Hockey Playoffs

Originally Posted by matthughesfan21

make that 4 on 13, the first 3 were tough saves, that last one was weak

I really don't blame the D which kinda dozed off. They played solid for 3 periods, the goalie needs to be that guy who bails you out when you need it most. To only have 13 shots on you and you let 4 go is unacceptable especially when the guy at the other end has stopped 28 shots in the same amount of time.

Originally Posted by logrus

I really don't blame the D which kinda dozed off. They played solid for 3 periods, the goalie needs to be that guy who bails you out when you need it most. To only have 13 shots on you and you let 4 go is unacceptable especially when the guy at the other end has stopped 28 shots in the same amount of time.

in the stat sheet it looks terrible, but the first 3 goals were all on breakdowns, those are saves I'd like to see Niemi make(and he usually does) but the first 3 were on screens in front, a bad pass by kane that lead to a point blank one timer(that save is incredibly rare and difficult) and another one screened by Arnott and a nice passing play(niemi overcommitted slightly, but Bolland played atrocious D on that goal) the 4th goal definitely should have been stopped

I think its foolish of you to say that Niemi basically sucks based on this one game considering he has 2 shutouts in the series and was playing amazing until today...The hawks scored in the last 13 seconds of regulation(I don't know how Kane got that wide open next to Rinne) and then killed the Hossa penalty in OT before Hossa nets the game winner right after leaving the penalty box

Huge win, it was frustrating at times, and exhilarating at other times, but I'll gladly take this win...Now lets finish this in Nashville on Monday

Originally Posted by matthughesfan21

in the stat sheet it looks terrible, but the first 3 goals were all on breakdowns, those are saves I'd like to see Niemi make(and he usually does) but the first 3 were on screens in front, a bad pass by kane that lead to a point blank one timer(that save is incredibly rare and difficult) and another one screened by Arnott and a nice passing play(niemi overcommitted slightly, but Bolland played atrocious D on that goal) the 4th goal definitely should have been stopped

I think its foolish of you to say that Niemi basically sucks based on this one game considering he has 2 shutouts in the series and was playing amazing until today...The hawks scored in the last 13 seconds of regulation(I don't know how Kane got that wide open next to Rinne) and then killed the Hossa penalty in OT before Hossa nets the game winner right after leaving the penalty box

Huge win, it was frustrating at times, and exhilarating at other times, but I'll gladly take this win...Now lets finish this in Nashville on Monday

Kane was near center ice cherry picking and kept movin without the puck and set himself up for a rebound attempt.

Niemi over plays everything always leaving his backside way to open, as for the screens, well he better figure out how to defend them because if were struggling against a seeded 8 team, what we going to do against one of the other seeds.

13 shots on you and you manage to let 4 go is nothing to be proud of and if that isn't something for us to be worried about, then your going to be rudely awaken.

Originally Posted by logrus

Kane was near center ice cherry picking and kept movin without the puck and set himself up for a rebound attempt.

Niemi over plays everything always leaving his backside way to open, as for the screens, well he better figure out how to defend them because if were struggling against a seeded 8 team, what we going to do against one of the other seeds.

13 shots on you and you manage to let 4 go is nothing to be proud of and if that isn't something for us to be worried about, then your going to be rudely awaken.

its hard for a goalie to defend a screen if his teammates aren't helping him clear them out...If Niemi played like that every game, I would definitely be worried...He had a 33 save SO the game before and going into this game had a GAA of around 1.50 and a save% of nearly .95, Rinne wasn't as sharp today either...I'm not ready to give up on Niemi because he had a rough game especially since he has been playing good in the series prior to today and he played solid in OT as well

Originally Posted by matthughesfan21

its hard for a goalie to defend a screen if his teammates aren't helping him clear them out...If Niemi played like that every game, I would definitely be worried...He had a 33 save SO the game before and going into this game had a GAA of around 1.50 and a save% of nearly .95, Rinne wasn't as sharp today either...I'm not ready to give up on Niemi because he had a rough game especially since he has been playing good in the series prior to today and he played solid in OT as well

How much more help did you want out of the D, they gave up only 4 shots on goal in period one and two. A couple of his goals were just terrible on his part, Rinne didnt do to bad considering the hawks blasted him with like 30 shots in 2 periods.

Thats just the prob with Niem, he is either real freakin good, or he just brain farts all over himself. I think hes the only goalie to shut a team out the give up 4 goals the next game.

Originally Posted by logrus

How much more help did you want out of the D, they gave up only 4 shots on goal in period one and two. A couple of his goals were just terrible on his part, Rinne didnt do to bad considering the hawks blasted him with like 30 shots in 2 periods.

the d can help by moving guys from out in front of niemi and not allowing him to see nothing but arse(if it was old style hockey, Niemi could just slash their ankles and get them out of there, but goalies can't do that anymore so its up to the d to assist him..I'm not arguing he played good because he didn't, but I thought it was strange calling for them to get rid of him

I think hes the only goalie to shut a team out the give up 4 goals the next game.

Every goalie has games like that...

Brodeur, Luongo, Roy, Hasek, Sawchuk, etc.

The only time I would worry about it is if he was playing like that consistently...He gave up only 2 in game 1(2 empty netters) and 3 in game 3 when the team played their worst game of the year...He does need to be better, but with the exception of goal #4, their goals were all on quality scoring opportunities