Moose starting game 2???
Posted 1:28 PM ET | Comments 6
Wow...that was a short string Lehtonen was on....It doesnt matter though as Atlanta's defense isnt good enough to beat the rangers in a 7 game series unless Brodeur was in net. You cant go goal for goal with your opponent in the post season like you can in the regular season (not to mention shootouts arent there to bail you out either)...
It would be wise of you to post a link to the article/news snippet you are referencing for future posts.Sad to see them give up on Kari Lehtonen if that is indeed what happens tonight. He's a good goalie in his first playoffs with a mediocre defense that has a few weak players. I really think he has great potential and needs to see as much playoff time as possible.
It is on hockeybuzz main page http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=6849As for him being a good goalie...I saw him a ton this year and didnt see a good goaltender. He is mediocre and pretty much equal to Hedberg imo. To this day I dont understand where alot of the hype has come from as to him being part of the next level of top goalies in this league
In Lehtonen you see flashes of brilliance - but I think it is too early to count on him. Maybe a year or two away IMO.
I would like to give nickgregory full credit. A lot of Huuricane fans have disappeared from many posts as this season went along (I expect a lot of Sabres fans would do the same if the Sabres had a similar fall-off to the 'Canes this year), but nick has not. Not only has he continued to post, but a number of his posts have had high relevance. I agree that I don't see Atlanta beating the Rangers with either goalie.
I am a hockey fan at heart...regardless if my team is in it or not. On Atlanta, I was thinking today if Atlanta cant make the conference finals at a minimum what a waste giving away the farm in picks was for Tkachuk...looking at it, it seems like Waddell was more interested in job preservation than the best interests of the club...
Lehtonen struggled all year against the Canes. If those were the games you saw, you definitely did not see him at his best. That's why Moose played the last one. He is streaky. If he can find a way to play at his best on a consistent basis, he will one day be considered elite, but right now he is a constant series of peaks and valleys. When he is off, he is really off.As far as your comment on Waddell possibly overpaying, I used to feel the same, but even if the playoff run is short, the greatest value of the trades was that they generated a TON of new excitement about the team in this market, and that was needed desperately. You could argue that if the team suffers in the next few years because they paid so much, what good have you really done? But I would say that if something didn't happen now, the franchise's future in this city was in serious danger. For the first time in their history, the city (beyond the real hockey fans) is acting like they give a damn about the Thrashers.