Three's Company: The Pros and Cons of Philadelphia's 3 Goalies

By this time last year, the Philadelphia Flyers were polar opposites of what they are now.

They are currently No. 1 in the league instead of struggling at the bottom of the standings.

The Flyers are experts at Peter Laviolette’s system instead of just getting to know it early on.

And they’ve got a logjam of great goalies, as opposed to a revolving door of mediocre and untested ones.

True, the goalie tandem on December 17th, 2009 was Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton, but like the rest of the Philadelphia Flyers, they’ve grown as players and teammates after last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs.

After their playoff hero and supposed starter, Michael Leighton, went down with a back injury during the preseason, both veteran Brian Boucher and unknown Sergei Bobrovsky have stepped up and proven their worth to the team.

With Leighton healthy and ready to play, the Flyers have a problem they thought they’d never have to deal with: They’ve got too many great goalies.

Though a good problem to have, GM Paul Holmgren has decided to carry all three goalies for the time being to see who should stay on Philly’s roster and who should either get waived or traded from the organization.

The decision will be difficult to make because each goalie is unique in their playing styles and what they offer to their team.

Certainly not a decision I would want to make, but one I will try to analyze and solve.

And we’re doing it like a teenage girl figuring out if she wants to break up with her boyfriend or not…pros and cons list.

Sergei Bobrovsky

Season Stats: 15-4-3, .923 save percentage, 2.32 GAA

Everyone thought the same thing in Philadelphia when they saw the season opener against the always difficult Pittsburgh Penguins.

Who’s the kid in net, and how do you pronounce his name?

After 33 games, the Russian sensation remains a heavy favorite for the Calder Trophy at the end of the season, despite some tough losses and less playing time.

Like in 1973 when Keith Allen traded for fan favorite Bernie Parent, Holmgren may have just found his ace in the hole with Bobrovsky. 

PROS:

+ It’s clear to everyone who watches hockey. Flyers fans don’t want to say it in fear of getting their hopes up, but they are all thinking it. Bobrovsky is the future No. 1 netminder for Philly, and he could be the answer in net the Flyers have been searching for since Parent retired in 1979.

+ Those stats above aren’t fluke numbers. Bobrovsky has had to work against the toughest teams in the East and has frequently come out on top.

+ Bobrovsky has shown incredible skill in the short time he’s been a Flyer. He can flash the leather,  and the speed of his pads is surreal. He’s also a quick learner and becoming more comfortable in the North American game with the help of goalie coach Jeff Reese.

+ Bobrovsky has been clutch this season. If the team in front of him is underperforming, he’ll come up with the big saves while the skaters get their feet underneath them. If the opposing team is surging, Bobrovsky will keep the puck out of the net. If the skaters make a mistake, Bob can help out in righting the ship.

CONS:

- The Flyers have never been too great when it comes to the shootout, and the same goes for Bobrovsky. Luckily, there aren’t any shootouts during the playoffs.

- In the past few games, Bobrovsky has been guilty of letting a weak goal or two to go in. Like Leighton, he can make some dynamic saves, but sometimes the rookie in him comes out and the softie goes in.

- Though he’s been working on this a lot with Jeff Reese, Bobrovsky is still shaky when handling the puck behind the net.

Something To Consider:

When it comes playoff time, which rookie will Sergei Bobrovsky resemble most? Will it be Antti Niemi, who robbed players frequently during last year’s playoffs or Jimmy Howard, who lost his luster during those same playoffs?

Also, what’s to say Bobrovsky will even be playing in the playoffs? He seems like an obvious choice to make the roster based on his season-opening start and his 12-game starting streak. But with Brian Boucher getting the starts recently and Michael Leighton returning to the roster, could “The Iron Curtain” be getting sent down to the Adirondack Phantoms?

Brian Boucher

Season Stats: 7-3-2, .922 save percentage, 2.11 GAA

Most assumed Brian Boucher was coming into the season this year as a backup.

Everyone except Boucher, that is.

But that’s the type of player Boosh is. With his stellar play in the playoffs last season and the end of his career looming in the distance, Boucher is giving all he’s got to keep a roster spot on the team that drafted him in the '90s.

So far, he’s doing just that.

PROS:

+ Near the end of former Flyers’ goaltender Ron Hextall’s career, he stayed with the team to play mentor to the young Brian Boucher. It seems the same teacher/student relationship has built between Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Boucher. With Boucher’s experience and accomplishments, he’s a great guy for Bob to learn from.

+ His season stats have been good, but his most recent stats have been even better. In his last seven starts, Boucher has a 1.57 GAA and a .933 save percentage. There’s a reason he’s been getting frequent starts recently: He’s been playing lights out.

