Surprises and Disappointments
ILYA BRYZGALOV -- Safe to say there are more people who think Donald Trump’s disastrous hairdo is trendy and cool than people who predicted the imposing Phoenix goalie would be outdueled by Detroit’s Jimmy Howard. But the season-long solid Bryzgalov surprised everyone when he simply collapsed in all four games of the first-round series, ending with a saggy 4.36 GAA and .879 save percentage. He failed to track pucks through traffic and often backed so deep into the cage you’d think he was a Coyote in captivity. Known for being extremely strong on low shots, Bryzgalov even let in goals because he didn't execute the most basic goalie fundamental of simply having his stick on the ice. An unrestricted free agent this summer, the $4.25 million stopper may not be shown the kind of big-time money he had been hoping for.JIMMY HOWARD -- As disappointing as Bryzgalov was for Phoenix in the opening round, Howard was the Red Wings' boy wonder. If there was one part of Howard’s game during the regular season that made critics most cringe, it was his knack for letting in demoralizing bad goals and for a tendency to overreact and spaz out like a kid on a sugar buzz. All this was mostly absent in his opening series blanking of Phoenix. What we saw instead was a goalie who smartly played his angles, rarely took himself out of position and did so many little things right (like cover stick paddle down with textbook efficiency on in-tight plays) that it added up to a big series performance. But for me, the moment that indicated that Howard, 27, had come of postseason age was in the second period of Game 4 when Kyle Turris came in on a breakaway and Howard robbed him like a bank without a lock on its vault. His glove snag kept it at 3-3. The Wings would end up winning 6-3. It was the game’s tipping point. And perhaps Howard's.
MICHAL NEUVIRTH -- One of the hardest things for a goalie to do is … nothing. And probably the hardest thing to do is … nothing, but while also standing and watching the other team's goalie perform acrobatics. When he hasn't been making timely, laser-focused saves against the Rangers, Neuvirth has had the psychological challenge of going long stretches while Henrik Lundqvist puts on 49-save Cirque du Soleil-style clinics like he did on Wednesday night at MSG. Rather than be intimidated, Neuvirth, 23 and a rookie appearing in his first NHL playoffs, has matched Lundqvist, 29, in what has shaped up to be the postseason's most compelling goalie duel.
COREY CRAWFORD – The true value of a goalie in the playoffs is his ability to play big in elimination games. At 26, Crawford may not be a traditional rookie, but his play against the Canucks is still a pleasant surprise. Despite looking shaky in the first period of Game 1, Crawford has battled extremely hard and become more comfortable and confident as the series has rolled along. He had plenty of goal support in Game 4, but a 36-save shutout in Game 5 is proof he has the mental toughness needed to extend this series to what would be a very surprising Game 7.
MICHAL NEUVIRTH – You never know what to expect from a rookie goaltender in his first-ever NHL playoff experience. Sure, I figured Neuvirth would probably play well, but I never expected him to match Henrik Lundqvist save for save in two classic overtime games. The wins on home ice in Games 1 and 2 were fantastic, but the win in Game 4 at Madison Square Garden was simply mind-blowing. Despite falling behind 3-0 in the game, he continued to display the poise and calmness that makes him such a special young star in the NHL. You can’t teach a goalie that kind of mental toughness, proving just how capable he is of taking the Capitals all the way to the Finals.
JONATHAN QUICK – Although many other goaltenders have dropped some real stinkers in the first week of the playoffs, none was more tougher to watch than Quick’s middle-period meltdown in Game 3. No, I certainly don’t blame him for what happened, but there’s still no excuse for it. He allowed more goals in the second period than any other during the regular season, but that’s not something you expect to continue in the playoffs. Without Anze Kopitar in the lineup, five goals should be more than enough support. But it wasn’t in Game 3, and now his Kings are already facing elimination in Game 5.
-- Ken Baker
Here, Ken Baker looks at the reasons why going to Brian Boucher was the right choice and what the future holds for Philadelphia. Meanwhile, Justin Goldman looks at why Sergei Bobrovsky was pulled and what he needs to do better if he gets another chance.
Who becomes No. 1 goalie for Flyers?
By KEN BAKER
Everybody, it seems, loves a good controversy. Now, Philadelphia Flyers fans can get into the act. Welcome to "Bobgate."
The innuendo and conspiracy theories surrounding Philadelphia's rotating cast of goalies in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals is enough to make any controversy lover content. The options are almost endless and the outcomes too varied to even fully delineate.
Let's revisit the facts.
Before turning to veteran Brian Boucher -- then, in desperation, Michael Leighton -- in his series against the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers coach Peter Laviolette went with the alluring promise of youth, picking 22-year-old Sergei Bobrovsky as his starting goalie in the playoffs.
But it turned out to be a potentially misguided notion that has put Philadelphia' series in peril.
Clearly, the move to finally throw Boucher, 33, into the starting job was the prudent one at the time it happened in Game 2 -- Boucher's leaky Game 5 showing notwithstanding. Boucher was a calming presence in the net. Before his Game 5 meltdown, his postseason 1.45 goals-against average and .954 save percentage, including a brilliant 28-save Game 4 in Buffalo, back up Laviolette's choice. But, clearly, it was a choice that came two games too late.
Hindsight is always 20/20. But the warning signs of a ready-to-fold Bobrovsky (who not only has lost the starting job, but has been ingloriously demoted to No. 3 on the goalie depth chart behind Leighton) were evident to many watchers of the Philadelphia goalie conundrum.
The Flyers rookie didn't exactly fly into the playoffs. During the final 10 games of the regular season, Bobrovsky let in soft goals with some sloppy and floppy netminding. In fact, in his final regular-season start, on April 9, against the Islanders, he was yanked (in favor of Boucher) after allowing 3 goals on 10 shots. Even so, a week before the playoffs, Laviolette proclaimed Bobrovsky his man.
As a result, Bob would become the youngest goalie in this year's NHL playoffs. And, within five days, also become the first to lose his job.
Make no mistake, Bobrovsky was put in a high-pressure situation as Philadelphia's starter, one of the most obsessed upon positions in all of sports. The fact that Leighton, the hero from last year's run to the Stanley Cup Final, was added to the mix in the regular season's last two weeks, only added to that pressure.
Now, after Game 5 and facing a 3-2 deficit in the series to the upset-minded Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia must find some goaltending answers fast.
Yet if Philly can recover from their early goalie stumble, if Boucher can bounce back or Leighton can recapture his 2010 magic, and if the team can figure out a way to consistently solve Ryan Miller, Laviolette can redeem himself.
