If you are Jacques Martin...
by Kevin van Steendelaar on Oct 17, 2011 10:17 PM EDT
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So your No. 1 goalie is coming off a game that even he said was a miserable outing, and your team is still in search of their first home win.
With division rival Buffalo Sabres rolling into the Bell Centre Tuesday evening, should Jacques Martin stay the course and stick with Carey Price, or give Peter Budaj his first taste of playing goal for the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre?
Price's backup, Peter Budaj, is 3-1 with a 1.84 GAA and .933 SvPct in his career against the Sabres.
Had the schedule been altered slightly, and last Saturday's game against the Colorado Avalanche had been on a Tuesday, we might have seen Budaj up against his former team. Typically a coach would play the hunch and put a goalie against a former team. Martin opted to go with with Price Saturday, and we all know what happened.
Tony Marinaro thought not playing Budaj against his former team was an insult to the goaltender, tweeting,"When you play goalie vs former team he feels respected and it gives him confidence. When you don't, imagine what him & teammates are thinking." True enough, but in Montreal on a Saturday night that just doesn't happen. Marinaro should know that.
So does Martin throw a bone to his backup on Tuesday?
As impressive as his stats appear, the problem with Budaj's numbers is that they come from his playing days with the Colorado Avalanche. With the two teams meeting but once a year the Habs goalie's career numbers are staggered. On the other hand he's managed beat Ryan Miller three times in tight decisions.
Budaj's last win came in an 4-3 overtime win over Miller, where he made 37 saves. You have to go back two years to October 25, 2008 for the next win, 2-1 in a shootout. Back then Jaroslav Spacek was still a Sabre, and some guy named Joe Sakic was still with the Avalanche. March of 2007 was his first win against Buffalo, a 3-2 decision. His lone loss game in December of 2005, when he replaced David Aebischer, allowing one goal in a 6-4 Sabres win with Martin Biron in goal.
Now unlike the 18% percent or so (as of post game) that are throwing Price under the bus on HockeyInsideOut's current poll, I know that Price is just going through a rough spell and doesn't exactly have an NHL team in front of him at the moment.
And yes, he did lose three games to the Sabres last season, but had a GAA of 1.67. The team in front of him only managed three goals in those three losses so they are clearly not to be put on a goalie who's overall record is 8-5-5 (1.96/.937) against Buffalo.
Is this the time to give the Canadiens number one goalie a night off, especially facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday and the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday? Or does Martin run with his starter through the weekend and give the backup the Monday start against the Florida Panthers before facing two big conference rivals Philadelphia and Boston next week?
My gut goes with the former, and see what Budaj can do in the same situation (roster wise) Price is in, at the same time giving No. 31 a couple days to work out a few kinks.Price is mature enough to understand, and he certainly doesn't need to fear a goaltending controversy.
Then again I am not the coach of the Canadiens, and we all have his opinions on his decisions, don't we?
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You ride Price like you did last season and spell him when necessary. 4 games over 11 days is like a vacation for him. He needs the work, spell him when he tires.
Budaj should see softballs and back to backs IMO.
Yeah schedules have been light thus far, Price won’t benefit much from rest at this point.
Besides, when I was a goaltender I wanted another game as soon as possible after a bad outing.
Playing Tues, Thurs, Sat isn’t that much for a young starter especially early in the season.
Also Buffalo should be a main divisional rival this season, those games are slightly more important standings wise.
by Stephan Cooper on Oct 18, 2011 12:39 AM EDT up reply actions
How many ex-goalies write for this site? We’re like HNiC by the sounds of things.
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by Bruce Peter on Oct 18, 2011 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Not that surprising if you think about it. One of the best reasons to be an English Canadian fan of the Habs in the past couple decades was if you were a fan of goaltending.
Besides, goalies make the best commentators. We watch the play develop closer than any other position and are naturally eccentric. Everyone knows that ;).
by Stephan Cooper on Oct 18, 2011 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
This is a very overlooked aspect of having goaltending experience.
Standing in the crease watching offensive transition with a defenseman who can make a crisp outlet pass is a thing of beauty. It makes you appreciate the importance of transition and how they can slice up a neutral zone trap.
There’s no better vantage point to see the game as a 200 feet endeavour and to be any good at the position you must develop an appreciation for how plays develop and break down.
On the other hand, its a terrible place to gain any kind of coaching perspective because you don’t know how to do any of the things your watching.
Plus I think the latent insanity that all goaltenders share to varying degrees gives a better chance of having something interesting to say.
by Stephan Cooper on Oct 18, 2011 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Depends if you count Saint Patrick. Only one I can think of.
by Stephan Cooper on Oct 18, 2011 4:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Depends if you’re talking about pro goalies. Jacques Martin was a goaltender.