+ Boucher’s stick work has been excellent in the recent games. He puts the puck in good places and rarely makes a mistake behind his net.

+ Game 82 of the Flyers 2009-10 regular season. Don’t know if anyone remembers this, but Boucher sort of saved the season for his team. The man knows how to come up big, and, as an added bonus, he plays great during shootouts.

CONS:

- Boucher’s cheap cap hit ($925,000) might work against him. With the way Boosh has been playing, unloading him to a team in need of a goalie would be easy with his contract.

- Boucher’s skill set is a little lacking in areas, particularly with his rebounds. Though it hasn’t been there too often in the last few games, Boucher has knack of bouncing off some bad rebounds right in front of his crease. If a defenseman isn’t there to swoop in and get rid of the puck, it can turn dangerous quickly.

- Boucher can be playing out of his mind and still let the weak goal or two go in.

Something to Consider:

BOOSH!! Boucher may be frustrating at times, but he’s still a huge fan favorite. He’s a class act, and I’m sure fans would like nothing more than to see him retire in orange and black. Business is business, though, and this won’t keep him from getting waived or traded. 

Michael Leighton

2009-10 season stats: 16-5-2, .920 save percentage, 2.48 GAA

2009-10 playoff stats: 8-3, .916 save percentage, 2.46 GAA

Leighton has become somewhat of a controversial figure in Philly sports.

Yes, he allowed a soft, bad-angle shot that ended Philadelphia’s incredible season a game short. He also went 16-5-2 in the regular season to help the Flyers get out of a deep hole. He then came in for an injured Brian Boucher during the Boston series and helped his team achieve the ultimate comeback. Then he became the first Flyer goaltender to record three shutouts in a series during the Eastern Conference Finals against Montreal.

Without Leighton, the Flyers would have never gotten into the playoffs, let alone Game 6 in the Stanley Cup Finals.

PROS:

+ Like I said before, he came into a tense atmosphere during the Boston series after being sidelined for months. Laviolette has shown that he loves going with the hot goalie, and if he needs to switch it up, Leighton can come in cold and perform like a starter.

+ His playing style benefits his cold entries into games. Leighton isn’t the fastest or most skilled goalie, but he’s smart and uses his size to cover his angles and to stay in front of the puck.

+ People tend to forget the unbelievable saves Leighton managed to make last year. He can rob snipers and keep the big shots from hitting the twine.

+ It is my assumption that Patrick Kane’s Cup-clinching goal haunts Michael Leighton’s dreams on a nightly basis. That goal hurt fans to the core, so imagine how devastating it was for Leighton. The goaltender doesn’t want that goal to define his career, and he’s going to do whatever he can to erase that ugly memory.

CONS:

- There’s an unfortunate trend in this article, and it is weak goals. Leights, like the rest of the Flyers’ goaltenders, can make highlight-reel saves while letting softies roll in now and again.

- This is the second time within one year that Leighton has returned from a long-term injury. With Pronger out four to six weeks, the last thing the Flyers need is more big hits to their backend. They need to stay consistent, and that means they need to keep healthy for the long haul.

- Does Michael Leighton really want to get stuck in the AHL again? He undoubtedly earned a spot on the roster last year, and after so many seasons in the AHL, will he accept getting sent down once more?

Something To Consider:

Kevin Kolb.

Like Leighton, Kolb was the supposed starter for the Eagles this year. That is, until Clay Matthews smashed his face into the turf, causing a concussion and opening the door for Michael Vick to come in a steal the starting job.

Could the goalie situation go down like the quarterback situation did across the street? Will the Flyers management drown out the free-agency situation at the end of the road and just go with the guys who are hot right now? Of course, Leighton might not be as forgiving as Kolb and demand a trade if he is sent down to the AHL again.

Verdict

Laviolette has been pretty straightforward this season. If the player isn't doing his job, he isn't going to start. This approach to the game should make this choice a lot less complicated and understandable to the odd-man out.

There isn't a clear winner here, but if Leighton comes in and plays as well as Boucher, the tandem should be Bobrovsky/Leighton. Though he's been fantastic recently and as a fan, I love him to death, Boucher doesn't have many more years in him. The Flyers need two reliable and long-term options, and that's exactly what you get with Bobrovsky and Leighton.

Keeping in mind Lavvy's coaching style, if Leighton comes in and doesn't perform up to expectations, the AHL-regular will hopefully understand why he would get sent down to the minors until he's playing at the level that is expected. Of course, with the way he performed last year, he could request a trade to a team like Toronto or Tampa Bay, which wouldn't be great, considering the goalie situation in Adirondack.

And Bob seems like the real deal. He needs time on the ice to improve his game to help the Flyers make a deep run during the playoffs.

Who would you choose as the goalie tandem for the Flyers? Sound off in the comments section.