Ilya Bryzgalov: Is Resting Philadelphia Flyers Goalie the Right Choice?

During the month of March, Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov finally figured out what he needed to do to be successful in Philadelphia. With Bryzgalov’s current run of top-level play, the coaches need to decide whether to play him down the stretch or let him rest.

Bryzgalov spent the majority of his first season with his new team being criticized for his play and struggling to put together strong performances. Now that he has returned to being an elite goaltender, it becomes harder for the Flyers to decide what to do with him down the stretch. 

The Flyers have clinched a playoff spot, and most teams would sit their goaltender after clinching a spot. It’s been proven that top-level goaltenders who are used every game to get into the playoffs often get tired when the playoffs finally arrive.

Bryzgalov is a goaltender who is used to a heavy workload. During his time in Phoenix, Bryzgalov got almost all of the starts, so he is conditioned to play a lot. While Bryzgalov might be accustomed to playing a lot, he never had any deep playoff runs with Phoenix. With his playoff struggles, some might suggest that he was too tired and had nothing left.

Reports have also been surfacing about Bryzgalov having a limp in the locker room, and he had x-rays to examine that limp. With a chip fracture, it would be best for Bryzgalov to rest to keep the injury from getting worse before the playoffs.

Bryzgalov will be the starter in the playoffs, but it is important that the Flyers are ready for whatever happens once the playoffs start. Sergei Bobrovsky is a great backup and is fully aware that whenever he gets the call he needs to be ready. 

Bobrovsky was fantastic for the majority of the season, but the Flyers lost faith in him when he had a difficult February. During the month of March, Bryzgalov received almost all of the starts, and Bobrovsky has been collecting dust. With the Flyers having clinched a spot in the playoffs, the team could afford to give Bobrovsky some starts to get the rust out. 

The choice that the Flyers have to make could greatly affect how successful the team will be in the playoffs. Bryzgalov has been a top-level goaltender during March, but for the majority of the season, he has was far below average. 

With how dramatic the changes in Bryzgalov’s play have been, the Flyers have no way of knowing how he will be in the playoffs. Bryzgalov’s problems seemed to be mostly mental. The Flyers have no idea how to best help him. 

It has been suggested that Bryzgalov needs the heavy workload to be successful, but too much work will only hurt him. Contrary to popular belief, Bryzgalov is only human, and like all goaltenders, too much work will wear his body out. 

Laviolette has some difficult decisions to make when it comes to his goaltending. Bryzgalov is not an easy goaltender to have because of his personality and ability to be rattled. While Bryzgalov might be a challenge, he showed everyone during his shutout streak that the difficulty of working with him is more than worth it when he is on his game. 

If Laviolette can make the right choices, he can put Bryzgalov in a position to be a dominating force in the playoffs. During the final weeks it is possible for the Flyers get Bryzgalov some well-deserved rest to be ready, and Bobrovsky warmed up in case any unforeseen issues come up in the playoffs. 

There is no way to know what to do with the goaltenders, but it is a sure thing that if Bryzgalov struggles plenty of reasons will be suggested. If Bryzgalov is sat and rested, people will say that he was taken out of his routine and that he needed to keep going, and if he keeps playing people will say that he was overworked and tired. 

Laviolette makes good decisions, and whatever he chooses to do with his goaltenders will be done with good reason. Nobody will know what the right decision with the goaltenders will be until the playoffs are over. All the Flyers can do is make a choice and hope it was the right one.