Polaris922 Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 I was at the Pens/Habs game last night and thought it was a very well played game for the Pens. I know it's easy to say when they win, but really I just felt they did a great job of limiting the Habs chances and taking the play to them instead of waiting for the Habs to mess up and take advantage of it. The game seemed pretty lopsided from my seats, and though I don't have the benefit of video review, I didn't see the Pens making mistakes too often. Just a well played game for them. On another note, the excitement caused by Fleury and Budaj threatening to fight had me kind of humored. Fleury? fight? Ridiculous. I like Fleury, but he's no brawler. And with Vokoun on the shelf I'm not ready to place my bets with Zatkoff the entire season. And I'm hearing Budaj is some martial arts guy, but really in a fight on the ice with all that gear on, I don't think that matters. So... I was both disappointed and happy the officials stopped it at the same time. Carey Price has got to be the most overrated goaltender in the league. I just don't see what all the Habs fans are talking about in this guy. He's an average AT BEST goaltender. He's on Canada's olympic team? Really?? Speaking of the olympic team... I'm hard on Fleury... I'm one of the guys saying he's not worth what he gets paid, blah blah blah... since his failures in the playoffs last year. I've always supported him until then. But right now... he's playing great. Yes he still has a rough game here and there, as all goalies do, but he's been stellar. It's my opinion he belongs in the olympics before Mike Smith, and way before Carey Price. Fleury plays best when he's under siege, as opposed to the slow pace of shots coming in like the Florida game... so you'd think against the talent in the Olympics he'd be ideal. The only goalie Canada has that should be there ahead of Fleury is Luongo, who's numbers are pretty good this year. Fleury was rostered the last time around, but he's never been given a chance. I think that's a pretty big oversight on Yzerman this time around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 @Polaris922 Umm, just a reminder...when the pressure is on Fleury folds like a cheap suit. Maybe YOU want him on Team Canada, but Canadians don't. I don't think Price is the be-all and end-all, but he also doesn't have much playing in front of him.. Montreals top THREE scoring forwards barely have more points than Crosby alone. I know that isn't D, but it does hint at puck possesion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 @Polaris922Umm, just a reminder...when the pressure is on Fleury folds like a cheap suit. Maybe YOU want him on Team Canada, but Canadians don't.I don't think Price is the be-all and end-all, but he also doesn't have much playing in front of him.. Montreals top THREE scoring forwards barely have more points than Crosby alone. I know that isn't D, but it does hint at puck possesion.Montreal plays a defense first system under Therrien. Price looks helpless a lot of the time in there. Fleury has had two bad years in net in the playoffs, but he's changed his methods this season and it shows. These teams are "here and now", not "last year and before" as was evident in Giroux's exclusion. You may not like him, but your chances go up with Fleury over Price or Smith. The only one playing better in the bunch is Luongo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 @Polaris922 Ill have to disagree, as I didn't select Team Canada and THEY didn;t select Fleury. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted January 24, 2014 Author Share Posted January 24, 2014 @Polaris922Ill have to disagree, as I didn't select Team Canada and THEY didn;t select Fleury.That's more to my point though. Fleury got disregarded for his PAST not his present. How did Smith get there? And if past matters more why isn't Giroux there? It's just inconsistent thinking as far as I can see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nossagog Posted January 24, 2014 Share Posted January 24, 2014 So call me selfish, I'm glad Fleury didn't make the olympic squad. Get some rest, and prepare for the stretch run and the playoffs. Plus, I'm not sure how the Canadian and US teams will fare on big international ice. I think that any defensive flaws(like PK Suban and Brooks Orpik) will be exposed on the larger surface. I really think that there's a good chance the neither the Canadian or US teams will win the gold. Let someone else take the blame for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted January 25, 2014 Author Share Posted January 25, 2014 @nossagogI wish all the Pens players were resting. I just can't believe they took Price and Smith over Fleury the way he's played this season. Better for us, yes, just surprising. Price looks like a fish outta water. Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 That's more to my point though. Fleury got disregarded for his PAST not his present. How did Smith get there? And if past matters more why isn't Giroux there? It's just inconsistent thinking as far as I can see. Fleury got disregarded for his penchant to fall apart under pressure. He's done it four years in a row and counting... Mike Smiths playoff numbers are considerably better than his regular season numbers, though admittedly a smaller sample size. Regular season Fleury has been way more reliable than money time Fleury. Canada should ice the best D in the Olympics, and arguably the best forwards...definately the best depth-wise. We shouldn't need a goalie to steal games...just one that doesn't give them away. Fleury lost his job to his backup last postseason...the one before he provided the only goaltending more comical than Bryzgalovs. Maybe he finally gets his head on straight this year, but I'm not betting gold on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nossagog Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 (edited) @flyercanuckAs a Pens fan, I don't have a problem with Fleury being left off of team Canada. See, I really can't argue with any of your points the last two years. Although I'd say that if you look at his career numbers, his regular season and playoff numbers are actually pretty similar, even WITH those two crappy years.I think the thing that gets Pens fans blood up is that there are people who think Price is SOOO much better than Fleury. The Montreal Canadians have not had the offensive power to run and gun for years, so they have played a more defensive minded game. So you would think that with the added focus on defense, Price's numbers would naturally be a bit better than Fleury's. Here are their career stats.NHL CareerFleury Reg Seas GAA - 2.63 Reg Seas SV% - .910 PO GAA - 2.73 PO SV% - .903Price Reg Seas GAA - 2.55 Reg Seas SV% - .915 PO GAA - 2.90 PO SV% - .905Pretty similar for both players.Now don't get me wrong, again, I'm not making an argument for Fleury being team Canada's goalie, I just can't see why people think Price is better. His career drop off in playoff stats is actually worse than Fleury's. And Fleury's last two seasons destroyed his numbers. Price has never even been IN those pressure situations yet. His Canadians have won a total of 2 playoff series in his time. I just don't get the hype.IMHO, neither should be playing on team Canada. I think they'll go with Loungo, Price may never see a game. Just more food for thought. Edited January 25, 2014 by nossagog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 @nossagog I think we see eye to eye. Canada used to produce elite goaltenders. I don't know what's happened since the Brodeur/Roy days but currently we sit behind Finland and the US and maybe even Sweden and Russia in that regard. Banning the drafting of imports into the CHL may turn things around, but currently somebody has to play goal for Canada. I'm not sure if Price is better than Fleury, but after watching the last two (or three or four) playoff meltdowns I don't have much confidence in him. Hopefully (for us Canucks) Luongo doesn't lose the job and it won't matter who's backup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polaris922 Posted January 26, 2014 Author Share Posted January 26, 2014 I think we're all on the same page in evaluating Canada's goalie situation, and agree Luongo is the #1 there. I just think Fleury is better than Price and Smith. @flyercanuck I wasn't arguing Fleury's recent struggles so much as saying he's still ahead of those two despite them. @nossagog seems to have presented that better than I did so fair enough. Not that Canada's hopes are pinned to the goaltending, but if there's trouble for Luongo I don't see Price or Smith bailing anyone out. By the way, Price was just chased from net again for the second time this week. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted January 26, 2014 Share Posted January 26, 2014 @Polaris922 Ya, I don't think Canada needs a goalie to steal games...just not blow games. Which is why Fleury scares me. His history as a money goalie is not great. Price and Smith are both ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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