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StormJH1

% Chance that Monster can Survive B2B Games?

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#RedWings have recalled Petr Mrazek from @griffinshockey for tonight's game against the @BlueJacketsNHL. He will backup Jonas Gustavsson

Jonas Gustavsson played an NHL game in Boston on Monday. Today, Tuesday, he is playing against Columbus. What do we put that odds at, based on past results, that Monster makes it through tonight's game without some type of groin injury, sprain, or other aggravation? 45%? 60%?

He played well (enough) against Boston, but I'm just saying....

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i think monster will be fine, where even though it is back to back starts, it is only his second start of the season. the bigger question imo is how much the wings have left in the tank after yesterdays game. they need to come out swining bin case they start to look sluggish in the 3rd.

i know it is hard to change a winning line up, but i figured with all the extra forwards, this game would have been a good one to get some fresh legs on the ice.

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i know it is hard to change a winning line up, but i figured with all the extra forwards, this game would have been a good one to get some fresh legs on the ice.

I love that Luke Glendening played 10 minutes last night, while Jordin Tootoo only played 7:29. I love it so much.

My problem with Gustavsson isn't so much that he's "bad" as NHL backups go - he probably isn't. But if you're going to pay any kind of premium for a "veteran" netminder to backup Howard (granted, $1.5 mil AAV is not that much), you'd hope to get a guy that is either: (a) better than replacement level ability; and (b) durable enough to play long stretches if Howard has any type of injury worse than a bruised hand. Monster didn't really fit either of those bills - he has any number of health/durability questions, and he's been no better than a 2.90 GAA and .900 SV% goalie for 4 seasons in the NHL now.

Unfortunately, while Mrazek looks very promising, he's so young that he needs to keep playing and developing.

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i think monster will be fine, where even though it is back to back starts, it is only his second start of the season. the bigger question imo is how much the wings have left in the tank after yesterdays game. they need to come out swining bin case they start to look sluggish in the 3rd.

i know it is hard to change a winning line up, but i figured with all the extra forwards, this game would have been a good one to get some fresh legs on the ice.

I figure the fourth line, which should be pretty fresh, might get some more time than usual. Glendening has shown he can be pretty reliable, Tootoo has looked good, and Miller is Miller. Beyond Gaborik, no huge offensive threats that need to be shadowed, IMHO.

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Gustavsson did have a very nice game. But the thing you notice about him immediately is that his movement for a big goaltender is very chaotic. Most large goaltenders (Sean Burke, Giguere, etc.) identify the angle, and then play a little deeper to limit the amount of movement they have to do. This would be in contrast to someone like Manny Legace, who had to run about 5 feet out of the crease at times just to cover the net.

When Monster goes side to side, he seems to over-commit, and then either falls or shuffles back to the correct angle while the puck is in traffic. While he's doing that, he's basically effed if there's a shot on net. There were a number of times yesterday (including one where Weiss blocked two shots on his ass) where Boston could have scored quite easily, but the D cleared it out. Then again, he is a backup goaltender, and we're actually spoiled watching Jimmy Howard, who I think may be a Top 5 NHL netminder right now, and plays very under control with his movement.

I'm not pointing this out to rail against Gustavsson, just pointing out that even in a win, there's a bit of luck involved.

Edited by StormJH1

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If the Wings play like they did yesterday, Monster will have a good game. If they possess the puck, he won't have as much work to do. If they block shots, fewer will get to him.

In other words, if they treat him like they want to keep him healthy, he should be ok. Should be. This is Monster. Maybe they'd better treat him like he's made of glass.

Hopefully he'll have another good injury-free showing.

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Gustavsson did have a very nice game. But the thing you notice about him immediately is that his movement for a big goaltender is very chaotic. Most large goaltenders (Sean Burke, Giguere, etc.) identify the angle, and then play a little deeper to limit the amount of movement they have to do. This would be in contrast to someone like Manny Legace, who had to run about 5 feet out of the crease at times just to cover the net.

When Monster goes side to side, he seems to over-commit, and then either falls or shuffles back to the correct angle while the puck is in traffic. While he's doing that, he's basically effed if there's a shot on net. There were a number of times yesterday (including one where Weiss blocked two shots on his ass) where Boston could have scored quite easily, but the D cleared it out. Then again, he is a backup goaltender, and we're actually spoiled watching Jimmy Howard, who I think may be a Top 5 NHL netminder right now, and plays very under control with his movement.

I'm not pointing this out to rail against Gustavsson, just pointing out that even in a win, there's a bit of luck involved.

Totally agree with you, just thought the link was worth posting.

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Guest Crymson

I love that Luke Glendening played 10 minutes last night, while Jordin Tootoo only played 7:29. I love it so much.

I can only assume that you're being very sarcastic. As such, I feel obligated to tell you that Glendening is very suited to play on the penalty kill whereas Tootoo is not. That accounted for their difference in ice time.

Edited by Crymson

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Guest fat guy in a maltby jersey

"monster" is going to get lit up tonight.

book it.

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I can only assume that you're being very sarcastic. As such, I feel obligated to tell you that Glendening is very suited to play on the penalty kill whereas Tootoo is not. That accounted for their difference in ice time.

