When to do this?

[HadThomasVokounOnFortSt 878]

Alright so I was just watching the Ohio St vs Boston game on ESPN2. Ohio St is down 6-3 with 6 minutes left. Ohio St is rallying and there head coach pulls there goalie with 6 minutes left and down 6-3. They did this earlier in the year and came back from 3 goals down. This time it didn't work, they gave up a goal to make it 7-3. After the empty net goal Boston takes a penalty. Ohio St pulls the goalie again down 7-3, once again Boston gets another empty net. But this came to my mind watching that. How do you know when the right time to pull your goalie is when your down by 3 or 4 goals?

Edited March 29, 2009 by HadThomasVokounOnFortSt

[CenterIce 83]

That wasn't the right time. I was watching the game, too. To me, pulling a goalie that early is basically giving up. Your last stand.

[brutus 0]

That wasn't the right time. I was watching the game, too. To me, pulling a goalie that early is basically giving up. Your last stand.

Didnt san jose do something like that against detroit one year...pulled the goalie way early and went on to win the game...???

brutus

Edited March 29, 2009 by brutus

[CenterIce 83]

Didnt san jose do something like that against detroit one year...pulled the goalie way early and went on to win the game...???

brutus

If you are behind by one goal, maybe, but this game was 6-3 at he the time. BU was basically winning pretty easily, but OSU was going on a little run, while BU was slowing down, since they were so far ahead. With a little less than 7 minutes to go, the OSU coach pulled his goalie. He also pulled him on a subsequent power play. BU scored empty netters on both.

[HadThomasVokounOnFortSt 878]

If you are behind by one goal, maybe, but this game was 6-3 at he the time. BU was basically winning pretty easily, but OSU was going on a little run, while BU was slowing down, since they were so far ahead. With a little less than 7 minutes to go, the OSU coach pulled his goalie. He also pulled him on a subsequent power play. BU scored empty netters on both.

That is what I don't get. Why he did it that early.

[pavyaz19 1]

Didnt san jose do something like that against detroit one year...pulled the goalie way early and went on to win the game...???

brutus

that was against colorado in the playoffs some years back. they were down during the second period by two or three goals and went on the power play i believe. they scored to bring it back within 1 or 2. i could be wrong but it seems to me like that game either ended or became tied by a red-line goal to beat osgood. don't you just love those?

[Dano33 41]

One time when I was a squirt my coach pulled our goalie midway through the 2nd period when we got down 7-0. It didn't help.

[HadThomasVokounOnFortSt 878]

One time when I was a squirt my coach pulled our goalie midway through the 2nd period when we got down 7-0. It didn't help.

See that is what I don't get. Why would your coach pull your goalie when your down by 7, and for most of all in the 2nd period. To me that seems your being stupid, and throwing the game.

[Dimaline312000 51]

I was glad to see Boston win that game I can't stand any OSU sports teams.

[seeinred 1,488]

It was an elimination game, wasn't it?

Not pulling your goalie seems more like giving up than pulling him early.

[brutus 0]

that was against colorado in the playoffs some years back. they were down during the second period by two or three goals and went on the power play i believe. they scored to bring it back within 1 or 2. i could be wrong but it seems to me like that game either ended or became tied by a red-line goal to beat osgood. don't you just love those?

That is the one I was thinking of...as my memory fades I also seem to remember that they (colorado) went on to win the game as well....

brutus

[C-TownWing 0]

Alright so I was just watching the Ohio St vs Boston game on ESPN2. Ohio St is down 6-3 with 6 minutes left. Ohio St is rallying and there head coach pulls there goalie with 6 minutes left and down 6-3. They did this earlier in the year and came back from 3 goals down. This time it didn't work, they gave up a goal to make it 7-3. After the empty net goal Boston takes a penalty. Ohio St pulls the goalie again down 7-3, once again Boston gets another empty net. But this came to my mind watching that. How do you know when the right time to pull your goalie is when your down by 3 or 4 goals?

I'll take the minority position and say it was a good move that just didn't work out. You were watching the game, so you know that aOSU was pretty much owning the chances at that point, and (going from memory) they did come pretty close to making it 6-4. They do that, all of a sudden it's a hockey game again, get your goalie back in for a couple, ride the momentum and hopefully get another one, then pull the goalie again a little later. Is it an airtight plan? Hell no. But it's about as good as you can do down 3 with 6 left.

I remember last year when UNH was getting pwned by Notre Dame in the first round, they pulled their goalie with even more time left. Didn't work for them either, but it was entertaining at least.

Edit: Checked my memory against the box score, I was wrong, UNH didn't do it until the last 5 minutes. And ND's 2 ENGs made the score look worse than it was. Ouch.

Edited March 31, 2009 by C-TownWing

[Hockeytown Red Wings 245]

We didn't have anything to lose. We were getting our asses kicked, we made a nice rally to get back into it, and we came up short.

It didn't work, but if it had, he'd be coach of the year.

[LIDDYGIBBY5 1]

You have to pull the goalie early! It takes some time to score all of those goals. You can't just wait until 90 seconds left and hope to net 3 or 4 goals. When you are down that many in an elimination game, what do you have to lose?

[FinRedWing 172]

It's obvious they were going for 14-3.

[Gizmo 21]

We were at the Midwest Regional final (Bemidji St. vs. Cornell) and I was surprised when Cornell pulled their goal with around 3:40 left in the 3rd when they were down 3-1. That seems way early to me. The longer you leave the net open, the greater the exposure to an empty netter. Sure enough, Bemidji put in two pucks (one was waved off due to a delayed offsides) in the remaining time. Down two, pulling the goalie with around 2:00 left seems like a time that would minimize your exposure and give your offense a decent chance of pulling off a couple quick ones.

[C-TownWing 0]

We were at the Midwest Regional final (Bemidji St. vs. Cornell) and I was surprised when Cornell pulled their goal with around 3:40 left in the 3rd when they were down 3-1. That seems way early to me. The longer you leave the net open, the greater the exposure to an empty netter. Sure enough, Bemidji put in two pucks (one was waved off due to a delayed offsides) in the remaining time. Down two, pulling the goalie with around 2:00 left seems like a time that would minimize your exposure and give your offense a decent chance of pulling off a couple quick ones.

IDK that almost seems right to me. I was trying to come up with a rule of thumb and was thinking something like 1:30 for every goal you need. I mean, it's not going to work most of the time, but what's the difference between losing 3-1 and 5-1?

I always thought it was kind of dumb how in the NHL, the time when you pull the goalie doesn't differ that much when you're down 2 instead of 1. Down 1, you might see it with about 1:15-1:30 left. Down 2, maybe it's 1:30-1:45. You almost never see the goalie out with more than 2 to go, which doesn't make sense to me. You're saying you need 1:15-1:30 for one goal, why do you only need 15-30 seconds more for a second goal?