Comments for Falling Back, Springing Forward at http://hockey.dobbersports.com , comment 1 to 11 out of 11 comments http://hockey.dobbersports.com Fri, 24 May 2013 04:16:37 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.3 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9649 Bryzgalov did not look as focused as usual and it was seen in his weak rebound control. He was still a valuable fantasy start, as he stopped 37 of 40 shots and posted just under a 3.0 GAA since the game ended in overtime. But he did not control pucks and shots nearly as well as usual, a surefire sign he is starting to display some energy drain. A lot of shots to his chest and waist are almost always absorbed, but he was punching them out and deflecting them instead. I'm sure if you were watching him closely you noticed this - it was blindingly clear. So even though he was a great fantasy start in an OT loss, I would still keep watching for this mini-slide. In his last five games, he has allowed three goals in each of them. Two ended in OT. One of those games he was pulled after giving up three goals on 16 shots. The shootout and OT losses are heartbreaking mentally and very frustrating as well. I should have added this info into the article but I still think there's a lot of support to him slowly starting to fall back. He plays in Chicago on Wednesday and then the Coyotes play Calgary and St. Louis on Friday and Saturday. A busy schedule, so we will see how it goes and I'll keep an eye on him and mention it in the forums or in next week's school of block! And glad a few of you like the new revamped format!! - Justin Goldman Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:06:46 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9634 So, If you're still around. What were your thoughts on his play last night. I wasnt able to watch the game. Also, you mention Mason being in the same boat as Fluery, how does this impact Garon, and what do you predict Garon's numbers are likely to be during Mason slump? - krisco Tue, 09 Nov 2010 00:02:34 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9632 Love the "new format". Especially the insight on the G's you think might falter over the next few weeks. - tradejunkie Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:56:28 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9631 Great article today- but to be honest it was the link to the Holtby article on your site that got me excited enough to comment. Great analysis on an extremely unheralded talent- should be rquired reading for people in deep keepers! Its funny that Washington finds such "huge personalities"- I mean they're icing a roster full of rockstars already and watching his quirky "holtbyisms" and reading the live game review by your friends at russian machine never breaks- you just know this guy would fit right in there. I haven't quite grabbed him yet but it made for a very interesting and informative read. Thanks! - Karlos El Taco Piquante Mon, 08 Nov 2010 20:28:00 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9627 But he has faced adversity in his career before and has pulled through nicely. In particular in 07-08 when he was out with his ankle sprain and came back facing not having played for several months, as well as having to deal with Conklin's exceptional play during the interim. I would say his experience level is significantly higher than Mason's in this respect, and should help him pull through this stretch as well. - Repent Tokyo Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:47:09 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9626 Ooo I see where I confused everyone in that second-to-last paragraph. I should have pulled out Ward and Bryzgalov and said that they could begin experiencing a fallback! Sorry about that. But yeah, Bryzgalov has been as good as he possibly could be. But I don't think he's going to be as good in the coming games. We'll see though! Tonight against Detroit will be a great indicator. Since Detroit is coming off a bad loss to Vancouver, they might come out like gangbusters. I'll be watching closely! - Justin Goldman Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:45:04 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9625 I should have been more clear on Bryzgalov. His numbers have been terrific despite Phoenix's weak(er) play in front of him. He was not a "falling back" goalie in October, but I sense he could fall back a bit in the next few weeks. Same with Cam Ward and other goalies that have logged a ton of minutes in October. It happened with Neuvirth. It is just a natural aspect of being a goalie. Mental and physical drain, along with the frustrations of not getting the results you deserve, can cause a lack of focus and intensity. But each goalie is different and in a different situation. For example, Bryzgalov is not in trouble of losing starts to LaBarbera, so he will get plenty of opportunities to play through it. As for Fleury, the Cup runs are great experience, but the kid is still young. And has he ever gone through anything like this before? Nope. So this is all uncharted territory for him. And like I have been saying, he lacks serious mental preparation. This is not something I can diagram or prove through statistics. You just have to trust what I am saying. He's in the same exact boat as Mason. They think they can just show up and play and that's it. But when you are struggling, you need to approach things differently. You have to work 10x harder in practice. I don't know much about their work ethics in practice, but the more they struggle, the more proof it is (to me) that they lack the mental prowess to overcome these obstacles. Playing consistently at a high level is so much more about the approach than it is the actual execution. Just showing up and going out there and playing to the best of their ability isn't going to solve anything, unless the team in front of them plays a major role in winning the game. Fleury needs to treat the first five minutes of his next game like the last five minutes of that Cup-winning game against Detroit. And in order to do that, it all starts in between his ears. I haven't seen it happen the whole time he's been in this slump. It definitely wasn't there against Phoenix, he was out there lunging and flopping around and got pulled. His confidence is waning, but he's not doing anything to fix the essence of his problems. Again, this is just my opinion. But ask yourself...what else could he possibly be doing wrong?? It's not like he's a worse goalie technically or in such a funk that he's going to be this bad all year long. He just needs to activate his mind and gain some confidence early in a game. - Justin Goldman Mon, 08 Nov 2010 11:41:41 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9624 Home Run, Justin! - Glen Hoos Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:52:21 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9623 love the article Goldman, very insightful! keep up the great work! Also have to ask though, Bryz is facing a tonne of shots, is his really a 'fallback'. He's not getting a lot of help in front of him.... I have him in a league so have vested interest here... - krisco Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:51:57 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9622 honestly curious. - Repent Tokyo Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:33:22 +0100 http://hockey.dobbersports.com/index.php/justin-goldman/3232-falling-back-springing-forward#comment-9621 how do you reconcile that with his two cup runs, and one cup victory? what experience specifically are you referring to? Also - can you really say that Bryz has had a 'fallback', given that his numbers remain high despite being pelted with shots and his team not scoring in front of him? - Repent Tokyo Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:32:51 +0100