Hedberg to start Game 2
The news out of Atlanta today is that backup netminder Johan 'Moose' Hedberg is going to be given the start in Game 2 by Thrashers coach Bob Hartley.Kari Lehtonen wasn't all that solid last night, but this seems like a panic move given he was the starter all season long. Hedberg has had playoff success before, and is somewhat of a streaky netminder, but tomorrow afternoon's game is almost a must-win for Atlanta.
by James Mirtle @ 12:35 PM
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9 Comments:
You have a source for that James?
Bob Hartley.
Nothing more reliable than that?
Good...the only thing giving up bigger rebounds than Lehtonen is a basketball rim after a Shaq free-throw...
By my numbers Lehtonen had a decent game. He saw 38 shots, many of which were good shots. In fact he allowed 4 goals on 4.8 expected goals. (Shot quality neutral save %: 0.917)
I always think it's bad to "blame the goaltender" in these situations as it makes the team feel that they played well enough to win.
I'd speculate the reason for the change is that the Thrashers move the puck out of the zone better with Moose in net. The Rangers were getting deep too easily and effectively for Hartley's liking.
Interesting when you consider Fleury going back in for Pittsburgh. Hedberg & Thibault are very comparable at this point in their careers as 30 something backups that used to be starters. Both Lehtonen & Fleury looked shaky in their playoff debut, both are top draft picks, and one is out and the other gets a second chance.
I'm pretty surprised by this. You'd think they would have given Lehtonen another shot, once the first playoff game jitters have gone away.
This move seems like a mistake to me.
I was surprised at first, and I'm still not sure I like the move all that much, but I trust Hartley, here. Lehtnonen has responded well in the past to this type of move. Hedberg looked great at the end of the season. This should really fire up our defensive play. I don't know what to do after this game, but Hartley will.
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