WWYDW: How would you handle the goaltending situation in the playoffs?
8 years ago
Who’s the Wings number one goalie? No but seriously, who is it? On today’s What Would you Do Wednesday, we look at the Wings tandem and ask you about your opinions.
Long gone are the days of Hasek and Osgood, but the Wings face an age old question- is the right guy in net?
Jimmy Howard is the confirmed starter for Game 1 tonight against the Lightning, but the decision might be a pretty surprising move to some.
Howard played 37 games this season to Petr Mrazek’s 54, and his .906 save percentage falls behind Mrazek’s .921. Howard might have more playoff experience, but I think we’ve seen enough relatively inexperienced goalies do well in the playoffs by now to know that’s pretty archaic thinking. Plus, Mrazek took the nod seven times in last year’s playoffs after winning the net in the latter part of last season.
Howard has had a more accomplished NHL career, but clearly Mrazek’s been better statistically over the past two years. So what do you do?
Of all the tough coaching decisions to make, picking a goaltender on a nightly basis might be the toughest one. The weight of this choice increases ten-fold come playoff time when a good or bad performance from your goalie can make or break your season.
If you were in charge of picking who was in net for the Wings for each game this series, how would you handle it?
Does one bad game chase Howard from the net? Does two? Would you consider using them as a tandem? Does a win or a loss change your decision? Is there a set total of goals that you’d consider too many? Would pulling a goalie from a specific game change the next game’s starter?
On the flip side, how many good games would you want from Howard before committing to him for the rest of the way?
Leave your answers in the comments below. Most thumbs up gets an internet high-five.
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