2 weak goals again by Bryz

[hf101]

Can anyone honestly tell the difference between Bryz and Leighton?

Bryz has his name on the Stanley Cup.

[canoli]

Can anyone honestly tell the difference between Bryz and Leighton...other than the personality and the paycheck?

Not at all by what I see on the ice.

Choosing between the 2 I'd take Leighton, not only because he's about 90% cheaper but because at least he made himself big in the net sometimes; Leighton's best attribute = his size. Bryzgalov isn't much smaller but he sure looks it...night in night out.

Not only that I just can't deal with "Bryz" the Character.

[flyercanuck]

@hf101

Ya, I can tell that from his play. He really looks like a guy who could put a team on his back....now seriously?

[hf101]

@flyercanuck

Considering that he is probably still recovering from his foot injury....... he hasn't played that bad this series.

[flyercanuck]

@hf101

He hasn't played that bad. I'll give him that. But when he signed for all that money, did he really think fans would settle for "hasn't played THAT bad"? And he DID play that bad last series. The team won in spite of his badness. And if he IS in fact injured...well....he looks the same when he's not.

[hf101]

@flyercanuck

Yeah, he did play bad last series. I think the bone chip was diagnosed at the end of March. Meaning he played through the Pens series not 100%. His foot should be better....still maybe not healed completely. I think he has played better this series thus far. Now if the team in front of him would play better in the next 3-4 games he might just get a bit more praise.

[aziz]

Bryz has his name on the Stanley Cup.

so does christobal huet. just saying.

[flyercanuck]

@hf101

Absolutely

[SoCalFlyfan]

@everyone

You guys sound like Pens fans making up for excuses for why the Flyers beat them instead of giving the Flyers credit. Maybe they (Pens fans) were right and the Pens played poorly and we happened to benefit, get bounces etc. Maybe now we are facing a team that is not playing poorly and has a goalie who is not pooping the puck into his own net after every shot like Fleury was.

...or has anyone just simply thought that the Devils have been better so far and are the better team right now ? Is it really the Flyers fault the Devils are better ?

I think the devils just had a better game plan going into this series because they can adapt to the opponent, unlike Lavi. The way to stop our offense is to keep the puck away from us, in the corners, and forcing our offense to play D - in turn tiring us out. It's actually a brilliant strategy by DeBoer...but it's all our fault because we really are the better team and we should win.....

[doom88]

The bone chip made him no worse. He's just as awful playing the puck, catching and dropping with his glove, and misreading plays as before. He's just as slow laterally, same huge five hole since he's too stupid to keep his stick on the ice, and still can't square up against shooters with the slightest of traffic. He makes himself small in net, never challenges shooters, and plays weak angles that manage to expose both sides to shooters.

Yeah, its the footpa, not the brain.

[aziz]

The way to stop our offense is to keep the puck away from us, in the corners, and forcing our offense to play D - in turn tiring us out. It's actually a brilliant strategy by DeBoer

the thing is, that isn't a brilliant strategy. it's straight forward and obvious and most teams try to do that. puck possesion = win. the trick is taking that from a vague plan and making it happen, and that comes down to the individual players involved winning the battles to maintain that possesion. it's not like the devils are using a super clever forecheck or some complicated trap. for whatever reason, the flyers have not been able to maintain in the devils' zone, and the devils have been able to maintain in the flyers'. puck goes into the corner, followed by a flyer and a devil...and the devil is tending to emerge with the puck on his stick. add to that less than stellar work from bryzgalov and you have a 2-1 series lead for the devils.

[RonJeremy]

Doom ,I totally agree with you, and I have posted about the same flaws that I see in Bryzs game. He does not even have down basic fundamentals, and he is not all that quick.For the money we are paying this guy, we shouldnt even be discussing this . What I want to know is, who the hell was scouting Bryz when we were thinking of signing him? Did they watch enough of his games or was a he a toally different goalie in Phoenix? I am never up to watch West coast hockey, so I never got to see much of Bryz's games. I can only go by what I see now. I see a typical Russian who dissapears when the pressure is on. I dont think this guy is metnally tough enough to play in Philly,where expectations are sky high. for the millions we are paying him, he is no better than Leighton, Bob or Boosh.

