I sure hope that he has some value...

 

[leafs in five]

If Reimer plays against the Ducks instead of Bernier I believe we lose that game.

yeah probably. but yeah this is a great team when Bernier is in net.

 

[I am Canadian]

people arent forgetting his heroics in the 3rd period of game 7 either, it was wholesale rebounds all night, sorry but if bernier was in the cage there, I can say with 99.99999999999% certainty that the outcome would of been different. Reimer has failed this year, his confidence is non existent, rebounds are at an all time high and the struggle couldnt be any clearer for ole highglove

That game was on the Leafs as a team not Reimer. What exactly is expected with 12 minutes of Bruins possession, especially with Phaneuf letting Chara screen Reimer for a good shift.

 

[LeafOfBread]

If Reimer plays against the Ducks instead of Bernier I believe we lose that game. That being only one example were goaltending made a difference.

Bernier has a .926 sv% and Reimer has a .910 sv%.

You're entitled to your opinion but you have no idea what would happen if Reimer was the starter the entire year. Don't get me wrong, I want Bernier as the #1 guy, but you can't forget James' good performances while focusing on the bad ones as representative of him as a goalie.

I mean there was the game against Pittsburgh where he stopped 37 of 38, or the other San Jose game where the roster was decimated and he stopped 37 of 40 (they lost but it wasn't his fault that's for sure), or the games against Washington and Ottawa where he faced 50 shots both times and we still won.

Then you go back to last season and think about games down the stretch where we had no business winning and it was all him.

Again, I don't think we'd be where we are right now this season if it was just him and Scrivens, but I do think we'd be either in the Wild Card or 1-3 pts away.

 

[Mikeyg]

I am not a fanboy of anybody. I wasn't blaming JB for anything. We just don't know how James would have responded had he been given the reigns.

he didn't deserve the reigns to begin with, he got the 1st game of the year against montreal and played well, then berny won the season opener against philly in an amazing performance and has just outplayed highglove ever since, we dont owe reimer anything, ya last year was great but last year was last year. If he cant prove that he can even be a competent backup now, why does he even deserve the reins in the first place, this isnt a charity

 

[Mikeyg]

Don't bother, mikeyg argues like a middle school kid and if anyone ever says anything remotely positive about Reimer they're labeled a fanboy.

Saying we owe reimer and he should feel any sort of "entitlement" to be given the reins is quite fanboyish dont you agree

 

[leafs in five]

You are literally the only hockey fan I have ever come across (of any fanbase) that determines whether a goalie is a legitimate starter based on whether his team makes playoffs. Ridiculously odd logic.

a large enough faction of this board has maintained that Carlyle is a good coach because he "got the team to the playoffs" last year. Nonis has made comments to the same effect in interviews.

i think if a goalie plays most nights and puts up numbers like Reimer did last season on a pretty leaky defensive team and the team makes the playoffs in (large) part on the strength of that performance then he is good enough to be a number 1 goalie, or good enough to not demand immediate replacement for his part in a game 7 collapse that was anything but atypical of the way this Leafs team plays, 4-1 lead or not.

i'm not arguing that Bernier is not better. he should be a Vezina finalist this year. the way the Leafs bleed shots against he'll probably be a Vezina candidate for the next five years in Toronto.

but say Bernier plays last night and makes 47 saves and the Leafs win 3-2 in a SO. does it no longer matter that the team was completely outclassed by a much better opponent? are the Leafs better than the Sharks if that's the result? because results are all that matter and good teams like the Leafs find ways to win even when they don't play well (which in Toronto's case is very often even though they are of course a good team (why shouldn't we account for goaltending when judging how good a team is are goalies not on teams?))

 

[Mikeyg]

That game was on the Leafs as a team not Reimer. What exactly is expected with 12 minutes of Bruins possession, especially with Phaneuf letting Chara screen Reimer for a good shift.

A real number 1 starter puts his head down and goes to work and grinds out wins even in the most dire of circumstances, all reimer was interested in doing was snow angels on the ice. In game 7 you need your players at your best, the time for "give yourself a chance" is over, its shape up or ship out and unfortunately for high glove, the ladder ended up being true and now this is bernys team

 

[Mess]

yeah probably. but yeah this is a great team when Bernier is in net.

Reimer is my favourite Maple Leaf but I'm very happy we have Bernier.

Bernier has a better glove hand, far better rebound control and puck handler.

When Bernier is in net the team seems to have more confidence themselves

 

[daveleaf]

Bernier was clearly the missing piece in Nonis's master plan. step one: assemble a team that surrenders 45 shot a night, step two: acquire a goalie that is capable of making 45 saves a night.

the guy's a genius.

Third in the conference. Not a finished product but well on it's way.

 

[leafs in five]

When Bernier is in net the team seems to have more confidence themselves

this is such rubbish. when Bernier is in net the team plays like it does. like it did in Anaheim, outshot 2 to 1, multiple even strength shifts that looked like they're on the PK, the odd counter attack chance. Bernier is good enough to make the deficiencies in the team's play seem less serious, and his ability to keep games close makes the chances that the Leafs do get more likely to be impactful.

 

[leafs in five]

Third in the conference. Not a finished product but well on it's way.

i guess i just disagree.

but Bernier is great. congratulations to the Bernier fanboys on your victory over the Reimer fanboys in the only NHL-related contest that matters.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Okay - how did i miss this [sleepy, that's why]


Here's the question for you
depending on what happens in LA and Washington


Tuesday the 18th March: Detroit [road]
Wednesday the 19th March: Tampa [home]

Do you split? Does Reimer get Detroit and give Bernier Tampa? vice versa? or do you say, Bernier, hop to it -

those two games are huuuuuuuuuge.

 

[Mess]

Bernier was clearly the missing piece in Nonis's master plan. step one: assemble a team that surrenders 45 shot a night, step two: acquire a goalie that is capable of making 45 saves a night.

the guy's a genius.

Bernier has the 4th best save % in the NHL at .926 %.

Bernier was step 1 of Nonis team building plan by beginning from the goalie out as his top priority.

 

[The Blue Devil]

Good post. Reading these comments just makes me sad. He's struggled lately but why is that a reason to completely dump on him? People here are acting like the guy is Trevor Kidd or something like that. Going through a rough patch doesn't mean you're the worst goalie in the NHL.

Being able to say haha I was right, you were wrong now I'm the king of the castle?