Bob or Bryz: Who should get Winter Classic nod?
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Flyers Report: Broad Street Bull
Bob or Bryz: Who should get Winter Classic nod?
Sam Carchidi, Inquirer Staff Writer
PITTSBURGH _ So did Sergei Bobrovsky’s strong performance in Thursday’s 4-2 win in Pittsburgh complicate matters for head coach Peter Laviolette?
In other words, will Laviolette have a difficult time selecting a goalie for Monday’s Winter Classic against the New York Rangers?
“What a big win tonight,” Laviolette said, sidestepping the question with a smirk."Let's stick to tonight right now. I mean, I'm not even out of the building."
Bobrovsky continued to look like the team’s best goalie, winning for the fifth time in his last six appearances.
For the season, Bobrovsky is 8-2-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .913 save percentage. In his last six games, his GAA is around 1.60 and his save percentage is near .940.
Starter Ilya Bryzgalov, who has lost four straight, is 14-8-3 with a 3.01 GAA and .890 save percentage.
If Laviolette was picking his goalie strictly on performance, he would choose Bobrovsky. He is playing with more confidence and is making more clutch saves than Bryzgalov, who signed a nine-year $51 million contract in the summer.
But if Laviolette gives Bob the nod in one of the showcase games of the NHL season, he risks the chance of diluting Bryzgalov’s already-shaky confidence.
For that reason, the hunch here is he reluctantly gives Bryzgalov the start.
What would you do?
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Bryzgalov, was back to being his playful, jovial self as he kidded with reporters following the morning skate. He also said he was “frustrated” by his inconsistent play.
His formula to turn around his game?
“Be patient and work hard and maybe the bounces start going your way,” he said.
* * *
Cheers: Jaromir Jagr scored the game’s pivotal goal in his return to Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Jeers: Somehow, Jagr was not given one of the game’s three stars.
Cheers: In a classy move, the Penguins showed highlights of Max Talbot’s career with Pittsburgh on their scoreboard during a first-period stoppage. Talbot is in his first year with the Flyers.
Jeers: A Penguins fan held up a Flyers jersey that had an obscene version of Jagr’s name on the back of it _ and it was shown on the scoreboard as the crowd roared. Classless.
* * *
Jagr gave the Flyers the lead for good, at 2-1, with 13:57 left in the middle period. He made a clever move in the slot, and his backhander beat Marc-Andre Fleury to the short side.
“It was important not only for him, but for the whole team to get that goal,” said Claude Giroux, who boosted his league-leading points total to 46 with a pair of assists. “He got it pretty tough from the fans, but I think he kind of liked it a little bit.”
* * *
A smiling Jagr enjoyed telling writers how his backchecking helped prevent James Neal from scoring an early goal.
“Remember me for the Selke!” he said.
The Selke is given to the league’s best defensive forward.
* * *
Winger James van Riemsdyk, apparently bothered by a lower-body injury, played just 9:36. Only Harry Zolnierczyk played fewer minutes for the Flyers.
* * *
The Flyers have the day off Friday; the Flyers’ alumni will practice Friday in Voorhees at 4 p.m. as they prepare for Saturday’s game against the Rangers’ alums.
* * *
Defenseman Kimmo Timonen had another strong game: He scored his first goal of the season, was plus-2, blocked four shots and had two hits while playing 22 minutes. He is quietly having an all-star season.
* * *
Brayden Schenn (four hits) had the best game of his brief Flyers career.
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Follow Sam Carchidi on Twitter @BroadStBull.
51 million dollars, we're 1/2 way through the season and nothing has changed. It's another year and we still have a goalie controversy and no clear #1. Just pathetic..
Doesn't Bernie have a son.. or grandson? at this point a granddaughter would work too.— dedhed- Where have you gone Pete Peeters?
— TexColorado - I'm watching the Rangers vs Panthers game right now. Rangers up 2/zip in the first 5 minutes! Flyboys better bring their "A" game if they expect to win. Bob or Bryz better be sharp.— dogman5
- Bryz has admitted his game is terrible right now. Only people saying start Bryz, mention you don't want to ruin his confidence. If he can't handle being benched for the guy playing better than him when he himself is admitting his poor play, then that's not the guy you want tending the pipes come playoff time anyway. If his mental state is so shaky that benching him, when its obvious he deserves to be benched, shatters him, then you can't be confident marching towards a Cup with him. I like Bryz by the way. Not going to judge him yet. But Bob has outplayed him. Despite Bryz getting the benefit of the doubt, Bob just keeps working and performing.— northphil
- First, why is JVR playing if he has this painful injury. What sense does it make to play at 50% and make the injury worse? Go on IR, get heeled, come back at 100% down the road. Why is that so difficult? Next, Bob is outplaying Bryz. The Winter Classic is all hype but the bottom line is two points are at stake. Whoever is the hot goalie is the one that should get the nod, regardless of confidence. If Bryz wants to play so badly then he's got to prove it. So far he hasn't proven anything. Lastly, Pissburgh is the toilet of PA. Why is anyone surprised by anything those losers do?— Kanayd
- You play Bryz. We want to find out if he can step it up in a big game...— badcowboydan
- I think if I was lavy I would start Bryz for two reasons. a)To show that he still has confidence in him, b)As a face saving gesture for Homer and Snyder for signing Bryz to the big contract. If Bryz does not play well against the Rangers then Lavy can be justified in favoring Bob for the rest of the season without too much flak from all the socalled experts, and if Bryz continues to struggle I would advise mgt to trade him and get somebody cheaper as the backup so they can free up some cap room for the veteran defensive help they could use while Pronger is out.
- Lazy Carchidi needs a new topic. He likes it because he just changes the title and resubmits the same story. ZZZZ— DLW