In the offseason we have to buy him out if CBA allows under the new deal, and sign a solid normal goalie, maybe Harding the guy from the Wild who I believe is an UFA. We should also see if Bob is worth sticking with or not. Bob has problems with the high shots due to crouching and going down on every shot, but Bob is quick is lightning and has amazing lateral movement, at least Bob makes some acrobatic saves here and there, Bryz rarely does. If we can properly coach Bob and get him to stand up a bit more,we will have a great goalie.

[ruxpin]

wow. carle screened him on the first, kovalchuk wide open between the circles on the 2nd. idiot flyers fans as usual. bryz kept this team in it (again) while the flyers got badly outplayed (again).

do you have a button on your keyboards that says "its the goalies fault"?

I had to smile when I saw this thread because objectively, if not for Bryz playing largely out of his mind, game three is 7-2 Devils. The third goal cited was a very quick play behind the net. It was NOT due to Bryz being too slow. I'm not trying to go out of my way to defend Bryz, but to come on here with such a thread after a game where Bryz singlehandedly kept the team in it is just beyond absurd.

As for the "we haven't had a goalie since Pelle" thing: I have absolutely no doubt that had the guy not died, the people who still praise him would absolutely have hated him...the thread originator included. He played for all of two or three years. At some point, the team in front of him would have sucked and it would have been entirely his fault, according to some clowns.

[SoCalFlyfan]

the thing is, that isn't a brilliant strategy. it's straight forward and obvious and most teams try to do that. puck possesion = win. the trick is taking that from a vague plan and making it happen, and that comes down to the individual players involved winning the battles to maintain that possesion. it's not like the devils are using a super clever forecheck or some complicated trap. for whatever reason, the flyers have not been able to maintain in the devils' zone, and the devils have been able to maintain in the flyers'. puck goes into the corner, followed by a flyer and a devil...and the devil is tending to emerge with the puck on his stick. add to that less than stellar work from bryzgalov and you have a 2-1 series lead for the devils.

Well, to me the Devils are consciously working the perimeter with the sole purpose of tiring our guys out, then once they have done that they'll throw the puck at the net . And yes, their players are winning those battles. We need to do the same thing, but unfortunately Brodeur prevents that from happening with his stickhandling after we dump it in...not to mention the devils seem 'Bigger' along the boards for some reason.

[ruxpin]

the thing is, that isn't a brilliant strategy. it's straight forward and obvious and most teams try to do that. puck possesion = win. the trick is taking that from a vague plan and making it happen, and that comes down to the individual players involved winning the battles to maintain that possesion. it's not like the devils are using a super clever forecheck or some complicated trap. for whatever reason, the flyers have not been able to maintain in the devils' zone, and the devils have been able to maintain in the flyers'. puck goes into the corner, followed by a flyer and a devil...and the devil is tending to emerge with the puck on his stick. add to that less than stellar work from bryzgalov and you have a 2-1 series lead for the devils.

Agreed. Nice job on taking the obvious, no-kidding vague plan thing and putting a reason to it.

I disagree about the less than stellar thing with Bryz, though. He kept them in that game. You keep letting the other team come at you like the flyers did and they're going to get some in. The Devils didn't get over a hundred points this year by accident.

(By the way, I spent quite a bit of time on the Pens' boards on the HFBoards during our series with them. If you took out "Penguins" and made it "Flyers" and took out Fleury and put in "Bryz," it read pretty much like this board during this series.)

[ruxpin]

Well, to me the Devils are consciously working the perimeter with the sole purpose of tiring our guys out, then once they have done that they'll throw the puck at the net . And yes, their players are winning those battles. We need to do the same thing, but unfortunately Brodeur prevents that from happening with his stickhandling after we dump it in...not to mention the devils seem 'Bigger' along the boards for some reason.

I think you mention something key here. I don't think the Flyers have adapted very well to the puck-handling goalie. It's back out before our forecheck can get set up, and often it's due to Brodeur.

