[quote]Ruggerlife wrote:
I think Price is playing a little better than you’re giving him credit for. That said, Thomas is playing the best he has all season against the Habs. It’s a nice contradiction in styles.
Price is a positional goaltender. He stays big in the net and only moves when he has to move. The Sturm incident was a misjudgment, however he made the best of it, once you commit stay committed, don’t retreat.
Thomas on the other hand, I don’t see as a natural goaltender. He’s more of an athlete with catlike reflexes. I’ve been impressed with his positioning and staying calm so far this series (although I’d rather not be impressed tonight. haha).
Tonight I’m expecting Kovalev to be more of a force since Montreal will have last change and Boston will not be able to have Chara and Lucic on every time Kovalev is on.[/quote]
As much as I hate to agree with a habs fan ;), I have to here. I think Carey Price has played pretty damn well, especially for a 21 year old kid. He’s definitely shown some immaturity, i.e. the sturm 1 on 1 situation, but it didn’t seem to phase him much, he just got back in net and kept playing. good on him.
I think part of the difference in styles between price and thomas comes from size. Thomas is only 5’11", 200lbs whereas price is like 6’3" 230 or so. Those 4 inches and 30 lbs can take up a lot of space in the net. Especially against one post. That extra height and reach with the glove can be the difference in a lot of goals. The one from 2 nights ago being a prime example. Thomas got a bad look at it and only had time to try to get his shoulder up to block it. Price’s shoulder would have been 3 or 4 inches higher to start with. Might have made the stop, might not have.
On the other hand, I don’t think Price is anywhere near as quick as Thomas. And I think his (thomas’) unorthodox, “sprawling” style allows him to make a lot of ‘last ditch effort’ saves that many goalies might not even think to try (or at least not as quickly). The arm waving, pad stacking, diving around, convulsive kind of saves. Marty Brodeur’s one of the only other guys I can think of who does the same kind of thing. Not bad company to be in.
Regarding Kovalev vs Chara and Lucic, I think that might be offset by the win or go home situation the Bruins are in right now. Though I can also see Lucic losing his cool and decking Komisarek and spending half a period in the locker room too.