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Leafs Must Fix Goaltending Problem
by Paul on 10/05/09 at 06:19 AM ET
Comments (3)
from Damien Cox of the Toronto Star,
So what we think we might know about the Leafs after two games – Lee Stempniak looks much improved, added toughness doesn’t mean much if the other team won’t engage, Viktor Stalberg clearly does belong – really doesn’t mean much.
Nothing, you see, can be known until the goaltending is sorted out.
When you allow only 51 shots in two games and give up 10 goals to lose twice, you know you have a problem.
By comparison, Detroit is admitting it may have a problem between Chris Osgood and Jimmy Howard after losing twice to St. Louis in Stockholm, and the Wings goalies gave up only nine goals on 53 shots.
Some of it is about goals-against averages and save percentages, but goaltending is also a feel, something that creates an atmosphere around the team. If the netminding is sound or even better, excellent, players compete in a comfort zone, knowing they can make an error here or there, and they tend to relax and gel better as a unit.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Toronto Maple Leafs | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
I think I pointed this out two months ago….they should have spent money on a real goaile not Phil Kessel. Komiserek is horrible by the way…....
Posted by kevin from boston on 10/05/09 at 09:58 AM ET
The problem with the goaltending is that Toskala was getting shelled because of their complete lack of a second or third defense pairing last year, and now they’ve “addressed” that issue with two guys who decided to forget how to play hockey. It’s hard to say how Toskala would perform if he had some semblence of a defense corps in front of him, and I don’t care how good The Monster is, if the Leafs defense doesn’t step it up it won’t matter.
Posted by Garth on 10/05/09 at 10:46 AM ET
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Really?
I didn’t catch the game on Saturday, but there were two problems on Thursday that were WAY higher on the must fix scale than Toskala’s performance, and their names were Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin. Between Kimosarek’s penalties and Beauchemin’s hapless wandering around the net, you certainly can’t blame Toskala, at least for the Thursday loss.
Posted by Garth on 10/05/09 at 09:34 AM ET