[idahophilly]

I had to smile when I saw this thread because objectively, if not for Bryz playing largely out of his mind, game three is 7-2 Devils. The third goal cited was a very quick play behind the net. It was NOT due to Bryz being too slow. I'm not trying to go out of my way to defend Bryz, but to come on here with such a thread after a game where Bryz singlehandedly kept the team in it is just beyond absurd.

As for the "we haven't had a goalie since Pelle" thing: I have absolutely no doubt that had the guy not died, the people who still praise him would absolutely have hated him...the thread originator included. He played for all of two or three years. At some point, the team in front of him would have sucked and it would have been entirely his fault, according to some clowns.

Agree, agree, agree! Why the rest of the team sucks but it's all Bryz's fault is beyond me. Yes, he has let in some clunkers but that will happen when you just let the opposition come and come at you. And you are spot on about Pelle... There isn't a goalie made that would make Flyers fans happy...

[OccamsRazor]

Bryz is going with the SHUTOUT tonight just to prove all the nay sayers wrong around here(including me, i'm ready for a HUGE serving of crow prepared by Bryz himself)

[thebirdman]

puck goes into the corner, followed by a flyer and a devil...and the devil is tending to emerge with the puck on his stick. add to that less than stellar work from bryzgalov and you have a 2-1 series lead for the devils.

agreed, and if there wasnt also less than stellar work from brodeur we'd be down 3-0 on the brink right now.

[aziz]

I disagree about the less than stellar thing with Bryz, though. He kept them in that game. You keep letting the other team come at you like the flyers did and they're going to get some in.

i don't agree. i just can't. bryzgalov has the worst save percentage of any goalie still playing. through 3 games, only one of those has he stopped at least 90% of the shots he's seen. if a team can expect more than 10% of the shots they put on net to go in, they can expect to advance. he hasn't been shelled by overwhelming firepower or been forced to face a shooting gallery. 4 goals on 50 shots, ok, job well done by the goalie, the game is in no way on you. 4 goals on 31 shots...well, you are part of the problem, then. yes, he has made some pretty nice saves, but he has allowed some pretty weak goals. bottom line to me is he hasn't gotten the job done in the way an NHL goaltender should be able. i completely agree, the team in front of him hasn't gotten it done, either, but soft goals on wrap arounds, wrist shots from 45 feet going 5 hole, pucks squeaking between his arms and body....a couple point blank shots into his chest don't make up for those.

(By the way, I spent quite a bit of time on the Pens' boards on the HFBoards during our series with them. If you took out "Penguins" and made it "Flyers" and took out Fleury and put in "Bryz," it read pretty much like this board during this series.)

and, honestly, they wouldn't be very wrong. both bryzgalov and fluery were terrible awful terrible in that series, and fluery was awful terribler. i think the flyers skaters ultimately outplayed the penguins skaters, and the final result had to do with the entire rosters from both sides, but fluery didn't really give them much of a chance. then again, bryzgalov didn't give the flyers much of a chance, either, so i think that kind of washes.

[aziz]

agreed, and if there wasnt also less than stellar work from brodeur we'd be down 3-0 on the brink right now.

well, yeah, agree there. marty hasn't been amazing, either.

[aziz]

Why the rest of the team sucks but it's all Bryz's fault is beyond me. Yes, he has let in some clunkers but that will happen when you just let the opposition come and come at you.

91 shots through 3 games. that isn't a crazy work load. that isn't a team coming and coming at you. 10 goals on those 91 shots is not the performance of effective goaltending. especially when at least half of them were of the cringe-inducing variety.

[Bakanekimiwa]

I think we can all agree that the team has been playing like crap in front of Bryz and he is not 100% to blame for the losses.

I think what frustrates those of us who are proactive about getting on Bryz is that what we are ablolutely dying for our goalie to win or "steal" a game for us here and there when the team in front of him plays like the turdfest that they are doing right now. That doesn't mean that we are asking him to win all games when the rest of the team sucks but a few would really help.

Secondly I think we would like to see him stop stoppable shots. He can make all the circus saves he wants but if he gives up a backbreaking trickler at the worst time that basically undoes all of his herioc efforts from earlier in the game. I cant fault him for goals like the Kovalchoke goal where he was left hung out to dry with the bad defense but the 1st goal from last night was awful becuase it went right through his arms. He had a good look at it, it wasnt tipped and it went through him and sapped any momentum we had by scoring 1st.

