Game 8 - Leafs @ Flyers - Monday Oct 24th 2011 - 19:00 EST - 4-2 Loss

[rdowdall]

Conservatively, I think you have to figure the Flyers will score roughly 132 goals tonight. More so if the news of playing Gus leads not just to the usual and understandable weeping and despair amongst our fragile boys but actually leads to some of the less constitutionally sound players(the Euros, most likely) to drink themselves into a stupor. They're only human after all and, quite frankly, we should be counting our lucky stars if any of them even bother showing up.

Oh, if only Reimer were here. When he gives up a soft goal he grits his teeth and says "Come on boys, get on my broad prairie shoulders. I'll probably not let in another softie all night" and like Jason's own argonauts the Leafs draw inspiration from Reimer's moxie in the face of his own shortcomings and defeat all in their path, except the Avalanche.

That's the problem.  Gustavsson is saying "Come on boys, get on my broad icelandic shoulders" in Swedish.  If he throws a "bjork, bjork" in there, that would screw them up even more.

 

[rdowdall]

I can appreciate wanting to see Jagr play but c'mon, this 'get under the bus Gus' thing is pretty crude, almost like some want to see him fail.

I agree. I mean, I'm as big of a critic of Gustavsson as anyone, but, I want to see him succeed. Jagr might score tonight, he might not, but, unless it's a real stinker, that won't have much to do with the fact that it's Gustavsson in net as much as it has to do with the fact that Jagr is still a pretty skilled guy. I may not have much faith in Gustavsson, but, I still hope for the best.

Now, if Bobrovsky scores tonight, that would probably have a lot more to do with Gustavsson being in net . . .

Yeah. Jagr could get the trick but if the Leafs win 4-3 with some decent support for their goalie I just don't care.

I really want to see the Leafs rally around him tonight.

All kidding aside, the guy has drawn a pretty short stick that out of the first 8 games, he has to play Boston and Philly as the starter. 

 

[AvroArrow]

Bobrovsky gets the start tonight for Philly.

Light.
Him.
Up.

 

[crazyperfectdevil]

the real problem is the leafs can't beat anybody other than the canadian teams ..the only way for the leafs to win tonight is for canada to annex philadelphia ..and i ask you ...do you really want philly as part of canada?

 

[Tigger]

All kidding aside, the guy has drawn a pretty short stick that out of the first 8 games, he has to play Boston and Philly as the starter.

No doubt, not to mention coming in cold against the habs.

He's our back up after all.

 

[Kin]

No doubt, not to mention coming in cold against the habs.

He's our back up after all.

I think that's sort of the best point about the whole Gus nonsense. How many teams/fans around the league have the "confidence" in their back-ups that some people seem to be demanding of Gus? The Flyers had so much confidence in Bobrovsky they went out and signed Bryzgalov to a hundred jillion dollars or whatever it ended up being.

 

[bustaheims]

All kidding aside, the guy has drawn a pretty short stick that out of the first 8 games, he has to play Boston and Philly as the starter.

Sure, but at the same time, if he wants to show that he can be more than a 10 game a year back up type, he needs to show he can hang with the big boys from time to time.

 

[princedpw]

Somebody has to fix the typo on the first post of the GDTs soon or it will kill me:

Leafs fans - head - too early to tell the significant of this injury

==>

Leafs fans - head - too early to tell the significance of this injury

 

[maplesyrup]

I have to go back to my statistical comparison of him and Tosaka in the Gustavsson thread. As Leafs, they're pretty much identical which is worrisome. I'm not sure what exactly is "nonsense" about the level of doubt cast on him. 

 

[Kin]

I have to go back to my statistical comparison of him and Tosaka in the Gustavsson thread. As Leafs, they're pretty much identical which is worrisome. I'm not sure what exactly is "nonsense" about the level of doubt cast on him.

1. That it's after two games or, really, 5 periods

2. That neither of those games were losses that can be squarely pinned on his shoulders.

3. That the Leafs actually won the last game, with Gus getting beat on some pretty tough goals

4. That Gus seems to be taking the blame for the fact that guys in front of him folded like cardboard in Boston

5. That Reimer hasn't been lights out either.

Really, take your pick.

 

[maplesyrup]

Nik, I'm talking about their careers as Leafs... Not just those two games.

 

[bustaheims]

I think that's sort of the best point about the whole Gus nonsense. How many teams/fans around the league have the "confidence" in their back-ups that some people seem to be demanding of Gus? The Flyers had so much confidence in Bobrovsky they went out and signed Bryzgalov to a hundred jillion dollars or whatever it ended up being.

Well, in my mind, the issue is this - for those teams fighting for the last couple playoff spots, the difference between qualifying for the post season or golfing in early April could very easily come down to the relative quality of each individual back up goalie, especially if that back up starts 20-25 games in the season. With that being said, based on his career with the Leafs, I'm not confident that Gustavsson can perform well enough in that role in order to vault the Leafs into a playoff spot if they're in that position.

 

[maplesyrup]

Here it is again for those not paying attention;


As a Leaf;

Toskala 145 Gp 62-54-20 5So 3.08GAA .894Sv%.
Gustavsson 67Gp 23-29-11 1So 3.08GAA .897Sv%

 

[Kin]

Nik, I'm talking about their careers as Leafs... Not just those two games.

You're talking about the "level of doubt" cast on him that, from my perspective, has gone from 0-60 in the span of those two games.

 

[maplesyrup]

Nik, I'm talking about their careers as Leafs... Not just those two games.

You're talking about the "level of doubt" cast on him that, from my perspective, has gone from 0-60 in the span of those two games.

Huh? You forget that I was an advocate of trying to get a decent back-up in here this summer so try again.

 

[bustaheims]

You're talking about the "level of doubt" cast on him that, from my perspective, has gone from 0-60 in the span of those two games.

A number of us were running well above 50 mph long before the season started.

 

[Kin]

Well, in my mind, the issue is this - for those teams fighting for the last couple playoff spots, the difference between qualifying for the post season or golfing in early April could very easily come down to the relative quality of each individual back up goalie, especially if that back up starts 20-25 games in the season. With that being said, based on his career with the Leafs, I'm not confident that Gustavsson can perform well enough in that role in order to vault the Leafs into a playoff spot if they're in that position.

But the question still stands. Which back-up goalies are you supremely confident in can play that well? Boucher? Budaj? Hedberg? Mason? Back-up goalies are dice rolls. Gus is as well.

And personally, the way Reimer has played is way more troubling for the team's immediate playoff hopes than Gus. If Reimer isn't flat-out stealing games, the Leafs have a long road.

 

[maplesyrup]

You're talking about the "level of doubt" cast on him that, from my perspective, has gone from 0-60 in the span of those two games.

A number of us were running well above 50 mph long before the season started.

Exactly.

 

[Stebro]

I expect this to be a close game, 4-3 to either team

 

[Kin]

A number of us were running well above 50 mph long before the season started.

I was in the trade Gus, find an experienced back-up camp over the Summer. There are reasonable doubts to have about Gus, like there are most goalies in the league.

But if you don't think there's been a laughable overreaction and criticism of how Gus has played the last two games, well, we'll have to go our separate ways on that.