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Post by mboyan on Oct 11, 2007 8:30:21 GMT -4
....is off to a terrible start!! A 4.57 GAA and a save % of 0.837, while facing an average of 28 shots per game  I'm surpriesd nobody has brought this up before now. If anything, with the defence playing as poorly as it has, they need Lafleur to step it up now. Please discuss |
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Post by dogpound on Oct 11, 2007 8:58:47 GMT -4
My theory is that it's a curse.
The PEI Rocket has been cursed with God-awful goaltending for most of its existence.
Mior was an embarrassment most nights; Nolet was awful.
Boutin was good during the latter part of the 03-04, but so-so in the 04 playoffs against Moncton, and then was traded midway through the 04-05 season, with the result being that we missed the playoffs - not easy to do in this league.
Lafleur started out very well last year, but then soured and just about lost that Bathurst series all by himself; he's been shaky in most games this year....even when he makes the save, he looks as if he's fighting the puck....WTF is that goalie coach doing???
Mosher was a disappointment, just couldn't play in this league.
....and now this.
I would give Gélinas a really good shot, but somehow don't think he's the answer.
Unless the goaltending improves significantly in the next 2 months, a trade for an experienced goalie wouldn't be a bad idea...else we might stay in 18th place.
....but I still think it's a curse....
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Post by bois on Oct 11, 2007 9:42:03 GMT -4
a trade for an experienced goalie would be stupid
LaFleur has struggled yes.. but he will get better as the defense in front of him improves.. Mior was very good.. he was just very inconsistant.. Mosher hasn't had a shot yet to suggest he "just can't play in this league" is foolish and short sighted
Gelinas is a stopgap.. I agree tho until Antoine gets straightened out I'd be playing Gelinas more... he should certainly get a start on Saturday
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Post by dogpound on Oct 11, 2007 10:01:12 GMT -4
a trade for an experienced goalie would be stupid LaFleur has struggled yes.. but he will get better as the defense in front of him improves.. Mior was very good.. he was just very inconsistant.. Mosher hasn't had a shot yet to suggest he "just can't play in this league" is foolish and short sighted Gelinas is a stopgap.. I agree tho until Antoine gets straightened out I'd be playing Gelinas more... he should certainly get a start on Saturday Nonsense. Part of being "very good" is being consistent. A goalie has to be reliable, and Mior was never reliable - some nights he was amazing, and he was always good at stopping breakaways, but the rest of his game (when he brought it, that is), more often than not, was mediocre, especially when it mattered most. I may be wrong (not 'foolish', no need for that) about Mosher, but you don't know enough about Gélinas to say he's a 'stopgap' - you could easily have said that about Lafleur two years ago, or even at the beginning of 06-07. So you're saying that if Lafleur continues to play horribly, and Gélinas doesn't pan out, a trade for an experienced goalie would be 'stupid'? Saying other people are 'stupid', 'foolish', and 'short-sighted' is a hell of a way to stimulate a good discussion. I'm done with this one. Ciao. |
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Post by bois on Oct 11, 2007 10:15:40 GMT -4
I never said anyone was "stupid", "foolish" or "short sighted", read more carefully next time.
I said trading for an experienced goalie would be stupid considering we currently have an experienced goalie (NHL drafted at that) and we have a lack of assets to make a move to acquire another one.. any ideas by the way who you would trade for .. it helps to add that when making a bold statement like our goaltending is cursed and perrenially rotten
Mior played very well for us most of the time here.. he played behind some very bad teams, he has also played very well for Gatineau this year.. check the stats if you don't believe me, he was/is very inconsistant tho.. he won't play great every night.. what goalie truly does tho? But he was a very solid QMJHL goaltender as evidenced by his career stats.. some suggest hockey is not his lifelong aspiration however.. so perhaps that set him back a bit in terms of his development
I know as most everyone else does that Gelinas was acquired as a stopgap... perhaps LaFleur continues to play poorly and Gelinas plays well when called upon.. that makes his acquisition a good one (especially considering it was low cost) but it doesn't change the fact he was acquired as a stopgap in the development of Mosher...
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Post by North Shore on Oct 11, 2007 10:26:49 GMT -4
Lafleur has been shakey so far this season. Let in some absolute stinkers but at other times has played great.
Inconsistency like that is not a lack of talent but more a sign of immaturity and a lack of focus and concentration. He's got to work just as hard on his mental game as the physical. In his position one miscue usually results in a goal. For most every other position there is somebody who may be able to cover up for an error.