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Damn, beat me to it:
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=3427
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Were you a goalie too, Bruce? So that makes Chris, Kevin, Stephan, you and me. Sounds like we need Robert L to start writing again just for perspective!!
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 2:26 PM EDT up reply actions
I quit playing at puberty due to costs, but at the time I was a Roy-idolizing goalie.
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Same here. Parent’s moved and my equipment mysteriously disappeared.
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
They didn’t make you buy goaltending equipment until you were a teenager around here. But yeah, it was more about moving to a new town that priced me out.
Fun fact: the goalie for my 8/9 year old team (I subbed in goal on occasion) made it to the WHL, and played goal for a team that made the RBC Cup (Jr. A). I always thought I was better than him, and that he only got to play because his dad was the coach, but he was a 6 year old playing up a level. :)
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Ha! Yeah I had my own equipment because i begged for it like a spoiled brat forever. I wanted Patrick Roy Koho’s more than anything in the world and gave up allowance “until I’m 18 dad, I promise!”. It was a glorious year wearing those.
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 6:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Pretty much the same for me. Played til 13-14 but ended up giving it up although I still goaltend recreationally on occation whether it be ice or ball hockey. Was a much more talented baseball player so I stuck with that during the teen years.
Carey Price got to live my dream as the next great Western Canadian Canadiens goaltender. We even have the same draft year.
by Stephan Cooper on Oct 18, 2011 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I play twice a week and am the goaltending coach for a team of 7 year olds.
I don’t know if there is a position that has evolved more than goaltending over the last 20 years. The game that I played as a teenager does not resemble the position today. Even watching old Roy video it is amazing to see how inefficient he was and he was the most efficient guy in the league at the time.
Watching goaltending in the 80’s is just embarrassing. I give the guys props for managing with such small equipment, but some of the shots that go in….
Half of Lafleur’s slappers would be deemed soft goals nowadays.
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions
The focus in the 80s was to stop the puck with your most protected body parts. That is why you saw kick saves and lots of reaching for pucks with the blocker and catcher. Self preservation.
Add in the pads getting heavier as they got wet and you have guys labouring to move to the puck.
The hybrid cage/mask and the Aeroflex pads introduced by Lemelin in the mid 80s altered the game. Equipment slowly morphed from something to protect the goalie to something to stop the puck.
They really had no other options until technology helped them change their focus from safety to performance.
My generation (mid to late nineties) was were the changes were starting to get disseminated down to the minor levels in fits and starts. Led too my most bizarre pre-season goaltender evaluation camp ever run by a guy who seemed to think Marty Turco was the perfect goaltender and the guys most like him would be getting the best marks.
2 hour evaluation, the bulk of which was on skating and puckhandling. Only the last 20-30 minutes were on anything having to do with stopping a puck.
by Stephan Cooper on Oct 18, 2011 11:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Not a writer but...
another ex-goalie Habs fan here. I was supposed to be part of the US national team development program before I got leukemia. I have also been the number-one ball hockey goalie in North America.
And yes, I do have a huge Carey Price fathead in my bedroom.
by Hunter Durfee on Oct 18, 2011 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Hoping you’re healthy now, Hunter
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 4:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Great to hear it!
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions
They have to get him some action at some point. With Budaj missing the opportunity to play against his old team on Saturday. Tthe longer he goes without playing the rustier the 1st performance will be. On the otherhand, Saturday → Tuesday → Thursday → Saturday and then off till 26th. So this is a workload that Price would be able to handle. I think the call could go either way and JM will play it that way.
"It's only through change we learn to grow".
Price won't sharpen his game...
sitting on the bench,he has to play.
Nothing Is Fool proof if you have the right fools.
Pretty much the best, simplest reason to start him. He’s had maybe two bad games, it’s not like this is a real slump.
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by Bruce Peter on Oct 18, 2011 10:18 AM EDT up reply actions
Right now, Martin doesn’t have many options to shake up the roster. Too many injuries leaves no one in Hamilton to recall as a result. Goal is the only position he actually does have options, but if he makes a change it’ll be rightfully seen as a bit of a panic unless it was instructed well in advance which games Budaj would get. That said, three games this week could leave an opportunity for a start here, or just wait til next week.
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Tony Marinaro thought not playing Budaj against his former team was an insult to the goaltender, tweeting,“When you play goalie vs former team he feels respected and it gives him confidence. When you don’t, imagine what him & teammates are thinking.”
So by this logic, I believe Alex Auld should have started like 40 games last year.
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LMAO
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by Andrew Berkshire on Oct 18, 2011 4:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Price starts tonight
Confirmed on Twitter bt JF Chaumont
Kevin van Steendelaar
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but don't forget...
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by Kevin van Steendelaar on Oct 18, 2011 12:08 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
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