To recap, we Bryz bashers are not saying that it is all his fault or that rest of the team doesnt need to step it up, they do, but we do need the $51 Million man to earn his keep and be the guy he was advertised to be, stop the stoppable ones and steal a game here and there. If he does that then he cant be faulted as he is doing all he can. I do not think he is doing all he can nor is he playing to his potential. He is not supposed to be Boucher or Leighton he is supposed to be a star goalie and instead he at times plays like Kari Takko re-incarnate.

game 2 should have been that game. bryz almost stole it for us. you could argue that the last goal he let in was not a good one. oh well. when i watch the other teams in this year's playoffs, i'm amazed at the goaltending they're getting. is it fair to feel that we should be getting that type of goaltending as well? i dunno.

marty hasn't been stellar, but he's certainly out played bryz. and when you look at every other goalie remaining in the playoffs, they've all waaay outplayed bryz. and their team D's aren't much better than ours. you could argue that the rags are... but washington? LA? coyotes!? our D is every bit as good as the other teams left, imo... the big difference is that those other teams are getting big game performances from their goaltenders.

again... is it fair for us to wish for that? i guess not, but $51m and 20 years of heartache at the hands of more than a few dodgy G's is enough to make this fan hate the hockey gods until they fix this horrible wrong that's been put on the flyers. is it the pelle lindbergh curse!?

[canoli]

Why the rest of the team sucks but it's all Bryz's fault is beyond me.

It's not all his fault it's partly his fault. God. Why are the 2 mutually exclusive with some of you guys? It can be both sometimes. Since the goalie plays the most prominent position he gets the lion's share of the credit and the blame. What is so terrible about pointing out where he deserves blame?

Yes, he has let in some clunkers but that will happen when you just let the opposition come and come at you.

G1 = 26 shots on Bryzgalov. G2 = 35, G3 = 31. I know aziz already made the point but it bears repeating: this is not a heavy workload over 3 games this is basically average for the NHL.

A few of the Devils' goals were point-blank, guy-left-totally-alone-in-the-slot type of chances - nobody is ragging the goalie for those. But there have been too many softies - "too many" going by NHL standards. Sykora's goal - tying goal late sends G1 to OT - Larsson's goal in G2, after we'd led 1-0 for 2 periods, those were particularly weak. They don't begin to account for all of them but to be fair I'm quite sure if we had video of all the saves you'd find some good ones. No OMG-how-did-he-snag-that? ones, like the save on Letang, but some good saves.

But goaltenders who make routine, "good" saves are a dime a dozen in the NHL - it's the default for a starter = make all the easy ones and surprise us once in awhile with some good ones. The Quicks and the Thomas' (last year) are the exception because they make the HolyShitHowDidHe...? save game in game out. They become known (at least for awhile) as "great goaltenders."

Bryzgalov isn't even in the "default for an NHL starter" category this post-season. He was abysmal in R1, his worst stretch of games all year probably. This series he's better but he sure doesn't inspire confidence because every time he's had a chance to steal a win he's let in a bad goal (or 2, or 3), which naturally gives the Devils a huge lift.

G2 was a mega-dose of Bryzgalovsuckage. 3 goals in a row and only 1 of them I'd consider "legit" where Bryzgalov didn't have much of a chance.

Let's face it Bryzgalov has missed some remarkably soft, easy shots - by being out of position, being off the post when he should've been on, his stick is up when it should've been on the ice...etc. These are beer league mistakes for a goaltender; they just shouldn't happen at this level.

There isn't a goalie made that would make Flyers fans happy...

Speaking for myself I'll say "nonsense" to that. I still think we've got a winner in Bob. I hope he gets a good, long chance to prove me right. A lot will have to change for that to happen - namely getting rid of Bryzgalov. So I doubt we'll ever know much about Bob's potential. But he's the best young goalie I've seen in a Flyers' net since Pelle.

[hf101]

so does christobal huet. just saying.

yes......are you suggesting that the KHL is salivating with Bryz's play and is calculating an earlier than expected acquisition?