It's pathetic when it comes to goaltending. They just have no balls. Just like with Nabby. The biggest ******** argument is "oh, well he got us here" - who the **** cares??? Nitty did in the first half!! We got two quality goalies for a reason this season - to get a duo, not overplay one goalie. Play Nitty if Niemi sucks. Play Niemi if Nitty sucks! Don't shuffle it like Philly but Niemi clearly showed that he is not in it !!!
ARGH, anger management!!!!
It is more to be expected. They really need a banner, "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it". They overplayed Niemi and they are reaping the rewards.
Niemi tends to have good bounce-back games. So theres that.
He didn't look that good in game 4. I already gave the big example but it seemed that he was having a hard time getting across. If they don't play stellar defense or 60min of dominating offense, I have a feeling that it will get worse. More or less, I think they are at the point where they need to disguise their weakness which is in goal. It also means that if they continue to use him with extended series if they do make it through that it will only get worse. Then top it off with a long OT game, snowball.
you guys are unbelievable.....not a single goal was niemi's fault.....one was a 2 on 1, one was a screen/deflection, and the other was, yea, ill get blasted for this one, the result of the referees getting involved in the play and interfering with an easy sharks d-zone clear, all year everyone has questioned niemi, even to the point where people actually thought nitty was a better goalie at the beginning of the year.......
but maybe nitty should start cause its obvious the sharks dont play defense with niemi in net, for some reason they play defense when nitty is playing, i dont get it
Nitty WAS the better goalie at the beginning of the year. And he's the better goalie now. I love what NIemi did Jan -March, but this is April, and Niemi simply doesn't have it right now.
The REALLY interesting question is if you start Nitty in game 6 and the Sharks win, who do you start against the Wings?
He didn't look that good in game 4. I already gave the big example but it seemed that he was having a hard time getting across.
I distinctly remember thinking "Niemi is going to get pulled tonight," during that play. He flubbed around and looked awful during that moment. Something is up with him, most likely fatigue.
He didn't look that good in game 4. I already gave the big example but it seemed that he was having a hard time getting across. If they don't play stellar defense or 60min of dominating offense, I have a feeling that it will get worse. More or less, I think they are at the point where they need to disguise their weakness which is in goal. It also means that if they continue to use him with extended series if they do make it through that it will only get worse. Then top it off with a long OT game, snowball.
He did make a few nice saves in that game though. I thought it was one of his better games.
We were presumptuous to declare Niitty the better goalie in the fall, myself included. The fact that which is playing better has oscillated so much just goes to show you can't only look at what's happening in the last week. That's the random nature of goaltending.
If you look at all the games they've played as the Sharks and weight them equally, Niemi has been better. So I'd start him Game 6. We still have Game 7 to start Niitty if we lose because Niemi was letting in softies. I don't think that will happen though.
It's pathetic when it comes to goaltending. They just have no balls. Just like with Nabby. The biggest ******** argument is "oh, well he got us here" - who the **** cares??? Nitty did in the first half!! We got two quality goalies for a reason this season - to get a duo, not overplay one goalie. Play Nitty if Niemi sucks. Play Niemi if Nitty sucks! Don't shuffle it like Philly but Niemi clearly showed that he is not in it !!!
ARGH, anger management!!!!
Exactly. This really pisses me off.
I don't care if Niemi comes back and plays well in game 6, now is the time to give Nitty a start so that better more informed decisions can be made should we make it to the next series. You can't have your goalie losing the game for you against the wings, you won't have the chance to come back.
We were presumptuous to declare Niitty the better goalie in the fall, myself included. The fact that which is playing better has oscillated so much just goes to show you can't only look at what's happening in the last week. That's the random nature of goaltending.
If you look at all the games they've played as the Sharks and weight them equally, Niemi has been better. So I'd start him Game 6. We still have Game 7 to start Niitty if we lose because Niemi was letting in softies. I don't think that will happen though.
Who cares about the weighted average of their respective play this year? We need the guy who gives us a better chance to win Game 6 and you're going to have a tough time making an argument that Niemi is that guy.
Who cares about the weighted average of their respective play this year? We need the guy who gives us a better chance to win Game 6 and you're going to have a tough time making an argument that Niemi is that guy.
But the guy who gave us a better chance to win the previous game isn't necessarily the one that's most likely to give us a better chance to win the next game. Weighting last game a ton more than late winter/early spring is the same mistake as weighting late winter/early spring a ton more than the fall. But considering everything, Niemi looks like the better goalie.
