And what do you do if Mason comes in and struggles? Does he get to play because he's the #1/starter? Should Martin Gerber have been kept in in 2006 because he was the #1/starter?
- jmatchett383

I think you have to define struggle.

If mason lets in a bad goal or even two I'd probably let him keep playing.

If its 4-0 rags after a period I'd make a switch.

For me I'd also start mason WHEN he is healthy.
If he has questions and doesn't feel right they stay with Ray.

Most people agreed that you had to play him. But if the rest of the team doesn't want him in, then it hurts the team's mentality going forward.
- jmatchett383

why would you not want your best player to play? makes no sense.

You have to call it. The slash can literally be proven by the broken stick. It's something that the refs can't turn a blind eye towards. I hate it as well, but it is what it is.

The rule I can't stand is the double-minor for blood. And it's not because we got burned by it already. It's just such a stupid rule. Intent to injure should dictate the extra 2; not blood. It's hockey. There are sharp angles everywhere on the ice. There's gonna be blood.
- steelydan

I understand why they need to call it, but from a physics/logic standpoint, it's absurd.

Yeah, the blood double minor makes no sense at all. But again, just like the broken stick, it's the visual they go on, so they use it as the measuring stick.

Great post and I totally agree. If mason is healthy, he plays. He's the #1. However if he is just well enough to play, and hasn't sufficiently recovered from the injury, I go with Emery again.

One example of the difference, is while this is speculation, I beleive that Mason stops the Pouliot goal. It was a flutter shot, and Mason is much quicker side to side.
- MJL

i agree, he might have stopped that - but not sure he stops the Zuccarello shot that Emery stopped.

say what you want about his limitations but the kid does have 2 goals and 1 assist in 4 NHL games. Its yet to be seen what his potential is but its nice to have another option for the lineup. He seems to fit in quite well with Couturier and Read. If the kid keeps playing like he is, its going to be hard for Downie to get back in there I would think.
- nastyflyergirl

agreed.

downie's finished. here, anyway.

Hate on hater. No goalie is making both of those cross-ice saves. Also, one of the good things about Emery is that he is also a very good puck handling goalie. Not as good as Mason, but above average at the very least. Also, after the first 2, Emery was making those cross-crease saves, he just had to anticipate them a bit more.
- jmatchett383

Except now Emery is out of position because he's constantly anticipating a cross-ice pass and begins to cheat. I think everyone likes the idea of Emery as a backup and he's the reason we won game 2 (and he's NOT the reason we lost game 1). That being said, he's a 1-1 backup goalie with an obvious deficiency in his game that has been exploited for multiple goals across multiple games. If Mason is healthy, you put him in. It's as simple as that, and I don't think Berube will have a tough time making that decision. And you have to admit the Rag's 2nd goal was weak. Sure it's nice that Emery adjusted, but that goal shouldn't have happened.

Does it feel like you're drowning?
- PhillySportsGuy

it really does. It's impossible to explain. It feels like you're breathing water because the wet towel sinks into your mouth and morphs to your face and everything and...well I threw the damn wrench down pretty much right away

why would you not want your best player to play? makes no sense.
- flyersfan51

Well, that was the question at the time. You had a majority of people saying that, if your superstar is healthy, you play him. There was a minority (which was rumored to have included his teammates) who were very happy with how the team was playing as constructed and likes the way they were playing without him, and didn't want to rock the boat.

Like I said, I would have held him out of Game 6 and given the team a chance to close it out, and put him in for the SCF. But they didn't, and, well yeah, it happened.

I hate the stick break automatic rule. These are not heavy wooden shafts, so they fatigue. A guy can give a hard, 2-handed chop and the stick won't break or bend, but it will fatigue. So when the next guy comes over and gives it a tap, it fatigues a bit more (not to mention these things explode of slap shots from time to time). Finally, a guy misses on a sweep check and hits the shaft, and the thing splits in two, so he gets the automatic slash.
- jmatchett383

I would like to see them change the rule to "If the player's swing begins above the waist and results in a broken stick, a penalty will be called"

I understand the concept though. It's similar to the over the glass delay of game. No one means to do it, but if the rule were eliminated, players would be firing the puck over the glass a lot more often to relieve pressure and swinging down even harder in order to break someones stick.

Coburn did what Chara does 3 times a game
- Jsaquella

that was simply not a penalty. the referee sees contact and calls what he thinks he sees, not what actually happened. absolute (frank)ing horse poop.

it really does. It's impossible to explain. It feels like you're breathing water because the wet towel sinks into your mouth and morphs to your face and everything and...well I threw the damn wrench down pretty much right away
- Giroux_Is_God

This is a very disturbing post.

Well, that was the question at the time. You had a majority of people saying that, if your superstar is healthy, you play him. There was a minority (which was rumored to have included his teammates) who were very happy with how the team was playing as constructed and likes the way they were playing without him, and didn't want to rock the boat.

Like I said, I would have held him out of Game 6 and given the team a chance to close it out, and put him in for the SCF. But they didn't, and, well yeah, it happened.
- jmatchett383

oh, so if he woulda sat game 6 they would've been shut out - he was the best player on the ice and almost scored two, one was a little after the end of the period.

