Series Talk: Minnesota Wild v Dallas Stars Playoff series thread | DAL Wins 4-2

[63firebird]

Yes. Maybe HOF Messier and HOF Chelios could give “22 goal Deano “ a call and explain how you handle goalies in Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Cute Gold pads Andre. Make a great poster I’m sure.

 

[NHL1674]

Maybe Deano is afraid of Allan Walsh's mad photoshop skills.

 

[TaLoN]

Joe sums up the asinine goalie decision well here...

 

[AKL]

This is unacceptable in the playoffs. Fleury was a weak link all season long. Everyone and their mother can see Gus gives this team a much better chance to win on a nightly basis. If Fleury starts another game this playoffs barring a complete nuclear meltdown from Gus, I will only be able to assume this organization has no interest in actually winning anything.

 

[MuckOG]

Jesus f***ing christ, Deano. The playoff are not the regular season! You ride the hot hand. f*** off.

 

[Wasted Talent]

Imagine if they started MAF just out of respect to get him his record

 

[Sweetnut]

It was a horrible game. I will not blame Flower for this result, it is all on Dean for his decision to play him. Don´t get me wrong, Flower let in goals he should not have, but the fault is on the guy that put him in this position.
Kudos to Flower for facing the heat and taking the blame, but again he should not had the opportunity to fail in the first place. This should also be the last we saw of him in a playoff game ever.
Retiring is never easy to do, but time says it is overdue

 

[Ban Hammered]

I want Russo to grill Deano about starting Fleury. Don't tiptoe around it. Don't let him off the hook.

Other than saying it was a mistake, what answer would you accept? It backfired, it happens. Move on to Game 3.

 

[63firebird]

Hmmm….Let’s see….I wonder who should start next game??

50 saves. .962 over 5 periods

Or

24 saves .772 S% over 3 periods?!??

What a quandary.

 

[63firebird]

For his fourth NHL game Faber was tremendous. 3 hits, 2 blocks, no giveaways no goals against in 14 minutes.

I love Zuc but it seems all he can contribute is standing still at Wild goal line and a stretch pass to Kap who’s triple covered.

 

[AKL]

Not sure what the lines will look like with the injured guys next game, but I'd really like to see something like this if Ek and Hartman come back.

Kaprizov-Hartman-Nyquist
Johansson-Ek-Boldy
Foligno-Gaudreau-Sundqvist
Duhaime-Dewar-Reaves

Brodin-Dumba
Middleton-Spurgeon
Klingberg(?)-Faber

Gus

Zuccarello just doesn't fit anywhere anymore. Not a bottom six player but he just isn't good anymore. Nyquist has been brilliant in his short time here and I'd like to see if he can get Kaprizov going. Ek coming back would help that second line too.

 

[Dee Oh Cee]

I guess I'm not as upset about the decision as many others are. Fleury had been playing very well down the stretch too. I think you'd be kidding yourself if you didn't realize both of the goalies were going to play in this playoffs regardless of how one or the other was doing. If you have the mindset that you plan on going on a long playoff run, then you get both goalies action. Obviously it's moot if you don't get by your first series opponent, but I'm guessing that is how they were thinking.

Talk about the team setting up the goalie for failure, though. It's not against the law for him to save the shorthanded breakaway but the team's first shot allowed against is a shorthanded break and Hintz made a nice shot. Then you get unlucky with the double minor and get beat by the Seguin tip. I actually was really happy they got out of the first only down 2-1.

Then, the team just fell completely apart in the first half of the 2nd or whatever. The 3rd goal was horrible, yes. But he had zero chance on the 4th. Team was giving up odd man rushes left and right. I agree that he needs to do better when it was 4-3, but again the breakaway for the 6th goal was a completely unacceptable cross-ice pass by someone.

they got the 1 win in Dallas and come back 1-1. I'm not going to go as crazy about this as some might. If they would played the same way with Gus in net I'm not sure the result would have been a ton different.

 

[AKL]

I guess I'm not as upset about the decision as many others are. Fleury had been playing very well down the stretch too. I think you'd be kidding yourself if you didn't realize both of the goalies were going to play in this playoffs regardless of how one or the other was doing. If you have the mindset that you plan on going on a long playoff run, then you get both goalies action. Obviously it's moot if you don't get by your first series opponent, but I'm guessing that is how they were thinking.

