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About This Page: This is a discussion on LA Kings Talk within the LetsGoKings.com forums, at Los Angeles Kings Hockey Fan Forum. I guess I'm the only one that thinks he still has plenty of potential and has been solid this season. He was in the top 15 in G.A.A and Save
I guess I'm the only one that thinks he still has plenty of potential and has been solid this season. He was in the top 15 in G.A.A and Save percentage until the last few weeks."Playing with an injured groin" That being accomplished on the team with the worst NHL record in the league. He has faced more shots in less games then majority of the competition and it's his first season as a number 1 on an NHL roster and 2nd season in the league. Yeah he pretty much has been horrible under the circumstances.
labarbera has potential to be a dominant goaltender. on those nights when he's on, he looks like a machine made to stop goals. unfortunately, those nights are not frequent and rarely come in pairs, let alone weeks' or seasons' worth. too often, we get the labarbera who looks like he didn't want to get out of bed that morning.
that's what frustrates me so much about him. he's got skill, but whether it shows up on a given day is a crapshoot.
Hrudey was never, ever "dominant." Yes, he could on occasion steal a game, but just about any starting goalie on an NHL team can do it. Hrudey was pretty good and didn't derail the '93 run to the Finals of a team that, as it turned out, was the best NHL team that season.
Now, if you want to talk dominant, look at the Hrudey's opposite number in those very same '93 Finals. Montreal, a so-so team which wasn't even close to the best in the East, won ten straight OT games. 10-0 in the playoffs!! In the finals, they got absolutely dominated by the Kings in the first 4 games and would have gotten swept with just about any other goaltender except Roy.
So yeah, you can put "dominant" and "Hrudy" in the same sentence, you just gotta squeeze "93 Finals" and "the other goalie" in there somewhere.
Fine, I concede. Hrudey is a piece of ****. But you still cannot deny Vachon. It is not like we have never had a quality goaltender, its just been a few decades.
I guess I'm the only one that thinks he still has plenty of potential and has been solid this season. He was in the top 15 in G.A.A and Save percentage until the last few weeks."Playing with an injured groin" That being accomplished on the team with the worst NHL record in the league. He has faced more shots in less games then majority of the competition and it's his first season as a number 1 on an NHL roster and 2nd season in the league. Yeah he pretty much has been horrible under the circumstances.
Thank you. Jeez, people. So he's not in the Top 5 in his first NHL season. Guess what. With the exception of Patrick Roy (and perhaps Timothy Jr Thomas), neither was anyone else!
The fact that he is hovering around a .910 Save % on this team getting shelled like Hrudey never did says something about his quality. (Hrudey, BTW was never dominant and if you think he was you are too young to have watched him play.)
I agree with the author, I would rather have Labarbera than 5-6 people on that list.
you people really need to start holding the defesne accountable more often. Goaltending hasn't always been the problem.
Exactly...... If I could find a stat that showed which team gave away the most short handed chances I bet this team would be at the top. Not just PK time, but out numbered turnovers.
The Kings aren't the most penalized team, but they have the worst penalty kill.
Hmmmn Most goals against, but worst penalty kill. Yeah it must be the goaltender who is still saving .910 % he faces.
How about Rob Blake sat on the post 5/6th of the season and his man made a solid pass or breezed out in front of the net untouched to score.
Lubo loves turning the puck over at the blue line for a break away again the goaltenders fault.
Sure labarbera gives up some bad rebounds as do most goalies, but the team in front of him hasn't been able to control the puck either.
IMO he has been a solid goaltender even with the crap defense in front of him.
Number 14 (1220) in saves made this year and that is his job right ?
That is more saves made then......
Turco, Giguere, Backstrom, Gerber, Khabibulin, etc.
Hell he almosts has as many saves as Osgood and Hasek combined with a lot less games played.
Now that I'm rambling....... He isn't anywhere near as bad as the picture the teams record.
Last edited by bubbaganoush; February 27th, 2008 at 01:42 PM.
Fine, I concede. Hrudey is a piece of ****. But you still cannot deny Vachon. It is not like we have never had a quality goaltender, its just been a few decades.
"Not Dominant" does not equal "a piece of ****." He was a legit NHL No. 1. But he was an average NHL No. 1, no more than that.
Cannot speak to Vachon, since I never saw him play. But those who did have high praise, so I think you'll find a lot more support for Vachon being a dominant goalie.
EDIT: Oh yeah, I think Babs has been just fine, considering the circumstances. THIS year, goaltending has not been the major issue it was last season.
Last edited by santiclaws; February 27th, 2008 at 01:44 PM.
And goalies with "good rebound control" usually have good defenses. And Kings' goalies always have "bad rebound control" until they go somewhere else. Strange how that works...
I guess I'm the only one that thinks he still has plenty of potential and has been solid this season. He was in the top 15 in G.A.A and Save percentage until the last few weeks."Playing with an injured groin" That being accomplished on the team with the worst NHL record in the league. He has faced more shots in less games then majority of the competition and it's his first season as a number 1 on an NHL roster and 2nd season in the league. Yeah he pretty much has been horrible under the circumstances.
I'm in agreement with you. I think Barbs has been a solid option in net. just those string of 40+ saves/game that he has done on the last road trip says loads about what he can do. of course, maybe 20 of those were rebounds he should have covered? hahaha
I would much rather see the team build on not only the Defense - the team defense coaching as well.
4/10/82
