Bryzgalov = Chechmanek

[SoCalFlyfan]

After watching him suck in goal and talk about the Universe, galaxies, wormholes, and Russian vodka I'm done with this guy. How can the team be confident in front of him when they all know he's a nutcase and cannot be relied upon in goal ? Are we really as screwed as it looks with the goalie situation ?

[TedZep]

Cechmanek's numbers were never even almost close to this bad. It's not remotely a valid comparison.

[Hexy27]

Bryz is one headbutt-to-a-puck away from completing the transformation.

[SoCalFlyfan]

Cechmanek's numbers were never even almost close to this bad. It's not remotely a valid comparison.

fair enough. still, what concerns me the most is how bizarre he is. after watching 24/7 he really seems like he's out there on another planet in the dressing room and all. one would have to wonder what's going through his mind during the game. i dont want us to be on the penalty kill and have bryzgalov thinking about the size of the universe.

[DaGreatGazoo]

How can the team be confident in front of him when they all know he's a nutcase and cannot be relied upon in goal ? Are we really as screwed as it looks with the goalie situation ?

Did notice the players reaction on that horrible 2nd goal he gave up? Two of them looked straight to the ceiling, almost like, "not again!" I'm not a goalie, and don't play one on TV, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night. But is it TOO much to ask that when the opposing team has the puck behind our net, to put your effing stick on the ice, and close the 5-hole? For fu*ck's sake...Bryz was sitting on the goal line, stick in the air, and his legs as wide as a new bride on her honeymoon on that deflection.

[SoCalFlyfan]

@gazoo. i know my confidence is a little low just sitting on the couch watching him play, i can't imagine how the forwards feel knowing that they have to score 4 goals every night to win. also, as i mentioned his personality does not exactly inspire confidence either. you look at guys like brodeur, thomas, lundkvist, ..even miller and they are class acts that say the right things and inspire confidence. sure, they all have rough spots and bad games but they hate to lose and as a player i'd love to play for a guy that genuinely hates to lose. bryzgalov does not seem that genuine to me.

[radoran]

Did notice the players reaction on that horrible 2nd goal he gave up? Two of them looked straight to the ceiling, almost like, "not again!" I'm not a goalie, and don't play one on TV, and I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night. But is it TOO much to ask that when the opposing team has the puck behind our net, to put your effing stick on the ice, and close the 5-hole? For fu*ck's sake...Bryz was sitting on the goal line, stick in the air, and his legs as wide as a new bride on her honeymoon on that deflection.

That's the one that went off one Flyer skate and then off another Flyer skate? That's the "horrible" goal? His teammates were going "how can *that* happen?" - not "how can Bryz let that goal in?" but "how can an errant pass go off two skates and be a perfect shot into the goal?"

Last night Bryz was 1.95 GAA/ .926 SV%, with the game tied on a two-skate deflection from behind the goal. Who stops that? Lundqvist? Brodeur? Fleury? Thomas? Tretiak? Roy? Parent? Plante?

Come on now.

Yes, he didn't look stellar in the carny ride where you get an extra point and giant stuffed bear, but he *was* 1.95/.926 in the game... oh, and Giguere's "win" came on a shot that hit the crossbar (in other words, got by him). In essence, no goalie last night stopped any shootout shooter.

I take some positives out of last night's game: 1.95/.926 is just the start; the fighting back to secure the point on the road in the final minute; strong play from Voracek and Simmonds; a semi-productive nine minutes from Holmstrom (6 for 8 on FOs).

With Bryzgalov my glass if half full - with vodka.

As for Cechmanek, his career NHL GAA/SV% is 2.08/.919 regular season and 2.33/.909 in the playoffs.

Tim Thomas' career NHL GAA/SV%? 2.50/.922 (2.06/.936 playoffs).

Yes, it was "Cechmanek's fault" that the team quit against Ottawa. 100% Cechmanek's fault that the team managed two entire goals in the five game series. Yes, they scored two goals in five games and WON A GAME and it was entirely the goalie's fault that they lost. Book. It.

[Bertmega]

• vs
  

For best unibrow.....

[DaGreatGazoo]

I never compared him to Cechmanek..way to early for that.

But I stand by my original point...hisform/discipline/focus was terrible on that goal. With 40 seconds left in the period, tie game on the road, with a depleted line-up, they can't score from that place on the ice.

I'm not throwing in the towel, I'm not saying all is lost, and I'm not saying Bryz is not the answer. I will say this..he has to be better. IMO, he was "won" 1 game for us..the Pens game the other week. I thought he was outstanding in that game. Other than that, he has been average. For what he is getting paid and for what is expected of him, he needs to be better than average.

