Also...

Thanks.

YEY! Christmas came early!

ICEBERG!!!! Can Jason Labarbera be asked for a guy so big, how can he have so many holes and how Ersberg being so much smaller can be playing so much bigger?

With all these new line combinations we're seeing, when are we finally gonna see a different goalie in the lineup. THAT'S WHAT I'M WAITING FOR!
I'm hoping to see LaBarbi waived and either Bernier or Quick called up.

Hey Murray got one right! Yahoo!

You guys are brutal. His last start he got shelled like swiss cheese. He's an ice berg that melted.

He and labarbera have basically the same stats except the Kings actually seem to give Ersberg some offensive support.

I understand having a favorite but your loathing is a little over the top and tired.

Dan H. The offensive support could be due to the team not having to worry about saving the goaltenders but everytime the puck is in the zone. Now with Ersberg they know he's half decent and players can concentrate on offense instead of getting shaky skates around a goalie who flops belly to the floor 10 feet from the net to the left. Thats my opinion!

"With all these new line combinations we're seeing, when are we finally gonna see a different goalie in the lineup. THAT'S WHAT I'M WAITING FOR!"

Yeah, and I'm waiting for fans to become reasonable, patient, logical, and pragmatic. I think you may be waiting at least a season to get what you're waiting for, while I may have to wait indefinately.

Everyone should be completely aware of where we are as a team, where we have been historically, and the plan for where we are going.

Taking that as a basic assumption and looking forward, I really think you kind of have to justify why you think calling up Quick or Bernier makes sense within that framework.

Why do you think calling either of these guys up is a good idea? Are the goalie coaches saying they are ready? Have they shined so brightly in the minors it's obvious this is the best move for them and the organization?

Plainly, you have to come up with a better justification than that you are personally impatient and fickle and would rather see the team roll the dice to satisfy your whims over doing what is best for the development of these players and the long term health of the organization if you want that opinion to be taken seriously.

And I know it's just as easy to jump on the reactionary complainers as it is to be one, but really, do you have any reason aside from just a willingness to gamble that you think this is a good idea? And by good idea, I mean good for the team and the player, and not just good for your personal entertainment.

Captain Material, your definitely hitting the nail on the head.

Just for information purposes, here are the stats:

Player_____GP__GAA___PCT____SO_W_L_OTL__ATOI
Ersberg____15___2.52___0.893___0___6__5__2_____52:21
LaBarbera__16___2.75___0.898___2___5__7__2_____53:11

So, what do we expect? I'd like to see the save% above .900, but for what we have (not Roy or Broduer or Luongo) I can't say they are sucking.

They do rank 24th and 25th for save percentage amongst goalies with 13 or more games, which ain't great, so there is that too.

But are Quick and Bernier tearing it up? They are 23rd and 20th overall in the AHL on GAA with 2.64/2.63 respectively and 10th and 27th in save percentage with .921/.904. So they are doing well, but not the top of the AHL and not really screaming to make the jump immediately.

Cory Schneider was at the top of the AHL before getting called up to VAN. In 5 games he's seen his .945 save percentage and 1.37 GAA in the AHL go to .896 and 2.80 in the NHL.

Plenty of factors in there to consider, so don't take that conversion as more than it is, but those are the numbers and not just hand waving ifs/ands/buts. If our guys come in and respond similarly, they aren't better than what we already got.

So, does it really look like there is a better solution inside the org in the short term? I'd have to say probably not short term.

There is probably a slim chance, based on DL's recent comments, we go get help from outside, but I'd say that's still a long shot.