Some Crawford thoughts
Here is Marc Crawford's response to a seemingly more lively practice Friday morning, but that's not a surprise since the Kings snapped a five-game losing skid the night before with a 2-0 win over Ottawa. Also, Erik Ersberg will start Saturday against Montreal.
``You could see there was a little more life,'' Crawford said. ``Victories do that for you. That’s why it’s so nice to get them and build upon them. We did it in the right way, I thought. We did keep the rush chances down. We wanted to keep our rush chances down. That’s what we felt we did such a good job of. It’s going to be a great challenge for us tomorrow. Arguably, we’ll be playing a team (Montreal) with even more speed and even more dynamic rushing attack. They’ve got the supplemental kind of defensemen that are extremely creative, not that Ottawa’s weren’t creative, but I think they take it to another degree. That always poses an extra challenge for your club. We’re playing with a little extra confidence right now. You always like to play with confidence, and Ersberg is at the top of his game, even thought he’s only a young goaltender. He’s seeing the puck quite well. We’re going to give him the opportunity to play against one of the best teams in the East tomorrow.’’
I'm pumped for this game. Hopefully Staples is packed tomorrow.
"You always like to play with confidence, and Ersberg is at the top of his game, even thought he’s only a young goaltender."
WHY DOES BEING A YOUNG GOALTENDER MATTER. If the guy is good, you PLAY him.
You might as well say "You always like to play with confidence, and Ovechkin is at the top of his game, even thought he’s only a young forward."
What are the odds Crawford stays for next year? Please let it be 0%.
I'm so there
Kenneth, you do realize why Lombardi has been keeping our youngsters that he feels aren't ready in the minors, right? Lombardi has always preached from day one that you don't want to crush a guy's psyche and confidence too early in his career, especially on a team like this one where odds are we'll lose more often than not. Some guys can deal with it, ala Kopitar, JMFJ, and hopefully Ersberg. Plus there's an added pressure just from being a defenseman or goalie alone, from being depended on to stop goals against the best players in the world. If they fail miserably, you can stunt their career and potential when they should be learning the game. Notice how Bernier went back to juniors to get more seasoning? Look at Jamie Storr as an example of what happens when you rush a guy. ..Out of the NHL.
I should have been more specific. Good... in the NHL. Obviously, 3 1/2 games isn't enough to cement him as our starting goalie for the next 8 years... but saying "he's only a young ______" is a little negative. Ersberg hasn't really anything negative thus far in the NHL.
He can say what he wants about Harrold, Purcell, Moulson, Gauthier, etc. But there's no need to be a little negative for no real reason.