Phil Osaer

Thread starter #1
Have been thinking about the amount of goals we have conceded so far this year. By no means am i saying Osaer is to blame. Just curious what peoples thoughts are, is it the D, nettie or a combination of the both. The reason I ask is I cant recall Lyle conceding so many goals, but i may be wrong. I was not a hockey fan when Osaer last played for the Devils, but after all the pre seaon hype about him i was expecting big things.
 

Gazza272

Well-Known Member
#2
Allcorn said:
Have been thinking about the amount of goals we have conceded so far this year. By no means am i saying Osaer is to blame. Just curious what peoples thoughts are, is it the D, nettie or a combination of the both. The reason I ask is I cant recall Lyle conceding so many goals, but i may be wrong. I was not a hockey fan when Osaer last played for the Devils, but after all the pre seaon hype about him i was expecting big things.

from what I have seen Osaer has not been able to do a thing about the goals he has conceeded.

Sometimes D and Goalie can take a while to settle down in harmony. I remember aubry taking till OCtober to settle in his second stint here with his D and when they did they didnt look back.
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#3
First of all i think Phil would want a few of those goals back, but he is a great nettie.
Secondly funnily enough its not so much the goals we are letting in, but the lack of goals we are scoring in the league anyway.
Here is a few stats for you goals average for per game.
Giants= 3.8
Steelers= 3.5
Blaze= 3.5
Panthers= 2.5
Devils= 2.0

GOALS AGAINST PER GAME LEAGUE
Blaze = 3.8
Steelers = 3.4
Devils= 3.0
Giants= 2.8
Panthers= 2.6

PENALTIES PER GAME LEAGUE AVERAGE
Steelers= 35
Panthers= 32
Blaze= 26
Giants= 20
Devils= 16

Losses in regulation time, again league
Steelers=2
Panthers=2
Blaze=1
Devils= 1
Giants=0

So there we are folks, it would be nice to let less goals in, but we need to score more especially on the pp.
 

osh

Well-Known Member
#4
I think PO is a top netminder playing behind a pretty insecure defence at the moment. I don't understand how you can say he couldn't do anything about the goals he has conceded. He has let some very soft goals in that were his responsibility alone and he needs to improve on the amount of rebounds he coughs up also. And it is now October, so lets hope he settles with his D and there is an averall improvement because we all know he is capable of much more.
 

Finny

Well-Known Member
#6
Allcorn said:
The reason I ask is I cant recall Lyle conceding so many goals, but i may be wrong. I was not a hockey fan when Osaer last played for the Devils, but after all the pre seaon hype about him i was expecting big things.
We always get a "is it the netminder" thread when a 'new' netminder comes in.

Osaer is a very good netminder, and has made some outstanding saves. I think the main problem is the defence in front of him aren't of the quality he was used to in recent years.
In many higher leagues the netminders are told not to catch the puck and instead deflect it into the corners. However, I would argue that with our defence and face-off winning centres we would be better off him catching. Especially as his rebound control hasn't been great and isn't deflecting the puck into the corners as you would like.
 

voth26

Well-Known Member
#7
i've noticed that a few times phil tries to "pad" the puck away towards the corner, or he will catch and then release the puck straight away this has caught the D out a few times? i did have a very high expectation of phil and the D this season based on the strength of the hype.also i think Batchy needs to start getting really physical, I wouldnt mind seeing him have a few fights either he's big enough i dont mean against the likes of lepine/olsen etc but against the likes of sam smith etc, I think it would give him a bit more confidence
 

Koop11

Well-Known Member
#8
PO has certainly not had his strongest start but I wouldn’t read too much into goalie stats. These stats are very reliant on a number of factors. From what I have seen in the games this year, PO would want a good 3 or 4 goals back. He has also pulled out some ridiculous saves and kept us in games. Most other goals however I believe have been down to very poor defensive. We have let opponents walk into our slot area. Defenders have pinched up at the wrong times giving away too many odd man rushes. We’re not clearing out lose pucks and rebounds which has created turnovers.

On paper we have very good defensemen. For whatever reason, they don’t appear to play well as a unit. There is also however a duty on the forwards to play their defensive game as every player has a responsibility to defend.

