Lalime vs. Enroth

[FolignosJock]

Someone had mentioned earlier in this thread and in the Tampa GDT wondering if Lindy would continue to ride Enroth if Miller did not play again this weekend. IMO, there is 0.000000000000% chance that Enroth plays in Game 1 of the playoffs if Miller is anywhere near ready to go...

 

 

Good Call Wade Phillips

[Weave]

There is no doubt Enroth has been a very pleasant surprise and could be the reason we get into the playoffs. But I still say Patty gets a lot of undeserved criticism. How many times in those 3 years did the team score more than 2 goals? What was his goal support when Miller was out 2 years ago? I'm not disagreeing that Enroth is better, I think most Lalime fans would agree it's Enroth's turn. But damn, give the guy a break.

 

I'll agree with this, I dont think the team ever played as well when Patty was in net and they for sure didnt play like they do for Enroth. People used to say that on here when Marty was here too though that the guys played harder for him so maybe im just delusional.

 

I thought the team didn't show up most every night that Lalime was in net. But I also think that alot of it was because the team didn't have any confidence in Lalime. It was a self fulfilling prophesy of lost games. I believe a team with stronger will would have played better in front of the lesser goalie and Lalime's record wouldn't look so bad.

 

Not that it matters now....

[Robviously]

Someone had mentioned earlier in this thread and in the Tampa GDT wondering if Lindy would continue to ride Enroth if Miller did not play again this weekend. IMO, there is 0.000000000000% chance that Enroth plays in Game 1 of the playoffs if Miller is anywhere near ready to go...

"Anywhere near ready to go?" What does that mean?

 

The problem with playing a hurt Miller is that if he's, say, 10% slower than normal due to injury, it could lead to much worse results. The margin of error in pro sports is always very small. Games come down to millimeters and split seconds. If Miller is less agile than he usually is, he might not be very good.

 

The nightmare scenario is that Miller comes back for Game 1 of the playoffs and we end up losing in Round 1. It'd cause an S-storm that lasts all the way into next season.

[Wayne VanDorp]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. They never should have dealt away Noronen.

 

Holy crap - someone else is actually out there. Mika never got a fair shot from this organization. He was as good if not better than Biron was in his season in Rochester. Matter of fact IIRC Mika won the Minor League Player of the Year or some such award. Biron got the chance to replace Hasek, while Noronen had to waste away on the bench or in Rochester. Darcy screwed that up royally given that he could have at least traded Noronen and gotten good value.

[JJFIVEOH]

I thought the team didn't show up most every night that Lalime was in net. But I also think that alot of it was because the team didn't have any confidence in Lalime. It was a self fulfilling prophesy of lost games. I believe a team with stronger will would have played better in front of the lesser goalie and Lalime's record wouldn't look so bad.

 

Not that it matters now....

 

Maybe, but it's not Patty's fault they didn't show up. If I remember correctly there was a 3 game stretch when Miller was out where Patty put together a .935 save % yet the team only managed 3 goals and picked up 1 out of a possible 6 points. They missed the playoffs by 2 points............

[Weave]

Maybe, but it's not Patty's fault they didn't show up. If I remember correctly there was a 3 game stretch when Miller was out where Patty put together a .935 save % yet the team only managed 3 goals and picked up 1 out of a possible 6 points. They missed the playoffs by 2 points............

 

Well, that is kind of my point. Whether it is Lalime's "fault" or not can be debated though. I think a bunch of it was a lack of confidence on the teams' part. Why did they lack confidence? At least partly because of previous performance. Is it Lalime's fault if he played well but the team around him didn't show up? Nope. And that did happen sometimes.

 

Seems to me there was a little of both going on. Sometimes Patty just couldn't get it done and sometimes he was good enough but the team came out and underwhelmed. Either way, the story was the same, Patty in the nets = another loss.

[JJFIVEOH]

Well, that is kind of my point. Whether it is Lalime's "fault" or not can be debated though. I think a bunch of it was a lack of confidence on the teams' part. Why did they lack confidence? At least partly because of previous performance. Is it Lalime's fault if he played well but the team around him didn't show up? Nope. And that did happen sometimes.

 

Seems to me there was a little of both going on. Sometimes Patty just couldn't get it done and sometimes he was good enough but the team came out and underwhelmed. Either way, the story was the same, Patty in the nets = another loss.

 

OK, I hear ya. I just don't think Patty deserves the level of criticism he gets around here. It's not fair to compare Enroth to Lalime because Enroth is playing above and beyond the level of a backup goaltender, probably above and beyond most starting goaltenders.

[BetweenThePipes00]

Holy crap - someone else is actually out there. Mika never got a fair shot from this organization. He was as good if not better than Biron was in his season in Rochester. Matter of fact IIRC Mika won the Minor League Player of the Year or some such award. Biron got the chance to replace Hasek, while Noronen had to waste away on the bench or in Rochester. Darcy screwed that up royally given that he could have at least traded Noronen and gotten good value.

 

I can't believe you guys are still complaining about this. The guy went home to Finland because he MISSED HIS GIRLFRIEND. That's not something I want my franchise goalie worrying about. He was not a franchise goalie in the NHL.

