2013-14 NHL Season

Philadelphia has been wondering about their goalies for about 20 years. Since Hextall they've had a knack for finding some of the worst goalies in the league and overpaying them.

My favorite Flyer goalie: Garth Snow. Road hockey goalies looked better than him.

Other than Olie the Goalie, there's been a revolving door in Washington

 

I don't think St. Louis is that far off, either. They seem to have the perfect personnel for Hitchcock's system, and there are nights they can look unstoppable. I think they would beat the Blackhawks if they met in a playoff series.

But ... their warts are evident. Halak shut out the Devils last night. When they played last week, the Devils put a touchdown up on Elliott and Halak, including a shot from center ice that Halak couldn't stop. The "bad goaltending" is going to rear its ugly head at some point. If it's in a playoff series and both go south at the same time, then it's time to get out the golf clubs and a real strong regular season goes to waste.

And there's nothing that has happened this season that makes me believe the Blues belong on the same ice as the top 3 (maybe the top 4) teams from the Pacific Division. I don't think adding Miller changes that.

 

Considering the Flyers just signed Mason to a three-year extension at $4.1 mil, I think they're set with him, at least for this month. He has played better there than I thought he would.

 

Typical Flyers signing. Ignore the previous 5 years and make your decision of a decent 2 month stretch.

 

And then when the decision blows up in their faces, as it always does, they'll blame and fire the coach.

 

Can't see the Whalercanes doing so.

Both Khudobin and Justin Peters are UFAs at the end of the season. Ward's hurt again. Khudobin has been the goods during this past stretch. Jim Rutherford won't send Peters down because he probably wouldn't clear waivers. So Carolina will be shipping a goalie ... the anti-Ward lunatic fringe would love to hear that it's No. 30. Um, no. The other two are UFAs, and while Khudobin has been rock-solid, he doesn't have Ward's ability.

Cannot see them as any sort of player for Miller unless he were to agree to a long-term extension before formally being dealt. (Though the Whalercanes are thanking their lucky stars that the Sabres apparently didn't want Nathan Gerbe, and that they were willing to give Andrej Sekara for Jamie McBain, who was awful last season.)

Winnipeg for Miller? If Mo doesn't point Jets management toward JR (the GM, not our esteemed poster), it makes the most sense. Mo would certainly ride him ... and surely Miller would enjoy a chance to play for a better team.

 

Isn't that also known as The Flyer Way?

 

The Flyers have been searching for a goalie ever since Lindbergh drove his Porsche into a wall.

 

Edmonton's Ben Scrivens sets an NHL record with a 59-save shutout against San Jose. The saves were the most in a game since 1991.

 

Most saves for a shutout in the expansion era.

That 1991 game you mentioned, it was Quebec Nordiques goalie Ron Tugnutt (remember him? Loved that guy) making 70 in a 3-3 tie in Boston.

Mike Smith had the previous record with 54 saves for a shutout from the 2011-12 season.

Also, it passed the Oilers record for most saves in a game, previously held by Bill Ranford (my all-time favourite) at 56 against the New York Rangers in 1993, a 4-3 Oilers win.

This was also the Oilers third straight win, having also beaten the Predators and Canucks in that stretch. So, um, parade rout down Whyte Ave? haha.

For as miserable a season as this has been, I will take this and bask in it for a while. Had it not been for Scrivens, though, this game likely could have been 8-2 or worse for San Jose. Damn their D is bad.

 

Story I saw said save totals only go back 56 years and it's the most since then for a shutout. There was one playoff game with more, Hasek had 70 in a quadruple-OT game.

Sharks coach McLellan said the team attempted 100 shots in all (obviously including the ones that were blocked or off the mark). That is insane.

 

Yeah, sort of a mixed bag. Great show by the goalie, but your defense allows 59 shots in a 60-minute game? Ouch!