He needs to pick up his game, and when the guys improve in front of him it will help his confidence. I believe confidence is a big part of mental preparation it keeps you from over thinking all the mechanics and positional things. If you're confident you'll focus on the play and not worry about position. You'll naturally get yourself set and in position. If you're thinking about where you are in the net and your glove and blocker position you're not thinking about what is happening in front of you and next thing you know the puck is behind you.
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Post by observer on Oct 11, 2007 12:13:21 GMT -4
Excellent post Rckt Fan. Sounds like you may have been a keeper of the net in another life. I know it takes a special breed to want to be a goal keeper. The boys are subject to a lot of pressure, both mentally and physically.
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Post by North Shore on Oct 11, 2007 12:39:57 GMT -4
Sounds like you may have been a keeper of the net in another life. No, mostly the wing occasionally defense and only in the nets playing street hockey pretending I was Ken Dryden (and that was not yesterday). There were many Leaf and Bruin fans who would tell you I was too mentally challenged to be a net minder. |
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Post by rocketlauncher on Oct 11, 2007 13:05:32 GMT -4
Theres no excuse for LaFleur's play. HE has had time to adjust since getting back from the NHL camp and a LOT of the goals scored against were not the fault of the defense. Lafleur showed some signs of his best self in periods 2 and 3 of the last game. Lets hope that hes turned the corner now
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Post by perefoura on Oct 11, 2007 15:01:17 GMT -4
One thing is sure, Mior is giving us in Gatineau a chance to win every game, except for the first game. That was his only bad game. I thing he just made peace with himself. Now, he looks like he's having fun and he looks calm in the net. He really looks like the first rounder he was several years ago.
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Post by wingman on Oct 11, 2007 17:21:23 GMT -4
In the past Lafleur has played better than what he has shown so far this season, but at times he has also been let out to dry by the players in front of him also. There were games when he made the big save when needed and other times he would let a stinker in also, I think that once/if the team defense improves in front of him, he will also. I would be worried if the team was playing really well in front of him and he wasn't getting the job done. But so far the whole team, including him, hasn't really played the way they should be capable of playing.
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Post by boogie on Oct 12, 2007 8:53:47 GMT -4
I agree. Once we get 2-3 consecutive games where we make a good effort all 3 periods, Lafleur's confidence will build back up again. You can't be the best until you believe you're the best, and right now he looks nervous.
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Post by Porkchop on Oct 13, 2007 15:44:08 GMT -4
Lafleur = OVERRATED
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Post by juniorcormier16 on Oct 13, 2007 23:43:44 GMT -4
Laf is slipping what ever the hell happend at that rangers camp keep it there. He got nothing out of going there thats for sure feel bad for him. That team is going no where anytime soon and right now laf is playing like shit. I blame him and the defense for a lot of the losses laf letting weak goals in at crucial points in the game and the defense letting him hang dry. The only thing wrong with this team is defense and the goalie. they got all the fire power they need they can control the game just need a goalie to keep them in it is all. And right now laf is not that goalie
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Post by fireside on Oct 14, 2007 8:54:25 GMT -4
oh junior.....yes the defense has been weak and Lafleur has been less then stellar...seems to me that the team played much more as a unit and stronger in front of Gelinas on Saturday then they have in front of LaFleur most games this season...but, the D and Goalie are not the only problems...coaching is.... Leaving Lafleur in goal after goal is only messing with this kids confidence and then in some stupid coaching decision on Friday night Lafleur gets left in for all the goals only to be pulled with less then 5min left.....what does that do to the remaining confidence of your supposed "number 1" goalie?  For the most part I think its obvious that the team has not yet gelled, this is probably due to many reasons, maybe on and off ice, but one reason i see is Jean....he can't seem to set the lines where they work best, consistency is not there and stupid penalties from Jean (two too many men on the ice in one game? ) and of course undisciplined penalties from some of our vets.... It was nice to see the boys win last night, and I hope they go with Gelinas tonight, maybe give Lafleur a chance to get his wits about him, work the kinks out of his game and the cobwebs out of his head so he can come back and lead the team like we hoped he would. Can't blame him for all the losses, he has been hung out to dry many times and isn't receiving the support from either the team or the coaching staff to fix the problems.....remember...gotta get by 5 other players before you get to the goalie, and already this year Jean has made it only 4 men, more then twice....you think he'd learn to count in year three of his contract? ? |
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