[aziz]

For what he is getting paid and for what is expected of him, he needs to be better than average.

and he is, but not by a ton. people need to stop being surprised by this. you are seeing what bryzgalov is and what he will be: a decent goalie who can win games so long as the team in front of him does what they need to do, which is score 3 or more goals. only the elite of the elite goalies have gaa's under 2.00. scratching out a 2nd goal on some ugly scramble with 18 seconds left isn't going to win many games.

double redirections from behind the goalline are unlucky. the SO was brutal, but then he matched giguerre miss-for-miss. bryzgalov has a joke of a contract and he doesn't have another gear that we should wait to see, he is what he is and the flyers need to be good enough to overcome his shortcomings. the flyers couldn't find their way against a thin but motivated team in colorado, and bryzgalov's performance just reflected that.

[SoCalFlyfan]

@aziz -so..if he is what he is i feel like i just signed an 8 year contract for an average smartphone that will never get better, but can check emails and make phone calls really well.

[radoran]

bryzgalov has a joke of a contract and he doesn't have another gear that we should wait to see, he is what he is and the flyers need to be good enough to overcome his shortcomings. the flyers couldn't find their way against a thin but motivated team in colorado, and bryzgalov's performance just reflected that.

The Flyers play like warmed over dogmeat against Boston and it's Bryzgalov's fault they lost.

Bryzgalov puts up 1.95/.926 against Colorado and it's Bryzgalov's fault they lost.

Nobody likes Bryzgalov's contract, but it's like "water being wet" - it is what it is. We can't change it. In fact, with the NMC, the only person who *can* change it is... Bryzgalov.

Bobrovsky isn't going to "take over." Leighton isn't going to be given the reins (thank GOD). Boucher's got a two-year deal in Carolina.

It's mind-boggling to me, but Ed Snider apparently tapped a Russian goalie to be "His Guy" for the Cup.

Bryzgalov does need to play better. The whole TEAM needs to play better. And yet they're second in the conference with the third most points in the league.

It's rough being so awful.

[Flyguys03]

After watching him suck in goal and talk about the Universe, galaxies, wormholes, and Russian vodka I'm done with this guy. How can the team be confident in front of him when they all know he's a nutcase and cannot be relied upon in goal ? Are we really as screwed as it looks with the goalie situation ?

I wish he was chechmanek. He would be good in that case.

[aziz]

@aziz -so..if he is what he is i feel like i just signed an 8 year contract for an average smartphone that will never get better, but can check emails and make phone calls really well.

which is exactly what happened. and that's exactly the reason i was ranting and screaming and pulling my hair out when this whole thing broke last spring. remember how amazingly over the top furious i was at this signing? what we are seeing now is why. i said at the time this was one of the worst things holmgren could possibly do, and here we are. the deal is milbury-esque.

but there it is. spilled milk. you bought the wallmart phone and have a 9 year no-upgrade contract on it. it works, you can make calls, receive texts. email works sometimes, but no wi-fi and 3g only. youtube force-closes all the time, but the battery lasts forever. gotta work with what you have. bryzgalov isn't going to turn in any vezina seasons or conn smythe runs, but he is enough if the rest of the team steps up. last night and against boston, they didn't. which is understandable given the injury situation that has every line and each pair jumbled. hopefully they pull it back together. i'm just not surprised bryzgalov is being the goalie he's always been.

Edited December 20, 2011 by aziz

[DaGreatGazoo]

i'm just not surprised bryzgalov is being the goalie he's always been.

I just looked up his stats since that's really the only way to evaluate him at this point. Granted the sample size is small(30 games vs 82), but has Bryz ever been 36th of 44 in Save Percentage or 31st of 44 in GAA? I didn't do the historical look up, but I feel confident saying no. Based on that, I would say he's been worse than the goalie he's always been.

More importantly, he has failed the eyeball test for me. He just doesn't look confident, he doesn't look "good". He makes routine saves look alarmingly difficult at times, he appears to lose focus, and at times, it appears he just doesn't care. Case in point, the shootout last night....yeah, I know...both goalies looked bad. But based on his post game comment about hating shootouts, it appears that he checked out during the shootout to me. He looked terrible on all 3 goals.

[926]

After watching him suck in goal and talk about the Universe, galaxies, wormholes, and Russian vodka I'm done with this guy. How can the team be confident in front of him when they all know he's a nutcase and cannot be relied upon in goal ? Are we really as screwed as it looks with the goalie situation ?

This is a Sonot Cal statement. C'mon. There's a fine tradition of nutcases in our organization. I see Radoran is being sensible, again.

Bryz has been pegged with 1 loss in reg on the road so far.

If that show doesn't help you, change the station.