Also they are on the fourth line and I don't know if some people don't understand but the fourth line doesn't usually get 15 minutes of ice time...

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Survive? How about % chance monster plays better in game 2 of back to back starts?? Haha I love it.. he's finally playing up to (and possibly beyond) his ability.. something imo he hasn't done since signing here.

If he can play well every start and take more starts so Howie doesn't play 90% of the games, Jimmy will be so ready for playoffs :) LGW

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Its early I know, but it is looking like our first strong goalie pairing since 07-08.

08-09 Osgood sucked and Conklin bailed us out.

09-10 Howard took over as starter and Osgood sucked

10-11 Howard was great until he got injured, and then he sucked. Osgood sucked, Macdonald was meh

11-12 Howard was great, Conklin sucked and had to be bailed out by Macdonald

12-13 Howard was great, Gustavson was either injured or sucking.

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Its early I know, but it is looking like our first strong goalie pairing since 07-08.

08-09 Osgood sucked and Conklin bailed us out.

09-10 Howard took over as starter and Osgood sucked

10-11 Howard was great until he got injured, and then he sucked. Osgood sucked, Macdonald was meh

11-12 Howard was great, Conklin sucked and had to be bailed out by Macdonald

12-13 Howard was great, Gustavson was either injured or sucking.

As I finish up my tasty plate of crow, I'm still not ready to declare that Jonas Gustavsson is suddenly "fixed", or that his litany of heart, groin, and soft tissue injuries won't come back to bite him. That being said, that one-timer save last night (where he reached over with his glove, but actually trapped it between his arm and body) is a great example of using his size well and playing deep in the net. Minimal movement, maximum coverage. When Henrik Lundquist is playing well, he does it similarly.

At the end of the day, having a good "goaltending tandem" can be a nice way to take mileage off a starter, but it's largely irrelevant to overall success so long as you have a solid #1 that can play 60+ games. Which the Red Wings do in Jimmy Howard. The 08-09 season got us back to the Cup Finals, and as you said, our backup play was largely atrocious the past two seasons, except for a few memorable Mrazek performances.

The reason you may be right THIS year, however, is the Olympics. It's looking more and more probable that Jimmy Howard could play some or many of the games for the U.S. team in Sochi. Even just being overseas and practicing with the team will put additional strain on him in what would otherwise be a 2-week vacation. So Monster may be needed. Plus, if Mrazek was called into duty out of necessity LAST season, it seems likely they could do the same this year.

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Also they are on the fourth line and I don't know if some people don't understand but the fourth line doesn't usually get 15 minutes of ice time...

nice straw man. i dont think i've ever seen someone on lgw advocae for 15 minutes for the 4th line. most people feel its reasonable to see the 4th line get close to 10 minutes and not just 7 like tootoo does. sure he doesn't play on the pk like his linemates, but sometimes after a special teams shift, you put a broken line out there to get fresh guys on. its not like we would be inventing some brand new concept.

on topic: those 2 games were huge for gustavsson. it should help his confidence immensely. also, it will hopefully convince babcock that he can actually sit jimmy once in a while. even though it was the first wek of the season, it was already unfortunate that the first back to bak we had howard started both games. if they genuinely dont want to overuse howard, they have to start early and give him nights off. in their first chance of the season they didn't do that. i am hoping that these good performances will give them confidence to make the better long term decisions going forward. (and yes i know it was only 1 situation and its a long season. its not over reaction, its just evaluating what we have seen thus far)

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nice straw man. i dont think i've ever seen someone on lgw advocae for 15 minutes for the 4th line. most people feel its reasonable to see the 4th line get close to 10 minutes and not just 7 like tootoo does. sure he doesn't play on the pk like his linemates, but sometimes after a special teams shift, you put a broken line out there to get fresh guys on. its not like we would be inventing some brand new concept.

on topic: those 2 games were huge for gustavsson. it should help his confidence immensely. also, it will hopefully convince babcock that he can actually sit jimmy once in a while. even though it was the first wek of the season, it was already unfortunate that the first back to bak we had howard started both games. if they genuinely dont want to overuse howard, they have to start early and give him nights off. in their first chance of the season they didn't do that. i am hoping that these good performances will give them confidence to make the better long term decisions going forward. (and yes i know it was only 1 situation and its a long season. its not over reaction, its just evaluating what we have seen thus far)

Well I was obviously being a tad facetious but my point was still valid. Unless we have a penalty free game on both sides of the ice you won't see him get 10 minutes

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The Monster has so much talent, I really hope he will get the chance to become a number 1 goalie somewhere maybe Edmonton? after this season. he deserves all the luck in the world

Completely agree. He has a lot of potential that has been stifled playing on teams like Toronto and getting injured.

Since I'm high on Mrazek (cautiously high- maybe mezzanine-level), I'd like to see Monster get something nice next year. Maybe we can thank him for his efforts by increasing his value when he hits free agency by winning a Cup for his resume.

Plus with Nyquist looming on the horizon, having Monster move on will help with the Gus-Gus situation.

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