I don’t think our goalie is the problem. He certainly needs to sharpen up, don’t get me wrong but our basic responsibilities on our own blue line is where we are struggling in my opinion.
 
#9
Forgive the naiive question, but what exactly do you mean by 'would want a few goals back'? I'm sure every netminder lets a few in that he really shouldn't have, is it as simple as that, or something more specific?
 

Wannabe2

Well-Known Member
#10
ice pie said:
Forgive the naiive question, but what exactly do you mean by 'would want a few goals back'? I'm sure every netminder lets a few in that he really shouldn't have, is it as simple as that, or something more specific?
Its exactly that mate, and as you say all netminders would want some back.
 
#11
Thanks Wannabe2, just wondered if there was more to it than that...

Seems to me that Phil has just had way too much to do, and he can't do it all - he's supposed to be the last line of defense, not the only defense!

I too had noticed that he deflects the puck more whereas Lyle tended to catch it more - I understand that's a tactic, but it needs our players to be ready to pick it up, and they rarely are...
 

Chris

Administrator
#12
I put something in my post from the game last night about the increasing distance Osaer was creeping out of our nets to deal with pucks before our D could/would get back to them, also behind the net rather than pass to a D man he was attempting (and largely succeeding) to clear the puck himself rather than risk another terrible pass out of the zone gifting possession to the Panthers...

Lyle took a fair amount of flak for coming out of his nets so much, although Osaer does look more solid when he's out there, it's slightly worrying that there doesn't seem to be much faith from Osaer in our D at the moment :S
 
#13
Sorry but goalies are never told to deflect the puck instead of catch it, if the opportunity is there to catch the puck then the Coach would want that to happen and so would the netminder. You can't tell a goalie how to make his saves in that way, its not how it works. Deflecting the puck into the corners is not a desirable thing to do if the opportunity to catch it, as you send your D into the corners and put them in a dangerous position, plus expose space in more risky areas. Phil will do what is best in the split second goalies have to read and react, he will pad and stick the puck away either if he hasn't seen it because of a screen, if that's the only save selection available and/or if its the safest option. Trying to catch the puck in front of your pads is risky, possibly either producing a rebound or a skipover. Most goals this year have been because of his D in front of him, either screening him accidentally or simply not doing their job properly. Phil is an excellent netminder, you don't win the silverware he has if you're not a top goalie. When your D don't do their job, you have to compensate and be more aggressive in terms of depth and fade. Trust me when i say, Phil gives 110% every second of every game
 

Finny

Well-Known Member
#14
Fleury29 said:
Sorry but goalies are never told to deflect the puck instead of catch it, if the opportunity is there to catch the puck then the Coach would want that to happen and so would the netminder. You can't tell a goalie how to make his saves in that way, its not how it works.
Out of interest, what makes you say this?
 
#15
Finny said:
Fleury29 said:
Sorry but goalies are never told to deflect the puck instead of catch it, if the opportunity is there to catch the puck then the Coach would want that to happen and so would the netminder. You can't tell a goalie how to make his saves in that way, its not how it works.
Out of interest, what makes you say this?
Experience really bud, having played and coached. I speak to NHL & AHL goalies and goalie coaches often. It's far better and safer to catch the puck in the first instance, either then freezing it or distributing it to a defenceman, than try to deflect it into the corner for your D to battle for it (if catching is possible). By catching the puck, forecheckers will generally peel away expecting the whistle, so if your defencemen know the plan then sometimes you can immediately give possession to your team and start a breakout. Goalies will only pad the puck to the corners if that's the only option (either the appropriate reaction save or its the safest option ie - if trying to catch would present more of a risk). Having said that, any puck that comes low will always be managed with the pad and stick anyway so its largely irrelevant. But what i'm trying to say is goalies will never choose to deflect rather than catch. If its catchable they'll attempt to catch it, if its only deflect-able then they'll attempt to deflect it. Nor will they accept a team coach telling them to deflect it, if you put that doubt into a goalies mind and they have that doubt about their save selection in the split second they have to make a decision, the puck will end up in the net. Hope i've explained myself well enough :)
 
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