Posted: Monday, April 11, 2011, 9:43 AM | 21 comments |
 

Flyers will use both goalies
options
 

Random thoughts about the Flyers’ goaltending situation, beginning with something that seems obvious (at least to me):

That both Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher will play before this thing is over, whenever it is over.

Coach Peter Laviolette has spent the entire season delivering the same message about his goaltending: that it really doesn’t matter. Lots of coaches say it but Laviolette has done a better job of selling it than anybody around here in recent memory. Most coaches shy away from this kind of a situation for a very good reason -- that is, that it puts the heat on the coach this way.

If you spend the season switching back and forth, and if you sell your team on the idea that switching back and forth does not hurt the product, and if you tell the fan base that switching back and forth gives you the best chance, then the focus is not on the goaltender that night -- it is on the coach. It is much easier for a coach to pick one guy and sell him as the guy and ride him until he either wins or loses. Either way, the decision is made ahead of time and the second-guessing is minimal.

The way Laviolette has built it, the second-guessing will be endless. He seems not to care. It tells you a lot about the guy.

As for who goes first, I think the coach got this one right, too. I can easily make the argument that Boucher will provide a more consistent level of performance than Bobrovsky, that he is the better puckhandler, and that he was, after all, the Flyers’ best player in their first-round playoff win last year against New Jersey (before blowing out both knees in the middle of the second round against Boston).

At the same time, you can just as easily argue that Bobrovsky is the more athletic of the two goaltenders and that his highs are higher than Boucher’s. That seems to be what Laviolette is banking on. Bobrovsky is young, inexperience, exuberant and sometimes all over the place. So, if you think you’re going to need both guys anyway, you start with the kid and hope that his highs are really high -- and then, when necessary, you have the steady, veteran, seen-it-all guy to bring in off of the bench.

I don’t know that Laviolette will change goalies with every loss -- that would be pretty drastic -- but nothing is out of the question, given the construct that the coach has created. He clearly will do what it takes -- and it seems just as clear that the dressing room will play for either guy.

And whither Michael Leighton? Nothing is impossible, but I really don’t think you would see him unless there was an injury to one of the first two guys. I mean, two is enough.
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 9:43 AM  Permalink | 21 comments
21
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:12 AM, 04/11/2011
    I'm still trying to figure out why the Flyers called up Leighton if they didnt intend on playing him? I was hoping to see him start last Friday. I love our D and O from top to bottom but I just hope Bobrovsky blossoms before our eyes in these playoffs. If we go far or not he'll have alot to do with it.
    — stxprowl
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:08 PM, 04/11/2011
    I sometimes wonder if some of the people read the articles before they enter their comment. No sense letting some facts get in the way of a strongly held opinion, after all. On the day that Holmgren announced putting Leighton on recall waivers he explained why he was doing it and why the timing was right. He said that it was insurance in case Bob or Booch got hurt during the playoffs. He said that it was more likely to get him through waivers during the last week of the season than during the playoffs since the Flyers' opponent would likely claim him. Slick move by a very good GM.
    — Al Wilson
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:04 PM, 04/11/2011
    I think they called up Leighton to reward him for his commitment to the organization. He did his job like a pro, he gave a lot to the team last season, and this was the teams way of saying that he is still a part of their franchise. If he is needed he could play, but by the time it gets to his turn, it will be too late. There is no harm in having a guy around that is calm, collected, experienced, and well liked (at least by his team mates, not so much by most of the posters on here!). Remember, even though he only played one game for the Flyers this year, he was with the team for the first half of the season. He isn't a stranger. And, injuries are always a possibility. It is rare, but after the goalie luck that this team had last season, it is best to be prepared.
    — Hexy4GM
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:45 AM, 04/11/2011
    The Flyers called up Leighton in case Bobrovsky or Boucher get hurt. He still would have been subject to recall waivers in the playoffs, so had Bob got hurt in the first game, and they tried to recall him, it's almost a sure thing that he'd get grabbed by the opposing team.
    — JSaq
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:15 AM, 04/11/2011
    exactly. you're allowed to have an "emergency goalie" in the playoffs in case the 1 or both of your guys get hurt. pretty good insurance.
    — The Boston Strangler
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:26 AM, 04/11/2011
    Laviolette is a smart coach. I trust he'll know, with Jeff Reese's wise input, who to play when. I have a lot of confidence in the defense, to help any goalie in there. They'll win as a team and they'll lose as one too.
    — NYluvsPhylers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:29 AM, 04/11/2011
    I'm just really nervous about the bad goals Bob gives up..like Tavares' one-inch tap in on Sat. night. I also don't like how they've been blowing leads. You CANNOT do that in the playoffs! GO FLYERS!
    — uncle meat
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:41 AM, 04/11/2011
    cut n paste...cut n paste...is this headline from last year or the year before...
    — wvbillz
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:05 PM, 04/11/2011
    Put King Dunlap in goal!
    — Blantbino
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:19 PM, 04/11/2011
    Rich Hoffman is the only reporter in Philly that I can tolerate. Wish you'd write about the Flyers the whole year - forget about the Eagles, they're losers. Here's hoping that you're writing until June, that Ryan Miller isn't 100% healthy from whatever ails him, that the Flyers beat the Penguins in 4 non-shootout OT games in round 2, that some lesser team has knocked off the Caps, and that we take our chance with whatever emerges from the West. I get chills when Lauren sings God Bless America - just hope JVR and Matt Carle feel the same way (and maybe some of the non-USA players can appreciate it at this point - after all, you can sort of rationalize that the song is about Canada too - just use a little imagination). And Bob will just hear lots of cheering and be clueless - just as good for him.
    — CAFlyers
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:45 PM, 04/11/2011
    This is what happens when you refuse to do what it takes to get a #1 goalie
    — shawnmac
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:24 PM, 04/11/2011
    And which proven #1 goalie that the Flyers had a shot at in the offseason that put his team on his back and got them into the playoffs this year would you be referring to? Because I can't find him on any of these 15 other rosters...
    — blackscreen
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:43 PM, 04/11/2011
    Bob will be on a short leash. If he wins game one everything will settle down. If he gets shelled, its Boosh the rest of the way. Leighton is obviously insurance against injury, but he is no stranger to high pressure after last year. What a great story it would be if he had to save the team and wins the cup this year. Stranger things have happened. Bottom line, is we need to do anything to win a cup...we have been too good all year to blow this thing. Get it done boys.
    — jphil
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:43 PM, 04/11/2011
    Anyone commenting on the quality of goaltending needs to watch more than the scoring highlights on the morning news. The Flyers poor defensive play has been the bigger problem since the fade started in January. Blaming the goalie is a simpleton's explanation. Giving up the zone, weak coverage, turnovers, failed clears and breakouts are problems before the shot is on net. To say nothing of needing at least three goals at the other end before depending on the goalie to save the game.
    — no_shootouts


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About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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