Islander Goalies The Best Of Times The Worst of Times

Meaning, the goaltending numbers are broken into specifics (1ga, 2ga, etc). I would like to take the average goal scoring teams (like the middle 5) and see how many times they had (1goal for, 2gf, 3gf etc). That way, you could see how often a team needs you to have a 2ga game. Not that it would prove all that much, but those averages will often contain significant ranges.

For example, here it would indicate that DP gave us “a chance to win” in 14 games, but I remember several of his losses being 2-1 or 3-2 (and with him, those were the nights he gave up a softie or “overplayed the puck”). Really, those data can be skewed by the biggest variable of all, timing. Pitching a shutout in a 8-0 win is shitty, just like giving up 7 on a night your team scores six.

Other than not addressing my point at all, good point. I mean, I get it – you don’t like the Rick. You don’t like his game. You kind of let the cat out of the bag up there by saying he had one good half-season. In fact he had much more than that before he was hurt. You could at least be honest about that much before going after the guy now.

Instead of two different netminders, it might help just to compare one guy to himself. Half the time, this goalie gives up that third goal. It would be silly to think that he only buckled down half the time, and the other half he didn’t really care if the third goal went in…

Though anecdotal evidence isn’t as rigorous, you can have it – I have NEVER been happy to see a puck in my net. It doesn’t matter if I’m up three or down three. I don’t want to let a team back into the game, and I don’t want to let a team run away with it. I don’t want to blow close games or let close games get blown open. I am NEVER not trying hard. There’s just no context where it doesn’t really matter, unless it’s with a few seconds left and the game is already won or lost… and in those situations, everyone usually just stops and lets it run out.

And as you move up the food chain, I’m sure they have fewer lapses. The skill level is such that almost all your mistakes as a goalie wind up in your net… if a goalie was inattentive it could easily be 6-0 in the first period. He’d never get a chance to buckle down because he’d be waived.

First of all, bad power play/penalty killing luck is adjusted for by using EVEN STRENGTH SAVE PERCENTAGE. Once again, not rocket science.

Also, just like in baseball with pitchers, there’s no evidence (by which I mean there’s been people who looked for evidence and it simply was NOT THERE) that there is any skill by which some goalies are able to hunker down and stop goals after he’s given up X goals. There is no clutch factor or whatever you want to call it here.

GAA is bad. Don’t use it.

Pre 12/16
RDP – .876 sv%; 30.7 sh/60
Roli – .906 sv%; 28.5 sh/60

Roli did play better, but he also faced a lighter workload. I also note that his sv% has gone DOWN since joining Tampa, but somehow he has 4 shutouts and a lower GAA with the Lightning than he did on the Island. The GAA by itself doesn’t tell you much.

12/16 to end
RDP – .897; 29.8 sh/60
Montoya – .921; 30.4 sh/60
Poulin – .924; 32.0 sh/60
Roli (with NYI) – .936; 39.2 sh/60 (only five games, but WOW)

All of this of course is super-small sample sizes, and the sv% is overall, not just even-strength. Still, I think we see that Rick improved a lot. He also faced the fewest shots of the goalies. Part of this is in the save% – if you stop a lot of shots you tend to see more of them – but in general the Isles trailed a lot of those games, and so the other team sat back and the Islanders pressed the play.