Category: sports

Senator’s Goalies, Starter vs Backup

Senator goalies
~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

I’m going to start this off by saying I hate the fact that Anton Forsberg only gets the nod in net every tenth game or so in recent months. In my humble opinion, (I’m no coach) you should only have the starter/backup designation when one goalie is outperforming the other. The Senator’s goalies are fairly equal in performance, age, and even (somewhat) salary. It seems to be common practice in the playoffs that if one goalie is “hot” you stick with them. I understand that theory but you have to get to the playoffs first. So, what is the reason behind one of the Senator’s goalies being favoured over the other?

This post was drafted before the win against Buffalo; the stats were updated to accommodate the changes the next day. 

Performance

While Joonas Korpisalo appears to be the starting goalie and Forsberg the backup, (based on the number of games played) their performance records are very similar. Both have had great games recently and both have had stinkers. It’s difficult and unfair to say one is better than the other. 

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An even better indicator of performance is the xG or expected goals against. This statistic is an indicator of which shots were of high-quality scoring chances. Think breakaways, screened shots, rebounds etc. 

For example, this is the xG for Korpisalo’s last game (vs New Jersey, and admittedly, one of his worst)

…and this is Forsberg’s from (one of his best) the most recent win vs Buffalo:

While it’s not fair to compare one goalie’s bad game to the other’s good game, one can see how the shots’ ratings affect the statistics. Moneypuck reports Korpisalo’s total xG as -5.9 for his 21 games and Forsberg’s total xG as -8.1 for his 13 games. Sadly, neither are great

Salary and Age

Perhaps the decision is based on the salary the team is forking out, ie slightly more for Korpisalo (4 million) than Forsberg (2.75 million). It cannot be their age difference as they are pretty close in that respect as well (soon to be 30, and just turned 31, respectively).

Confidence and Consistency

Can we really expect Forsberg to play with confidence and consistency when he plays so few games? Has no one else noticed he plays better as the game goes on and faces more shots? The same applies to Korpisalo; maybe he’d play more consistently if he didn’t have to play every game. If they alternated, it would create a healthy competition between the two, perhaps igniting confidence and consistency in both of them. Then, if one comes out on top significantly, you have determined your starter and backup.

Too simple?

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Behind the Bench with the Ottawa Senators

~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

While some find it difficult to understand why it’s a coaching problem when a team is not performing well, others are quick to point the finger. That’s certainly been the dilemma in Ottawa with the coaching change behind the Senators bench. Was the issue the coach or the undeniably talented yet overpaid and underperforming players?

Personality Conflict

Sometimes players are not overly fond of their coach. That was not the case for the Ottawa Senators as DJ Smith had unwavering support in the dressing room right up until he was fired from the head coach position.

However, being friends with those you’re in charge of doesn’t work well very often. Like parenting small children, the adult in charge needs to create and enforce rules, with repercussions when they break them. It’s called discipline, something the Senators players lack.

Coaching Style

Hopefully, Jacques Martin will bring back the basics for the (relatively) young players with the more defensive and disciplined system he’s known for.

Avoiding, drawing, and killing penalties are teachable, disciplinary skills that the best NHL teams are much better at than the current Senators team. That’s not to say they can’t turn their bad habits around. That’s where effective coaching can help.

Daniel Alfredsson

This man can do no wrong in Ottawa. As our captain for many years, including our most successful ones, he is considered a hockey God here. His 2022 induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame proves his skill was recognized by not just Senator fans.  Behind the bench, as assistant coach he brings respect, knowledge, and play-by-play advice for players during the games. Not to mention the skill on the ice in practices. He has been referred to as “a beast” by the players, meaning at 51 years of age he can still compete with the younger generation.

Behind the bench

photo credit: Jonathan Milley of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, Commons Wikimedia id=2718058

Emotion Behind the Bench Can Be a Good Thing

Who else loved how both Martin and Alfredsson cheered when Angus Crookshank scored his first NHL goal? Both coaches show more (positive) emotion on the bench than any other coaches I’ve seen, including Smith.

While the players need discipline and repercussions for their lack of discipline, they also benefit from and are motivated by positive reinforcement from behind the bench.  

Moving Forward

After the exciting comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs recently, both fans and players can envision what the team is capable of with the coaching changes behind the bench. Let’s hope this new strategy gets the Ottawa Senators on a winning streak!

Feature photo credit: Sportslogos id=20711586

Playoff Hockey is Different

playoff hockey
~ Loreeebee ~ Leave a comment

We learn, (at least we should) season after season, that playoff hockey is different than regular-season hockey.  It’s not a skills competition; it takes a well-balanced, disciplined, physically and mentally fit team to make it very far. The Toronto Maple Leafs losing out in round two last night was a prime example of that.

A Hot (Good) and Consistent Goalie

Every team that wins the Stanley Cup or gets it in their sights (makes it to the finals or semi-finals) has a hot goalie. Goalie issues, whether injury or (under) performance related, plague many teams, Toronto included. The Ottawa Senators, my favourite team, suffered from goalie issues this past season too. Both injury and performance related and it was frustrating to watch. In retrospect, we can only wonder what could have been if these issues had not been there.

While Toronto’s Samsonov played inconsistently, Woll, their rookie goalie that played the last two games, was consistent and better but not good enough. Bobrovsky, the Panther’s goalie, on the other hand, was consistently great. I’m sure no one would disagree that he (nicknamed Bob the goalie) was the MVP of that series.

Strong Defense

A consistently strong defense is another must for Stanley Cup contenders. Not just one or two players, but six, so that every line keeps their opponent from shooting and scoring. One great defender that is expected to play 25 minutes or more a game does not constitute a strong, effective defense. Of course, not many teams have six excellent defenders but those that have the most are the teams that make it far.

Good defensive players are sturdy (don’t suffer injuries easily), hard (but not dirty) hitting, great puck movers (getting the puck out of their zone), and determined to fulfill their role on the team. It is a bonus if they can rush to the opponent’s net with the puck too, as long as they can get back to defend when the puck moves the other way.

Discipline, Endurance, and Depth

Any team that makes it deep into playoff hockey has to be extremely disciplined for sixty-minute (all three periods) games. Coming from behind is exciting but is hard to execute on a regular basis so not a reliable way to win.

Staying out of the penalty box is important too as providing opponents with a man advantage is a quick way to give up a goal and momentum in the game. Every goal is so important in playoff hockey.

Depth of talent is extremely important too. One line of high-end (paid) players won’t cut it for long. It comes back to that old saying “There’s no I in team.” It takes a whole team of teammates that each offer one hundred percent, for the entire game.

Controlling the Corners

Do you ever notice that some players are awesome at controlling the corners in hockey games? By that I mean they go right into the corners of the rink and fight for the puck with their bodies. Others tend to stand back and wave their sticks (poke) at the puck. The latter lack the grit to get the job done.

Conclusions in Playoff Hockey

The individual, high-paid players that show off their skills during the regular season by racking up the points often don’t perform as well in playoff hockey. Why is that? Because playoff hockey is not a skills competition!

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