But the guy who gave us a better chance to win the previous game isn't necessarily the one that's most likely to give us a better chance to win the next game.
I agree but when one guy has been pulled in two of his past three starts (and looked pedestrian despite picking up a win in the other one) and the other guy has lead the NHL in GAA and SV% in his limited action, it's pretty clear the latter gives the Sharks a better chance to win at this moment.
Looks like Nemo is starting. Can't say I like that too much, he just hasn't been there this series. I've thought we should give him another chance, and we did. He's given up too many goals to get this many chances. Let Nitty play until he he cant anymore. We shouldn't give Niemi. "short leash", because we can't go down 3-0 in a game again
I agree but when one guy has been pulled in two of his past three starts (and looked pedestrian despite picking up a win in the other one) and the other guy has lead the NHL in GAA and SV% in his limited action, it's pretty clear the latter gives the Sharks a better chance to win at this moment.
He was good in game 5 (yes, even with that one play where it took him time to find his footing). He made quite a few great saves and couldn't do anything about the 3 that got past him. He was also very good in game 1.
The thing w/ Niitty's "lead the NHL in GAA and SV%" stats is that he's come in when the Kings have had a lead. Everyone who watches the Kings play knows how they play with a lead. Niitty hasn't exactly been tested.
I don't necessarily know what the right call is here becase Niemi does look a little off but I'm not going second guess an NHL coach (along with his teammates) who thinks Niemi is their guy. (SJEasy, please don't tell me I'm drinking the kool-aid or whatever, I just happen to think that McLellan isn't dumb or stubborn).
The leading the league in statistics comment was mostly tongue-in-cheek and I agree that he hasn't been significantly tested but based on the respective sample sizes that we have, it's clear that Niemi--despite being the superior goaltender--is fatigued and off his game to the extent that Niittymaki appears to be the best option for Game 6.
I'm willing to give the coaching staff the benefit of the doubt to an extent but I strongly disagree that they are not stubborn. Stubbornness isn't always a bad thing but there are far too many examples of them behaving this way (to the team's detriment, I might add) to ignore. Whether it was using the Burger Line long past that unit outlived its effectiveness, playing Thornton with Heatley even though that combination had proven to be fruitless, not matching out of Thornton v. Bolland in the WCF last year, the 1-1-2 and the goaltending situation both down the stretch when Nitty never started despite there being several opportunities for him to in fairly low-risk games and going into Game 6 at Staples.
Oh well, hopefully MC will learn his mistake by then. Neimi is not fit to play against LA. He got us here but Neimi and Nitty are equal level goaltenders, but they are not equal against certain teams. Neimi would probably be far better suited against Detroit (assuming Van doesn't complete their choke) and I would want him to start there.
I still have faith, and I do feel the Sharks will win the series still. Game 3 is proof that when the Sharks are against the wall, they will win. At least against LA
I don't necessarily know what the right call is here becase Niemi does look a little off but I'm not going second guess an NHL coach (along with his teammates) who thinks Niemi is their guy. (SJEasy, please don't tell me I'm drinking the kool-aid or whatever, I just happen to think that McLellan isn't dumb or stubborn).
I don't think McLellan is dumb, I do think he is stubborn (BTW, when stubbornness is informed with intelligence it becomes tenacious). I do think as JT says that he takes things way past their usefulness. The other issue is that NHL coaches generally don't know goalies all that well. The smarter ones let the goalie coach decide between games. In this case, the Sharks have one of the least attractive issues with the team, Wayne Thomas. You may have to trust me on this one, but he is the one whose decision I would least respect. And, I do think Thomas is the one actually making the decision.
I don't think McLellan is dumb, I do think he is stubborn (BTW, when stubbornness is informed with intelligence it becomes tenacious). I do think as JT says that he takes things way past their usefulness. The other issue is that NHL coaches generally don't know goalies all that well. The smarter ones let the goalie coach decide between games. In this case, the Sharks have one of the least attractive issues with the team, Wayne Thomas. You may have to trust me on this one, but he is the one whose decision I would least respect. And, I do think Thomas is the one actually making the decision.
I will not argue with that...I am NOT a fan of Wayne Thomas.
If you think that Thomas is the one making the decisions then that explains quite a lot about your posts and I understand where you're coming from.
