Habs Turn to Halak in Game Four

When I first read that Jaroslav Halak was starting game four in place of Carey Price my first reaction was to pat myself on the shoulder for one of my first posts in which I predicted Halak would be the first backup goalie to make a big impression in relief. (I’m not counting Chris Osgood taking over the Wings’ crease because he’s really a co-number-one, not a real backup).

Lucky for me I kept my fingers off the keyboard as Martin Biron (the true goaltending story of this year’s playoffs) won another game for his Flyers.  Only in the lonely world of a blogger can one take solace in at least suggesting that Carey Price might not be able to carry the load but I guess that’s all I have right now.  What do you think, can Habs’ goalie coach Rolie Melanson help Price bounce back and get the Habs back into this series or are we looking at a Keystone State conference final?

Biron’s Dream of Beating the Habs Began Long Ago

Think Martin Biron is enjoying the way his Flyers are playing against the Habs? You don’t know the half of it! Biron is certainly enjoying his team’s run against the Canadiens and has put his team in a commanding 3-1 series lead but there’s more to beating the Habs than just carrying the Flyers on his shoulders.

Don’t Let Turco Near Your Car!

If you’re a Sharks fan you probably don’t want Marty Turco anywhere near your team or the Shark Tank right about now. Turco is leading the Stars on a powerful playoff push through the state of California. (As an aside, who ever thought the road to the Stanley Cup would require stops in California???) Earlier this season Turco took advantage of an extended road trip on the east coast to do a number on Matt Niskanen’s car. Despite the NHL’s minimum salary of $450,000 Stars rookie Niskanen is driving an old Pontiac Sunfire, complete with manual windows. Check out Turco’s version of Pimp My Ride when he “borrows” the keys to the rookie’s car.

Check Inside Biron’s Purse

Marty Biron is in the midst of a fabulous playoff run, having led the Flyers to a seven-game upset of the Caps and now a hard-earned split in Montreal. As noted in our previous post on Biron, he’s more talkative than your average ‘tender. Watch this NHL.com video for proof and Biron spills the beans on what he keeps in his purse!

Martin Biron Probably Talks About Shutouts Too

Today marks the Flyers’ (and Capitals’) return to the playoffs. The Capitals weren’t really expected to be here this year but are riding a Russian scorer and a French goalie. The Flyers were pretty much expected to not only be back in the playoffs after an expensive re-tooling last summer, but to contend for the Atlantic title. Regardless of where they finished in the playoff standings (i.e. last) their goaltending hopes were going to depend upon Martin Biron.

Biron was one of the first steps in their rebuilding program, acquired at last season’s trade deadline. This year he not only realizes the weight of playoff success but he talks openly about it! Most goalies are a pretty superstitious bunch and shy away from reporters. When they do talk they say things like “it’s a team effort” or “my defense made it easy for me tonight”. They don’t say “it’s all on me and that’s fine”. Well, most of them don’t. Biron probably talks openly about getting a shutout too!

Lord Stanley resides in California… is the Vezina Next?

Ask any NHL writer or hockey fan “who is the best goalie?” and for the last few years the overwhelming answer was always the same: Martin Brodeur. Yes, guys like Roberto Luongo and Marty Turco were mentioned in the same breath but in the end it has been Brodeur winning the Vezina three of the last four years. One goalie who hasn’t really been mentioned at all in that debate (but should have been) is now making his strongest case yet: San Jose’s Evgeni Nabokov.

Tenders Lounge is located in San Francisco, one hour north of the Shark Tank, so we’re a little biased towards our local goalie but Nabby’s numbers look good from anywhere. Even from New Jersey. Nabokov leads the league in wins with 46 and would have a chance at tying Brodeur’s record for wins in a season (48) but Sharks coach Doug Wilson has decided to play Brian Boucher in one of the Sharks’ last two games (read more about that decision here).