Gustavsson

[Kin]

I can see that. McCabe was an interesting one because everyone seemed to love him when he was making 3.2 million a season, but the minute he makes more than that, he became terrible.  His game really didn't change that much.  The other two I can't really understand people criticizing them.

Overall though, Objectivity is lacking in the world of sports from time to time.  Seems when the team you cheer for loses, the last reason you want to give is because the other team was better.

Well, the thing is that Leafs fans tend to really love a scapegoat. I wouldn't say why definitively but it's probably because it's a lot easier to say "Toskala sucks" or "Larry Murphy sucks" than it is to say "Hey, this team isn't very good".

And while Leafs' fans ire hits the right targets from time to time a lot of kind of middling players have been targeted unfairly. Aki Berg got a crazy amount of criticism for being a passable #6 defenseman. Robert Reichel was a good #3 centre who got endlessly harped on for not scoring 40 goals a year.

I haven't said once that Gus played really well the last two games. He didn't. But nobody did against Boston and against Montreal I tend to be pretty sparing with my criticism when the team wins.

 

[ZBBM]

If the Leafs got decent goaltending Saturday, they win easy. Gus was the only reason the Habs got a point.

I'm twelve feet tall.

See? I can say things that aren't true too.

Gustavsson has a 5.33 GAA and .852 save %.  Would it be fair to say the Leafs won't win many games going forward with a goalie playing like that?

Reimers last 5 games, .890 sv% 3.17 gaa...

Exactly.  Citing GAA over a 2-game (or 5-game) period is not terribly meaningful.

Neither of these guys has played all that well.

 

[rdowdall]

If the Leafs got decent goaltending Saturday, they win easy. Gus was the only reason the Habs got a point.

I'm twelve feet tall.

See? I can say things that aren't true too.

Gustavsson has a 5.33 GAA and .852 save %.  Would it be fair to say the Leafs won't win many games going forward with a goalie playing like that?

Reimers last 5 games, .890 sv% 3.17 gaa...

Which is not all that far removed from his career body of work. He is what he is. An inadequate back-up with potential to improve.

Reimer is an inadequate back-up?  Uh-oh.

 

[Tigger]

If the Leafs got decent goaltending Saturday, they win easy. Gus was the only reason the Habs got a point.

I'm twelve feet tall.

See? I can say things that aren't true too.

Gustavsson has a 5.33 GAA and .852 save %.  Would it be fair to say the Leafs won't win many games going forward with a goalie playing like that?

Reimers last 5 games, .890 sv% 3.17 gaa...

Which is not all that far removed from his career body of work. He is what he is. An inadequate back-up with potential to improve.

Those are Reimers stats...

 

[bustaheims]

Yes, but all of them have played more than 2 games. And giving up on a backup after 2 games of a season feels quite strange. I mean it took several seasons to give up on Toskala

That's because the best alternative the team had to Toskala was Gustavsson.

 

[maplesyrup]

If the Leafs got decent goaltending Saturday, they win easy. Gus was the only reason the Habs got a point.

I'm twelve feet tall.

See? I can say things that aren't true too.

Gustavsson has a 5.33 GAA and .852 save %.  Would it be fair to say the Leafs won't win many games going forward with a goalie playing like that?

Reimers last 5 games, .890 sv% 3.17 gaa...

Which is not all that far removed from his career body of work. He is what he is. An inadequate back-up with potential to improve.

Reimer is an inadequate back-up?  Uh-oh.

Woops... Thought you were talkin Gus... Who I assume has much worse numbers.

 

[Erndog]

Nik is a contrarian by nature.

Support Kessel and he will come back with "well you see, the problem I see with him is..."

Yet give a guy with a 5.22GAA a hard time and he defends him like it is his own son.


Edit:  Also, I should point out, I like Nik and enjoy going back and forth with him on several things sports related.

Give me a break. Do you honestly believe Gustavsson's current GAA would be maintained over the season and/or is indicative of his abilities? So while I'm sure Nik can defend himself, you using a type of strawmen argument is unproductive.

It's a joke.

But I do think Nik develops some weird allegiences towards some rather dubious players.  Sjostrom being another (although, I believe Nik backed off that train after he watched Sjoey for a while).

 

[Kin]

Which is not all that far removed from his career body of work.

As opposed to the rock solid body of work Reimer has put up that should fill us all with certainty that it's just a slump?

 

[rdowdall]

I can see that. McCabe was an interesting one because everyone seemed to love him when he was making 3.2 million a season, but the minute he makes more than that, he became terrible.  His game really didn't change that much.  The other two I can't really understand people criticizing them.

Overall though, Objectivity is lacking in the world of sports from time to time.  Seems when the team you cheer for loses, the last reason you want to give is because the other team was better.

Well, the thing is that Leafs fans tend to really love a scapegoat. I wouldn't say why definitively but it's probably because it's a lot easier to say "Toskala sucks" or "Larry Murphy sucks" than it is to say "Hey, this team isn't very good".

And while Leafs' fans ire hits the right targets from time to time a lot of kind of middling players have been targeted unfairly. Aki Berg got a crazy amount of criticism for being a passable #6 defenseman. Robert Reichel was a good #3 centre who got endlessly harped on for not scoring 40 goals a year.