I'm confused as to why some people suddenly think rotating goalies in the playoffs is a thing? You usually ride your starter unless you can't. Especially when he's clearly the better goaltender by every conceivable measure.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

I guess I'm not as upset about the decision as many others are. Fleury had been playing very well down the stretch too. I think you'd be kidding yourself if you didn't realize both of the goalies were going to play in this playoffs regardless of how one or the other was doing. If you have the mindset that you plan on going on a long playoff run, then you get both goalies action. Obviously it's moot if you don't get by your first series opponent, but I'm guessing that is how they were thinking.

Talk about the team setting up the goalie for failure, though. It's not against the law for him to save the shorthanded breakaway but the team's first shot allowed against is a shorthanded break and Hintz made a nice shot. Then you get unlucky with the double minor and get beat by the Seguin tip. I actually was really happy they got out of the first only down 2-1.

Then, the team just fell completely apart in the first half of the 2nd or whatever. The 3rd goal was horrible, yes. But he had zero chance on the 4th. Team was giving up odd man rushes left and right. I agree that he needs to do better when it was 4-3, but again the breakaway for the 6th goal was a completely unacceptable cross-ice pass by someone.

they got the 1 win in Dallas and come back 1-1. I'm not going to go as crazy about this as some might. If they would played the same way with Gus in net I'm not sure the result would have been a ton different.

No other teams do this willingly, at least as far I can remember. Only injuries and lopsided games get the backups action when you're talking about teams with true #1's.

 

[AKL]

Tampa hasn't had a backup goalie play in the playoffs since 2018. And he played 18 minutes.
Colorado had a 16 to 7 game split between Kuemper and Francouz last year, not sure what that was about. Looks like it might have been Kuemper injuries that allowed Francouz to play.
Otherwise the last time a Cup finals team had a "fairly even" split was in 2017 when Fleury lost his job to Murray in the middle of May. But they rode Fleury until they couldn't, and then they rode Murray the rest of the way. It wasn't some rotation thing.

 

[Sweetnut]

Tampa hasn't had a backup goalie play in the playoffs since 2018. And he played 18 minutes.
Colorado had a 16 to 7 game split between Kuemper and Francouz last year, not sure what that was about. Looks like it might have been Kuemper injuries that allowed Francouz to play.
Otherwise the last time a Cup finals team had a "fairly even" split was in 2017 when Fleury lost his job to Murray in the middle of May. But they rode Fleury until they couldn't, and then they rode Murray the rest of the way. It wasn't some rotation thing.

I don´t remember so sorry if i´m wrong here, but how many of Flowers 3 cup wins did he really play as a starter in the finals?
In my mind it is only one

 

[63firebird]

Not sure what the lines will look like with the injured guys next game, but I'd really like to see something like this if Ek and Hartman come back.

Kaprizov-Hartman-Nyquist
Johansson-Ek-Boldy
Foligno-Gaudreau-Sundqvist
Duhaime-Dewar-Reaves

Brodin-Dumba
Middleton-Spurgeon
Klingberg(?)-Faber

Gus

Zuccarello just doesn't fit anywhere anymore. Not a bottom six player but he just isn't good anymore. Nyquist has been brilliant in his short time here and I'd like to see if he can get Kaprizov going. Ek coming back would help that second line too.

Your Lineup Looks realistic. I’m sure Zuc will be on the ice on the Kap line however when Dallas closes out the series. I love Zuc and have been hoping for him but he looks so old and slow out there.

I don´t remember so sorry if i´m wrong here, but how many of Flowers 3 cup wins did he really play as a starter in the finals?
In my mind it is only one

In wasn’t a tandem with Matt Murray. He took over the net for last two rounds.
Even Murray didn’t have to be brilliant as the Penguins were giving up nothing defensively.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

We need one or both of our centers back asap, we have home ice advantage now, we can get our matchups and keep the Kap line away from Robertson and Hintz. Our best players need to be better, the depth guys have played admirably for the most part. Spurgeon has had two disappointing games in my eyes, after the regular season he just had, I know he can do much better, time to take another step forward captain and get this team back on track and playing they way we do best.

 

[Sweetnut]

Not sure what the lines will look like with the injured guys next game, but I'd really like to see something like this if Ek and Hartman come back.