I don't get what you were looking at. The flyers had to clearly adapt to not having Mason's puck handling skills in Game 1. They would not have looked so slow and would not have been pressed in their zone so easily by the Rags.

Also those cross ice passes into empty nets were not even quick passes. Emery was slow on the read from the get go and slow on the movement across the ice. Mason has made those saves time and time again throughout the season and made them look easy.
- FlyersSteve118

Ok, say Mason is in net for game 1. Say he does stop the 2nd ranger goal. The powerplay still had another 1:45ish seconds. Unless Mason was playing like Patrick Roy, there is no chance of him getting out of those 4 minutes without giving up 1.

The problem with this debate is this. You guys are debating a historical event that happened with Emery and replacing him and changing the results. Logically you can't do this in an argument. Mason didn't plaly, so we don't know what would have happened regardless.

Curiosity.

Laid down with the towel laid on my face, and I held a wrench for the signal. Drop the wrench, then my friend stops with the water and rips the towel off.

I now understand why it's torture. It was a rather eye opening experience.

I refuse to be judged
- Giroux_Is_God

dude, curiosity killed the cat

don't be a dead cat

it really does. It's impossible to explain. It feels like you're breathing water because the wet towel sinks into your mouth and morphs to your face and everything and...well I threw the damn wrench down pretty much right away
- Giroux_Is_God

Maybe the people who administer it should be forced to go through it in order to fully understand what they're doing.

that was simply not a penalty. the referee sees contact and calls what he thinks he sees, not what actually happened. absolute (frank)ing horse poop.
- hammarby31

My favorite part was how Zuc just basically sat the hell down.

How can you call a penalty on a guy for shoving himself into someone's abs because he's that much shorter than him

agreed.

downie's finished. here, anyway.
- hammarby31

I'd hope they give him a shot over Rinaldo in this series... Rangers' 4th-line is playing really well... Flyers own 4th gets torched every time they hit the ice.

I would like to see them change the rule to "If the player's swing begins above the waist and results in a broken stick, a penalty will be called"

I understand the concept though. It's similar to the over the glass delay of game. No one means to do it, but if the rule were eliminated, players would be firing the puck over the glass a lot more often to relieve pressure and swinging down even harder in order to break someones stick.
- PhillySportsGuy

Absolutely. But then again, referees like those clear-cut penalties (like the double minor for blood) so that they don't have to worry about a judgement call. Paul Stewart (who is not the norm for a referee) did a blog about it a month or so ago, that he didn't make the automatic puck over the glass call the first time it happened because he knew it was an accident. And he admitted it was a mistake, because it's not his place to make judgement calls on plays like that. So, really, the NHL would have to admit it made a mistake, and open itself up to tons of possible criticism for poor judgement calls. Good luck selling that one.

I'd hope they give him a shot over Rinaldo in this series... Rangers' 4th-line is playing really well... Flyers own 4th gets torched every time they hit the ice.
- Tomahawk

Impossible. We have a 400 goal scorer on that line.

oh, so if he woulda sat game 6 they would've been shut out - he was the best player on the ice and almost scored two, one was a little after the end of the period.
- flyersfan51

No, the entire dynamic of Game 6 changes if he doesn't play.

Ok, say Mason is in net for game 1. Say he does stop the 2nd ranger goal. The powerplay still had another 1:45ish seconds. Unless Mason was playing like Patrick Roy, there is no chance of him getting out of those 4 minutes without giving up 1.

The problem with this debate is this. You guys are debating a historical event that happened with Emery and replacing him and changing the results. Logically you can't do this in an argument. Mason didn't plaly, so we don't know what would have happened regardless.
- Flyersgod

How can anyone postulate what shot would have been stopped by which goalie?

Hate on hater. No goalie is making both of those cross-ice saves. Also, one of the good things about Emery is that he is also a very good puck handling goalie. Not as good as Mason, but above average at the very least. Also, after the first 2, Emery was making those cross-crease saves, he just had to anticipate them a bit more.
- jmatchett383

I am not hating. Emery has played outstanding given the circumstances. It just stupid to overlook the obvious deficiencies in his game and not playing a goalie that does not have those. They are going to score more of these cross ice goals if Emery plays more games.

Do you disagree with that? What if that costs us a game at home? Than we lose the advantage we gained from taking a split in MSG. All because we played a goalie who was very good, but not as good as another goalie we could have played instead?

dude, curiosity killed the cat

don't be a dead cat
- BulliesPhan87

I am fully alive and well!

I'd hope they give him a shot over Rinaldo in this series... Rangers' 4th-line is playing really well... Flyers own 4th gets torched every time they hit the ice.
- Tomahawk

Well, I'm sure Downie's superior speed and otherworldly positioning skills will alleviate those problems.

Barring injuries, dude should not see the ice.

Maybe the people who administer it should be forced to go through it in order to fully understand what they're doing.
- PhillySportsGuy

A joke right?