[aziz]

Based on that, I would say he's been worse than the goalie he's always been.

that 5 game uber-slump he had pulls his numbers way way down. remove the 5 unusually bad games and his number are basically on-target for the rest of his career. i did the math on it yesterday (day before, maybe?)....he works out to something like .914/2.49 if you drop the statistical outliers. yes, obviously those games should count, but so long as he avoids another prolonged run of .800 games, they will be lost in season end stats. for the moment, they represent too large a percentage of the sample.

More importantly, he has failed the eyeball test for me. He just doesn't look confident, he doesn't look "good".

well, that's bryzgalov. he is big and awkward, has poor lateral movement and has a tendancy to spit out fat rebounds. post-to-post, he's toast, and uncovered trailers will eat him alive with the rebounds he punts into the slot.

none of this is new, bryzgalov is what he is. the fact that flyers' scouting allowed this deal to happen tells me they were not consulted.

youtube him, watch some of the stuff from his PHX days. it's the same as we're seeing now.

[926]

@aziz - what is so bad about a 2 goal game on the road? Because it should have only been 1 gaa? Did B give up any goals in the third? We're seeing a totally different (and banged up) team play to the best road record in the NHL so far, I think. I'm looking at Bryz to up his phonehome game.

[aziz]

@926

because there are zero teams with goals-for averages of 2 or less. that means, on average, 2 goals-for is not going to win you games. bryzgalov played well enough to win last night, if the skaters had been able to get it done. even with that bizarro goal, 25 saves on 27 shots gives his team a chance. they didn't take it.

[Green Man]

fair enough. still, what concerns me the most is how bizarre he is. after watching 24/7 he really seems like he's out there on another planet in the dressing room and all. one would have to wonder what's going through his mind during the game. i dont want us to be on the penalty kill and have bryzgalov thinking about the size of the universe.

Sounds like you are reaching to me. Are you really that upset that your goalie is into space and a deep thinker when it comes to our existence. Ever heard of Star Wars or Star Trek?

There are millions of people out there who like outer space stuff, I think you are being unfair to the guy and overly critical.

[radoran]

Sounds like you are reaching to me. Are you really that upset that your goalie is into space and a deep thinker when it comes to our existence. Ever heard of Star Wars or Star Trek?

There are millions of people out there who like outer space stuff, I think you are being unfair to the guy and overly critical.

It's not like Bryzgalov hasn't been kinda hippy-dippy for his entire career. This isn't something that just came up.

If the Flyers were at all put off by that during their interviews (which I assume they conducted as part of their due diligence on a 9-year, 10%-cap space deal) they shouldn't have made the deal.

But they did. Goalies are infamous for being head cases. All of them.

There's more than enough to criticize and seek improvement on in Bryz's on-ice play. To get wrapped up on postgame interviews and 24/7 comments is, to me, losing focus.

[926]

@aziz - so the goalie gives his team a chance to win be keeping the opponent to 2G, and that's good enough for me during the regs on the road.

And you believe 2ga avg qualifies as a #1 goalie in the NHL, but necessarily an elite G? And Bryz is paid to be elite?

[SoCalFlyfan]

@Green Man

i don't know..maybe it's me, but after watching 24/7 and all the players from both teams 'unplugged' bryz just seemed like he's on a different planet than the rest of them. and yes, that includes that crazy czech guy foaming at the mouth over jagr. i'm not saying the guy can't like star trek and chewbacca when he's at home, but when you are the backbone of a franchise for 10 years you need to a little better than he has been doing with his goofball comments. i mean, you see lundkvist and he seems like a classy guy from his play on the ice, his comments to the media, the way he dresses, carries himself, etc. then you have bryzgalov talking about outer space, vodka, and endangered tigers in china and he just looks like a clown.

if i'm a player i'm thinking that any given night bryzgalov is like a box of chocolates..which doesn't make my job any easier.

[Spinorama]

I take some positives out of last night's game: 1.95/.926 is just the start; the fighting back to secure the point on the road in the final minute; strong play from Voracek and Simmonds; a semi-productive nine minutes from Holmstrom (6 for 8 on FOs).

after a slow start Voracek has really turned it on! I wasn't expecting to be this pleased with him. What a pass to Hartnell there, in such close quarters and not much time to think, yet he made it look like it was nothing!

[radoran]

after a slow start Voracek has really turned it on! I wasn't expecting to be this pleased with him. What a pass to Hartnell there, in such close quarters and not much time to think, yet he made it look like it was nothing!

Laviolette has said that one of the good things about the injury situation is that he's been able to give more time to Voracek - and I think Voracek is showing why he was a top 10 pick.

He's gone from the 15-minute range into the mid-20s and has looked pretty good doing it.