Kaprizov-Hartman-Nyquist
Johansson-Ek-Boldy
Foligno-Gaudreau-Sundqvist
Duhaime-Dewar-Reaves

Brodin-Dumba
Middleton-Spurgeon
Klingberg(?)-Faber

Gus

Zuccarello just doesn't fit anywhere anymore. Not a bottom six player but he just isn't good anymore. Nyquist has been brilliant in his short time here and I'd like to see if he can get Kaprizov going. Ek coming back would help that second line too.

I like it. Sorry Zuke, maybe better to sit a game or two and get some energy back. I would also like to try Brodin with Klingberg, Brodins defensive awareness could do wonders for Klingbergs risky playstyle. Maybe a perfect fit?

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

Tampa hasn't had a backup goalie play in the playoffs since 2018. And he played 18 minutes.
Colorado had a 16 to 7 game split between Kuemper and Francouz last year, not sure what that was about. Looks like it might have been Kuemper injuries that allowed Francouz to play.
Otherwise the last time a Cup finals team had a "fairly even" split was in 2017 when Fleury lost his job to Murray in the middle of May. But they rode Fleury until they couldn't, and then they rode Murray the rest of the way. It wasn't some rotation thing.

It was.

 

[AKL]

2022
COL: Kuemper 16, Francouz 7
TBL: Vasilevskiy 23

2021
TBL: Vasilevskiy 23
MTL: Price 22

2020
TBL: Vasilevskiy 25
DAL: Khudobin 25, Bishop 3, Oettinger 2

2019
STL: Binnington 26, Allen 1 (24.5 minutes)
BOS: Rask 24

2018
WSH: Holtby 23, Grubauer 2
VGK: Fleury 20

2017
PIT: Fleury 15, Murray 11 (This was the season Fleury lost his job to Murray in mid-May)
NSH: Rinne 22, Saros 2

2016
PIT: Murray 21, Zatkoff 2, Fleury 2
SJS: Jones 24, Reimer 1

2015
CHI: Crawford 20, Darling 5
TBL: Bishop 25, Vasilevskiy 4

2014
LAK: Quick 26, Jones 2
NYR: Lundqvist 25, Talbot 2

2013
CHI: Crawford 23
BOS: Rask 22

There is no such thing as rotating goalies in the playoffs

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

2022
COL: Kuemper 16, Francouz 7
TBL: Vasilevskiy 23

2021
TBL: Vasilevskiy 23
MTL: Price 22

2020
TBL: Vasilevskiy 25
DAL: Khudobin 25, Bishop 3, Oettinger 2

2019
STL: Binnington 26, Allen 1 (24.5 minutes)
BOS: Rask 24

2018
WSH: Holtby 23, Grubauer 2
VGK: Fleury 20

2017
PIT: Fleury 15, Murray 11 (This was the season Fleury lost his job to Murray in mid-May)
NSH: Rinne 22, Saros 2

2016
PIT: Murray 21, Zatkoff 2, Fleury 2
SJS: Jones 24, Reimer 1

2015
CHI: Crawford 20, Darling 5
TBL: Bishop 25, Vasilevskiy 4

2014
LAK: Quick 26, Jones 2
NYR: Lundqvist 25, Talbot 2

2013
CHI: Crawford 23
BOS: Rask 22

There is no such thing as rotating goalies in the playoffs

And I'm willing to bet that a high majority, if not all of the smaller number games played were coming in relief, not starting games. None of those were "our starter needs a break".

I actually feel a bit bad for Fleury. Organization is not doing him any favors here.

 

[AKL]

I don´t remember so sorry if i´m wrong here, but how many of Flowers 3 cup wins did he really play as a starter in the finals?
In my mind it is only one

Fleury backstopped them the entire way to the 2008-09 Cup win. He had a .908 sv%, which was 9th out of 10 goalies who played 7 or more games. Malkin and Crosby combined for 67 points in 24 games that run.

 

[Sweetnut]

Fleury backstopped them the entire way to the 2008-09 Cup win. He had a .908 sv%, which was 9th out of 10 goalies who played 7 or more games. Malkin and Crosby combined for 67 points in 24 games that run.

So it was only one then. That´s why him being a 3 time Cup Champion is not as great as it sounds.

 

[AKL]

I actually feel a bit bad for Fleury. Organization is not doing him any favors here.

At times, it sure does seem like they're only playing him to try and chase some of those "records". He's never been as good as his reputation suggests and it's pretty clear he's not that guy now either, so I don't know how else to explain why he gets so many games.

Great guy, adored by everyone, probably super good to have in a locker room. Not a starting quality goaltender on a playoff team.