<![CDATA[BOBROVSKY!
It could probably be left at that. But let’s continue on, and get some more thoughts on the goaltending situation this season from the rest of the tUB squad.
AlisonL: “So how about Bob, eh? While Bob was not at the same level as last year, when he brought home the Vezina, (2012-13 had him second in the league in SV% with 93.2% in 32 games) Bob brought back a remarkable season that showed he can provide the answer to the last question mark about his play and that was the question of consistency. This year Bob was the 4th best goalie in the league in 5v5 situations following Rask, Varlamov and Price with another strong showing of 93.3% in 58 games. Bob also came back from a groin injury, played for Team Russia in the Sochi Olympics and is now playing for Team Russia in the IIHF Worlds. But perhaps what may be worth noting above and beyond his goal tending was the glimpses we got into Bob the competitor. Known for his fierce work ethic and eternal smile, Sergei showed a bit more of his fire to win particularly in the March home match against the Rangers when he egged on Rick Nash through some “taps” and flat out jeering by tossing 61’s stick aside. While I am not an advocate of troublemaking for the sake of troublemaking, seeing that side of #72 was a welcome addition to one of the keystones of the Jackets team.”
Brett: “Obviously Bob has been our best goaltender and I don’t need to really explain why. He struggled in the beginning of the year, sure, but I still think played well. Many props should be sent to Curtis McElhinney for his solid play in Bob’s absence both physically and mentally. While his 2.70 GAA didn’t win more than 10 of the 21 games he started, he provided a firm enough ground for the Blue Jackets to regroup and give Bob the backup he needed to help the CBJ make the post-season.”
CBJProspects: “Sergei Bobrovsky the man who hopefully be winning our version of this award (along with maybe some more real ones) for a long time. Despite getting off to a slow start and giving us all a slight heart attack when he was injured, he somehow bounced back to have another great season. I think the injury may have helped as he was almost back to Bob from last season. Curtis McElhinney and Mike McKenna who filled in great for Bob during his injury with McKenna even having to make an unexpected start in MSG.”
The Coach: “Sergei Bobrovsky was ridiculous in the abbreviated 2013 season. So ridiculously good that he had nowhere to go but down. Me (and a whole bunch of others) predicted he would slide backwards. It wasn’t much of a shock to see it happen. However, mixed in there is some fantastic news: he slipped from being unsustainably, otherworldly good, to merely being a top five goalie in the entire NHL. He finished 5th among starters in save percentage and 6th in even strength save percentage (the best indicator of true ability). His other numbers are a little lower, mostly due to games played and the high number of shots the Jackets gave up. It’s safe to say now that we can expect top ten goaltending for a little while. Bobrovsky is still young for a starter at 25, and could still get better. He should be in the Vezina conversation for the next half-decade. There is room for improvement between the pipes, but that will come from replacing Curtis McElhinney and Mike McKenna with NHL caliber backups (or just bumping CMac down to MMac’s role). Those two performed valiantly when called upon, but if Bob is going to play 60 games a year, the team needs someone better for the other 20 games. Enough of a downer, Bob is awesome, he has room to get better, he’s no Steve Mason/Jim Carey, I’d expect more real Vezina wins and nominations in his future.”
Join us next week for the Masterton and King Clancy awards. However, let’s leave the Vezina post on this note:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EtAG87gDWc]]]>Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