I haven't said once that Gus played really well the last two games. He didn't. But nobody did against Boston and against Montreal I tend to be pretty sparing with my criticism when the team wins.

I think the Leafs would have been hard pressed to win that Boston game no matter who was in net.  Boston was amped, and Toronto was unable to find their legs. 

 

[Stebro]

Yes, but all of them have played more than 2 games. And giving up on a backup after 2 games of a season feels quite strange. I mean it took several seasons to give up on Toskala

That's because the best alternative the team had to Toskala was Gustavsson.

And yet he had worse gaa and sv% 8)

 

[Tigger]

Mirtle
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/flyers-anxious-to-end-skid-against-the-leafs/article2211576/
- Something to keep in mind: If Gustavsson struggles in this one, the up-and-coming Scrivens could be playing in his next recall. He's held in very high regard by the organization and will be playing some NHL games at some point.

I strongly suspect that is not an overstatement. For all the handwringing, there is a guy loitering in the wings. With Wilson's job on the line, this is a short term (over the next 10-13 games or so) situation: either Gustavsson performs well or Scrivens is going to get a shot.

Personally I'd like to see how Scrivens handles a couple nhl games and as you've noted with Wilson and his situation it could easily happen if the Leafs mail it in like they did against Boston.

 

[maplesyrup]

Which is not all that far removed from his career body of work.

As opposed to the rock solid body of work Reimer has put up that should fill us all with certainty that it's just a slump?

See my last post... My comment was based on my mistake we were talking about Gus.

 

[BlueWhiteBlood]

There needs to be an overall improvement from the team defensively and in net.

I think that is the most important point in all this back-up stuff. The Leafs are in the top 5 in goals but near the bottom in the defensive stats. If the Leafs can improve their team defense and maintain, they'll be in the top 10 in the league I would predict, they have no trouble scoring goals, it's preventing them that they struggle in.

 

[Stebro]

The most interesting thing that could happen now would be if Gustavsson got a SO vs Philly.

 

[maplesyrup]

The most interesting thing that could happen now would be if Gustavsson got a SO vs Philly.

I would love nothing more.

 

[Corn Flake]

There is no reason to think the Leafs will play with confidence in front of him.

Except for the comeback victory we just saw in front of him, sure.

Why did they have to comeback to begin with? The Leafs outplayed the Habs and gave away a point to a key rival because goaltending let them down.

For them to come back like that shows confidence. Last year, after a bad goal like that and this team would shut down completely.... never mind tie it up and then win it in OT.  If they have no confidence in front of Gus, that win doesn't happen.

 

[Kin]

But I do think Nik develops some weird allegiences towards some rather dubious players.  Sjostrom being another (although, I believe Nik backed off that train after he watched Sjoey for a while).

I think that's just more of a case of people having a weird interest in talking about me more than the things I say(like, for example, this current conversation)

I, like a lot of people, thought Sjostrom's good play was a big part of why the team played better post-Phaneuf trade. Then, when he didn't play as well the next year, I "backed off the train" of saying he was playing well because he wasn't.

Personally, if I had to name my favourite Leafs at gunpoint(which would be hard because I'm a grown man supporting a hockey team and not a 12 year old girl collecting My Little Ponies) I'd say Grabo and Schenn, both of whom I've said have played poorly to start the year.

 

[Tigger]

If the Leafs got decent goaltending Saturday, they win easy. Gus was the only reason the Habs got a point.

I'm twelve feet tall.

See? I can say things that aren't true too.

Gustavsson has a 5.33 GAA and .852 save %.  Would it be fair to say the Leafs won't win many games going forward with a goalie playing like that?

Reimers last 5 games, .890 sv% 3.17 gaa...

Which is not all that far removed from his career body of work. He is what he is. An inadequate back-up with potential to improve.

Reimer is an inadequate back-up?  Uh-oh.

Woops... Thought you were talkin Gus... Who I assume has much worse numbers.

Goose' last 5 games, .893 sv % 3.44 gaa.

5 games is too small a sample size for me too but I think the drift here is that improvement is warranted from both of the goalies and the team in general.

 

[Tigger]

There is no reason to think the Leafs will play with confidence in front of him.

Except for the comeback victory we just saw in front of him, sure.

Why did they have to comeback to begin with? The Leafs outplayed the Habs and gave away a point to a key rival because goaltending let them down.

For them to come back like that shows confidence. Last year, after a bad goal like that and this team would shut down completely.... never mind tie it up and then win it in OT.  If they have no confidence in front of Gus, that win doesn't happen.

Seriously and it's not like they haven't let Jonas down either, see Boston for a recent example or the insanity that was the Montreal game last year, I can't remember exactly but the habs had some ridiculous shot count after the first and he held them in there only to see the team continue to play crap from there on out.

 

[maplesyrup]

5 games is too small a sample size for me too but I think the drift here is that improvement is warranted from both of the goalies and the team in general.

True... and 5 games is too small for me too which is why I pointed to Gus' career which is Toskala (as a Leaf) bad. With that said, I'm wondering if he's have been better served in the Marlies to start his career but then again, perhaps he was promised something more and that's part of the reason why he signed here.