GDT: CBJ-OTT

[NotWendell]

We’ll never know for sure, but I think we’ll likely finish ~7 points back, and that’s an awful big gap for one position to make up, even one as critical as goaltending.

Keep in mind even “league average” goaltenders don’t play league average every night. They have games they give up 4 or 5, too. Even the best do. The offense is too sporadic and the blue-line still not deep enough for me to say that if you put, I don’t know… “Sorokin” on this team, that they would’ve made the playoffs.

If you look at our scores in our recent rough stretch since the Stadium Series (which includes when Elvis really started playing poorly) it’s tough for me to find many/any when a league-average goalie would’ve won a game that we lost. I don’t see any 5-4, 6-4, 6-5 type of losses. Perhaps the 5-3 NJ loss, but that’s basically it.

ETA: Sorokin at his level of play this year, to clarify.

Bad goaltending causes the rest of the team to collapse into the defensive zone which makes breaking out of the zone that much harder. Good goaltending allows the rest of the team to play more freely, taking chances, because they know if they make a mistake, it won't always end up in the back of their net.

So I'm not sure I agree you can just look at the scores with bad goaltending.

 

[EDM]

Something is not right. Another shut out ???????

 

[Aaaarrgghh]

Some of the line-up decisions are just mind-boggling. I know Severson is many people's favourite scapegoat (despite putting up strong numbers, source here), but there is no world in which Jack Johnson or Erik Gudbranson should play before he does.

 

[cbjthrowaway]

Some of the line-up decisions are just mind-boggling. I know Severson is many people's favourite scapegoat (despite putting up strong numbers, source here), but there is no world in which Jack Johnson or Erik Gudbranson should play before he does.

i completely understand why dean doesn't want to play severson, but as you said, johnson and gudbranson are the two worst players on the ice every time they're out there.

severson turns the puck over too much, but at least he can get the puck back, unlike jack and gudbranson.

 

[majormajor]

severson turns the puck over too much, but at least he can get the puck back, unlike jack and gudbranson.

Severson commits the very visible turnover a couple times per game. But JJ and Gudbranson make the other type of turnover - a pass in their teammates skates or off the tip of his stick, which ends up in a loss of possession - seemingly every shift. They're worse at getting it back, yes, but they're also much worse at turning it over.