Opinion: Petr Mrazek should be starting Game 1

[themcityblues 249]

The goal less than 30 seconds in made Babs' choice clear. That kind of thing really urks him, because... you know... it means you're "playing from behind"

[derblaueClaus 1,668]

Just watched Babcoks post-game.

He's clearly blaming tonight's loss on goaltending. Both goalies. But seemingly more so Howard. I've actually never heard him throw a goalie under the bus like he did. His comments were tactful, but it's obvious what he was trying to say.

Which is somewhat concerning given the kind of turnover party his team has celebrated lately. You just don't call out specific players, especially your goalies, in public when the whole team is playing like s***.

[VM1138 1,921]

Four goals should've beenenough to win. I'd say this one was on the goalies, Howard in particular.

[marcaractac 3,962]

Dude, Wrestlemania is three days away. You're way off on your timing.

HAPPY WRESTLEMANIA!

[Manny>Ozzie(by a long shot) 55]

Deja Vu anyone??? Goalie Warz part II!!

[derblaueClaus 1,668]

Four goals should've beenenough to win. I'd say this one was on the goalies, Howard in particular.

With that you imply that every goal is always on the goalie. But defense is also a huge factor. Off course it's a sucking effort from both. Did Howard let in weak goals recently ? Yes, he did, but his defense also did nothing to make his life easier. For example the two goals where the puck was deflected into his net by Z and Andersson the last two games.

Deja Vu anyone??? Goalie Warz part II!!

More like part XXI.

Edited March 27, 2015 by derblaueClaus

[frankgrimes 1,836]

No he isn't, the guy is reacting too fast and that makes him vulnerable for high accurate shots.

Howard really hasn't been there same since getting hurt. Going to rewatch the game now but personally I'd give the monster a chance and if he is playing good against Tampa stick with him.

[gcom007 1,465]

No he isn't, the guy is reacting too fast and that makes him vulnerable for high accurate shots. Howard really hasn't been there same since getting hurt. Going to rewatch the game now but personally I'd give the monster a chance and if he is playing good against Tampa stick with him.

Not a bad call. We might get a good period or two out of him before he gets hurt again.

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

HAPPY WRESTLEMANIA!

Meh, I'm pretty sure it will suck this year.

He punished Kindl for scoring a goal and making a beautiful breakaway pass on Abdlekader's goal last game but doesn't punish Ericsson for being useless. He punishes Weiss for turning the puck over vs Boston but refuses to punish Nyquist, who turned the puck over at least six time tonight. I say he has the potential to be "that stupid".

I thought the same thing when I typed that. We'll see what happens.

[DatsyukianDekes 2,428]

Ok so Babcock made one correct change. What about Ericsson now who gifted a goal yesterday. Why doesn't he get benched or moved down. It's not like he's a top pairing defense-man and we absolutely can't move him down.

[wings4thecup06 504]

"When you are playing from behind every shift is an emergency and that causes turnovers…we have to keep the puck out of our net. Petr will get a chance now." -Babcock

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but what about when turnovers lead to playing from behind? I don't think anyone's going to argue that Howard's been inconsistent and oftentimes lousy since returning from injury, but this team hasn't been helping their goalies at all lately. I think it's fair to call out Howard at this point, but you've got to be calling out Nyquist and Ericsson too, and you've certainly got to call out your team defense. Howard hasn't been great, but no one on this team has been much better lately.

"When you are playing from behind every shift is an emergency and that causes turnovers…we have to keep the puck out of our net. Petr will get a chance now." -Babcock

I don't disagree with the sentiment, but what about when turnovers lead to playing from behind? I don't think anyone's going to argue that Howard's been inconsistent and oftentimes lousy since returning from injury, but this team hasn't been helping their goalies at all lately. I think it's fair to call out Howard at this point, but you've got to be calling out Nyquist and Ericsson too, and you've certainly got to call out your team defense. Howard hasn't been great, but no one on this team has been much better lately.

I agree with you. It's time for some overall accountability to guys like Gus and Ericsson.

Howard hasn't been good and I was calling for Mrazek to actually start last night's game over Jimmy because it's obvious he's got the Yips right now. But it goes deeper than goaltending. The entire D needs to play better. I'd totally advocate benching Ericsson, sending Kindl down and calling up Ouellet or Marchenko just to light a fire under someone's ass.

What would make this really interesting is if Mrazek just absolutely steals the number 1 job here by playing like Georges Vezina down the stretch. He has to know this too. If Petr really wants to make a big impression now, he knows this is his chance. And I really think it would galvanise the team too. Hopefully he steps up and the team responds.

[mvanpop 98]

Not a bad call. We might get a good period or two out of him before he gets hurt again.

To be fair that last time was due to view much of a piece of s*** lucic is. He likes to collide with goalies

[Hockeytown0001 7,652]

Hopefully this turns into a similar situation with the Penguins in 2013 where Fleury was pulled in favor of Vokoun, only to come back strong the next season and this one.

[gcom007 1,465]

To be fair that last time was due to view much of a piece of s*** lucic is. He likes to collide with goalies

Oh, I know, I like Monster. I wish him all the luck and health in the world as he's a great backup when he's healthy. The guy is just colossally unlucky though. It's really unfortunate.

[SaCkaveli20 275]

I'm a little worried this was the tipping point of us missing the playoffs.. Hopefully Petr can steal us a few games and the team can loosen up a bit.

[marcaractac 3,962]

No he isn't, the guy is reacting too fast and that makes him vulnerable for high accurate shots. Howard really hasn't been there same since getting hurt. Going to rewatch the game now but personally I'd give the monster a chance and if he is playing good against Tampa stick with him.