 

And the year before the lockout he got 35 games and went 11-17-2 ... 35 games is a pretty fair shot. Yeah, the team sucked, but Biron was 26-18-5 that season behind the same team. We all saw enough of both of them to know they were not going to carry the team anywhere. And that's coming from a huge Biron fan ... he's the prefect 25-30 games per year guy. Noronen was that at best.

[dumb_dumb88]

Alarmingly high, unfortunately.

 

Is there any reason to believe Ruff will come up with a goaltending rotation that works?

The bolded statement is the key to success between the pipes for the Sabres.

 

I not only fully expect Enroth to see 25 to 30 games next season, but I fully anticipate Enroth pushing for Miller's starting job, and rightfully so. We didn't draft this kid in round 2 because he was a roll of the dice.

The kid has mad skills in net, is calm under pressure and performs well in clutch situations as a netminder.

 

I like Ryan Miller, he is a very good goaltender for sure, but I'd like to see Enroth come in and push for the starting job, if for no other reason than should it force Miller to rise to the occasion. It very well could be a 1 - 2 punch in net for the Sabres next season.

[nucci]

Someone had mentioned earlier in this thread and in the Tampa GDT wondering if Lindy would continue to ride Enroth if Miller did not play again this weekend. IMO, there is 0.000000000000% chance that Enroth plays in Game 1 of the playoffs if Miller is anywhere near ready to go...

That was me. I thought a fair question for discussion since Miller will not have played for 2 weeks. Do not think it will happen....just saying.

[darksabre]

I liked Noronen. My memory has betrayed me patrially because I can't remember the circumstance (shootout, penalty shot, just even strength 5 on 5) but I remember Mika making a crazy save where he was laying flat on his chest and out of the play and he just bent his leg upwards and kicked the puck out of the air. It was awesome. Must have been early in 05-06, possibly while Miller was injured.

 

I don't remember that, but:

 

 

:clapping:

[TheMadCap]

"Anywhere near ready to go?" What does that mean?

 

The problem with playing a hurt Miller is that if he's, say, 10% slower than normal due to injury, it could lead to much worse results. The margin of error in pro sports is always very small. Games come down to millimeters and split seconds. If Miller is less agile than he usually is, he might not be very good.

 

The nightmare scenario is that Miller comes back for Game 1 of the playoffs and we end up losing in Round 1. It'd cause an S-storm that lasts all the way into next season.

 

It means exactly what I said. If he is 80% I think he plays, end of story. Not that I WANT this, but I think we know Lindy's record on the goalie situation.

 

I think your nightmare scenario is valid and quite possible. Although, with as good as Enroth is playing I think Lindy may consider pulling Miller if he starts getting shelled, which he has done only what, like 5 times ever???

[nfreeman]

Lalime(40 games the last 3 years)...9-26-5 23 POINTS

 

Enroth(12 games this season)...8-2-2 18 POINTS

 

It makes you wonder if a quality backup in 07-08(missed by 4 points) and 08-09(missed by 2 points) would have been enough to get the Sabres into the playoffs.

No backup goalie not named Hasek could have gotten that group of mental midgets into the playoffs. That team was something like 2-20 against the top 6 teams in the EC. They completely fell apart after Black Sunday. Every single time they had an opportunity to step up, they shrank from the moment and hid under the bed.

 

Are there still Lalime apologists lurking around here?

 

If so, I do not know what to say

Lalime plus a 2nd-round pick for Stamkos!

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again. They never should have dealt away Noronen.

Holy crap - someone else is actually out there. Mika never got a fair shot from this organization. He was as good if not better than Biron was in his season in Rochester. Matter of fact IIRC Mika won the Minor League Player of the Year or some such award. Biron got the chance to replace Hasek, while Noronen had to waste away on the bench or in Rochester. Darcy screwed that up royally given that he could have at least traded Noronen and gotten good value.

I liked Mika well enough at the time, but it can't be overlooked that he never did anything after leaving the Sabres.

 

IMO, there is 0.000000000000% chance that Enroth plays in Game 1 of the playoffs if Miller is anywhere near ready to go...

Correct.

 

The nightmare scenario is that Miller comes back for Game 1 of the playoffs and we end up losing in Round 1. It'd cause an S-storm that lasts all the way into next season.

Also correct.

 

The bolded statement is the key to success between the pipes for the Sabres.

 

I not only fully expect Enroth to see 25 to 30 games next season, but I fully anticipate Enroth pushing for Miller's starting job, and rightfully so. We didn't draft this kid in round 2 because he was a roll of the dice.

The kid has mad skills in net, is calm under pressure and performs well in clutch situations as a netminder.

 

I like Ryan Miller, he is a very good goaltender for sure, but I'd like to see Enroth come in and push for the starting job, if for no other reason than should it force Miller to rise to the occasion. It very well could be a 1 - 2 punch in net for the Sabres next season.

Not a chance on the bolded part.

 

I'd guess Enroth will get about 20-24 games next year.

[itbeatswalking]

If Enroth is still on a roll, he should definitely start Game 1. :worthy:

[Kristian]

Are there still Lalime apologists lurking around here?

 

If so, I do not know what to say

 

No apologist here.

 

Lalime has stopped 9 out of 10 shots in his starts here. Backup numbers that should've earned him at least a few more wins.

 

Enroth plays like a starter though, so obviously there's no comparison, thank god.

 

But seriously, why should people who have defended Lalime in the past be called out because someone plays better than him?