First Week Surprises
It's been a busy first week of the season (many thanks to NHL Gamecenter :), and the big surprises are with the backups. Three in particular have caught my eye: Garon with the Lightning, Bernier with the Kings and the absence of Rask in Boston. All three of these goalies have the chops to be starters, but I'm not sure if they've stolen the limelight yet.
Let's start with my beloved Lightning. In a rematch of last year's conference finals with Boston, they started Garon which was a gutsy move by Boucher. I definitely did not see it coming given the quality of game and that it's only the second game of the season. But this is why they paid the big bucks for a solid backup. Too bad the bruins were too much for him. He had a solid first period but not enough tricks up his sleeve to pull out the big saves.
Bernier was another goalie that has the skills to be a starter, but after the game against the Sabers, he may need to convince a few more people. It was a bad game, but there were some difficult but stoppable pucks. I think the first goal was a good example. Sure it was a quick pass from behind the net to a quick release, but it was a stoppable shot. Those are the difficult but game-changing saves that starters need to consistently get.
Seeing as these two backups have starting goalie skills, it was interesting to see that Rask did not get a start this weekend. Granted Timmy T. has solidified his place in goalie history, I'd still think that Julien's two number 1 goalies would get starts early in the year. It'll come soon enough though.
Let's start with my beloved Lightning. In a rematch of last year's conference finals with Boston, they started Garon which was a gutsy move by Boucher. I definitely did not see it coming given the quality of game and that it's only the second game of the season. But this is why they paid the big bucks for a solid backup. Too bad the bruins were too much for him. He had a solid first period but not enough tricks up his sleeve to pull out the big saves.
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| Bernier Deep In His Net On Adams First Goal |
Bernier was another goalie that has the skills to be a starter, but after the game against the Sabers, he may need to convince a few more people. It was a bad game, but there were some difficult but stoppable pucks. I think the first goal was a good example. Sure it was a quick pass from behind the net to a quick release, but it was a stoppable shot. Those are the difficult but game-changing saves that starters need to consistently get.
Seeing as these two backups have starting goalie skills, it was interesting to see that Rask did not get a start this weekend. Granted Timmy T. has solidified his place in goalie history, I'd still think that Julien's two number 1 goalies would get starts early in the year. It'll come soon enough though.