Oct 27, 2016
Post 2 Post: The Five Hole
TSN Hockey Analyst Jamie McLennan gives his weekly thoughts on five goaltending stories, including Frederik Andersen Brian Elliott and his old friend Dusty.
TSN Hockey Analyst Jamie McLennan gives his weekly thoughts on five goaltending stories:
1) Frederik Andersen - It's been a rough two weeks to start the season for him to say the least. Adjustment is a huge thing for goalies - from being in a new city, a new organization, new coach, systems, players in front of you, trust and tendencies of the players along with the comfort level of the building that is your new home.
All of these are just a few things that could factor into a goalie settling in. That being said, his game isn't sharp and he hasn't looked sure about himself - even on some of the saves he's made. His feet still have some motion before he gets set and his timing has been off on some save selections.
It's not a real forgiving market in Toronto, known (as I have said before) as a goalie graveyard. Mike Babcock is going to stand by his guy and help him work out of his struggles and try to become a starter. I believe he can be a starter in this league, but he has to prove it. And that's easier said than done.
2) Dusty Imoo - I think this is the best story of the month!
Okay, full disclosure - I'm biased because he's a close friend of mine. Dusty is my former junior hockey partner as I was his backup in Lethbridge during my first season there. We were close friends and he was a mentor to me on and off the ice.
I can't divulge any off-ice stories, but we certainly had a good time! Dusty has worked his way up the ranks to become the developmental coach for the Kings' goalies after starting with the Winnipeg Jets. He did a terrific job and got scooped up by L.A. when the post was available. So you can imagine my surprise the other day when Dusty texted me saying, "Holy ----, with the injuries, I'm backing my son Jonah up tonight, wish me luck!"
Jonah worked very hard to get into a position to play for the AHL's Ontario Reign (the Kings' minor league team) and now he was going to be backed up by his old man - what a moment! I was on a texting chain with about six or seven of Dusty’s close hockey friends and the comments were flying - I think the guys were just as excited for him! I tracked the game online and from the sounds of it, Jonah played well and got his team a point as they lost 5-4 in overtime. But for me, the story is one of those one in a million experiences that happen in pro hockey and it couldn’t have happened to a better father and son team.
3) Brian Elliott - He had a real rough start with the Flames as their new No. 1 guy. He looked very uncomfortable and unsure of what was going on in front of him with his new team. He didn't have the answer when called upon and the Flames had to go to Chad Johnson to give them some minutes early on in the season while Brian worked hard in practice on his game.
His hard work and preparation paid off as he went into Chicago and St. Louis and won back-to-back games 3-2 over the Blackhawks in a shootout before beating his old team the next night in a 4-1 win. I know it's still early in the season and it's a work in progress, but he's certainly trending in the right direction.
4) Ben Bishop - Not only is Ben Bishop a great goaltender, but he showed real toughness losing a couple teeth off a shot by Toronto's Peter Holland - a rocket right to the mask. I once chipped my front tooth by taking a slapshot the face, but never in my life if I seen a goaltender lose his two fronts. The amazing part was it didn't shake his game one bit. He continued on to play very solid, making 41 saves to pick up the 7-3 win.
5) Craig Anderson - It may not be a statistical masterpiece for Anderson early in the season, but the one thing he continues to do is quietly go about his business and be very solid for the Ottawa Senators.
He's one of the more underrated goaltenders in the league and he showed it again last night in Vancouver, as he made 22 saves for his first shutout of the season. I'm pretty sure all that he cares about is that he's 4-1 on the season so far. His save percentage and goals-against average will stabilize with more minutes under his belt.