A series is 7 games. We need a goalie who can play more than a game or two without getting hurt.

[frankgrimes 1,836]

No he isn't, the guy is reacting too fast and that makes him vulnerable for high accurate shots. Howard really hasn't been there same since getting hurt. Going to rewatch the game now but personally I'd give the monster a chance and if he is playing good against Tampa stick with him.

A series is 7 games. We need a goalie who can play more than a game or two without getting hurt.

Right now it's about getting points and give the shaky defense some confidence if the monster can do that for two games that's plus 4 points.

[roboturner 562]

Howard said his groin – an injury to it forced him to miss most of January – has not been bothering him, and he said his poor performance is not a confidence issue, either.

“After going over the video tape and talking with goalie coach Jim Bedard, it’s just following the puck with my eyes,” Howard said. “I think it’s just that simple. I think with a goalie, if you’re not following a puck to the best of your abilities and you’re behind that split-second, it can mean the difference. It’s key, especially with, you get big bodies in front, you’ve got to focus on that puck,” Howard added later. “You can’t lose sight of it. Pucks are going to go in in the NHL, we all know that. It’s just about brushing it off and trying to make that next save for the guys.”

There it is! 6 year veteran just has to work on...his tracking of the puck!!

[number9 3,297]

There it is! 6 year veteran just has to work on...his tracking of the puck!!

Well that's good news

[AtlantaHotWings 983]

At least we now know the issue! Perhaps his eyes are getting blurry and some Lasik would help.

Edited March 27, 2015 by AtlantaHotWings

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

There it is! 6 year veteran just has to work on...his tracking of the puck!!

Goalies work on most parts of their game throughout their career. It's why each team has a goaltending coach.

There's actually a pretty interesting article about how Dubnyk changed the way he tracks the puck and it changed his game.

The technique is called Head Trajectory and Dubnyk discovered it while working with former NHL goalie and current MSG Network analyst Stephen Valiquette for one week at Andy O'Brien's NHL fitness camp in Vail, Colo., before the opening of training camps.

"It's all to do with your head. It's like closing on pucks," Dubnyk told NHL.com. "You discover you have to move a whole lot less than you used to feel you need to. It's such small movements forward and just closing off the angle of the puck, and when you start to realize that and you realize how big you are when you put yourself in the right position -- and that's a big part of it -- you start to feel comfortable and then you can be patient on your feet. You can sit there and let plays happen in front of you and not be going down early, and everything kind of comes with it once you realize how big you are."

Actually, making saves is just one part of Head Trajectory, which at its simplest is about how you track pucks with your head rather than just following it with your eyes. The concept applies to every part of goaltending, from how a goalie moves around the ice following the play, to how he recovers and moves after a save.

The beauty of Head Trajectory is twofold: how it applies to any goaltending style and its simplicity. It focuses on the manner in which you move your head to stay focused on pucks while tracking plays and shots, rather than looking left or right or over the shoulder and pulling your eyes off the puck. As simple as it sounds, the applications, like the 13 years of research that went into developing it, are more detailed and comprehensive.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=754075

[roboturner 562]

Goalies work on most parts of their game throughout their career. It's why each team has a goaltending coach.

There's actually a pretty interesting article about how Dubnyk changed the way he tracks the puck and it changed his game.

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=754075

Alright, that sounds awesome.

But seeing has how the 31 year old Howie still has trouble learning the skill of puck-handling, I'm not too optimistic in his ablitity to overhaul/adjust to this system on the fly (if he were in fact to try and learn it, that is)

And of course they work on thing during their career. I remember playing baseball when I was like 11. I wasn't bad to start the year, but after a while I just had the hardest time even making contact with the ball. That threw my confidence down the drain, so every time I went up I already knew I was going to strike out (sure enough, I did!).

Then finally towards the end of the season, whoever's dad that was 'coaching' 3rd base came over to me mid at-bat. "Hey Nate," he says "I just noticed you're taking your eyes off the ball before it even gets to the plate. Make sure to watch the ball all the way to the bat." And I did. And I at least made contact with the ball during that at bat.

All that said, I was 11. Not a professional baseball player who couldn't hit or throw the ball to 1st to save my life. But hey, if Howie works on it and it gets him going, he could be a good player for someone else!

Edited March 27, 2015 by roboturner

[MDCard 48]

Elevating Mrazek to #1 is a good idea and probably past due. Jimmy has been off since his injury. He is really reacting slowly...like he is moving in cement. Sit him for awhile.

Our best portion of the year was when Mrazek was #1 (after Jimmy went down against the Caps). While Mrazek can have a stinker of a game, he kind of exudes a certain confidence, reacts quickly, and moves the puck well. He doesn't play well every game, but he keeps you in a majority of games. Jimmy keeps you in a minority of the games (since his injury) which is not cutting it.

Goalies are streaky and I think you should rotate goalies in and out throughout the season depending on how they seem to be reacting to the puck and handling the stress of the position.

You need points...you can't just ride a guy forever because you have deemed him "the #1 goalie."

[Z and D for the C 712]

People act like Mrazek is playing great..and he isn't. He let in two easy goals last game too. I don't think Mrazek is ready to be an NHL goalie yet.

[PavelValerievichDatsyuk 1,935]

People act like Mrazek is playing great..and he isn't. He let in two easy goals last game too. I don't think Mrazek is ready to be an NHL goalie yet.

I agree that Mrazek has let in some bad goals and had some bad games, but he's definitely ready to be an NHL goalie. Young goalies don't come into the league flawless. He was ready at the end of last year in my opinion. That said, I don't think he's ready to be a #1 goalie.

Edited March 28, 2015 by PavelValerievichDatsyuk