Speculation: Rested souls.....cup is ours

[K1984]

Skinner has imploded in way more playoff games than he's stolen. You don't get the worst save percentage of any goalie to make it to the SCF in the cap era by stealing many games or being consistently good...

And you want to question the sanity in trying out Rodrigue yet think it's more plausible that a goalie who has visibly regressed by every measure and has a history of collapsing in playoff rounds will magically play well?

What you're describing in Pickard is a guy who can't consistently play well. The Oilers still sucked in that period yet Rodrigue made two high-danger saves. I think the kid earned another look at the very least.

At no point am I suggesting that I think Skinner can play well.

The whole "Pickard can't play well in multiple starts" thing is myth anyways. I'm pretty sure he's only started consecutive games 2 or 3 times since he's been here. One of those was in the playoffs where he was great in both games. This is an invented problem. We should try it for essentially the first time instead of putting our eggs in the basket of a below average AHL prayer.

 

[MessierThanThou]

At no point am I suggesting that I think Skinner can play well.

The whole "Pickard can't play well in multiple starts" thing is myth anyways. I'm pretty sure he's only started consecutive games 2 or 3 times since he's been here. This is an invented problem. We should try it for essentially the first time instead of putting our eggs in the basket of a below average AHL prayer.

Well Pickard is starting against Vegas tonight, so we'll see, but I hope you're not suggesting we shouldn't even let Rodrigue start the San Jose game? And if he plays amazing, shouldn't he get another game after that? And if he keeps playing great, then shouldn't he keep playing? That's all I'm proposing here. It's a lot of "what ifs" and subject to change.

 

[ManofSteel55]

I remember the Preds went on a similar run at this same time last season. They did not look good in the playoffs.

Good for the Blues but I think they get worked when things turn up a notch.

That's very possible of course. They'll likely be hitting the top seed, so it won't be easy for them. But upset potential is huge with them this year.

 

[yukoner88]

If this comes true, Leon will be the Conn Smythe winner, by a country mile

 

[K1984]

Well Pickard is starting against Vegas tonight, so we'll see, but I hope you're not suggesting we shouldn't even let Rodrigue start the San Jose game? And if he plays amazing, shouldn't he get another game after that? And if he keeps playing great, then shouldn't he keep playing? That's all I'm proposing here. It's a lot of "what ifs" and subject to change.

Short of him standing on his head against the Sharks, no I don't think it would make any sense at all to start screwing with the goalies and creating more uncertainty with the amount of time left in the season (assuming Skinner is back soon). A win against the Sharks should not be considered a measure of quality goaltending.

We need to find a way to get at least one of our actual NHL goalies to be in a position to succeed. Doesn't matter if that means it's Skinner getting to a bare average level of acceptability or Pickard getting some momentum behind the quality starts he's been giving us. Deciding to throw a third wild card that has even lower odds than the other two of being anything into the mix for multiple starts with only 9 (likely critical) games remaining makes no sense IMO.

 

[MessierThanThou]

Short of him standing on his head against the Sharks, no I don't think it would make any sense at all to start screwing with the goalies and creating more uncertainty with the amount of time left in the season (assuming Skinner is back soon). A win against the Sharks should not be considered a measure of quality goaltending.

We need to find a way to get at least one of our actual NHL goalies to be in a position to succeed. Doesn't matter if that means it's Skinner getting to a bare average level of acceptability or Pickard getting some momentum behind the quality starts he's been giving us. Deciding to throw a third wild card that has even lower odds than the other two of being anything into the mix for multiple starts with only 9 (likely critical) games remaining makes no sense IMO.

It makes no sense to put all of your faith in two goalies who are clearly not the answer and have been our most glaring weakness all season. And I'm not convinced that Pickard would be an "actual NHL goalie" on most other teams, or Skinner as of late.. The NHL actually has a really good track record of rookie goalies getting hot in the playoffs. They should ride the hot hand, period. Even if it's Rodrigue. I don't know what this goaltending has shown you to make you think it has any chance in the playoffs (third worst in the NHL behind a defense substantially better than the only two teams with worse goaltending), but it seems just as likely that either will drastically get better as it is that Rodrigue will get hot and outplay them both.

 

[K1984]

It makes no sense to put all of your faith into two goalies who are clearly not the answer and have been our most glaring weakness all season, and I'm not convinced that Pickard would be an "actual NHL goalie" on most other teams, or Skinner as of late.. The NHL actually has a really good track record of rookie goalies getting hot in the playoffs.

They have a better chance of being an NHL goalie than the guy with one period of experience and .899 SV% as an AHL vet. The rookie goalies that get hot in the playoffs typically have some pedigree or recent experience of AHL success. Rodrigue has neither.

This whole back and forth is confusing anyways. You're basically looking for Rodrigue to give us what Pickard already is.

 

[MessierThanThou]

They have a better chance of being an NHL goalie than the guy with one period of experience and .899 SV% as an AHL vet. The rookie goalies that get hot in the playoffs typically have some pedigree or recent experience of AHL success. Rodrigue has neither.

This whole back and forth is confusing anyways. You're basically looking for Rodrigue to give us what Pickard already is.

Matt Murray played 13 regular season games before winning the Cup in 2016. And Rodrigue was one of the better AHL goalies last season and the season before. Not predicting Rodrigue to go on a heater or anything, but if Pickard keeps playing like shit every second consecutive game, then what? Should we die with him in net and not even give Rodrigue a look? That's literally all I'm arguing here. As you said, these games are critical...

 

[K1984]

Matt Murray played 13 regular season games before winning the Cup in 2016. And Rodrigue was one of the better AHL goalies last season and the season before. Not predicting Rodrigue to go on a heater or anything, but if Pickard keeps playing like shit every second consecutive game, then what? Should we die with him in net and not even give Rodrigue a look? That's literally all I'm arguing here. As you said, these games are critical...

Show me evidence of this. It's not a thing.

Matt Murray had high, high pedigree. The Flames tried to acquire him for a 1st rounder at that deadline and the Penguins said no.

 

[FiveFourteenSixOne]

Can a mod change this thread title or delete this f***ing thread?

Talk about bad juju.

 

[stewy04]

On the plus side Button said today that this is the year the Kings win. He's usually wrong.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

Reality is 3 good teams exist in Pacific and other than one outlier year its the same 3. Kings do seem somewhat improved this season. Improved goaltending. But the improvement due to Clarke hasn't been covered here. He gives them a different dimension in the back end and good at making plays. D overall are better this year for LA. They got Jeannot and Foegele and the latter is playing how the Oilers always wanted him to but has a bigger role with the Kings. Just watching a couple games Kuzmenko is slotting in so far and playing his best hockey in years.

Kings are physically bigger this year, have Doughty back (most people wrote them off playing 5mths without Doughty this season) and they've added other D and size. Generally they have more roster options to draw in than before. Still scoring by committee and still Kempe and Kopitar running the farm but Byfield has had a bounce back season.

No TMac and his easily countered 1-3-1