Lookin' Good, Bryz
I wish more than anything that I could talk trash about Ilya Bryzgalov's relief performance in Monday night's game against the Hawks, but I can't. Dubynk gave up four goals on 14 shots, and was replaced by the spaceman himself. Bryzgalov was wearing a somewhat surprising set of plain white pads and a plain white helmet, but what was even more surprising was his performance.
With 12 saves on 13 shots, Bryzgalov looked unusually comfortable in net. The last time we all saw the the former Flyer's starter, he was kicking rebounds out into the slot and clumsily chasing the puck behind the net. He was sluggish and seemed to lose focus easily, but this wasn't the Bryzgalov of the past.
The only goal Bryzgalov allowed was a tip in that beat him to the blocker side. The original shot was hardly contested by the Oiler defense, and Bryz didn't leave the rebound anywhere near his net. Hawks defenseman Nick Leddy grabbed the puck near the outside hashmark to Bryzgalov's right, and fired in a shot that deflected off Andrew Shaw and into the back of the net. It was poor defense, not poor goaltending.
While it's far too early to tell whether or not Bryz is a changed man, it was certainly an interesting new look. The Oilers are still terrible defensively, so it's unlikely that Bryzgalov will be a good fantasy play, but at the very least, we should be in store for some fantastic post-game interviews.
With 12 saves on 13 shots, Bryzgalov looked unusually comfortable in net. The last time we all saw the the former Flyer's starter, he was kicking rebounds out into the slot and clumsily chasing the puck behind the net. He was sluggish and seemed to lose focus easily, but this wasn't the Bryzgalov of the past.
The only goal Bryzgalov allowed was a tip in that beat him to the blocker side. The original shot was hardly contested by the Oiler defense, and Bryz didn't leave the rebound anywhere near his net. Hawks defenseman Nick Leddy grabbed the puck near the outside hashmark to Bryzgalov's right, and fired in a shot that deflected off Andrew Shaw and into the back of the net. It was poor defense, not poor goaltending.
While it's far too early to tell whether or not Bryz is a changed man, it was certainly an interesting new look. The Oilers are still terrible defensively, so it's unlikely that Bryzgalov will be a good fantasy play, but at the very least, we should be in store for some fantastic post-game interviews.