Quote:
Originally Posted by Gaskal
Well, it might have not been directly responsible performance-wise for the funk that they threw themselves into at the start of the season... but what it did do was ruin everyone else's confidence.
Last year our tandem was solid enough to give our team a chance to win most nights, with the exception of a few wet-the-bed nights each. When we got down, the team would think "Alright, as long as we get the next one then Hills/Rammer can shut the door and we can come back". When you have a goalie that can't make saves that are expected to be routine, that really screws with your mental fortitude and your approach to the play.
If the Flames kinda go into meh mode again at any point or if Hiller really shats the bed during the road trip, then yeah it's probably an overblown issue. But given the way the team played last night and especially how good Hiller was, then the 3 headed goalie monster might have been more to blame than some people give credit for.
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We could also pin it on Smid coming into the line up. Or Kulak going down. Or Hamilton going to the third pairing. Or other things that happened. Cause doesn't equal effect.
The whole team played better from zone exits to zone entries and clearing the net. There were 500% less two on ones against.
Again, I'm sure it helped to resolve the three Goalie monster. It wasn't the big catalyst though IMO